Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

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Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 165,111 pages of information and 246,466 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Arthur Rigg (1812-1880)

From Graces Guide
1868. Ventilating mill stones.

Rev. Arthur Rigg M.A.(1812-1880), clergyman, teacher and engineer

1812 10th March, Born at Carlisle.

1831 Entered Cambridge University

1839 Birth of his son Arthur who went on to become a prominent engineer

1840 Birth of son James Rigg who also became an engineer

1851 Arthur Rigg 39, living in Chester, with Elizabeth Rigg 40, Arthur Rigg 12, James Rigg 11, Henry Rigg 8, Mary Rigg 4, Edward Rigg 1[1]

1853 Established the Chester School of Art.

c1857 Arthur Rigg acquired the Phoenix Ironworks for his sons Arthur and James

1858 Patent notice by Arthur Rigg, Senior and Arthur Rigg, Junior for "improvements in apparatus for tipping or upsetting coals, minerals, or other substances, and in brake machinery."[2]

1858 Patent to Robert Frost, of the Steam Mills, Chester, and Arthur Rigg, of the Parkgate-road, Chester, for an invention of "improvements in apparatus for cleaning grain or seeds and bran." was voided in 1865[3]

1859 Patent to Thomas Knowles and James Knowles, of the city of Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, Engineer, and Arthur Rigg, of the city of Chester, for an invention of "improvements in machinery or apparatus for shaping, cutting, punching, and drilling metals, which improvements are also applicable to presses." was declared void in 1862[4]

1860 School certified as suitable for preparation of candidates for the Engineering Department of Public Works in India. His third son followed this route.

1860 Patent to Arthur Rigg, Senior and Arthur Rigg, Junior for "Improvements in preparing, sawing, planing, grooving, tongueing, moulding, mortising, and tenoning wood, part of which is applicable to preparing other vegetable substances"[5]

1861 Clergyman, aged 49, living Chester with Elizabeth Rigg 50, Arthur Rigg 23, engineer, and Alfred Rigg 5[6]

1863 Arthur Rigg, The College, Chester.[7]

c.1868 His patented ventilated mill stones were in use at Frost's steam mill at Chester.

1869 Resigned as Principal of the College and moved to London.

1870 Patent voided concerning the Reverend Arthur Rigg, of the city of Chester, Clerk in Holy Orders, Master of Arts, for an invention of "improvements in apparatus for grinding corn, grain, and other similar substances." filed 1867[8]

1872 and 1873. Gave a series of lectures to the Society of Arts.

1875 Published a book of Cantor Lectures.

1880 Died aged 68 on 2nd Sept. He is buried in Chester Cemetery

1883 In response to the wishes of his old pupils at the Engineering School at Chester, a permanent memorial plaque was installed in memory of their old master.[9]


1880 Obituary [10]



1880 Obituary [11] [12].



See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. 1851 Census
  2. London Gazette 7 September 1858
  3. London Gazette 22 September 1865
  4. London Gazette 17 October 1862
  5. London Gazette 30 October 1860
  6. 1861 census
  7. 1863 Institution of Mechanical Engineers
  8. London Gazette 29 April, 1870
  9. The Engineer 1883
  10. Engineering 1880 Jul-Dec: Index: General Index
  11. The Engineer 1880/09/24
  12. The Engineer 1880/09/24