Peter Roberts
Peter Roberts (1846-1888)
1889 Obituary [1]
PETER ROBERTS was born at Penzance, on the 3rd of April, 1846.
At the age of sixteen he was articled for five years to Messrs. Harvey and Co., of the Hayle Foundry, and on the expiration of his pupilage he was sent by that firm to Norway, to superintend the erection of engines and machinery for the Bratsberg Mining Company.
On returning to England, in December, 1867, Mr. Roberts was for a year similarly employed at the East London, and the Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks, when he became an assistant in the drawing-office of Messrs. R. and W. Hawthorne, Engineers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, under Mr. F. C. Marshall, the managing partner.
Here he remained until September, 1871, when he accepted a position in the Engineering Department of the Trinity House, under Sir James Douglass, the Engineer-in-chief. Mr. Roberts occupied this post for about four years, when he undertook a series of temporary engagements, successively with Mr. R. T. Longridge, the Engineer of the Manchester Steam-User’s Association; Messrs. Mather and Platt, Engineers, Manchester; and Mr. Henry Rofe, Engineer of the Nottingham Waterworks.
In December, 1878, ill health conlpelled him to resign the latter post, and for the next four or five years he did little in his profession.
In 1883, being restored to fairly good health, he was appointed Resident Engineer of the Helston Railway; but soon afterwards the works were suspended, and he then became assistant to Messrs. T. and C. Hawksley, inspecting machinery for the Barbadoes, and the Oxford City Waterworks. After that Mr. Roberts had some desultory employment, in inspecting machinery and the like, but his health again failing, he died on the 25th of February, 1888.
Mr. Roberts was elected an Associate Member of the Institution on the 5th of February, 1884.