SUGAR

See Also: CONFECTIONERY; FOOD

A Consequence of Cake

In 1743 William Chetwynd, a boy, killed Thomas Ricketts, another boy, after they had disagreed with one another with regard to a slice of cake. The killing led to a major spat between the West Indian interest and the Establishment since Chetwynd came from an aristocratic family whereas Ricketts was a scion of Jamaican planters. The former received a royal pardon.

See Also: CAKES & PASTRIES; MENU

King George III

King George III liked to holiday at Weymouth. His presence there made the small port town a fashionable resort. Upon one occasion he encountered the coach of a West Indian that that even more ornate that his own. He felt moved to complain loudly, Sugar, sugar, hey? - All that sugar!

Superfluous and Pernicious

The writer and East India Company official Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866) termed sugar as being economically superfluous and a physically pernicious addition to the English diet. The Company had a rivalry with the West Indian interest that dated back to the end of the 17^thC.

Tate & Lyle

In 1878 Abram Lyle started producing Golden Syrup at Plaistow Wharf.

Henry Tate bought a German patent for making sugar cubes.

Both men travelled from Fenchurch Street Station to Silvertown. They always travelled in separate carriages. The companies merged in 1921 after the founders death.

In 1921 the two businesses merged. The families still ran the separate factories. The employees regarded themselves as either working for Tate s or Lyle s .

By the mid-20^thC Silvertown was the largest sugar refinery in the world.

In 1949 the Labour government indicated that it was going to nationalise the sugar refining industry. Tate & Lyle launched a campaign to oppose this proposal. The cartoon character Mr Cube was created as part of the campaign. The popular mood was moving away from state control. Labour won the 1950 general election but lost the 1951 one. The threat of nationalisation lifted.

In 1953 sugar rationing ended.

Manbr & Garton was the only other raw sugar processing business in Britain. Tate & Lyle acquired the company in 1976.

Lord Jellicoe became the first non-family chairman of Tate & Lyle.

Location: Plaistow Wharf, Knights Road, E16 2AT

Website: www.tateandlyle.com

Tax

In 1871 the Sugar Tax was abolished. The marmalade manufacturer James Keiller & Son transferred some of its manufacturing from Guernsey to Silvertown.

George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, devised a three-tiered tax regime for sugar that was used in soft drinks and gave the industry a two-year period in which to adapt to this. It did so. The only drinks that did not change were Coca-Cola s classic red can and Pepsi s blue one.

David Backhouse 2024