The Waterford Flint Glass Manufactory, as it was originally known, was established in Waterford, Ireland, in 1783 by two local brothers, George and William Penrose. Being of an enterprising nature, the Penrose brothers had seen a huge demand for both plain and ornamental flint glass internationally. However, with neither brother having any glass working experience, one of their first priorities was the procurement of a skilled glass worker. Fellow Quaker, John Hill, originally from Stourbridge in the English West Midlands was to take up this opportunity and head the factory’s workforce, which, by now numbered over fifty.
Being in the classic baby-boomer age range, it dawned on me that it is likely that, in the near future, I may be faced with the prospect of developing cancer. With so many types of cancer and the chemical additives we are bombarded with by the food industry, chances are one day your doctor will sit you down and state, “You have cancer”. I even had a recent scare and recall the anxiety sitting there waiting for the results. All turned out well, but it left me with the thought of how I would react if it had been there and how ready was I to face it.