William James Chrystal (20 May 1854 – 21 April 1921) was a Scottish chemist and partner in his family’s chemicals business

J & J White Chemicals Shawfield is an industrial/commercial area of the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located to the north of the town centre. It is bordered to the east by the River Clyde, to the north by the Glasgow neighbourhood of Oat ...

based in

Rutherglen Rutherglen (, sco, Ruglen, gd, An Ruadh-Ghleann) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having existed as a Lanarkshire burgh in its own ...

Ancestors

Chrystal was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, son of insurance broker Robert Chrystal and grandson of Dr. William Chrystal (1776–1830), rector of Glasgow Grammar School who died in a boating accident and is remembered with a bust in

Glasgow Cathedral Glasgow Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The cathedral was the seat of the Archbisho ...

. His mother Jean was the daughter of the founder of ''J & J White Chemicals'', John White, and her brothers John and

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

were also partners from 1840 and 1851 respectively until their deaths in the 1880s.

Education and career

Chrystal was educated at

The Glasgow Academy The Glasgow Academy is a coeducational independent day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, it had the third-best Higher level exam results in Scotland. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest continuously fully independent ...

and the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. He was a fellow of the

Royal Institute of Chemistry The Royal Institute of Chemistry was a British scientific organisation. Founded in 1877 as the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland (ICGBI), its role was to focus on qualifications and the professional status of chemists, and its aim ...

and the

Chemical Society The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation. ...

. After working in a laboratory in the 1870s he joined ''J & J White Chemicals'' as an expert chemist, and after his uncle John died in 1881 he became the technical partner in the business. By this time Chrystal’s cousin John Campbell White, the son of his other uncle James, was also a partner. After the death of James White in 1884 another cousin, Hill Hamilton Barrett, became the commercial partner. At this time the Shawfield works, mainly producing bichromate of potash, were the largest of their kind in the world and employed over 500 men. Chrystal was credited with improving the manufacturing processes for the products.

Personal interests

In 1898 he bought and reconstructed Auchendennan House (

Arden, Argyll Arden is a village on the southwest shore of Loch Lomond in Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The curr ...

) on

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

. The building was later owned for some years by the

Scottish Youth Hostels Association Hostelling Scotland (SYHA; Gaelic: ''Comann Osdailean Òigridh na h-Alba'') is part of Hostelling International and provides youth hostel accommodation in Scotland. the organisation represents 58 hostels: 31 run by Hostelling Scotland and 27 af ...

. In 1899 he purchased buildings in central Rutherglen to allow them to be demolished to aid the building of a new church – this is commemorated on a plaque outside the present Rutherglen Old Parish Church on Main Street. Chrystal was a member of Glasgow Philosophical Society, and was a keen yachter and a member of the

Royal Clyde Yacht Club Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

. He died at Auchendennan was buried at the family tomb in

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...

References

External links

Portrait of Chrystal
by Edmond Brock, hosted at Art UK (work itself held a
Glasgow Museums Resource Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chrystal, William James Scientists from Glasgow People educated at the Glasgow Academy Alumni of the University of Glasgow Scottish chemists Rutherglen Scottish businesspeople Loch Lomond 1854 births 1921 deaths Fellows of the Royal Institute of Chemistry