Charles Gascoigne
| Charles Gascoigne | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1738 |
| Died | 1 August 1806 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Parent(s) | Captain Woodroffe Gascoigne Grizel Elphinstone |
| Relatives | Charles Elphinstone, 9th Lord Elphinstone (maternal grandfather) |
Charles Gascoigne (1738–1806) was a British industrialist at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. He was a partner and manager of the Carron Company ironworks in its early years, but left in 1786, before the company's success became obvious, to reorganise the production of iron and cannon in Russia. He remained in Russia for 20 years, until his death.
Charles Gascoigne was born in 1738 in England. His father was Captain Woodroffe Gascoigne, who was deployed in Scotland after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. His mother was Grizel, eldest daughter of Charles Elphinstone, 9th Lord Elphinstone and his wife Elizabeth Primrose.
He worked for the British East India Company and as a partner in "Coney and Gascoigne", a firm of drysalters in London. He married Mary, the daughter of Samuel Garbett, at St Martin's, Birmingham, in 1759. Garbett was a founding partner in the Carron Company, also founded in 1759, and Gascoigne become a partner in the ironworks in 1765, having been manager of Garbett's nearby turpentine factory, Garbett & Co., since 1763.
When he joined the Carron Company only six years after it was founded, and it was still suffering from problems with the quality of its iron. Nevertheless, the Board of Ordnance had granted it a lucrative contract to supply armaments to the British armed forces in 1764. He became managing partner of the ironworks in 1769, taking over from William Cadell, Jr, the son of William Cadell, another founder of the works.
He introduced many improvements in the company's techniques of production, and devoted considerable effort to increasing the quality of its work. Despite (or perhaps because of) Gascoigne's influence, the Carron Company and Garbett's other enterprises remained in a difficult financial position. Garbett & Co. collapsed under the weight of debts in 1772, harming Gascoigne's relationship with his father-in law. The Board of Ordnance eventually withdrew their contract with Carron Company for long guns in 1773, as a result of concerns over the poor quality of their workmanship
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