Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Co
of 136 West George Street, Glasgow
1866 Sir Charles Tennant brought together various alkali makers to form the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Co, to take over pyrite mines in southern Spain, which was incorporated as a Limited Company. As a result of Tharsis' by-products, Charles Tennant became interested in metallurgical technology.
1870 Plant established at Widnes
By 1872 Tharsis acquired seven metal-extraction companies in Britain.
1874 The Tharsis Co already had 5 works and opened another at Cardiff which treated burnt cupreous iron pyrites, chiefly imported from Spain to various English and Scottish ports and brought to Cardiff by coastal vessels.
1885 The Widnes works were acquired by the Lancashire Metal Co Ltd.
1896 Tharsis declined the opportunity to erect a plant in the Rhineland to process pyrites, which excluded the company from accessing German metallurgical developments. Nor did it buy new mines. Charles Tennant continued as chairman until 1906.
1914 Specialities: sulphur in pyrites, refined copper in cakes, bars, ingots, purple iron ore. [1].