Sir Isaac Holden

Sir Isaac Holden (1807-1897) was a Scottish inventor, born at Hurlet, Renfrewshire. He worked in a cotton-mill in Paisley, but betook himself to teaching, and in 1829, while a teacher of chemistry in Reading, discovered the principle of the lucifer match. Turning to wool-combing as a means of livelihood, he became established near Paris, where he carried out elaborate experiments, which resulted in improvements in wool-combing machinery that brought him fame and fortune. In 1859, he transferred his works to the vicinity of Bradford. He entered Parliament in 1865, and was created a baronet in 1893.

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Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Pitman, Sir Isambard Brunel, Sir J M Barrie, Sir Jacob Astley