William Wouldhave
| William Wouldhave | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1751 Liddle Street, North Shields, Northumberland, England |
| Died | 28 September 1821, in his 70th year |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Clerk of the parish church of St Hilda, South Shields, County Durham, England |
| Known for | Lifeboat design |
William Wouldhave (1751–1821) is a rival of Lionel Lukin for recognition as inventor of the lifeboat. His tombstone, erected thirteen years before Lukin’s, describes William Wouldhave as;
William Wouldhave was born in Liddle Street, North Shields in 1751 and baptised in Christ Church then in the parish of Tynemouth. The boundaries have since changed and both are now in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, England. He was apprenticed as a house painter before moving to become parish clerk in South Shields, County Durham. Wouldhave married with Hannah Crow on 1 March 1775 at the parish church of St Hilda, South Shields. After his death a memorial was erected and that stone still exists (2010) in the former graveyard of St Hilda’s Church, South Shields.
He did not succeed with the practical application of his invention until 1789, three years after Lukin’s converted coble was presented to Dr Sharpe. In this year a competition was launched to reward any inventor who could provide a craft for the purpose of saving lives from a shipwreck. This following the tragic fate of the doomed Newcastle ship, the Adventure, that had gone aground near the coast at the mouth of the Tyne. From the shore, although the shipwreck clearly visible, little could be done to save the passengers and crew who were seen to be dropping from the rigging into the sea.
Wouldhave's boat was to be built of copper, made buoyant by the use of cork, and incapable of being capsized. Although it did not meet with full approval, Wouldhave was awarded one guinea for his trouble.Henry Greathead also made a submission, which was deemed to resemble a "butcher's tray", in that it was oblong and was a copy of a U.S. troop carrier, totally unsatisfactory for the short breaking seas of the North East Coast, he was however employed to build a boat designed by the committee, principally by Nicholas Fairles.
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