Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

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Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 165,122 pages of information and 246,492 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Archibald Campbell Campbell

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Archibald Campbell Campbell, first Baron Blythswood (1835–1908), politician and physicist,

1835 Born in Florence, Archibald Campbell Douglas, son of Archibald Douglas, 17th feudal Scots baron of Mains and 12th feudal baron of Blythswood, a patrilineal descendant of James Douglas (who had assumed by Royal licence the surname of Douglas in lieu of Campbell), son of John Campbell and Mary, daughter and heiress of John Douglas of Mains. However John himself was also landed as the son of Colin Campbell, 1st feudal Scots Baron of Blythswood and that estate passed to another branch of the family.

1838 His father changed his name to Campbell on succeeding his cousin, Archibald Campbell, as laird of Blythswood, inheriting the Blythswood estate.

Educated privately for an army career.

c.1851 joined the 79th Highlanders, transferring to the Scots Guards in the following year.

He fought in the Crimea, where he was badly wounded, and reached the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

1864 Married Augusta Clementina (1841–1922), the daughter of the wealthy Liberal peer Lord Carrington.

1868 retired from the army on the death of his father. Campbell assumed his patrimony as laird of Blythswood

After a career in the Army, he entered politics.

1868 Stood for Parliament as the unsuccessful Conservative candidate for Paisley.

1873 Won Renfrewshire in a by-election

1874 Lost his seat in the general election

He established an extensive private laboratory at his home, Blythswood House, Renfrew, which specialised in large machines. He received detailed advice and guidance from Lord Kelvin, who was also a political ally.

He designed a heliostat which was made by Hilger (presumably Otto Hilger who was superintendent at Blythswood House up to 1891).

1880 Made a baronet.

1885 Gold medal for invention of an improved goniostat, spectroscope and speed indicator

1885 Elected for West Renfrewshire and remained in the Commons until 1892

1892 Raised to the peerage as Lord Blythswood

Between 1892 and 1905, the Blythswood Laboratory, was the location for experiments in many areas at the frontier of physics including cathode rays, X-rays, spectroscopy, and radioactivity.

1896 Lord Blythswood claimed that his Wimshurst machine had produced X-rays for photographs (shortly after Röntgen's discovery of X-rays).

1900 Blythswood recruited a young physicist, Herbert Stanley Allen, to take control of his laboratory.

Blythswood produced a sophisticated dividing engine for ruling diffraction gratings. It was later inherited by the National Physical Laboratory.

1905 After Allen left to take up a teaching position in London, the laboratory was frequently used for engineering experiments by a Whitworth Scholar, Walter Scoble.

In the last few years of his life he was much occupied with aerodynamics, including making kites and studying the efficiency of aerial propellers.

1907 Elected FRS

1908 Died at Blythswood House. He was succeeded to the peerage by his brother, the Revd Sholto Douglas Campbell Douglas.

Lord Blythswood was childless.


1908 Obituary [1]

ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL CAMPBELL, BARON BLYTHSWOOD, died on July 8, 1908, at his seat, Blythswood House, Renfrewshire.

Lord Blythswood was born in 1835, and was the son of Archibald Campbell, of Blythswood.

He served with his regiment, the Scots Guards, in the Crimea, where he was severely wounded.

On the death of his father in 1861 he retired with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and immediately devoted himself to the Auxiliary Forces.

For some time he sat in Parliament as member for Renfrewshire and West Renfrewshire, which latter constituency he held till 1892, when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Blythswood.

Lord Blythswood was a devoted student of science and did much useful work, especially in physics. After the discovery of radium some interesting experiments were carried out in the laboratory which he equipped at Blythswood. He was a leader in county politics and an active statesman.

He was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1883.


See Also

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Sources of Information

  • Biography of Archibald Campbell Campbell, ODNB
  • Biography of Archibald Campbell, first Baron Blythswood, ODNB