Editing Henry Maudslay

{{Short description|English inventor and machine tool innovator (1771–1831)}}
{{for|the RAF pilot|Henry Eric Maudslay}}
{{Distinguish|Henry Maudsley}}
{{redirect|Maudslay}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox engineer
|image                =Henry Maudslay by Grevedon.jpg

|caption              = Portrait by Pierre Louis ('Henri') Grevedon 1827
|name                 = Henry Maudslay
|nationality          = English 
|birth_date           = {{birth-date|22 August 1771}}
|birth_place          = [[Woolwich]], [[London]] (then [[Kent]]), [[England]]
|death_date           = {{death-date and age|14 February 1831|22 August 1771}}
|death_place          = [[Lambeth]], London, England
|education            =
|spouse               =
|parents              =
|children             =
|discipline           =
|institutions         =
|practice_name        =
|significant_projects =
|significant_design   =
|significant_advance  =Machine tool technology
|significant_awards   =
}}

'''Henry Maudslay''' ([[#Pronunciation and spelling|pronunciation and spelling]]) (22 August 1771 – 14 February 1831) was an English [[machine tool]] innovator, [[tool and die maker]], and [[inventor]]. He is considered a founding father of [[machine tool]] technology. His inventions were an important foundation for the [[Industrial Revolution]].

Maudslay's invention of a metal [[screw-cutting lathe|lathe]] to cut metal, circa 1800, enabled the manufacture of standard [[screw thread]] sizes. Standard screw thread sizes allowed [[interchangeable parts]] and the development of [[mass production]].

==Early life==
Maudslay was the fifth of seven children of Henry Maudslay, a [[wheelwright]] in the [[Royal Engineers]], and Margaret (''nee'' Whitaker), the young widow of Joseph Laundy.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/genealogist06mars_0|title=The genealogist|last=Marshall|first=George W. (George William)|date=1882|publisher=London, England : Golding and Lawrence : George Bell & Sons|others=Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center}}</ref> His father was wounded in action and so in 1756 became an 'artificer' at the [[Royal Arsenal]], [[Woolwich]] (then in [[Kent]]), where he remained until 1776<ref>MAUDSLAY, Henry (1771&ndash;1831), ''Dictionary of National Biography'', vol. 13, p. 81, accessed on ancestry.co.uk 2016-12-20</ref> and died in 1780. The family lived in an alley that no longer exists, off [[Beresford Square]], between [[Powis Street]] and Beresford Street.

==Career==
Maudslay began work at the age of 12 as a "[[gunpowder|powder]] monkey", one of the boys employed in filling [[cartridge (firearms)|cartridges]] at the Arsenal. After two years, he was transferred to a carpenter's shop followed by a blacksmith's forge, where at the age of fifteen he began training as a blacksmith. He seems to have specialised in the lighter, more complex kind of forge work.<ref name=rolt>Rolt, L.T.C., "Great Engineers", 1962, G. Bell and Sons Ltd, ISBN</ref> During his time at the Arsenal, Maudslay also worked at the Royal Foundry, where [[Jan Verbruggen]] had installed an innovative [[horizontal boring machine]] in 1772.

===Joseph Bramah===
Maudslay acquired such a good reputation that [[Joseph Bramah]] called for his services on the recommendation of one of his employees. Bramah was surprised that he was only eighteen, but Maudslay demonstrated his ability and started work at Bramah's workshop in [[Denmark Street]], St Giles.Keith Reginald Gilbert<ref name="Gilbert1971">{{cite book | first1 = Keith Reginald |last1=Gilbert | date = 1971 | title = Henry Maudslay: Machine Builder | edition = 2 | publisher = H.M. Stationery Office | pages = | isbn = 978-0-11-290108-2 | oclc = 1014342154 | url = https://archive.org/details/henry-maudslay}}</ref>

====Bramah lock====
Bramah designed and patented an improved [[Bramah lock|type of lock]] based on the tumbler principle, but had difficulty manufacturing at an economic price. Maudslay built the lock that was displayed in Bramah's shop window with a notice offering a reward of 200 [[Guinea (British coin)|guineas]] to anyone who could pick it. It resisted all efforts for 47 years. Maudslay designed and made a set of special tools and machines that allowed the lock to be made at an economic price.<ref name=rolt/>

====Hydraulic press====
Bramah had designed a [[hydraulic press]], but was having problems sealing both the piston and the piston rod where it fitted into the cylinder. The usual method was hemp packing but the pressures were too high for this to work. Maudslay came up with the idea of a leather cup washer, which gave a perfect seal but offered no resistance to movement when the pressure was released. The new hydraulic press worked perfectly thereafter. But Maudslay, who had made a major contribution to its success, received little credit for it.<ref name=rolt/>

====Screw cutting lathe====
[[File:Maudslay screw-cutting lathes of circa 1797 and 1800.png|thumb|Maudslay's early screw-cutting lathes of circa 1797 while working for Joseph Bramah, and 1800 in his own business.]]

