James Joseph Cregeen1 to Faraday   9 January 1861

Plough Road Rotherhithe and 3 Union Square Deptford London S.E. | 9 Jany 61

Dear Sir,

In the newspaper reports of yr interesting Lectures on a Candle2 I observe a list of the different kind[s of] candles exhibited by you to your audience of little & great folk. But as there is no mention of a candle with which I was familiar in my early days I beg to trouble you with a few lines respecting it. It is made by partly peeling off the cuticle of the rush & letting it thoroughly dry in the sun for several days. It is now passed once through a little melted lard suet or goose grease & laid on a basket trunk box to dry when it is ready for use. When lit it is placed in a kind of pinchers in a stand thus diagram and moved as it burns down. My grandfather, a small farmer in the Isle of Man now in his 94th year, still continues the use of this primitive candle in his house & if you desire I shall feel a pleasure in obtaining a specimen for you[.]

I remain | Dear Sir | with great respect | your obedient servant | J.J. Cregeen MD

1
James Joseph Cregeen (d.1868, age 41, Medical Directory, 1869, p.1014). Physician in South East London.
2
Faraday’s lectures were reported in Morning Post, 28 December 1860, p.2, col.f, 31 December 1860, p.2, col.f, 4 January 1861, p.5, col.f, 7 January 1861, p.6, col.f and 9 January 1861, p.6, col.c.

Please cite as “Faraday3937,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday3937