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Henry Beighton — The Key to Unlocking the Early History of the Newcomen Engine

2017; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 87; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/17581206.2018.1462627

1758-1214

Suhail Rana,

Mechanics and Biomechanics Studies

Details about the early technical development of the Newcomen engine are controversial and unclear. Early writers do not award inventor Thomas Newcomen any credit for the key development of the self-acting valve gear and suggest it was Henry Beighton in 1718. Beighton was a polymath from Griff in Warwickshire and was employed as an engineering consultant on a number of early engines. He produced two drawings of early engines which were well received by the academic community, but their background remained a mystery. Two entries in the journals of the Royal Society of 1717 record details of meetings that took place to discuss the Newcomen engine and improvements made to its design by Beighton. At these meetings, two drawings were presented to the audience. Available evidence suggests that these can be identified as the two Beighton drawings that are now in circulation and would greatly increase our understanding of the engine’s early development. They would also confirm that Thomas Newcomen was indeed the inventor of the self-acting valve gear and was also responsible for other key developments.