Maudslay developed the first industrially practical [[screw-cutting lathe]] in 1800, allowing standardisation of [[screw thread]] sizes for the first time.<ref name="Screw thread">Quentin R. Skrabec, Jr. (2005). "The Metallurgic Age: The Victorian Flowering of Invention and Industrial Science". p. 169. McFarland</ref> This allowed the concept of [[interchangeable parts]] (an idea that was already taking hold) to be practically applied to [[Nut (hardware)|nuts]] and [[Screw|bolts]].<ref name="Screw thread"/>

When Maudslay began working for Bramah, the typical lathe was worked by a treadle and the workman held the cutting tool against the work. This did not allow for precision, especially in cutting iron, so screw threads were usually made by chipping and filing (that is, with skilled freehand use of [[chisel]]s and [[file (tool)|files]]). [[Nut (hardware)|Nuts]] were rare; metal screws, when made at all, were usually for use in wood. Metal bolts passing through wood framing to a metal fastening on the other side were usually fastened in non-threaded ways (such as clinching or upsetting against a washer).

Maudslay designed a tool holder into which the cutting tool would be clamped, and which would slide on accurately planed surfaces to allow the cutting tool to move in either direction.  The slide rest was positioned by a leadscrew to which power was transmitted through a pair of changeable gears so that it traveled in proportion to the turning of the work.  This allowed screw threads to be precisely cut.  Changing the gears gave various pitches.  The ability of the slide-rest lathe to produce precision parts revolutionised the production of machine components. He standardized the screw threads used in his workshop and produced sets of [[Tap and die|taps and dies]] that would make nuts and bolts consistently to those standards, so that any bolt of the appropriate size would fit any nut of the same size. This was a major advance in workshop technology.<ref name=rolt/>

Maudslay did not invent the [[slide rest|slide-rest]] (as others such as [[James Nasmyth]] have claimed),<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=X-EJAAAAIAAJ&dq=wickham+roe+1916&pg=PA36 Roe 1916:36-40.]</ref> and may not have been the first to combine a [[lead screw]], [[slide rest|slide-rest]], and set of [[Lathe (metal)#Feed and lead screws|change gears]] all on one lathe ([[Jesse Ramsden]] may have done that in 1775; evidence is scant),<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=X-EJAAAAIAAJ&dq=wickham+roe+1916&pg=PA38 Roe 1916:38.]</ref> but he did introduce the three-part combination of lead screw, slide rest, and change gears, sparking a great advance in machine tools and in the engineering use of screw threads.

Maudslay's original [[screw-cutting lathe]] is at the [[Science Museum (London)|Science Museum]] in London.

====Promotion and ambition====
Maudslay had shown himself to be so talented that after one year the nineteen-year-old was made manager of Bramah's workshop.

=== Henry Maudslay and Company ===
In 1797, after having worked for Bramah for eight years, Maudslay was refused a wage increase to 30s a week so he decided to set up his own business.<ref name=rolt/> In 1798 he obtained a small shop and smithy in Wells Street, off Oxford Street. In 1800 he moved to larger premises in Margaret Street, Cavendish Square.

By 1810, Maudslay was employing 80 workers and running out of room at his workshop, hence moved to larger premises in Westminster Bridge 
Road, Lambeth. Maudslay also recruited a promising young Admiralty draughtsman, [[Joshua Field (engineer)|Joshua Field]], who proved to be so talented that Maudslay took him into partnership. The company later became [[Maudslay, Sons and Field]] when Maudslay's sons became partners.<ref name=rolt/>

