Alness Folk
Attribution: unknown (Perrins Centre)
Charles MacIntosh
In the mid 1700’s George Macintosh lived at Newmore. His son, the aforementioned Charles Macintosh, was born in 1768.
He made his name in science and is credited with inventing a revolutionary bleaching powder. His partner Charles Tennant took out the patent in 1899, but it is believed that Macintosh was the real creator.
Another invention was waterproof material. Macintosh was aiming this at the manufacture of tents, but was also used in clothing – ‘The MacKintosh’ or ‘Mac’. The material was first introduced in 1824. Who knows – without Charles Macintosh there would be no Columbo!
Attribution: photo copyright – hemera photo objects
C. W. Dyson Perrins (1864 - 1958)
C. W. Dyson Perrins (1864 – 1958), an English business man bought Ardross Castle and Estate from Alexander Matheson in 1899. Dyson Perrins (of Lea and Perrins fame) gave the Perrins Centre to the town as well as the bowling club and golf club. The original course was on Dalmore flats, which meant that at high tide some of the greens were underwater. The present 18-hole course (on much higher ground!) was leased from Ardross estates in 1922.
In addition to all this, Mrs Perrins turned on the electricity supply to Alness in 1924. Both Matheson and Perrins were avid tree planters and Ardross estate has one of the best collections of trees in Britain.
David Forsyth (Forsyth Notation)
David Forsyth was born in Alness in 1854. Not a household name but avid chess players may have heard of his invention – the Forsyth Notation.
This is one of a number of systems used for recording on paper the positions of chess pieces, such as can be seen in newspapers today .
Attribution: photo copyright – hemera photo objects
