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 164,322 pages of information and 246,083 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.

Josiah Turner

From Graces Guide

1826 November 19th. Baptised in Southwark the son of Joseph Turner, a Baker, and his wife Mary

1850s Josiah Turner was one of the partners in a London maker of sewing machine (presumably Newton, Wilson and Co); one of these machines was mended and improved by James Starley. Starley was later taken on at the London factory.

1852-1857 Living in Australia. [1]

1858 Patent. '2780. To Josiah Turner, of No. 8, Lavender-grove, Queen's-road, Dalston, in the county of Middlesex, for the invention of "improvements in the construction of chairs."'[2]

1861 Living at Myrtle Place, Hackney: Josiah Turner (age 34 born Southwark), a Sewing Machine Manufacturer. With his wife Sarah A. Sister Turner (age 32 born Leeds) and their children Charles T. Turner (age 9 born S. Australia); Mary C. Turner (age 7 born S. Australia); Henry J. Turner (age 6 born S. Australia); and Ada E. L. Turner (age 2 born Dalston). Also his mother-in-law Frances Garside (age 64 born York), a Freeholder. [3]

1861 Patent. '900. To Silas Covell Salisbury, of Essex-street, Strand, in the city of Westminster, Gentleman, and Josiah Turner, of Dalston, in the county of Middlesex, Mechanician, for the invention of "an improvement applicable to shuttles for the saving of cop waste.[4]

1861 Formed the European Sewing Machine Co in Coventry

1868 Rowley B. Turner brought a Michaux velocipede to Britain and showed it to his uncle, Josiah Turner, manager of the Coventry Sewing Machine Co. Rowley Turner ordered 500 (or 400) machines, 250 for sale in Britain and 250 for France. The French sales were lost owing to the war there, but the British market easily absorbed the entire batch.

1871 Living at Cheylesmore, Coventry: Josiah Turner (age 44 born Southwark), Manager of Mechanics Company employing 63 men and 20 boys. With his wife Sarah Ann Turner (age 42 born Leeds) and their children Charles T. Turner (age 19 born Adelaide, Australia), a (?) Clerk; Mary E. Turner (age 18 born Port Philip, Geelong); Henry T. Turner (age 16 born Port Philip, Geelong), a Sewing Machinist; and Ada E. L. Turner (age 12 born Dalston).[5]

1873 Patent. '2653. To Josiah Turner, of Coventry, in the county of Warwick, Manager of the Coventry Machinists' Company, for the invention of "an improvement in sewing machines."'[6]

1873. Patent. '3535. To Josiah Turner, Manager of the Coventry Machinists' Company, Coventry, in the county of Warwick, for the invention of "an improved construction of stand applicable to sewing machines."'[7]

1875. Patent. '1339. To Josiah Turner, Manager of the Coventry Machinists Company, of Coventry, in the county of Warwick, for the invention of "improvements in velocipedes."'[8]. There are a number of further patents in the following years to 1877 for "improvements in velocipedes."

1886 Q2. Died in Coventry

See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. 1861 Census
  2. [1] Gazette Issue 22212 published on the 24 December 1858. Page 12 of 48
  3. 1861 Census
  4. [2] Gazette Issue 22509 published on the 10 May 1861. Page 31 of 66
  5. 1871 Census
  6. [3] Gazette Issue 24010 published on the 22 August 1873. Page 11 of 36
  7. [4] Gazette Issue 24035 published on the 14 November 1873. Page 27 of 60
  8. [5] Gazette Issue 24202 published on the 23 April 1875. Page 11 of 44