A BREWERY near Selby has created a special ale to celebrate the 250th anniversary of one of Selby’s most accomplished sons.

Smithson Tennant was born in the town on November 30, 1761.

He was a professor of chemistry at Cambridge University, and celebrated for his work in the discovery of the elements osmium and iridium.

David Lewis is a Selby historian and has worked with Selby Civic Society and Brown Cow Brewery, to celebrate the life of the man whose research into diamonds, meteorites, and work on the composition of carbon dioxide helped contribute to the invention of the Davy miners’ safety lamp.

He said: “He was quite a renaissance man, and a son of Selby. I saw the blue plaque in Finkle Street and realised I didn’t know anything about him, so started researching his life. I took the idea to Brown Cow Brewery, told them he was a local hero who deserved to be celebrated, and they agreed to create an ale in his honour.”

David said the idea of creating a specially brewed ale to celebrate the anniversary of the Selby scientist’s life was particularly apt.

“The house he was born in still stands in Selby, and is now The Elizabethan pub. Also, the malt has come from Castleford, where Tennant’s father was a vicar.

“Tennant was a very intelligent man, said to be very nice with a sparkling wit, and in all my research, I couldn’t find anyone with a bad word to say about him.”

The beer is bottled in late October before being released in mid-November, and will be available at outlets in York and Selby.

Stores already confirmed to sell the ale include the Hairy Fig, the York Beer Shop, the Jug and Bottle in Bubwith, Selby Town Hall, and Molly Sharp’s Cheese Shop, opposite Tennant’s birthplace.

Smithson Tennant’s life will also be discussed in a lecture at the University of York’s National Science Learning Centre on Wednesday, November 23.

For more information on the lecture, contact helen.coombs@york.ac.uk