Bryan Donkin (22 March 1768 – 27 February 1855) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
engineer and industrialist. Of his six sons, John, Bryan, and Thomas also became engineers.
Early life
Born in Sandoe,
NorthumberlandNorthumberland is a ceremonial county and unitary district in the North East of England. It borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east, as well as having a border with the Scottish Borders council area to the north, and nearly eighty miles of North...
, his father was a surveyor and
land agentAn estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of homes, land and other buildings, in the United Kingdom. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting agent. Estate Agents are mainly engaged in the marketing of property available for sale...
. Donkin initially began work in the same business, and worked for a year or two as land agent to the
Duke of DorsetJohn Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset.He is best remembered for his love of cricket...
.
Career
While working for the Duke of Dorset, Donkin consulted the engineer
John SmeatonJohn Smeaton,
FRS, was an English civil engineer – often regarded as the "father of civil engineering" – responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a more than capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. He was...
, an acquaintance of his father, as to how he could become an engineer. At Smeaton's advice in 1792 he apprenticed himself to John Hall in
DartfordDartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, 16 miles east south-east of central London....
,
KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
, who had founded the Dartford Iron Works in 1785. Shortly after completing his apprenticeship, he set himself up in Dartford, with the support of John Hall, making moulds for paper works, for at that time all paper making was done by hand. In 1798 he married Mary Brames, daughter of Peter Brames, a neighbouring land owner and market gardener, and a prominent supporter of the Methodist movement. By doing so Donkin became brother in law to John Hall, who had married Mary's elder sister Sarah in 1791.
Fourdrinier machine
In 1801-2 Donkin was entrusted with the construction of a prototype of a paper-making machine, the famous
Fourdrinier machineThe Fourdrinier Machine is the basis for most modern papermaking, and it has been used in some variation since its conception. The Fourdrinier accomplishes all the steps needed to transform a source of wood pulp into a final paper product....
, the perfection of which had caused some considerable problems. Donkin took premises at
BermondseyBermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth.- Parish, vestry and local government :...
,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in 1802, thus starting the enterprise that became the Bryan Donkin Company, which still continues in business in the early 21st century. In 1804 he succeeded in producing a working machine. A second, improved one, was made the following year and in 1810 eighteen of the complex machines had been erected at various mills. Although the original design was not Donkin's, he received the credit for having perfected them and brought them into use. His company continued to make such machines, and by 1851 had produced nearly 200 machines for use across the world.
Printing machinery
Donkin also worked with printing machinery. In 1813 he and a printer, Richard Mackenzie Bacon of
NorwichNorwich is a city in Norfolk, East Anglia which is in Eastern England. It is the regional administrative centre and county city of Norfolk...
, obtained a patent for a "Polygonal printing machine"; this used
typesIn typography, a typeface is a set of one or more fonts, in one or more sizes, designed with stylistic unity, each comprising a coordinated set of glyphs. A typeface usually comprises an alphabet of letters, numerals, and punctuation marks; it may also include ideograms and symbols, or consist...
placed on a rotating
prismIn geometry, an n-sided prism is a polyhedron made of an n-sided polygonal base, a translated copy, and n faces joining corresponding sides. Thus these joining faces are parallelograms. All cross-sections parallel to the base faces are the same...
. Ink was applied by a roller which rose and fell with the irregularities of the prism, and the paper was wrapped around a second prism. One of these machines was set up for Cambridge University. It however proved too complicated and suffered from poor inking, which prevented its success. However, it was the first machine to introduce composition ink rollers which were considered better than
Friedrich KoenigFriedrich Gottlob Koenig was a German inventor best-known for his high-speed printing press, which he built together with watchmaker Andreas Friedrich Bauer....
's leather-covered rollers.
Tinned food
Donkin had by now become a partner in John Hall's firm and had become interested in the problem of canning food in metal containers. After various experiments, he acquired
Philippe de GirardPhilippe Henri de Girard was a French engineer and inventor of the first flax spinning frame in 1810, as well as the name-sake for the town of Żyrardów in Poland....
