Thomas Wyllie Howie, JP (8 April 1856 – 18 July 1927) was a Scottish

captain of industry In the 19th century, a captain of industry was a business leader whose means of amassing a personal fortune contributed positively to the country in some way. This may have been through increased productivity, expansion of markets, providing more ...

Background

Howie was born in

Riccarton Riccarton may refer to: New Zealand * Riccarton, New Zealand, a suburb of Christchurch ** Riccarton (New Zealand electorate), the electorate named after it ** The location of Riccarton Race Course * a locality on the Taieri Plains in Otago Scotlan ...

, Ayrshire, on 8 April 1856, to Robert and Bethia (Wyllie) Howie, into a wealthy industrial family who had been active in the Covenanting movement. He was born at the family home, Newhouse, an

estate house An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which would historically generate income for its owner. British context In the UK, historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, and woods that s ...

nearby the

fireclay Fire clay is a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick. The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines fire clay very generally as a "mineral aggregate composed of hydrous silicates of alumin ...

mine which the family owned. There he was brought up alongside his cousin, who would become the mining magnate John Howie. The house is now a residential care home. Howie's father, Robert, died at the Crichton Institution in Dumfries, a private lunatic hospital, when Thomas was 27.

Career

He and his wife settled in Falkirk where he became a partner in Campbell & Co Fireclay Works and coal mine, Roughcastle. He later became owner of the business. Previous to settling in Falkirk the Howie family lived in

Hurlford Hurlford (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile Àtha Cliath'') is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It has a population of 4,968. Hurlford's former names include Whirlford and Hurdleford. The village was named Whirlford as a result of a ford crossing ...

, where they owned the renowned Hurlford Fireclay Works (until it was bought by

Armitage Shanks Armitage Shanks is a British manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies, now part of the group Ideal Standard. In 2004, Armitage Shanks had eight factories in the United Kingdom, the largest in Armitage, Staffordshire. Armitage Sh ...

), which produced pottery, bricks, chimneys, garden ornaments and enamelled sanitary ware (lavatories, baths, urinals etc.) The family owned much of the town, including Marchmont Place, Salisbury Place, Collier Row, Office Row, Chapel Cottages, Skerrington Row and Howie's Square. They also owned small mining villages, including Hemphill. A supporter of the Unionist Party, Thomas Howie was a Justice of the Peace and elected a Stirling County councillor for Falkirk, vice-chairman of the Parish Council, as well as chairman of the Landward Committee.

Family

Howie married Barbara Picken, sister of the

Town Clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...

of Glasgow, and had six children: Margaret, Robert Wyllie, Bethia, Martha, Barbara and Jean. His sons attended the

High School of Glasgow The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the choir school of Glasgow Cathedral in around 1124, and is the oldest school in Scotland, and the ...

and his daughters St. George's School for Girls, Edinburgh. Howie was a cousin of industrialist John Howie, a distant cousin of writer John Howie, first cousin twice removed of the current Lord Glenarthur. His great-grandson is the actor

Robbie Coltrane Anthony Robert McMillan (30 March 195014 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor and comedian. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. H ...

Death and legacy

At a

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outing he was taken ill and never recovered, dying in 1927. The local newspaper at the time remembered him as a "bright and cheery man", and notes that he "took a deep interest in parochial affairs and was particularly sympathetic towards the deserving poor". Howie is buried in Falkirk cemetery. On his death, his share of the brickworks business was valued at £12,000, which is equivalent to over £2,300,000 in today's terms (relative GDP per capita). Howie Place in Falkirk is named after him. It is near the site of the brickworks he once owned.

External links

FutureMuseum page on Hurlford Fireclay Works

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howie, Thomas W. 1856 births 1927 deaths 19th-century Scottish businesspeople People from East Ayrshire Councillors in Scotland Unionist Party (Scotland) councillors British mining businesspeople