Robert Spear Hudson (soap)

Robert Spear Hudson (6 December 1812 – 6 August 1884) was an English businessman who popularised dry soap powder.

He was born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, the third son and fourth child of John and Sarah Hudson. His father was minister at Mares Green Congregational Chapel in West Bromwich. He intended to become a chemist and druggist and to this end served an apprenticeship with an apothecary in Bilston.

He, along with his brother studied at Trinity College, Dublin. His brother became Surgeon to the Viceroy of Ireland whereas Robert, having studied chemistry, returned to England and as well as developing his soap powder he also developed Borwicks Baking Powder.

In 1837 Hudson opened a shop in High Street, West Bromwich. He started making soap powder in the back of this shop by grinding the coarse bar soap of the day with a mortar and pestle. Before that people had had to make soap flakes themselves. This product became the first satisfactory and commercially successful soap powder. Despite his title of "Manufacturer of Dry Soap" Hudson never actually manufactured soap but bought the raw soap from William Gossage of Widnes.

The product was popular with his customers and the business expanded rapidly. In the 1850s he employed ten female workers in his West Bromwich factory. His business was further helped by the removal of tax on soap in 1853. In time the factory was too small and too far from the source of his soap so in 1875 he moved his main works to Bank Hall, Liverpool, and his head office to Bootle, while continuing production at West Bromwich. Eventually the business in Merseyside employed about 1,000 people and Hudson was able to further develop his flourishing export trade to Australia and New Zealand. Hudson himself moved to Chester.

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