's patent in 1812 for the sum of £1000 and in association with Hall and Gamble he set up a canning factory in Bermondsey, the first cannery to use tinned
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
containers. Donkin applied to the British
AdmiraltyThe Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Originally exercised by a single person, the office of Lord High Admiral was from the 18th century onward almost invariably put "in commission", and was exercised by a Board of Admiralty.In...
for a test of his product and the first sizable orders were placed in 1814 with the firm of Donkin, Hall and Gamble for meat preserved in tinned
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
canisters. The firm of Donkin, Hall and Gamble was later merged into
Crosse & BlackwellCrosse & Blackwell is a food production brand which has been in existence since 1706.Originally founded as West and Wyatt, the company was purchased in 1830 by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell...
s.
Difference engine
In 1829,
Charles BabbageCharles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer. Parts of his uncompleted mechanisms are on display in the London Science Museum. In 1991, a perfectly functioning difference engine was...
requested Donkin's assistance with
George Rennie (engineer)George Rennie was an engineer born in London, England. He was the son of the Scottish engineer John Rennie and the brother of Sir John Rennie.-Early life:...
, in investigating the ownership of intellectual property, tooling and piece-parts of the
difference engineThe Difference Engine was an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. Both logarithmic and trigonometric functions can be approximated by polynomials, so a difference engine can compute many useful sets of numbers....
, whose manufacture had been commissioned by Babbage from
Joseph ClementJoseph Clement was a British engineer and industrialist, chiefly remembered as the maker of Charles Babbage's first Difference engine, between 1824 and 1833.-Early life:...
.
In 1857 the British government authorized the sum of £1200 for a full-scale
difference engineThe Difference Engine was an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. Both logarithmic and trigonometric functions can be approximated by polynomials, so a difference engine can compute many useful sets of numbers....
with attached printing apparatus based on the design of
Per Georg ScheutzPehr Georg Scheutz was a 19th-century Swedish lawyer, translator, and inventor, who is best known for his pioneering work in computer technology.Scheutz studied law at Lund University, graduating in 1805...
and his son Edvard to be constructed by Donkin's company, which had acquired a reputation for building machines for the colour printing of banknotes and stamps. Costs overran and Donkin delivered the machine in July 1859, several weeks past the deadline, incurring a loss of £615.
Despite the engine's printing unit working badly, the Royal Society and the
Astronomer RoyalAstronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the second is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834....
were generally positive when they inspected it on August 30 1859, expressing their satisfaction at its construction. Donkin was unhappy that he had lost so much money on the project, which he attributed to the engine's unexpected intricacy and the fact that he had had very little to base his original cost estimate on, Edvard Scheutz having given him very little information. In addition, costly machine tools had had to be made specially to make the engine's components and many alterations had been introduced along the way.
The machine was used by
William FarrWilliam Farr was a nineteenth century British epidemiologist, regarded as one of the founders of medical statistics.-Early life:He was born in Kenley, Shropshire, England to poor parents...
at the
General Register OfficeThe General Register Office is that part of the government of England and Wales that deals with the civil registration of births , adoptions, marriages and civil partnerships, and deaths in both England and Wales...
to compute
life tableIn actuarial science, a life table is a table which shows, for each age, what the probability is that a person of that age will die before their next birthday...
s, which were published in 1864. It operated on 15-digit numbers and 4th-order differences, and produced printed output just as Charles Babbage had envisaged. This machine is now in the London Science Museum.
