Veteran UK tanner dies
Joseph Dewhurst, who died on June 15, was a veteran of the UK heavy leather tanning industry, specialising in production of niche leathers for industrial, saddlery and sports use.
Graduating from the leather department of Leeds University in 1962, Mr Dewhurst took up positions at Randle and Porter; Barrow Hepburn group, and Holmes Hall. He spent the latter part of his career at Joseph Clayton and Sons, Chesterfield, as technical director. He retired in 2001.
He was president of the Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists (SLTC) from 1992-1994 and regularly contributed to its journal after his retirement, sharing his knowledge of and interest in all things leather.
World Leather technical editor, Mat Abbott, who worked alongside Mr Dewhurst at Joseph Clayton and Sons, said: “Joe was very knowledgeable on so many different tannages. I learned a lot just by following him around. In my first job after university, he showed me how to put theoretical knowledge into practice. He was a real ‘leather-man’, as the workers used to say.”
Image – Joe Dewhurst (right) and Mat Abbott at an SLTC event in 2017.
