Wordsworth Donisthorpe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wordsworth Donisthorpe
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| Born | 24 March 1847 Leeds, England
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| Died | 30 January 1914 (aged 66) Shottermill, England
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| Occupation | Barrister, political activist, inventor |
| Spouse(s) |
Ann Maria Anderson
(m. 1873, divorced)Edith Georgina Fleming |
| Children | 1 |
Wordsworth Donisthorpe (born March 24, 1847 – died January 30, 1914) was an English lawyer, inventor, and early movie maker. He was also very interested in chess and believed in a lot of personal freedom.
Who Was Wordsworth Donisthorpe?
Wordsworth Donisthorpe was born in Leeds, England, on March 24, 1847. His father, George E. Donisthorpe, was also an inventor. Wordsworth had a brother named Horace Donisthorpe, who studied ants.
Wordsworth went to school at Leeds Grammar School. Later, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1873, he married Ann Maria Anderson. They later separated. He had a daughter in 1911 with Edith Georgina Fleming.
Donisthorpe's Work as a Lawyer and Thinker
Donisthorpe worked as a barrister, which is a type of lawyer in England. He was also a political activist. This means he worked to make changes in society and government.
He was part of a group called the Liberty and Property Defence League. This group believed that people should have a lot of freedom and that the government should not control too much. Donisthorpe even edited their newspaper, Jus, for a while.
Donisthorpe's Inventions and Movies
Wordsworth Donisthorpe was a true inventor. He was especially interested in making moving pictures.
Inventing the Kinesigraph
In 1876, Donisthorpe applied for a patent for a new type of camera. He called his invention the "kinesigraph." This camera was designed to take a series of pictures very quickly. When these pictures were shown one after another, they would create the illusion of movement.
Donisthorpe said he built a model of his kinesigraph camera in the late 1870s.
Filming Trafalgar Square
In 1890, Donisthorpe worked with his cousin, W. C. Crofts. Together, they made a short moving picture of London's famous Trafalgar Square. This was a very early example of filmmaking!
The camera they used for this film was patented in 1889. They also patented a special projector. This projector was needed to show the moving pictures they had created.
Donisthorpe and Chess
Besides his inventions, Donisthorpe loved chess. In 1885, he helped start two important chess groups: the British Chess Association and the British Chess Club.
Later Life
Wordsworth Donisthorpe passed away on January 30, 1914. He died from heart failure in Shottermill, Surrey.
