Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 115342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 165,076 pages of information and 246,459 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.

Hiram Barker

From Graces Guide

Born in 1819 in Todmorden

1841 Living with parents at Top of Fold, Royton. Occupation: labourer (as was his father)

1851 Machine maker, living at 8 Foster Street, Salford, with his wife (Sarah, born in Bolton) and children (Sarah A., William Abram, James Platt)

1853 Patent No. 1502 was granted to Hiram Barker of Manchester, Engineer and Tool Maker, and Francis Holt of Manchester, Engineer, for improvements in machinery and apparatus for grinding and turning metals. L. T. C. Rolt states that this was the first machine made for grinding metal balls [1]. Details (in German) here. The description gives an example of six 2" cast brass balls being 'ground sufficiently round in 6 to 7 hours to be used as valves for locomotive pumps'.

1856 Patent No. 1502 of 1853 became void [2]

Hiram Barker had died before the 1861 census

Partner in T. Fitton and Co


See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. 'Tools for the Job' by L T C Rolt, HMSO, 1986
  2. [1] The London Gazette, July 29, 1856