Bryan Donkin
Encyclopedia
Bryan Donkin was an English engineer and industrialist. Of his six sons, John, Bryan, and Thomas also became engineers.
, his father was a surveyor and land agent
. Donkin initially began work in the same business, and worked for a year or two as land agent to the Duke of Dorset
.
, 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 Dartford
, 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.
, the perfection of which had caused some considerable problems. Donkin took premises at Bermondsey
, London 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.
, obtained a patent for a "Polygonal printing machine"; this used types
placed on a rotating prism
. 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 Koenig
's leather-covered rollers.
'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 iron
containers. Donkin applied to the British Admiralty
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 iron
canisters. The firm of Donkin, Hall and Gamble was later merged into Crosse & Blackwell
s.
requested Donkin's assistance with George Rennie (engineer)
, in investigating the ownership of intellectual property, tooling and piece-parts of the difference engine
, whose manufacture had been commissioned by Babbage from Joseph Clement
.
In 1857 the British government authorized the sum of £1200 for a full-scale difference engine
with attached printing apparatus based on the design of Per Georg Scheutz
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 Royal
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 Farr
at the General Register Office
to compute life table
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.
's 1814 proposals for a massive suspension bridge
at Runcorn
and in 1821 reported along with Henry Maudslay
on an iron bridge erected by Ralph Dodd
at Springfield, Chelmsford
. 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 Tunnel
project, having become acquainted with Marc Brunel when he had supplied equipment for his machinery at Chatham Dockyard
. 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 Liverpool
.
Donkin's works regularly supplied machinery for use in civil engineering projects, including dredging machines for the Prussia
n Government in 1817 and for the Calder and Hebble Navigation
in 1824. Much was also supplied for the Caledonian Canal
including stationary engines for use in construction of the locks
.
, 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 concern
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.
He was a member of the Royal Society of Arts
, 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 Engineers
, which was founded by Henry Robinson Palmer
, one of his pupils. He also helped the Institution to obtain its Royal Charter
in 1828, advancing 100 guinea
s towards the costs.
Donkin was elected a member of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers
in 1835 and served as its president in 1843.
He was a founder member of the Royal Astronomical Society
.
Early life
Born in Sandoe, NorthumberlandNorthumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, his father was a surveyor and land agent
Estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
. Donkin initially began work in the same business, and worked for a year or two as land agent to the Duke of Dorset
John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset
John 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...
.
Career
While working for the Duke of Dorset, Donkin consulted the engineer John SmeatonJohn Smeaton
John Smeaton, FRS, was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist...
, 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 Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, Kent
Kent
Kent 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 Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 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 machineFourdrinier machine
This article contains a glossary section at the end.Most modern papermaking machines are based on the principles of the Fourdrinier Machine. It has been used in some variation since its inception...
, the perfection of which had caused some considerable problems. Donkin took premises at Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey 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 and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
, London 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
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, obtained a patent for a "Polygonal printing machine"; this used types
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
placed on a rotating prism
Prism (geometry)
In geometry, a prism is a polyhedron with an n-sided polygonal base, a translated copy , and n other faces joining corresponding sides of the two bases. All cross-sections parallel to the base faces are the same. Prisms are named for their base, so a prism with a pentagonal base is called a...
. 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 Koenig
Friedrich Koenig
Friedrich 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 Peter DurandPeter Durand
Peter Durand was a British merchant who is widely credited with receiving the first patent for the idea of preserving food using tin cans. The patent was granted on August 25, 1810 by King George III of England....
'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 iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
containers. Donkin applied to the British Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
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 iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
canisters. The firm of Donkin, Hall and Gamble was later merged into Crosse & Blackwell
Crosse & Blackwell
Crosse & Blackwell is a food production brand which has been in existence since 1706.Originally trading under the Jackson brand and then West and Wyatt, the company was purchased in 1830 by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell...
s.
Difference engine
In 1829, Charles BabbageCharles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
requested Donkin's assistance with George Rennie (engineer)
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 engine
Difference engine
A difference engine is 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.-History:...
, whose manufacture had been commissioned by Babbage from Joseph Clement
Joseph Clement
Joseph 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 engine
Difference engine
A difference engine is 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.-History:...
with attached printing apparatus based on the design of Per Georg Scheutz
Per Georg Scheutz
Pehr 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 Royal
Astronomer Royal
Astronomer 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 Farr
William Farr
William 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 Office
General Register Office
The General Register Office for England and Wales is the section of the UK Identity and Passport Service responsible for the civil registration of births , adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales and for those same events outwith the UK if they involve a UK citizen...
to compute life table
Life table
In 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 his or her 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
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE 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 bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
at Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. 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 Maudslay
Henry Maudslay
Henry 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 Dodd
Ralph Dodd
Ralph Dodd was a late 18th century engineer primarily known, by his detractors, for his attempt, and ultimate failure to produce a tunnel underneath the Thames.-Marine painter:...
at Springfield, Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
. 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 Tunnel
Thames Tunnel
The 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 Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham 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 Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool 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 Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Government in 1817 and for the Calder and Hebble Navigation
Calder and Hebble Navigation
The 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 Canal
Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
including stationary engines for use in construction of the locks
Lock (water transport)
A 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 in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
.
Other work
In 1820 Donkin worked with Sir William Congreve on preventing the forgery of excise stampsRevenue stamp
A revenue stamp, tax stamp or fiscal stamp is a adhesive label used to collect taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, and many other things...
, 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 concern
Going concern
A going concern is a business that functions without the threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, usually regarded as at least within 12 months.-Definition of the 'going concern' concept:...
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 Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
, 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 Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
, which was founded by Henry Robinson Palmer
Henry Robinson Palmer
Henry Robinson Palmer was a British civil engineer who designed the world's first monorail system and the first elevated railsystem...
, one of his pupils. He also helped the Institution to obtain its Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1828, advancing 100 guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
s towards the costs.
Donkin was elected a member of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers
Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers
The 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 Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The 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...
.