# Lawrence John de Whalley

Lawrence John de Whalley (11 May 1853 – 9 January 1937) was a British chemist, noted for improvements in sugar refining, filtration and the manufacture of Golden Syrup. In his industry he pioneered tests including the iron test for sugar liquors and the sulphide stain method for sulphites.

## Early life and education

Lawrence John de Whalley was born on 11 May 1853 at Lower Darwen, near Blackburn in Lancashire, England. He was the first child of John Whalley and Jane (née Carlisle). Family background included textiles and paper making. His academic background and life is detailed in The Analyst, July 1937 In 1874 he was awarded a scholarship (Royal Exhibition) to the Royal School of Mines, London (which later became the Royal School of Chemistry). Lecturers included Frankland, Guthrie and Huxley and Valentin (William George Valentin F.C.S.). After BSc graduation in 1877, a lifetime of learning and teaching continued.

## Marriage, home and children

Lawrence John married Annie Maria Eastick, daughter of Thomas Zachariah Eastick and Sarah Maria Susannah Kelf. The marriage was on 17 July 1882. By this time, Lawrence John knew the Eastick family through his work with John Joseph Eastick. He is recorded as living in London at several addresses, including Clapham (1881), Lewisham (1882, locally to the Eastick family), Hammersmith (1884) and Greenwich (1891), Lewisham (1911, Chislehurst (1935) and Orpington (1937). Lawrence John and Annie Maria had twelve children:
* Charlotte Beatrice Zoe Whalley(1882–1969)
* Hermes George Lawrence de Whalley(1884–1940)
* Aileen Jane de Whalley(1886–1967)
* William Robert Murad De Whalley(1888–1940)
* John Joseph Arthur De Whalley(1891–1973)
* Hubert Charles Siegfried de Whalley(1892–1964)
* Olga Mary Alice DeWhalley(1894–1957)
* Annie Julia Constance de Whalley(1896–1976)
* Margarita Thyra de Whalley(1898–1961)
* Horace Herbert Lewis De Whalley(1900–1967)
* Enid Sybil Inez De Whalley(1903–1991)
* Doris Greta Ada De Whalley(1905–1984)
The photograph in the Info box on this article is an extract from a family group photograph on 13 August 1914.

## Organisations

* Physical Society, Original member (1874; note connections via Guthrie. Meetings usually at Imperial College, London).
* Chemical Club (London), One of the founders. Note this is not the same Chemical Club as earlier / later organisations of the same name.
* Society of Chemical Industry, Original member from 1881. Presented a commemoration plaque to de Whalley at the jubilee meeting in 1932.
* Institute of Chemists, Fellow from 1911. Note connection via Frankland.
* Freemasons, United (held Grand Lodge of England rank Grand Elected Knight)
* Society of Public Analysts

## Early Career: Teaching and Industrial Chemistry

On graduation, de Whalley became an assistant to Frankland and also worked as a private tutor. When a school in Wimbledon was a potential source of chemicals used in a murder, de Whalley assisted the Old Bailey trial as an expert witness. He was appointed as a chemistry lecturer, then later examiner, at Whitgift School. In 1889, de Whalley took an industrial position at an East Greenwich tar works. Continuous stills has previously been used for whisky production and de Whalley made an industrial innovation by cracking (sic) the challenges to apply the process to tar. In an obituary this was noted to be still (sic) in operation and was credited as a forerunner of such plant worldwide.

## Sugar refining and food chemistry

In 1890, de Whalley was appointed chief chemist to Messrs. A. Lyle & Sons (later Tate & Lyle Ltd), sugar refiners at Plaistow Warf, Victoria Docks, London. The position had previously been held by his brother-in-law J. J. Eastick.
de Whalley became a notable expert on sugar refining. Although most of his work was unpublished, he inaugurated and perfected improvements in refinery processes and control, particularly filtration and the application of specific tests. He became an authority in his industry on bone charcoal, the iron test for sugar liquors and use of Molisch's test. He pioneered the use of the kieselguhr for sugar filtration, and accelerated industrial filtration processes through his research findings regarding the microscopic structure of diatoms. By introducing affination at Plaistow Wharf, he further optimised the production of golden syrup.
Internationally, he attended conferences, for example contributing work on raffinose in beet sugars. He chaired the Conference of Sugar Chemists (the Raffinose Conference) in 1910, in Berlin. In 1929 de Whalley signed H.L.Wright's papers for election to the Chemical Society. He contributed to the Royal Commission on Sugar Supply during WW1.
Upon retirement in 1930, a grand presentation was made. He remained engaged in the field of sugar industry research and knowledge sharing, particularly through his children. At the age of 83 he attended the opening meeting of the 1936 International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis.

## Name change

In 1882, daughter Zoe was recorded with surname Whalley. In 1884, son Hermes was recorded with surname de Whalley. From 1884, the surname de Whalley was consistently used. The surname de Whalley had been used by others in the location of Whalley, near Blackburn, Lancashire from the Norman era though the "de" was later dropped until this re-introduction.

## Music and Languages

As secretary for many years, then later president, de Whalley is likely to have been central to the "Cheerybles Musical Society" becoming part of the Freemasons organisation, leading to the "Cheerybles Lodge No.2466" which still exists.
de Whalley translated and abstracted scientific texts between languages, being practiced in Latin, Greek, French, German, Russian and Polish. Right up until his death he had been translating technical chemistry publications.