Bennet Woodcroft facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bennet Woodcroft
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by William Walker c.1860
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| Born | 20 December 1803 Heaton Norris, Lancashire, England
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| Died | 7 February 1879 (aged 75) South Kensington, London, England
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| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Mechanical engineer |
Bennet Woodcroft (born December 20, 1803 – died February 7, 1879) was an important English engineer. He was known for making fabrics, studying old industrial machines, and helping to improve how inventions were protected. He was also the first person in charge of the Patent Office in England.
Contents
Bennet Woodcroft's Life
Bennet Woodcroft was born in Heaton Norris, a town in Lancashire, England. He studied chemistry with a famous scientist named John Dalton. After his studies, he went back to Lancashire to work with his father. They worked in a business that dyed fabrics and finished velvet.
In 1843, Bennet started working as an engineer in Manchester. He moved to London in 1846. There, he became a professor at University College London, teaching about machinery.
Working at the Patent Office
In 1852, Bennet got a job at the Patent Office. This office helps inventors protect their new ideas. He was in charge of looking at the details of new inventions. By 1864, he became the main leader of the whole office.
During his time there, he started two very important places:
- The Patent Office Library, which is now part of the British Library. This library holds many books and documents about inventions.
- The Patent Museum, which later became part of the Science Museum. This museum collects old machines and inventions.
Bennet Woodcroft retired in March 1876, after 12 years of leading the Patent Office.
Later Years
Throughout his career, Bennet Woodcroft created more than a dozen of his own inventions. Most of these were for making textiles (fabrics) and for building ships.
He passed away on February 7, 1879, in London. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery. You can see his portrait (a painting of him) in the National Portrait Gallery.
Bennet Woodcroft's Important Work
Bennet Woodcroft made big improvements to machines that made fabrics. He also improved how ships moved through water. Because of this, he became very interested in the history of how inventions were patented.
When the British Patent Office was reorganized in 1852, he became the Superintendent of Specifications. This job let him collect old machines. He started his own private collection of historical machinery.
Starting the Patent Office Museum
In the mid-1850s, a new museum called the South Kensington Museum was being planned. The Patent Office, with Bennet Woodcroft's help, was asked to gather old industrial machines to show there.
When the museum opened in 1857, it had a special section called the Patent Office Museum. Bennet Woodcroft was the main person in charge of this museum until he retired in 1876.
Saving Historical Machines
Bennet Woodcroft loved collecting things. He was very passionate about finding and saving important old machines. The year 1862 was especially good for his museum. Thanks to his efforts, the museum got some amazing items:
- Puffing Billy: This is the world's oldest steam railway locomotive that still exists. It was built in 1814.
- Stephenson's Rocket: This famous train, built in 1829, set the standard for how locomotives were designed.
- The engine from Henry Bell's Comet: This was the engine from the first steamship used for business in Europe, built in 1812.
Bennet was very determined to get these items. He once sent a message to his helper saying, "Get the Comet engine in all its filth!" This shows how urgent he felt it was to save these pieces of history. The Patent Office Museum also got several old steam engines that stayed in one place. One of these was a Boulton and Watt engine, which was the oldest of its kind in the world.
Without Bennet Woodcroft, it's likely that many of these incredibly important machines from the first Industrial Revolution would have been lost forever. He helped make sure we can still see and learn from them today.
See also
Images for kids
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Bennet Woodcroft's monument at Brompton Cemetery.