====Block making machines====
[[File:Gilbert Blockmaking 1965 Figure 4 Page011.jpg|thumb|Rigging block from HMS ''Victory''<ref name="Gilbert, 1965" >{{cite book 
  |title=The Portsmouth Blockmaking Machinery: A Pioneering Enterprise in Mass Production
  |last=Gilbert  |first=K.R.
  |publisher=[[HMSO]], for the [[Science Museum (London)|Science Museum]]
  |year=1965
  |ref=Gilbert, 1965
  |url=https://archive.org/details/portsmputh-blockmaking-machinery
  |quote=...the first instance of the use of machine tools for mass production.
}}</ref>]]
Following earlier work by [[Samuel Bentham]], his first major commission was to build a series of 42 woodworking machines to produce wooden rigging blocks (each ship required thousands) for the Navy under Sir [[Marc Isambard Brunel]]. The machines were installed in the purpose-built [[Portsmouth Block Mills]], which still survive, including some of the original machinery. The machines were capable of making 130,000 ships' blocks a year, needing only ten unskilled men to operate them compared with the 110 skilled workers needed before their installation.<ref>Deane 1965, page 131</ref> This was the first well-known example of specialized machinery used for machining in an assembly-line type factory.<ref name=rolt/><ref name="Gilbert, 1965"/><ref name="Rees, 1819" >{{cite book
  |last=Rees  |first=A.
  |title=The Cyclopaedia of Arts, Science, and Literature
  |chapter=Machinery
  |volume=XXI
  |year=1819
  |location=London
}} An entire chapter devoted to the Portsmouth machinery, of 18 pages and 7 plates.</ref>

====Micrometer====
Maudslay invented the first bench [[Micrometer (device)|micrometer]] capable of measuring to one ten-thousandth of an inch (0.0001 in ≈ 3 [[micrometre|μm]]). He called it the "Lord Chancellor", as it was used to settle any questions regarding accuracy of workmanship.<ref name=rolt/>

====Marine engines====
[[File:Maudslay HMS Dee Model Engines Gilbert Page030.jpg|thumb|A model of the Maudslay-built twin [[Marine steam engine#Side-lever|side-lever]] engines installed in the 1832 paddle steamer ''Dee'']]
Maudslay's Lambeth works began to specialize in the production of [[marine steam engine]]s. The type of engine he used for ships was a side-lever design, in which a beam was mounted alongside the cylinder. This reduced height in the cramped engine rooms of steamers. His first marine engine was built in 1815, of 17 h.p., and fitted to a Thames steamer named the ''Richmond''. In 1823 a Maudslay engine powered the ''Lightning'', the first steam-powered vessel to be commissioned by the [[Royal Navy]]. In 1829 a side-lever engine of 400 h.p. completed for {{HMS|Dee|1832|6}} was the largest marine engine existing at that time.<ref name="Gilbert1971"/>

The marine engine business was developed by Henry's third son, Joseph Maudslay (1801 - 1861). He had trained in shipbuilding at Northfleet and, with [[Joshua Field (engineer)|Joshua Field]], became a partner in his father's firm, trading as [[Maudslay, Sons and Field]] of North Lambeth. 
In 1838, after Henry's death, the Lambeth works supplied a 750 h.p. engine for [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]]'s [[SS Great Western|SS ''Great Western'']], the first purpose-built transatlantic steamship. They patented a double cylinder direct acting engine in 1839. They introduced some of the earliest screw propulsion units for ships, including one for the first Admiralty screw steamship, {{HMS|Rattler|1843|6}}, in 1841. By 1850 the firm had supplied more than 200 vessels with steam engines,<ref name=rolt/> though the firm's dominance was being challenged by [[John Penn (engineer)|John Penn]]'s [[trunk engine]] design. They exhibited their engines at the [[1862 International Exhibition]].

====Thames Tunnel====
[[File:Thamestunnel.jpg|thumb|250px|Interior of the Thames Tunnel, mid-19th century]]

In 1825, [[Marc Isambard Brunel]] began work on the [[Thames Tunnel]], intended to link [[Rotherhithe]] with [[Wapping]]. After many difficulties this first tunnel under the Thames was completed in 1842. The tunnel would not have been possible without the innovative tunneling shield designed by Marc Brunel and built by Maudslay Sons & Field at their Lambeth works. Maudslay also supplied the steam-driven pumps that were important for keeping the tunnel workings dry.<ref name=bagust>Bagust, Harold, "The Greater Genius?", 2006, Ian Allan Publishing, {{ISBN|0-7110-3175-4}}</ref>

==Personal life==

In 1791 he married Bramah's housemaid, Sarah Tindel, together they had a daughter Isabel Maudslay<ref name='"London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921"'>{{cite web |title=London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 |url=https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cmricha/fam9683.html}}</ref> and four sons: Thomas Henry, the eldest, and Joseph, the youngest, subsequently joined their father in business. William, the second, became a civil engineer and was one of the founders of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]].

