Holden, Sir Isaac, one of the inventors of lucifer matches and of important modifications in wool-carding machinery, was born 7th May 1807, at
Hurlet, Renfrewshire, his father having been a Cumberland farmer and lead-miner. While a worker in a cotton-mill in Paisley, he fitted himself for the post of an assistant-teacher, first at Leeds, then at Huddersfield, and latterly at Reading. Finding flint and steel inconvenient when he got up at 4 A.M. to pursue his studies, he hit on the idea of putting sulphur under explosive material, which solved the problem of the lucifer match. The principle he expounded to his pupils at Reading in 1829, and through them it seems to have become known in London. Holden was not himself aware that lucifer matches had been made nearly two years before by John Walker, a chemist of Stockton-on-Tees, who sold them in April 1827 at one shilling and twopence a box. While book-keeper in a worsted-mill at Bingley, Yorkshire (1830-46), Holden became possessed with the ambition of inventing wool-combing machinery. In 1846 he joined with Mr Lister, who had done much to improve the system of wool-combing, in starting a mill at St Denis, near Paris. The rude wool-combing by steel teeth was done away with by Holden's square motion machine in 1850. Lister retired, and the firm became Isaac Holden & Sons in 1859, and the Alston works near Bradford were founded. After the expenditure of about £50,000 in experiments, Holden's wool-combing machinery brought him both fame and fortune. Holden was member for Knaresborough 1865-68, for the North-west Riding 1882-85, and for the Keighley division of Yorkshire from 1885. He was made a baronet in 1893, and preserved his vigorous health till shortly before his death on 13th August 1897.