John Wallis Titt
| John Wallis Titt | |
|---|---|
John Wallis Titt
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| Born | 1841 Chitterne, Wiltshire |
| Died | 1910 |
| Nationality | English |
| Children | Two sons |
| Parent(s) | John Titt Eliza Titt (Née Wallis) |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Agricultural engineering, wind engines |
| Practice name | Woodcock Ironworks, Warminster |
John Wallis Titt (1841–1910) was a late nineteenth-century English mechanical engineer and builder of a particular design of large wind engine.
Titt was born in 1841 at Elm Farm, Chitterne, Wiltshire to John Titt and Eliza Titt (née Wallis). The farm had a post mill, which he worked for his father until he left in 1865 to join Messrs Wallis, Haslan and Stevens, agricultural engineers and steam engine manufacturers of Basingstoke, Hampshire. Titt worked for them for two years as a commercial traveller. In 1867, he joined the millwrighting firm of Brown & May, based in Devizes, Wiltshire. He remained with them for five years. From 1870, Titt was an agent for Brown and May.
In 1872, Titt established himself at Portway, Devizes as an agricultural engineer, employed by Brown & May. He was also an agent for Messrs Fowler's of Leeds, Yorkshire. In 1874 he entered business on his own account and in 1876 he established the Woodcock Ironworks at Warminster. At first, he manufactured elevators. Titt continued in business as an agricultural engineer and iron founder. In 1884, Titt manufactured his first wind engine, for the Boyton estate. Titt continued to run the firm until he retired through ill health in 1903, the year in which he exhibited three wind engines at the Royal Agricultural Society's show, Park Royal, London. He died in May 1910.
After his death, the firm was run by his two sons. At its peak, 150 people were employed. Apart from the agricultural side of the business, the firm also handled bicycles and motor cars. The firm declined until in 1929 only 25 people were employed. In the 1940s, under the management of G. T. Frost, the firm expanded again, employing 60 people in 1952. A branch was established at Frome, Somerset. The Warminster headquarters closed in 1986 but the firm continued in business in Frome until 2009.
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