Alexander Johnstone Warden
Alexander Warden, pioneer jute manufacturer
1810 Born in Berwick-on-Tweed
Apprenticed in a bank
Managing clerk of Balfour and Meldrum, of Dundee, shipping agents and largest flax merchants in Dundee
1838 Went into business for himself as a manufacturer in the fledgling jute industry. The business of making jute cloth depended on using individual weavers in their own homes, with his firm delivering materials and picking up finished goods each week. Warden's business prospered and grew rapidly.
1851 Patented the printing of jute carpets
1852 The factory in Ann Street and Nelson Street was destroyed by fire but Warden did not have full insurance cover. He did not go back into manufacturing but concentrated on the merchant business. Also turned to writing for which he became well known
1892 Died in Belfast
See Also
Sources of Information
- The Dundee Courier & Argus, February 25, 1892