Sir Isaac Holden, Baronet

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Watercolour painting of Sir Isaac Holden, Baronet and M.P. by John Sowden.

Sowden's note in notebooks -
' Mr Holden was born of humble parents in 1807 at Hurlet between Paisley and Glasgow. His father whose name was also Isaac, was a Northumbrian, but his mother was a Scotchwoman and had combined the occupation of small famers & lead miners at Nenthead near Alston in that country (Nenthead is now in Cumbria. It is very close to the border). At an early age Mr Holden worked in a Cotton Mill, but he persuade his studies at an evening school.
His father, anxious about his sons education, took him away from the cotton factory and sent him to Mr John Fraser’s School and stayed there until he was 15 years of age & then he was apprenticed to an uncle, a shawl weaver.
This proved to ardours for his strength & he gave it up and devoted himself entirely to the educational profession. During his scholastic career he was a tutor at Paisley, Reading, Leeds and Slaithwaite. Mr Holden gave lectures on science and history to a class of 100 youths & while experimenting in chemistry he invented the first Lucifer match, but made no attempt to patent the invention. The ? was divulged to his pupils, one of whom was the son of a London chemist who wrote to his father about the discover & the latter soon introduced the match to commerce. In later years Sir Isaac found out and freely acknowledged that there was evidence that he had been anticipated in the ? two years before by an inventor named Walker of Stockton-on-tees.
In 1830 Mr Holden returned to Scotland, to his widowed mother. There he took a school & intended to devote himself for life to the teaching profession, but it was not to be for he was sought out by a Mr William Townend of Cullingworth near Bingley, who happened to be in Glasgow & wanted a book keeper. He left Scotland for Cullingworth in 1830 & acted as bookkeeper for Mess Townend Bros. It was soon discovered that not the counting house but the factor was Mr Holden’s proper sphere. He remained with the Townends for 16 years, during which time he effected great improvements in the machinery. In 1846 Mr Holden removed to Bradford where he commenced business on his own account. In 1848 he became partner of Mr S Cunliffe Lister. At Mr Holden’s suggestion they commenced woolmaking in France; but after 10 years of partnership, a difference arose between them where Mr Lister devised to dissolve the partnership.
Mr Holden brought Mr Lister’s interest for £85,000 in 1854 and he took his two sons, Angus & Edward into partnership with him and they built up and enormous & prosperous business at St Denis, Rheims & Cerix. In 1864 they opened their large works in Bradford, when Mr Thomas Craig was taken into partnership. Mr Holden’s health broke down after this event and he was advised to adopt a parliamentary career, and in July 1865, he was elected member for Knaresborough, which he represented until 1868.
In 1872 he contested the Northern division of the Riding ? Mr G S Ponell? When he was defeated by 44 votes.
He then unsuccessfully contested the Eastern Divisions of the West Riding. In 1882 however he was elected for the Northern Division which he represented until the division of constituency till 1855, when he became member for the Keighley Division.
In 1893 on the occasion of the Queen’s birthday, Mr Holden on the recommendation of Mr Gladstone was offered & accepted a baronetcy. He had previously declined a similar honour.
Among the local marks of distinction conferred upon him was his appointment as a deputy lieutenant of the West Riding and as a county magistrate.
In religion he was a Wesleyan Methodist to which he subscribed considerable sums & during his residence at Oakworth, ? was associated with almost every local public movement and it was chiefly to his energy and his capital that the Worth Valley Railway scheme was carried through.
For 10 years he was endeavouring to improve the woolcombing machine. His old friend Mr S C Lister (after Lord Masham) joined him in the patent in Oct 1847 one section of which was for ?napps yarn. That brought us together & he afterwards entered into partnership which lasted 7 years. In 1850 he brought forward the square motion machine and Holden square motion machine with the n? comb which he afterwards perfected in many points in many respects its considered the best in the trade.
Mr Holden was first married in 1832 to the daughter of Mr angus Lowe? Of Paisley. Mrs Holden died in 1847. Subsequently he married a daughter of Mr John Sugden of ? Keighley, who died in 1890. By his first wife they have had two sons & two daughters.'

Year

1889

Image filename

sowden-184