A Rusted Epitaph

The 'Cort Process' converts scrap iron into valuable wrought iron. Wrought iron went on to be much used in iconic Victorian buildings, like Kew gardens. The 'inventor' Henry Cort was described, in his Times newspaper orbituary, as 'the father of the iron trade'. Jenny Bulstrode (University College London), in her History and Technology article, presents a very different picture (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/05/industrial-revolution-iron-method-taken-from-jamaica-briton). Cort was on the verge of bankruptcy, when he learned of an iron works near Morant Bay, Jamaica, profitably converting scrap iron into wrought iron. The folk, who developed this process, were 76 black metallurgists. Many had been enslaved, having been taken from West and Central Africa. Those African areas had had thriving iron works. Cort had the Jamaican ironworks compulsorily closed down. It was argued it could be used by 'rebels' to make weapons. Cort then grabbed the rolling machinery, had it shipped to Portsmouth (England) and patented the process. This patent was subsequently confiscated and made public, after it was discovered that Cort had embezzled vast sums of money from the British navy. Clearly, Cort was a 'chancer' rather than an innovator. The 'Cort Process' should be renamed, to give credit where credit is due.