Frederick Wolseley facts for kids
Frederick York Wolseley (born March 16, 1837 – died January 8, 1899) was an amazing inventor from Ireland. He lived in New South Wales, Australia, and was a woolgrower. He invented and improved the first successful machine for shearing sheep. This invention completely changed the wool industry! A monument was built for him where he lived, celebrating his invention. It says his machine is now "part of the rich history of the wool industry."
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Frederick Wolseley's Family Life
Frederick was born in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) in County Dublin, Ireland. He was the third of seven children. His father, Major Garnet Joseph Wolseley, was a soldier. His mother was Frances Anne Smith.
Frederick's older brother became Field Marshal Wolseley, a famous hero. Another brother became General Sir George Wolseley. Their father died in 1840, so the children went to a local school instead of one in England. The seven brothers and sisters stayed very close throughout their lives.
In 1892, Frederick married Ellen Elizabeth Clarke in Melbourne. She was his nurse and cared for him during his long illness. They did not have any children.
Frederick Wolseley: Woolgrower and Inventor
Frederick Wolseley moved from Ireland to Melbourne, Australia, by himself. He arrived in July 1854 when he was 17 years old. He started working as a jackaroo (a trainee on a farm) on a sheep station. This station, called Thule, was on the Murray River in New South Wales. His future brother-in-law owned it. Later, they added another station nearby called Cobran.
Developing the Shearing Machine
After his brother-in-law died in 1868, Wolseley began working on his idea for a sheep shearing machine. By 1872, he had built a working model. He visited England and Ireland, then returned in 1874. He continued to develop his machine in Melbourne with an engineering company called Richard Park & Co. Herbert Austin, who later became famous for cars, worked there as a trainee.
Wolseley lived on Cobran and Thule for 22 years until 1876. He also bought other properties, Toolong in 1871 and Euroka near Walgett in 1876. While living at Euroka, he kept testing his invention. On March 28, 1877, he and Robert Savage received a patent for their machine. They got another patent in December, but the machine still needed work. Wolseley continued to improve it without Savage. He worked with Richard Pickup Park, and they patented an "Improved Shearing Apparatus" on December 13, 1884.
Public Demonstrations and Success
The next year, Wolseley bought the rights to John Howard's horse clipper. He hired Howard to work as a mechanic at his Euroka station. Howard made important improvements to the machine. These changes were so good that Wolseley started showing the machine to the public. He held demonstrations in Sydney and at Euroka. Another person, William Ryley, also suggested ways to make the handpiece better.
From 1887 to 1888, demonstrations were held all over eastern Australia and New Zealand. The biggest moment was the first complete sheep shearing done by machine. This happened at Sir Samuel McCaughey's woolshed at Dunlop, Louth, N.S.W.. In that same year, 1888, eighteen more woolsheds started using Wolseley's machinery.
The Wolseley Company
In 1887, Herbert Austin joined the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company Limited as chief engineer. This new company was set up in Sydney and linked to R G Parks & Co. Its goal was to make Wolseley's machines. In 1889, this company closed, and a new British company, The Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company, was started in London.
Operations stayed in Australia for a while. Austin studied the machines on sheep stations and made more improvements. Wolseley visited England again, leaving Austin in charge.
By 1893, the company faced a problem: many machines they sold were faulty. This happened because local suppliers did not meet the quality standards. They decided to send Austin to England to start a new operation there, leaving John Howard in charge in Australia. In November 1893, Wolseley and Austin arrived in England. Austin managed the business from a small workshop in Birmingham.
Frederick Wolseley was a handsome and friendly person. He had to hire engineers to help make his ideas real. His hard work led to his machine changing the wool industry forever. He battled cancer for his last ten years. In 1894, he resigned as managing director of his company and briefly returned to Australia. He went back to England that same year for special treatment. He died there on January 8, 1899, at the age of 61. He was buried at Beckenham cemetery.
The Wolseley Machine's Benefits
Wolseley's machine clips the wool at its full length. This often makes the wool worth twice or even three times as much. It also removes the wool in one whole piece, called a fleece. This is much better than hand shears, which can chop the wool into small pieces.
From Shearing to Cars
In the late 1890s, Herbert Austin started thinking about making cars. He wanted to help the Wolseley business stay busy all year, not just during shearing season. His first attempts were among the very first cars made in Britain. However, they were not sold to the public right away.
Soon after Wolseley's death, the company directors lost interest in making cars. Vickers, Sons and Maxim took over the car business, along with Austin and the Wolseley name. This new business was called The Wolseley Tool & Motor Car Company Limited. After less than five years there, Austin left to start his own company, The Austin Motor Company Limited, in Birmingham.
Wolseley's Legacy: Museum and Monument
National Museum of Australia Collection
The National Museum of Australia in Canberra has a Wolseley brand two-stand portable shearing plant. It was made in Birmingham, England, around 1930. This shearing plant runs on a 32-volt, three-horsepower petrol engine. The engine is mounted on a wooden trolley with four cast iron wheels.
The plant included a new type of mechanical shearing handpiece, and the museum also has one of these. The engine is green and has "Wolseley" written on it. A metal plate says: "Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company Ltd Birmingham England." This plant weighs 550 kilograms (about 1,200 pounds). It was used on a sheep farm called 'Emoh Ruo' in New South Wales by Roy and George Keogh from 1948 to 1976.
Monument to an Inventor
A special monument to Frederick Wolseley stands near Wakool, New South Wales, at the site of the old Cobran homestead.
The monument explains that this is where a 17-year-old Frederick York Wolseley gained his "colonial experience" in 1854. He lived on Cobran and Thule for 22 years. It was here that he dreamed of creating a mechanical way to shear sheep. Over time, he perfected the machine that carried his name. This invention became a big part of the wool industry's history.
The monument also mentions that in 1876, Wolseley moved to other properties. He died in 1899 in South London. It also notes that in 1894, Herbert Austin, who once worked for Wolseley, went on to make one of Britain's first cars, naming it Wolseley.
