William Norris A.M.Inst. C.E., M.I.Mech.E.
1861 Born in Hulme.
1875-82 Apprentice with Galloways of Manchester
1881 A mechanical draughtsman, living with his brother, Thomas Norris 32, a pattern maker, in Hulme,; also in the household were Thomas's family: Elizabeth Norris 29, Eleanor Norris 10, Margaret A. Norris 7, John H. Norris 4[1]
1883 Continued with the firm as a draughtsman
Joined Messrs Bolckow Vaughan
1884 Assistant engineer with H. Beaulieu, steel manufacturer, Pagny sur Meuse, during the construction of the steel works.
Then in drawing office and experimental department of Messrs Tangyes and Co, Birmingham
1888 Joined Robey and Co at Lincoln in drawing office and experimental department.
c.1888 Married Maud
1892 Joined I. Mech E.
1896 of Pennington Motor Co., of Great Winchester Street, London, E.C.
1896 July: Appointed chief engineer of Pennington Motor Foreign Patent Syndicate and the West Australian Freight and Express Co, of Great Winchester Street, London, E.C.
1896 With William Baines, financial agent, both of Great Winchester Street, patented improvements in motor vehicles or wagons, in construction of motor vehicles, in portable pumping machinery using gas or oil engines, in anti-friction bearings for shafts and axles, in lubricators for oil engines.
1897 Associate of Inst of Civil Engineers
1897 With William Baines, financial agent, also of Great Winchester Street, patented improvements in electrically-driven sheep shearing or hair clipping machines, in oil engines,
1897 With William Baines, financial agent, and David Ferguson, also of Great Winchester Street, patented improvements in speed gearing for mechanically propelled vehicles, tricycles, and motor cars, and in the gearing and transmission of motor-propelled tricycles and other vehicles.
1898 With John Henry Toulmin and Thomas Coulthard, Senior, all of Cooper Road, Preston, patented improvements in compound steam, air or like engines.
1898 With John Henry Toulmin and Thomas Coulthard, the younger, all of Cooper Road, Preston, patented improvements in water tube boilers.
1898 With Thomas Scott King, of Colchester, and John Henry Toulmin and Thomas Coulthard, the younger, of Cooper Road, Preston, patented improvements in feed water regulating apparatus.
1899 With John Henry Toulmin, Thomas Coulthard, the younger, and Thomas Coulthard, all of T. Coulthard and Co of Cooper Road, Preston, patented improvements regulators supplying oil to burners in steam boilers and like furnaces.
1901 With John Henry Toulmin and Thomas Coulthard, the younger, all of Cooper Road, Preston, patented improvements in reversing gear for steam engines.
1901 William Norris, of Blackpool, with Henry Spurrier of Lytham St Annes, patented improvements in fire tube steam generators (also in USA and France).
1902 With T. Coulthard and Co, patented improvements in vertical steam boilers and fittings for same.
1902 Chief engineer of Lancashire Steam Motor Co
1904 Chief Engineer of Lancashire Steam Motor Co
1905 With Thomas Scott King, of Cardiff, patented improvements in pneumatic hammers.
Presumably moved to work for Peter Pilkington Ltd who were starting to make omnibuses.
1906 of the Critchley-Norris Motor Co
1906 of Dowry Ironworks, Bamber Bridge
1906 William Norris of Blackpool, engineer, with James Sidney Critchley of Shortlands, Kent, patented improvements in construction of compensating gear, shafts and axles for self-propelled vehicles, improvements in construction of condensers, radiators or cooling apparatus for self-propelled road vehicles, improvements in construction of clutch operating gears for motor vehicles or other purposes.
1906 Published Modern Steam Road Wagons.
1907 With Thomas Scott King, of Cardiff, patented improvements in pneumatic hammers, and improvements in fluid pressure hammers.
1907 With Norman Macbeth of St Annes on Sea, patented improvements in elastic tyres and rims for motor other vehicle wheels.
1908 With Thomas Scott King, of Cardiff, patented improvements in percussion tools operated by expansible fluids.
1909 George William Grimshaw, managing director, and William Norris, director of Peter Pilkington Ltd, pneumatic engineers, patented improvements in hammers operated by fluid pressure.
1911 Employed by Messrs. Peter Pilkington, Ltd., Bamber Bridge, near Preston.
1911 Pneumatic engineer, working on own account, lived in Blackpool with Maude Norris 48[2]
1916 of Peter Pilkington, Ltd.
See Also
Sources of Information
- Mechanical engineer records
- Civil Engineer records