ABSTRACT
Holker's activities were not confined to the Saint Sever works, to tours of inspection, and to keeping an eye, benevolent or reproving, on some of the more important of the independent English industrial immigrants. The original role of John Holker in the foundation of the sulphuric acid industry in France was an intermediary one, but initial failure in that respect led to a much more direct involvement. The original role of John Holker in the foundation of the sulphuric acid industry in France was an intermediary one, but initial failure in that respect led to a much more direct involvement. The Holker contribution to the French chemical industry was very important. In many industries the French tended to remain parasitic on advancing British technology. The most sophisticated and large-scale proto-industrialization did not in itself induce the decisive technical change to the factory system, or become a significant element in an industrial revolution.
