Jonathan Dodgson Carr (1806–1884)

Carr was a flour-miller, baker and manufacturer of biscuits who began his business in 1831 at Carlisle in north-west England. By the mid-nineteenth century he owned one of the largest bakery companies in Britain. Carr’s biscuits were known internationally and are still a popular brand.

Carr was born at Kendal in 1806. His father, Jonathan Carr, was a grocer and his mother, Jane Dodgson, came from a family of grocers. He was apprenticed to a baker in Stockton-on-Tees at the age of 14. After four years he returned home to Kendal and then, in 1831, he walked the 75 km to Carlisle and set up a bakery of his own. In 1836 he opened a large flour mill at the port of Silloth, west of Carlisle. He saw the benefits of integrated production and eventually controlled all parts of his supply chain, becoming a grain merchant, a ship-owner, a flour miller, a baker and a retailer. At his bakery he introduced steam-powered equipment for mixing the dough and presses for cutting the biscuit shapes. He campaigned for the repeal of the Corn Laws, which placed high tariffs on imported grain, and after they were repealed in 1846 he imported high-quality wheat from Canada at low cost.

His Table Water Biscuit was introduced in 1832. This was a cracker made with water and flour, inspired by ship’s biscuits taken on long sea voyages. Carr’s biscuit stored well. It was thin and crisp and ideal for serving with cheese. The product was given valuable recognition when the young Queen Victoria labelled it ‘by Royal Appointment’ in 1842. In 1846 Carr employed 90 people and made 400 tons of biscuits. By 1860 he was marketing over 70 different types.

As a Quaker, Carr believed in providing good-quality products and in treating his employees fairly. He provided communal baths for workers, using hot water from the steam engine boiler, gave religious instruction to his workers and built a school and library. He also supported the local hospital and a co-operative to build good-quality houses.