Thomas Blackwell
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikitia's general notability guideline. |
Thomas Blackwell | |
|---|---|
| Add a Photo | |
| Born | March 14, 1804 Harrow Weald, Middlesex, |
| Died | December 16, 1879 (aged 75) |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation | Businessman and industrialist |
| Organization | Crosse & Blackwell |
| Parents |
|
Thomas Blackwell (14 March 1804 – 16 December 1879) was a British businessman and industrialist, best known as the co-founder of Crosse & Blackwell, once one of the United Kingdom’s leading food manufacturing firms.
Early life
Blackwell was born on 14 March 1804 at Harrow Weald, Middlesex, to Charles Blackwell (1770–1849) and Mary Ann Bodimeade, whose family owned a successful brickmaking and farming business at Harrow Weald. At fifteen he was apprenticed to William Wyatt, an oilman in London and member of the Salters' Company. There he met fellow apprentice Edmund Crosse, with whom he would later go into business.[1]
Career
In 1829, Wyatt retired and the young partners purchased the business, establishing Crosse & Blackwell the following year with equal shares of £1,040 each. The firm began as a provision merchant but quickly expanded, introducing branded sauces, pickles, relishes, and preserved foods.[2]
By adopting new preservation techniques and recruiting celebrated chefs such as Qualiotti (Napoleon’s former chef, credited with popularising Piccalilli) and Alexis Soyer of the Reform Club, the company positioned itself as a leader in Britain’s growing packaged food industry.[3][4]
In 1839, operations moved to 21 Soho Square, London, a landmark site that became synonymous with the brand. Within a decade the company was exporting globally and held multiple royal warrants, marking it as one of the era’s foremost industrial food enterprises.[5][6]
In 1877 he bought Oxhey Hall from Henry Walton Smith, founder of the newspaper retailer W. H. Smith.
Family
He married Jane Ann Bernaconi, a daughter of Francis Bernasconi, in 1834, and had issue including:
- Thomas Francis Blackwell (1838-1907)
- Charles Edmund Blackwell (1839-1867)
- Samuel John Blackwell (1842-1923)
References
- ↑ Kay, Emma (2014-10-15). Dining with the Georgians: A Delicious History. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-3656-6.
- ↑ Collingham, Lizzie (2017-10-03). The Taste of Empire: How Britain's Quest for Food Shaped the Modern World. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-09317-5.
- ↑ Drouard, Alain (2016-03-16). The Food Industries of Europe in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-03154-3.
- ↑ Allen, Gary (2019-02-08). Sauces Reconsidered: Après Escoffier. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. ISBN 978-1-5381-1514-5.
- ↑ Trainor, Terry (2012-04-15). From London Slums to South Oxhey. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4716-6911-8.
- ↑ Harris, Edmund (2024-11-05). The Rogue Goths: R L. Roumieu, Joseph Peacock and Bassett Keeling. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-83553-960-6.
External links
This article "Thomas Blackwell" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.