PLAQUES

PERCY CARLYLE GILCHRIST

8 MARINE PARADE, LYME REGIS

Percy Gilchrist is honoured in Lyme for his achievements in chemistry - he enabled steel to become cheaply available to the British industry.

Born in Lyme in 1851, Gilchrist collaborated with his cousin Sidney Gilchrist Thomas on the standard basic process for making steel. They changed the standard acidic process between 1875 and 1877 using local high phosphorus ores. This involved melting pig iron in a converter similar to that used in the Bessemer process and subjecting it to prolonged blowing. Another benefit was that the phosphorous containing slag could be used as an agricultural fertiliser.

Gilchrist was elected vice-president of the Iron and Steel Institute and in 1891 a Fellow of the Royal Society. He died in 1935.