Who invented the candle?
Candles were invented independently in numerous countries. The Egyptians and Cretans produced candles from beeswax, about 3000 BC. In the fourth century BC there were clay candle holders in Egypt. Qui Shi Huang (259 – 210 BC) was the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221 – 206 BC). His mausoleum was rediscovered in the 1990s 22 miles east of Xi’an in China and contained candles produced from whale fat. In early China and Japan tapers were produced with wax from insects and seeds, wrapped in paper. Wax from boiling cinnamon was used for temple candles in India. There is a fish called the “smelt” or candlefish, discovered from Oregon to Alaska. throughout the first century AD native Americans used oil from this fish. They put it on a forked adhere then lit it. Excavations at Pompeii pointed out several candelabra. The Latin word “candere” signifies to flicker. Yak butter was used for candles in Tibet. In Europe the earliest surviving candle was pointed out near Avignon in France, from the first century AD. In 848 King Alfred used a candle-clock which burned for 4 hours. There were lines around the side to show the passing of each hour. Later, there were 24-hour candles. The Sung dynasty in China (960 – 1279) in addition used candle-clocks. By the 18th century, the Chinese put weights into the sides. As the candle melted, the weights came down off and produced a noise as they came down into a bowl. A sort of candle-clock was used in coal-mining until the twentieth century. The novel “Anthem” by Ayn Rand contains a scene in chapter VII, where there is a painting showing “the twenty men who invented the candle”. This can only be fanciful.
The Middle Ages
During the middle ages, the popularity of candles is shown by their use in Candlemas and on Saint Lucy festivities. Tallow, fat from cows or sheep, became the standard material used in candles in Europe. The Tallow Chandlers firm of London was trained in about 1300 in London, and in 1456 was permitted a coat of arms. By 1415 tallow candles were used in street lighting. The trade of the chandler is in addition recorded by the more picturesque name of “smeremongere”, since they oversaw the manufacture of sauces, vinegar, soap and cheese. The unpleasant smell of tallow candles is because of the glycerine in it. For churches and royal occurrences, candles from beeswax were used, as the smell was generally less unpleasant. Dating from about 1330, the Wax Chandlers firm acquired its charter in 1484. The first candle mould comes from 15th century Paris. The smell of the manufacturing process was so unpleasant that it was blacklisted by ordnance in many cities. The first American colonists pointed out that bayberries can be used to make candles, but the yield was extremely poor. 15 lbs of boiled bayberries would provide only 1 lb of wax.
new forms of oil
Spermaceti is oil that comes from the sperm whale. From about 1750 it was used to provide extremely expensive candles. By 1800 a much cheaper substitute was pointed out. Brassica campestris is derived from rape seed. It yields colza oil. This was the absolute candle yet, producing clear smokeless flames. The French chemists Michel-Eugene Chevreul (1786 – 1899) and Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac (1788 – 1850) patented stearin, in 1811. Like tallow, this was derived from animals, but had no glycerine content. Joseph Sampson had the second patent ever permitted in the U.S.. It was for a new technique of candle-making in 1790. In 1806 William Colgate (1783 – 1857) (later famous for his “Soap and Perfumery Works”) established a tallow factory in New York. By 1847 he had switched to making soap. There gives the look to be an ethical component of numerous nineteenth-century soap and candle manufacturers, as Colgate became involved with Bible Societies. James Wilson of Price’s Candles were in addition concerned about publicizing Christianity, and abolishing slavery. going after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, there were festivity dances across Europe. It is sometimes told that more candles were burned in 1815 than in any year before or since. In 1834 Joseph Morgan began to industrialize the production of candles. He invented a machine to fabricate 1,500 per hour, from a mold.
Paraffin and palm oil
Paraffin is a waxy hydrocarbon, without any smell. A chemist called Laurent distilled it from schist in 1830, and another chemist Dumas, acquired it from coal-tar in 1835. Not until 1850 did it become commercially viable, when James youthful filed a patent to generate it from coal. This was a drastic blow to the candle industry. From this point, candles became more of a decorative item. In 1829 William Wilson of Price’s Candles invested in 1,000 acres of coconut plantation in Sri Lanka. His objective was to make candles from coconut oil. Later he tried palm oil from palm trees, but an unintended discovery swept all this aside. His brother George Wilson distilled the first petroleum oil in Burma in 1854. By 1922 Lever Brothers had purchased Prices Candles and in 1922 a joint-owned firm called “Candles Ltd” was created. The 3 owners are today also known as Shell Oil firm, BP and Burmah Oil. By 1991, the last remaining proprietary of “Candles Ltd” was Shell, who sold off the candle-making part of business.
The oldest candle manufacturers still in existence are Rathbornes Candles, founded in Dublin in 1488.