Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 148,459 pages of information and 233,880 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
William Owen Horsnaill
From Graces Guide
William Owen Horsnaill (1866-1951) Manager of electrical department at Ferranti
1866 Born at Cressing, Essex, the son of Henry Horsnaill, a Master Miller, and his wife Eliza
1895 Joined Ferranti at Old Trafford, Manchester
1951 July 13th. Died
1952 Obituary [1]
"WILLIAM OWEN HORSNAILL was an Associate Member of the Institution for fifty-two years, having been elected in 1890. He was also an Associate Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. He was educated at the Society of Friends' School at York, and served his time in the works of Piercy and Co, Birmingham, from 1884 to 1888. The next five years were spent as a junior in the drawing office of Bowes-Scott and Western, Ltd., Westminster.
In 1896 he joined the staff of S. L. de Ferranti, Ltd., Hollinwood, electrical engineers, as chief draughtsman and two years later became manager of the engine department. Subsequently he practised as a consulting engineer, and continued in this work for many years. He also, at a later date, acted as technical correspondent to a number of publications, which included Chambers's Journal and Shipping and Transport. Mr. Horsnaill's death occurred on 13th July 1951 at the age of eighty-five."