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John Wilkinson, the "king of the ironmasters," was born the son
of a part-time ironworker and inventor in Clifton, Cumberland. Wilkinson's
father is chiefly known for inventing a box-iron that laundresses could use
to iron frilled shirts. From an early age, Wilkinson was obsessed with iron,
earning the nickname "Iron-Mad Wilkinson."
At the age of twenty, John Wilkinson had enough money saved to build a blast furnace at Bilston, near Staffordshire. After many trials, he discovered a way to use coke instead of wood charcoal in his furnaces. Since coke burns much hotter, the heat of the furnaces was increased.
In 1755, Wilkinson married Ann Maudesley, an heiress. When she died in childbirth a year later, he inherited the wealth to allow him to expand his business. He went into business with his father, where they made cannon in the usual way, by casting one piece with a hole up the middle. Because of the flaws that could be introduced to the metal using this method, these cannon were somewhat dangerous to use.
Wilkinson's most significant invention occurred in 1774-1775, when he invented a machine for boring holes in cannon. This machine made cannon manufacture safer and more accurate than the traditional method. He soon adapted his boring machine to bore cylinders in steam engines. This achievement allowed him to become the exclusive manufacturer of steam engine cylinders for Bouton and Watt, a steam engine firm.
Wilkinson was known as an eccentric and difficult man. In 1779, he was a major shareholder in the Iron Bridge project over the Severn River. The bridge was intended to be constructed only partially of iron, but he used his influence to persuade the other shareholders to build it entirely of iron, most of which was supplied by himself. In 1787, Wilkinson and his father built the first iron-hulled barge, to the disbelief of those who said it couldn't be done.
In the 1790s, Wilkinson and his brother William had a falling-out, and William revealed that John had been building unauthorized versions of Watt and Boulton steam engines, in defiance of Watt and Boulton's patent. Watt and Bouton ended his contract, and sued him successfully.
Wilkinson's behaviour towards the end of his life raised many eyebrows among his contemporaries. His obsession with iron grew, and he began collecting iron coffins. He financed the building of an iron pulpit and iron windows in the local Methodist chapel. At the age of 72, he acquired a mistress and fathered three children with her.
Wilkinson died at his home in Bradley in 1808. The wooden casket containing his body was too large for the iron coffin he had had built, and he was eventually disinterred and reinterred three times. He was buried in the garden of his home in Castlehead, with an iron obelisk over his grave. The coffin and obelisk were later moved to the village of Lindale when his home was sold.
Wilkinson had told his workers that he would return seven years after his death to see his furnaces, and on the seventh anniversary of his death, many of them showed up to witness the event. Needless to say, Wilkinson was a no-show.
The infighting between Wilkinson's heirs destroyed the empire he had built. His legitimate heir was his nephew, but his illegitimate children sued for their portion of the inheritance, and most of it was lost during the litigation process.
Sources:
Bradley, Ian. A History of Machine Tools. Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire: Model and Allied Publications, 1972.
British Broadcasting Corporation. "Historic Figures: John Wilkinson."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wilkinson_john.shtml.Broseley Local History Society. List of articles originally published in the Wilkinson Society Journal.
http://www.broseley.org.uk/wilkfiles/wilkinson.htm"Wilkinson, John." Facts on File Web.
http://www.fofweb.com/Subscription/Science/Helicon.asp?SID=2&iPin=azsts0200
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