George Hone
George James Hone (1847-1928), inventor, especially of grabs, and mast maker.
1847 Born in Poplar[1]
1871 Mast and block maker, lodging in Poplar[2]
1881 Mast maker, lived in Poplar with Sarah Hone 31, Sarah Hone 7, George Hone 6, Benjamin Hone[3]
1882 Gained the first patent for a single chain grab[4]. This was subsequently manufactured by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co.
1891 Mast and block maker, lived in Bromley, St Leonards, with George T Hone 16, Benjamin M Hone 10, Charlotte E Hone 8, Jane A Hone 5[5]
1894 George James Hone, mast maker, of East Ham, and Cecil Wilson, engineer, Orchard Yard, Blackwall, patented improvements in grabs for excavating and handling coal, etc
1896 Patent with Arnold Frank Hills, MD of the Thames Iron Works and Shipbuilding Co, for improvement in tines for grabs
1900 Patent with Arnold Frank Hills, MD of the Thames Iron Works and Shipbuilding Co, for improvement in couplings for railway carriages.
1901 George Hone 52, patentee, lived in Forest Gate, with his wife Mary A Hone 34, Benjamin Hone 20, mechanical engineer, Charlotte Hone 18, Alice Hone 15, his stepsons George Webb 13, John Webb 11, and his son Alfred Hone 9, Thomas Hone 8, Arnold Hone 7, Albert Hone 3[6]
1901 With Charles Smith of South Croydon, patent on devices for holding or automatically releasing the sails or sheets of boats or ships. Related patents were subsequently granted in USA and France.
1904 Further patent on grabs with Thames Iron Works, Shipbuilding and Engineering Co
1911 Consulting engineer, employer, lived in Forest Gate with Mary Ann Hone 43, Charlotte Hone 28, Mary Ann Hone 25, Alfred Hone 19, Thomas Hone 18, Arnold Hone 16, Albert Hone 13, George Webb 23, John Webb 21[7]
1918, 1920 Patents on improvements in grabs by George James Hone, engineer of Romford, with Joseph Westwood and Co of Napier Yard, Millwall.
1928 Died in West Ham[8]