Simon Goodrich
Encyclopedia
Simon Goodrich was an engineer to the British Navy Board
.
He was said to have been born 28 October 1773 in Suffolk
. His education and training is unknown. In 1796 he was appointed draughtsman in the office of Sir Samuel Bentham
, Inspector General of Naval Works, and in 1799 was promoted to the post of Mechanist and Bentham's deputy. On the incorporation of the Naval Works Department with the Navy Board in 1808, he was given the title of Mechanist under the Civil Architect and Engineer. The office was discontinued on 25 Dec. 1812 on the abolition of the office of Civil Architect, when it was provided that Goodrich should have preference over others of his profession whenever his services were wanted.
Goodrich was responsible to Bentham for the management of the installation of the machinery at the Portsmouth Block Mills
, and for the Metal Mills and millwright's shop at Portsmouth
. He was also responsible for the mechanical engineering work at all the other Naval Dockyards, and travelled incessantly on Naval business.
As well as his main responsibilities over time he was involved in devising machinery for testing anchor chains; for investigating different fire fighting apparatus used on ship board; reporting on machinery for making rope and cordage, and on saw-milling apparatus; for making sea-going trials of steam vessels. He was also involved greatly in the day-to-day management of the manufacturing staff. He was in close contact with many of the important engineers of the time, including Richard Trevithick
, Matthew Murray
, Henry Maudslay
, Sir Marc Isambard Brunel
and, particularly, Joshua Field.
He married Susanna Lloyd on 25 December 1797 at the Navy church of Saint Martin in the Fields, Westminster and had two daughters. He lived at 9 Upper Eton St Pimlico in 1811 and in various locations in Portsmouth. On his retirement Goodrich moved to Lisbon, and died there 3 September 1847 and was survived by his wife.
After his death his papers and drawings somehow were returned to England
, and by 1875 were in a library collection somewhere (the location has yet to be discovered). They were later transferred to the library of the Science Museum
, London which has now been transferred to Wroughton, Swindon. The SML accessioning records give no clue about the origins. The Simon Goodrich papers are an incomparable source of detailed information about what is something of a dark age in our knowledge of the engineering background to the Industrial Revolution
and deserve to be more widely known and used.
Navy Board
The Navy Board is today the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the British Royal Navy. Its composition is identical to that of the Admiralty Board of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom, except that it does not include any of Her Majesty's Ministers.From 1546 to 1831, the Navy...
.
He was said to have been born 28 October 1773 in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. His education and training is unknown. In 1796 he was appointed draughtsman in the office of Sir Samuel Bentham
Samuel Bentham
Sir Samuel Bentham was a noted English mechanical engineer and naval architect credited with numerous innovations, particularly related to naval architecture, including weapons...
, Inspector General of Naval Works, and in 1799 was promoted to the post of Mechanist and Bentham's deputy. On the incorporation of the Naval Works Department with the Navy Board in 1808, he was given the title of Mechanist under the Civil Architect and Engineer. The office was discontinued on 25 Dec. 1812 on the abolition of the office of Civil Architect, when it was provided that Goodrich should have preference over others of his profession whenever his services were wanted.
Goodrich was responsible to Bentham for the management of the installation of the machinery at the Portsmouth Block Mills
Portsmouth Block Mills
The Portsmouth Block Mills form part of the Portsmouth Dockyard at Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and were built during the Napoleonic Wars to supply the British Royal Navy with pulley blocks. They started the age of mass-production using all-metal machine tools and are regarded as one of the...
, and for the Metal Mills and millwright's shop at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. He was also responsible for the mechanical engineering work at all the other Naval Dockyards, and travelled incessantly on Naval business.
As well as his main responsibilities over time he was involved in devising machinery for testing anchor chains; for investigating different fire fighting apparatus used on ship board; reporting on machinery for making rope and cordage, and on saw-milling apparatus; for making sea-going trials of steam vessels. He was also involved greatly in the day-to-day management of the manufacturing staff. He was in close contact with many of the important engineers of the time, including Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick was a British inventor and mining engineer from Cornwall. His most significant success was the high pressure steam engine and he also built the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive...
, Matthew Murray
Matthew Murray
Matthew Murray was an English steam engine and machine tool manufacturer, who designed and built the first commercially viable steam locomotive, the twin cylinder Salamanca in 1812...
, 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:...
, Sir Marc Isambard Brunel
Marc Isambard Brunel
Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, FRS FRSE was a French-born engineer who settled in England. He preferred the name Isambard, but is generally known to history as Marc to avoid confusion with his more famous son Isambard Kingdom Brunel...
and, particularly, Joshua Field.
He married Susanna Lloyd on 25 December 1797 at the Navy church of Saint Martin in the Fields, Westminster and had two daughters. He lived at 9 Upper Eton St Pimlico in 1811 and in various locations in Portsmouth. On his retirement Goodrich moved to Lisbon, and died there 3 September 1847 and was survived by his wife.
After his death his papers and drawings somehow were returned to England
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and by 1875 were in a library collection somewhere (the location has yet to be discovered). They were later transferred to the library of the Science Museum
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
, London which has now been transferred to Wroughton, Swindon. The SML accessioning records give no clue about the origins. The Simon Goodrich papers are an incomparable source of detailed information about what is something of a dark age in our knowledge of the engineering background to the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and deserve to be more widely known and used.