25. Salt, Salters and Budleigh Salterton

Prof Stan Roberts, Honorary Professor of Organic Chemistry at Manchester University, gives an insight into the stuff that makes Budleigh 'worth its salt'

Salt marshes on the River Otter estuary at Budleigh Salterton

The early history of Budleigh Salterton is surely indicated in the latter part of its name. Salt (sodium chloride or NaCl) was collected locally by monks from nearby Otterton Priory and the development of the salt industry helped to propel the emergence of Budleigh ‘salt town’ from what was an obscure fishing hamlet.

Winsford salt mine  Image credit: Compass Minerals  www.deepstore.com

So, in the 18th century, salt was being collected in large salt pans at the estuary of the River Otter. The evaporation of sea water in this way forms salt as a beautifully delicate crust (fleur de sel). Of course this relatively small scale operation eventually gave way to industrial salt mining in towns such as Winsford (Cheshire) where the tunnels in the mine, seen above, are now up to 20 m wide and 7 m high.

Going back to ancient times, salt was used for the preservation of fish and meat as well as a purgative or as an ointment for the healing of damaged skin (rubbing salt in the wound). Roman soldiers valued their salt rations (‘sal’ – the origin of salary) and woe betide a guard falling asleep on duty since he would then be considered ‘not worth his salt’.

Arms of The Worshipful Company of Salters

The motto translates as 'Salt Savours All'

The importance of salt gave rise to a distinguished profession...the Salter. The first licence to a fraternity following the trade of Salter was issued by Richard II in 1394, though an informal association had been in existence well before that time, based around Bread Street in London. The fraternity developed into the Salters’ Company, one of the twelve City of London Livery Companies.

This imposing statue created in 1911 by the Anglo-American sculptor  Sir Henry Kitson commemorates Roger Conant in the city that he founded   

Image credit: Destination Salem and John Andrews 

Of local interest, in about 1610 a miller’s son from East Budleigh, Roger Conant, moved to London to become a Salter. Shortly thereafter he set sail with his wife and son to the Colonies and in 1626 became the founding father of the town (now city) of Salem in Massachusetts.

Through the centuries the Salters’ Company retained its prestigious position and in 1918 formed a flagship charity called the Salters’ Institute with the purpose of assisting young chemists returning from the Great War to continue their studies. As the increasing importance of ‘salts’ was recognised, so the breadth of interest of the Salters’ Institute grew in parallel.

Indeed, salt itself (NaCl) has come under something of a cloud. While it is still used in baking and cooking in general, the current recommendation is that the daily intake of NaCl should not be excessive. When overdone, NaCl causes water retention in the body, resulting in higher blood pressure and the more likely occurrence of heart attack and stroke.

Moving into more positive territory, away from sodium chloride, the closest relatives are sodium fluoride (NaF) and sodium bromide (NaBr). Sodium fluoride (and other fluorides) is added to tap water since it protects teeth enamel. Sodium bromide is found in relatively large quantities off the coast of Anglesey; until recently it was extracted from the sea water there and converted into bromine for industrial use.

Fully unfolded spray boom used for tasks such as weedkilling and fertilising 

Image credit: Chafer Machinery 

Agriculture benefits from salts such as sodium glyphosate (a weedkiller) and potassium nitrate (a fertiliser). Potassium nitrate is also the main component of gunpower, an explosive mixture put together by Guy Fawkes and mischievous schoolchildren.

Many common medicines are, in fact, salts, with sodium penicillins and sodium valproate (epilim, an anti-epileptic) just two of many examples; the formation of a salt gives extra stability to the active ingredient, improves its solubility and allows the medicinal ‘warhead’ to cross cell membranes to get to the target. Indeed, finding the right salt to partner a biologically active molecule is an important phase of drug development, called drug formulation.

Students represent their school at the Salters’ Institute Festival of Chemistry 

Image credit: www.theoaksacademy.co.uk 

Reflecting all this modern activity around the manufacture and use of salts, one of the current major aims of the Salters’ Institute is to promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences at the critical student ages 11 – 14, when career choices begin to be made, encouraging career paths in the UK chemical and allied industries as well as the teaching of chemistry. To these ends, core activities of the Institute include science curriculum development for schools (with the University of York) and the Salters’ Festivals of Chemistry, which are held annually in about 45 Universities and involve practical challenges and fun lectures.

So salts, Salters and Budleigh Salterton are intertwined. The town flourished on an age old salt industry. Salters from this area joined the Worshipful Company of Salters and some, such as Roger Conant, spread their influence overseas. Already salts are important in many aspects of our lives and an even greater impact of salts in medicines, modern agriculture and climate control is being promoted by the venerable Salters’ Institute.

Prof Roberts chairs the Conant 400 Group. The Group is promoting awareness of the forthcoming 400th anniversary of the arrival of Roger Conant (1592-1679) in America. Conant sailed to the New World a few years after the 1620 Pilgrim Fathers. He is respected for what has been described as his "attitude of tolerance and conciliation".  

You can follow the Conant 400 Group's progress at www.conant400.blogspot.com  and/or join the Facebook Conant 400 Group  here.

You can access other posts on this blog by going to the Blog Archive (under the ‘About Me’ section), and clicking on the appropriate heading.