Civil engineering
As an eminent engineer Donkin was often consulted on civil engineering matters. He supported
Thomas TelfordThomas Telford was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
's 1814 proposals for a massive
suspension bridgeA suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. While modern bridges of this type date from the early 19th century, earlier bridges without vertical suspenders date from the 7th Century in Central America.This type of bridge has...
at
RuncornRuncorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In mid-2004 its population was estimated to be 61,252. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
and in 1821 reported along with
Henry MaudslayHenry Maudslay was a British machine tool innovator, tool and die maker, and inventor. He is considered a founding father of machine tool technology.-Early life:...
on an iron bridge erected by
Ralph DoddRalph Dodd was a late 18th century engineer primarily known for his attempt, and ultimate failure to produce a tunnel underneath the Thames....
at Springfield,
ChelmsfordChelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford.The town is located northeast of Charing Cross in London. Chelmsford is steeped in history and was one of the original settlements of Great Britain. Residents of Chelmsford are known as...
. Thomas Telford employed Donkin in his survey of rivers in the London area for the Water Supply report completed shortly before his death.
In the 1820s Donkin became involved with the
Thames TunnelThe Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet high and is 1,300 feet long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river's surface...
project, having become acquainted with Marc Brunel when he had supplied equipment for his machinery at
Chatham DockyardChatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
. In 1825-27 Donkin supplied pumps for removing water from the tunnel and also workmen for modifying the tunneling shield; at one time it was even suggested that he replace Brunel as engineer.
In 1826 he constructed a model of a landing stage proposed by Brunel for use at
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Donkin's works regularly supplied machinery for use in civil engineering projects, including dredging machines for the
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
n Government in 1817 and for the
Calder and Hebble NavigationThe Calder and Hebble Navigation is a Broad inland waterway in West Yorkshire, England, which has remained navigable since it was opened.-History:...
in 1824. Much was also supplied for the
Caledonian CanalThe Caledonian Canal in Scotland connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. Caledonian Canal is a sister canal of Göta Canal in Sweden, which was also constructed by Thomas Telford.-Route:...
including stationary engines for use in construction of the
locksA lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the...
.
Other work
In 1820 Donkin worked with Sir William Congreve on preventing the forgery of
excise stampsA revenue stamp, tax stamp or fiscal stamp is a stamp used to collect taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, and many other things.- Description :...
, using a method of two-colour printing with compound printing plates. Working with his partner John Wilks, he produced a machine which was used by the Excise and Stamp Office and also by the East India Company at Calcutta.
By 1847, Donkin's company had designed its first products for the emerging gas industry. The name Donkin has since become a generic name for certain gas valves and Bryan Donkin RMG Gas Controls Limited remains a
going concernA going concern is a business that functions without the intention or threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, usually regarded as at least within 12 months.-Use in Accounting:...
in Europe.
Among Donkin's other inventions were a screw-cutting and dividing machine; an instrument to measure the velocity of rotating machinery; and a counting engine. The last two received the Royal Society of Arts Prize medal.
Institutions
In 1805, with John Hall and others, he formed the Society of Master Millwrights, acting as its treasurer.
He was a member of the
Royal Society of ArtsThe Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity . It was founded in 1754 and was granted a Royal Charter in 1847...
, becoming a Vice-president and Chairman of the Committee of Mechanics.
Donkin was one of the originators and a vice-president of the
Institution of Civil EngineersFounded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineers. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150 countries...
, which was founded by Henry Robinson Palmer, one of his pupils. He also helped the Institution to obtain its
Royal CharterIn medieval Europe, royal charters were used to create cities . The date that such a charter was granted is considered to be when a city was "founded", regardless of when the locality originally began to be settled.At one time a royal charter was the only way in which an incorporated body could be...
in 1828, advancing 100
guineaGuinea, officially Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa formerly known as French Guinea . The country's current population is estimated at 10,211,437 ....
s towards the costs.
Donkin was elected a member of the
Smeatonian Society of Civil EngineersThe Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers was founded in 1771, and was originally known as the Society of Civil Engineers, being renamed following its founder's death...
in 1835 and served as its president in 1843.
He was a founder member of the
Royal Astronomical SocietyThe Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
.
External links