William Strutt (inventor)

William Strutt
portrait by R.R.Reinagle
Born	1756
Died	1830
Education	to age 14
Occupation	Civil engineer, inventor
Spouse(s)	Barbara Evans
Children	Lord Belper and three daughters Elizabeth, Anne and Frances

William Strutt (1756–1830) FRS, was a cotton spinner in Belper, England, and later a civil engineer and architect, using iron frames in buildings to make them fire-resistant.

Strutt was the first son of Jedediah Strutt and, after a good education, joined his father's business at the age of fourteen. He also inherited his father's mechanical abilities and is said to have thought of the self-acting mule some years before Richard Roberts patented it in 1830, but the technology was not available to make it work.

Be that as it may, he looked after the technical side of the business, while his brothers, Joseph and George Benson dealt with commercial and management side respectively. It became known as W.G. and J. Strutt..

In 1801 he bought St Helen's House in King Street, Derby and used it as his family home until his death. He became a successful architect, designing many of the bridges in Derby and the original Derbyshire General Infirmary in 1810. In 1779 he was made a freeman of Derby and Burgess of the Borough, allowing him to vote in Parliament. He was co-founder of the Derby Philosophical Society with Thomas Gisborne, Richard French, Erasmus Darwin and other individuals, and was President for twenty-eight years.

One of Strutt's most important concerns was the development of fire-resistant structures and technology in textile mills and the application of these in other contexts. A major problem with the nineteenth century timber framed mills was fire, particularly if they worked with inflammable materials. When Darley Abbey Mill burnt down in 1788 it was rebuilt with sheets of tin fastened to the beams as protection. Many engineers of the day were addressing the problem which was nationwide.

Strutt had used cast-iron for bridges in Derby, and applied it to building a calico mill in Derby, the Warehouse at Milford (pulled down in 1964 to make a car park), and then the new West Mill, built in 1795 at Belper. Tile and gypsum plaster floors were supported on brickwork arches supported on cast iron columns. The timber beams were encased in thin sheet iron. To reduce weight, the upper floors were supported on hollow earthenware pots encased in plaster.

...
Wikipedia