Capper Pass and Son
Encyclopedia
Capper Pass and Son Ltd. was a British smelting
and refining company.
The company originated in Walsall
, but moved to Bristol
in 1812. A slight hiccup occurred in 1819 when Capper Pass himself was convicted of handling stolen metal and transported to Australia. The sentence was for 14 years, but he stayed there, remarried and had a family, whilst the Bristol operation was run by his descendants. The original factory was located in Avon Street in St. Philips, but had been relocated to Bedminster by the 1840s. The factory there extracted solder
, tin and lead from zinc slag.
The company was developed and expanded by Alfred Capper Pass, grandson of Capper Pass. He was born in Bristol in 1837, and took over the business in 1870 when his father died. He became a paternalistic Victorian industrialist, building houses for his workers in Windmill Hill
and giving then Christmas presents, and was a major benefactor of the fledgling University of Bristol
. He died in 1905, and from that point the company was run by non-family members. A chair in chemistry was established at the University in his name.
The works in Bedminster was constrained by its locality, and in 1928 a new factory was opened at Melton
on Humberside, close to rail links, coal, water, and old clay pits for dumping spoil. Eventually, this led to the Bristol works closing in 1963. The plant on Humberside operated from 1937 until 1991. From 1967 until 1995 the works (and subsequently the decommissioned works) were owned by Rio Tinto
. The works concentrated a variety of tin ores to produce high purity tin as their main product, with silver, cadmium, lead copper and antimony as secondary products.
The works gained notoriety because they were linked in the 1980s with an apparent cluster of cancer cases in former workers and in children living nearby, possibly to do with the emission of polonium-210
and other heavy metals from the factory. It was discovered in 1984 that this isotope was being emitted and a government licence to do so was issued, though this did not become public knowledge for over 2 years. However, a detailed study led by Sir Richard Doll
found only an elevated risk of lung cancer
; compensation was eventually paid for this, but not for any other illnesses.
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
and refining company.
The company originated in Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, but moved to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in 1812. A slight hiccup occurred in 1819 when Capper Pass himself was convicted of handling stolen metal and transported to Australia. The sentence was for 14 years, but he stayed there, remarried and had a family, whilst the Bristol operation was run by his descendants. The original factory was located in Avon Street in St. Philips, but had been relocated to Bedminster by the 1840s. The factory there extracted solder
Solder
Solder is a fusible metal alloy used to join together metal workpieces and having a melting point below that of the workpiece.Soft solder is what is most often thought of when solder or soldering are mentioned and it typically has a melting range of . It is commonly used in electronics and...
, tin and lead from zinc slag.
The company was developed and expanded by Alfred Capper Pass, grandson of Capper Pass. He was born in Bristol in 1837, and took over the business in 1870 when his father died. He became a paternalistic Victorian industrialist, building houses for his workers in Windmill Hill
Windmill Hill, Bristol
Windmill Hill is situated in the south of the city of Bristol and is often referred to as being part of Bedminster. It is a predominantly residential location, and became popular in the 1990s and 2000s with students, artists and environmentalists, often sharing rented accommodation...
and giving then Christmas presents, and was a major benefactor of the fledgling University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
. He died in 1905, and from that point the company was run by non-family members. A chair in chemistry was established at the University in his name.
The works in Bedminster was constrained by its locality, and in 1928 a new factory was opened at Melton
Melton, East Riding of Yorkshire
Melton is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated about west of Kingston upon Hull city centre and lies to the north of the A63 road.With Welton and Wauldby, it forms the civil parish of Welton....
on Humberside, close to rail links, coal, water, and old clay pits for dumping spoil. Eventually, this led to the Bristol works closing in 1963. The plant on Humberside operated from 1937 until 1991. From 1967 until 1995 the works (and subsequently the decommissioned works) were owned by Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
. The works concentrated a variety of tin ores to produce high purity tin as their main product, with silver, cadmium, lead copper and antimony as secondary products.
The works gained notoriety because they were linked in the 1980s with an apparent cluster of cancer cases in former workers and in children living nearby, possibly to do with the emission of polonium-210
Polonium
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Polonium has been studied for...
and other heavy metals from the factory. It was discovered in 1984 that this isotope was being emitted and a government licence to do so was issued, though this did not become public knowledge for over 2 years. However, a detailed study led by Sir Richard Doll
Richard Doll
Sir William Richard Shaboe Doll CH OBE FRS was a British physiologist who became the foremost epidemiologist of the 20th century, turning the subject into a rigorous science. He was a pioneer in research linking smoking to health problems...
found only an elevated risk of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
; compensation was eventually paid for this, but not for any other illnesses.