Society hears how the Dick Brothers made their fortune
Arran Historical Society’s speaker for their July meeting was John Stevenson from Carluke who told the story of how the Dick Brothers from Ayrshire made their fortune from the natural latex gutta-percha, writes Norma Davidson.
John is from a farming family, and is a keen member of the East Ayrshire Family History Society. He kindly stepped in when the arranged speaker had to cancel due to a family bereavement.
Gutta-percha refers to trees of the genus Palaquium and the sap of these trees is used to produce natural latex. The trees are native to the Malaysian archipelago and the first European to discover it was John Tradescant in 1656. Dr William Montgomerie, a medical officer in the Indian Service introduced gutta-percha into practical use in the west. He appreciated the potential for its use in medicine, and was awarded the gold medal by the Royal Society of Arts in 1843.
Meanwhile in Scotland, Robert Dick and James Dick, sons of a seafaring man, were living in Dundonald, Ayrshire. At the ages of five years and two years respectively they moved with their family to the Gorbals in Glasgow where they ran a grocery shop. The older brother, Robert, eventually became a jeweller and the younger brother, James, an upholsterer.
As they matured Robert became a great socialite in Glasgow, while James had the financial and business brain. Robert never married and James not until the age of 63, when he married Kate McDonald, one of his factory workers, 27 years his junior.
The Dick brothers started experimenting with gutta-percha, but it was expensive. When prices reduced they began making rubber shoe soles. There were initial problems of people sticking to the pavements in hot weather, but these were overcome and eventually they opened a very large shoe factory where their soles were attached to uppers manufactured elsewhere. The Greenhead Factory in Glasgow, the parent factory, was turning out 32,000 pairs of shoes per week.
Their shop in the Gallowgate had an electrically illuminated window which was a unique feature for its time. All their shoes were sold at a price of 5s-0d a pair. A previous attempt at selling for 7s-6d was unsuccessful. Glaswegians obviously were economical in their choice of footwear.
Production continued until 1923 when the price of the gutta-percha increased dramatically as it was then being used in the manufacture of transatlantic cabling.
James and his wife lived in Pollokshields and spent some time in Australia. After the death of Robert, James had the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock built in his memory. This imposing building suffered a serious fire in 1908, was requisitioned as a war hospital in First World War and still stands today.
When James died in 1902 he left over £1 million. His will was 24 pages long. He offered his Australian goldfields and factories to his managers at very reasonable prices. There were many philanthropic bequests to the City of Glasgow, its hospitals, charities and welfare societies. Bequests of quite large amounts were made to his many relatives, workers and servants. Even his banker received £5,000, and his solicitor’s daughters received bequests. All his workers were remembered.
The many Dick family members both in Ayrshire and Australia had connections with footwear, being a ‘boot agent’ or having a shoe shop.
It should be noted that the Dick brothers also imported another gum, Balata, this time from South America. This was used in the production of driving belts under the name of Balata Belting.
John finished his talk by playing us part of a radio feature on the Dick brothers and their generosity with the proceeds of their industry. Two women spoke of how the bequests to factory workers had changed for the better the lives of their own forebears.
Once again, a subject of which many members knew nothing but are now very aware of.
The society’s next meeting is on Monday August 21 at 2pm in Brodick Hall when Robert C Holmes, diplomat and writer, speaks on Stalin’s Legacy – KGB Spies. Members of the public are most welcome to attend.