Online Catalogue last updated 17th of September 2023
Although now little known, Roberts was one of England's greatest inventors, and certainly the father of production engineering - in advance of Whitworth in enlarging the scope and accuracy of machine tools.
Born and raised in Wales, Roberts worked for Maudslays in London for a number of years before setting up business in Manchester, where he took out some 25 patents across a broad range of industries. A founder member of the Manchester Mechanics Institute in 1824, he became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1838.
In 1821 he made the first machine in the world for manufacturing industrial gears, cutting gear wheels for textile machines and soon after designed a power loom, marketing it to the burgeoning textile industries of the region. His self-acting spinning mule was in mainstream industrial use into the 20th century. This machine incorporated the world's first true feed-back control system. (The Watt governor doesn't reset to the original situation regarding speed but settles down at a different speed depending on load).
Roberts was a partner in Sharp, Roberts & Co, which went on to become one of the largest manufacturers of railway locomotives. He was renowned for his famous punching machine for iron sheets, used so successfully on the Conwy and Britannia tubular bridges and patented in 1847. The first suggestion for ships with twin screw driven independently came from Roberts, but his designs for the largest ship in the world (at the time) were never carried out, though his ideas were incorporated in the Flora built in 1862 and rapidly adopted thereafter.
Though highly regarded by his contemporaries, and written about by Samual Smiles, he died in relative obscurity.
This book, the first full length biography ever to have been written about him, looks at Robert's life and inventions in the area of machine tools, the gas meter, textiles, road vehicles, railway locomotives, horology and ship building. The book includes contemporary descriptions of his manufactories, lists of his patents, an extensive bibliography and is fully referenced. It is profusely illustrated by photographs and line drawings of machines, many reproduced from Patent records.
Richard Hills is one of Britain's foremost industrial historians with a deep understanding of technical matters, operational complexities of machinery, etc. His scholarship is held in the highest regard. He is a former Curator of the North Western Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester. The books he has written on Watt and Roberts have been written after years of detailed research into primary sources. They will be the definitive biography for years to come. He is the chairman of the North West Branch of the Newcomen Society, and has had seven books and numerous papers published to date.
Code No. 009873, ISBN 1843060272