===Later life===
Near the end of his life Maudslay developed an interest in astronomy and began to construct a telescope. He intended to buy a house in Norwood and build a private observatory there, but died before he was able to accomplish his plan. In January 1831 he caught a chill while crossing the [[English Channel]] after visiting a friend in France. He was ill for four weeks and died on 14<ref>Some sources say 15 February</ref> February 1831. He was buried in the churchyard of [[St Mary Magdalen Woolwich]]; he designed the memorial located in its Lady Chapel.<ref name=rolt/>

==Legacy==
[[File:Henry Maudslay bust from Roe 1916.png|thumb|A bust of Maudslay.<ref name="Roe1916frontispiece">{{Harvnb|Roe|1916}}, [https://archive.org/details/englishandameri01roegoog frontispiece]</ref>]]
Maudslay laid an important foundation for the [[Industrial Revolution]] with his machine tool technology. His most influential invention was the [[screw-cutting lathe]]. The machine, which created uniformity in screws and allowed for the application of [[interchangeable parts]] (a prerequisite for [[mass production]]), was a revolutionary development necessary for the Industrial Revolution.<ref>{{cite news|title=Henry Maudsley Facts|url=http://biography.yourdictionary.com/henry-maudslay|publisher=Yourdictionary.com.|date=22 May 2016}}</ref>

Many outstanding engineers trained in his workshop, including [[Richard Roberts (engineer)|Richard Roberts]], [[David Napier (precision engineer)|David Napier]], [[Joseph Clement]], Sir [[Joseph Whitworth]], [[James Nasmyth]] (inventor of the [[steam hammer]]), [[Joshua Field (engineer)|Joshua Field]]. Maudslay played his part in the development of mechanical engineering when it was in its infancy, but he was especially pioneering in the development of machine tools to be used in engineering workshops across the world.

Maudslay's company was one of the most important British engineering manufactories of the nineteenth century, finally closing in 1904.

Many of the tools made by Maudslay are in the collection of the [[Science Museum, London]].<ref name="Gilbert1971"/>

==Pronunciation and spelling==
In Maudslay's surname, as in other British names with terminal unstressed syllable ''-ay'' such as ''Lindsay'' or ''Barclay'', the terminal syllable is pronounced as /[[Help:IPA for English|i]]/ or a [[Stress and vowel reduction in English|reduction]] thereof; it therefore sounds the same as "Maudsley" {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɔː|d|z|l|i}}. Many books have spelled his surname with an "e" as "Maudsley";<ref name="GoogleBooksSearchQuery_Henry_Maudsley_lathe">A search of [[Google Books]] for the query "Henry+Maudsley"+lathe (quotes inclusive) returns several hundred results that clearly are meant to refer to the same identity.</ref> but this seems to be an error propagated via citation of earlier books containing the same error.

==See also==

* [[Maudslay Motor Company]], founded by Walter H. Maudslay, great grandson of Henry Maudslay.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==

* John Cantrell and Gillian Cookson, eds., ''Henry Maudslay and the Pioneers of the Machine Age'', 2002, Tempus Publishing, Ltd, pb., ({{ISBN|0-7524-2766-0}}) This is a collection of essays by various specialists, and comprises biographies of Maudslay, Roberts, Napier, Clement, Whitworth, Nasmyth and Muir, as well as an account of the London Engineering Scene at the time of Maudslay, and an account of the firm from the death of Maudslay in 1831 until its demise in 1904.
* Coad, Jonathan, ''The Portsmouth Block Mills: Bentham, Brunel and the start of the Royal Navy's Industrial Revolution'', 2005, {{ISBN|1-873592-87-6}}.
* {{cite book |title =The First Industrial Revolution | first =Phyllis | last =Deane | year =1965 | publisher =Cambridge University Press | isbn =9780521093637 | url =https://archive.org/details/firstindustrialr00dean_0|url-access =registration }}
* {{Roe1916}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703110826/http://www.pioneers.historians.co.uk/maudslay.html Picture of Maudslay's original lathe]

{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category|Maudslay Sons & Field}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703110826/http://www.pioneers.historians.co.uk/maudslay.html |date=3 July 2007 |title=Pioneers of the Machine Tool Industry information }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maudslay, Henry}}
[[Category:1771 births]]
[[Category:1831 deaths]]
[[Category:English inventors]]
[[Category:British steam engine engineers]]
[[Category:English engineers]]
[[Category:English mechanical engineers]]
[[Category:Machine tool builders]]
[[Category:People of the Industrial Revolution]]
[[Category:People from Woolwich]]