Ethel Baxter

Last updated March 30, 2019

Ethelreda Baxter (22 October 1883 – 16 August 1963) was a Scottish cook and businesswoman. She was a second generation member of the family that established the Baxters food processing company, based in Fochabers, Moray.^[1]^[2]

The Scottish people or Scots, are a nation and Celtic ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland in the 9th century. Later, the neighbouring Celtic-speaking Cumbrians, as well as Germanic-speaking Anglo-Saxons and Norse, were incorporated into the Scottish nation.

Baxters Food Group Limited, also known as Baxters of Speyside or Baxters, is a Scottish food processing company, based in Fochabers, Moray. It produces foods such as canned soups, canned meat products, sour pickles, sauces, vinegars, anti-pasti, chutneys, fruit preserves and salad and meat condiments. Products are sold under the Baxters brand as well as a variety of brands owned, or licensed, to the group. Baxters has remained a private family company for four generations, during which time it has expanded significantly by acquiring other business within the United Kingdom and internationally. Baxters holds a Royal Warrant from Her Majesty the Queen as purveyors of Scottish specialities.

Fochabers is a village in the Parish of Bellie, in Moray, Scotland, 10 miles (16 km) east of the cathedral city of Elgin and located on the east bank of the River Spey. 1,728 people live in the village, which enjoys a rich musical and cultural history. The village is also home to Baxters, the family-run manufacturer of foodstuffs.

Family life

Baxter was born in Roseisle, Moray, the daughter of a farmer, Andrew Adam, and his wife Elizabeth Farquar. She trained as a nurse and in 1914, tended a patient, William Baxter, whom she subsequently married. He was the son of George and Margaret Baxter, the founders of the original Baxters grocery shop in Fochabers.^[1]^[2]

Roseisle is a village near Elgin, Morayshire, in the Strathspey region of Scotland.

Career

Initially a nurse, Baxter joined her husband in business, and in 1916 they opened a factory near the River Spey to make preserves from locally sourced products.^[3] She then took charge of managing the factory, purchasing the fruit, hiring the workforce and devising new recipes.^[1]^[2] Baxter's guidance ensured that the product range widened to include soups and canned and bottled fruits.^[4] Her husband travelled widely, promoting the products, and the couple eventually began selling to customers in London, America and throughout the British Empire, including the royal household itself.^[1]^[2]

The River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the third longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishing and whisky production.

Death

Baxter died in 1963 in Elgin, Moray. She was 79.^[4]

Elgin is a town and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the floodplain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190 AD. It was created a Royal Burgh in the 12th century by King David I of Scotland and by that time had a castle on top of the present day Lady Hill to the west of the town.

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References

1 2 3 4 "Oxford DNB article: Baxter, William Alexander". www.oxforddnb.com. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
1 2 3 4 "Ethelreda Baxter | Mapping Memorials to Women in Scotland". womenofscotland.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
↑ "A New Factory". Baxters. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
1 2 "Ethel Baxter: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland" . Retrieved 2016-12-08.

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[:0-1] 1 2 3 4 "Oxford DNB article: Baxter, William Alexander". www.oxforddnb.com. Retrieved 2016-12-08.

[:1-2] 1 2 3 4 "Ethelreda Baxter | Mapping Memorials to Women in Scotland". womenofscotland.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-08.

[3] "A New Factory". Baxters. Retrieved 2016-12-08.

[undiscovered-4] 1 2 "Ethel Baxter: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland" . Retrieved 2016-12-08.