Dr James Burgess Readman

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FCS FSSA (c.1850–April 1927) was a Scottish chemist who invented an electric furnace for creating

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ea ...

invented in 1888 and patented in 1889.

Life

He 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 popu ...

the son of George Readman, a bank manager with the

Clydesdale Bank Clydesdale Bank ( gd, Banca Dhail Chluaidh) is a trading name used by Clydesdale Bank plc for its retail banking operations in Scotland. In June 2018, it was announced that Clydesdale Bank's holding company CYBG would acquire Virgin Money for ...

. The family lived at 16 Queens Crescent in Glasgow, an attractive terraced townhouse in the north-west of the city. He was educated at

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 ...

. He then studied science at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

graduating with a BSc and MD in 1888. In 1871 he is listed as a creditor in relation to the Port Dundas Oil Company. In 1879 he is living with his older brother George Readman, an advocate at 20 Great Stuart Street on the Moray Estate in west

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. In 1883 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were

James Robertson, Baron Robertson James Patrick Bannerman Robertson, Baron Robertson, (19 August 1845 – 1 February 1909), was a Scottish judge and Conservative politician. Life Robertson was born in the manse at Forteviot, the son of Helen Bannerman, daughter of Rev. J. Banner ...

, James King,

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army ...

and

Alexander Crum Brown Alexander Crum Brown FRSE FRS (26 March 1838 – 28 October 1922) was a Scottish organic chemist. Alexander Crum Brown Road in Edinburgh's King's Buildings complex is named after him. Early life and education Crum Brown was born at 4 Bellev ...

. He was then still living with his brother (but separately listed) at 9 Moray Place, a large townhouse on the Moray Estate. In the late 1890s he had offices at 175 Buchanan Street in Glasgow and was running the Forth and Clyde Chemical works from

Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; sco, Kirkintulloch; gd, Cair Cheann Tulaich) is a town and former barony burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. ...

. In 1910 he is described as an "analytical and consulting chemist" and is operating from 4 Lindsay Place in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1910/11 He died in

Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...

in April 1927.

Publications

*''An Account of the Manufacture of Phosphorus'' (1890)

References

1927 deaths Scientists from Glasgow Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish inventors Scottish chemists Phosphorus Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh {{UK-chemist-stub