Gordon, Cuthbert

Memorial of Dr. Cuthbert Gordon, relative to the discovery and use of cudber, and other dying [sic] wares, from the indigenous plants of this country. To which are added

by Cuthbert Gordon (National Library of Wales)

The Cudbear Manufactory Before the sixteenth century, checked and striped fabrics were mostly woven in natural and vegetable-dyed wools. Surviving Gaelic verse suggests that there was a general preference for bright rather than muted colours with bright red being a symbol of high fashion and status. From an early date, cochineal and indigo dyes were imported to Scotland so that those with sufficient wealth could wear bright coloured clothing. The Scottish textile industry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was notable for its inventiveness and creativity, with entrepreneurial Scots seeking to create a ‘home-grown’ alternative to expensive imported dyes. George Gordon, a coppersmith, was repairing an old copper boiler in a dye house in London, when he noticed the similarities between the process used to create Archella dye with the way his grandmother used to produce dyes in the Highlands. Archella is a bright red to rich purple natural dye obtained from several lichens. It is known to have been used by the Egyptians and its preparation was rediscovered by an Italian in the Middle Ages and used to make the brilliant reds and purples in Florentine cloth. On his return home to Leith, George Gordon shared his observations with his nephew, Cuthbert Gordon, who was a chemist. Cuthbert proceeded to perform a series of experiments which resulted in the discovery of a new method of producing a vibrant red and purple dye from readily available Scottish lichens. The product was called ‘Cudbear’, taken from the name, ‘Cuthbert’. His attempts to put it into production and to make his fortune had mixed results. The Cudbear Patent, 1758 Attracting investment for the Cudbear manufactory, 1764 Samples of the Cudbear dye, 1774 State of Discoveries made by Mr Cuthbert Gordon and Memorial for the Discoverer, 1785
Source 1: The Cudbear Patent, 1758 In 1758 George and Cuthbert Gordon patented their *most valuable and beneficial dye, which we call cudbear; which said dye is of the most efficacious nature in dying crimson and purple, so as in great measure to supply the use of the archelia or Spanish weed, and is entirely composed of materials the produce of Great Britain or of His Majesty’s plantations. [Letters patent for G & C Gordon’s Specification, published by G E Eyre and W Spottiswoode, 1856]. The patent was recorded in Scotland in 1759 in the Register of the Great Seal. http://www.scottisharchivesforschools.org/naturalScotland/Cudbear.asp

The Cudbear Manufactory

Before the sixteenth century, checked and striped fabrics were mostly woven in natural and vegetable-dyed wools. Surviving Gaelic verse suggests that there was a general preference for bright rather than muted colours with bright red being a symbol of high fashion and status. From an early date, cochineal and indigo dyes were imported to Scotland so that those with sufficient wealth could wear bright coloured clothing.

The Scottish textile industry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was notable for its inventiveness and creativity, with entrepreneurial Scots seeking to create a ‘home-grown’ alternative to expensive imported dyes.

George Gordon, a coppersmith, was repairing an old copper boiler in a dye house in London, when he noticed the similarities between the process used to create Archella dye with the way his grandmother used to produce dyes in the Highlands. Archella is a bright red to rich purple natural dye obtained from several lichens. It is known to have been used by the Egyptians and its preparation was rediscovered by an Italian in the Middle Ages and used to make the brilliant reds and purples in Florentine cloth.

On his return home to Leith, George Gordon shared his observations with his nephew, Cuthbert Gordon, who was a chemist. Cuthbert proceeded to perform a series of experiments which resulted in the discovery of a new method of producing a vibrant red and purple dye from readily available Scottish lichens. The product was called ‘Cudbear’, taken from the name, ‘Cuthbert’. His attempts to put it into production and to make his fortune had mixed results.

The Cudbear Patent, 1758

Attracting investment for the Cudbear manufactory, 1764

Samples of the Cudbear dye, 1774

State of Discoveries made by Mr Cuthbert Gordon and Memorial for the Discoverer, 1785

Source 1: The Cudbear Patent, 1758

In 1758 George and Cuthbert Gordon patented their *most valuable and beneficial dye, which we call cudbear; which said dye is of the most efficacious nature in dying crimson and purple, so as in great measure to supply the use of the archelia or Spanish weed, and is entirely composed of materials the produce of Great Britain or of His Majesty’s plantations.

[Letters patent for G & C Gordon’s Specification, published by G E Eyre and W Spottiswoode, 1856]. The patent was recorded in Scotland in 1759 in the Register of the Great Seal.

http://www.scottisharchivesforschools.org/naturalScotland/Cudbear.asp