Mikael Pedersen
Encyclopedia
Mikael Pedersen was a Danish
inventor much associated with the English
town of Dursley
. He is chiefly known today for the highly distinctive Pedersen bicycle
. His story is one of rags to riches and back again, and he was largely forgotten in his native country, but fans of the Pedersen bicycle arranged for him to be reburied and a memorial erected at Dursley.
capable of separating corn from chaff
, a transmission system, a gear system for horse drawn mills and a braking system for waggons, among other ideas. He was also musical, and although his primary trade was that of a smith, he was listed as a musician in the 1890 census
.
Pedersen was involved in the development of a continuous centrifuge
for the churning and separation of cream and butter from milk - that is, one which did not need to be stopped in order to remove the cream. This was patented in 1878; Pedersen's involvement was not noted, a matter which angered him. Pedersen subsequently worked on further refinements, leading to patents and considerable income. His refined version of the centrifuge is still in use today. The rights were bought by Koefoed and Hauberg in Copenhagen
, and as part of an export drive they made contact with R A Lister and Company
, of Dursley in Gloucestershire
, England.
During a visit to his brother Hans Mathias in Denmark, Pedersen met and fell in love with a girl, Ingeborg, 29 years his junior, bringing her back to Dursley in 1907. In 1908 she gave birth to their first child, a boy named Palnatok, They also had a daughter who died at two years old and two further sons, Vaughan and Svend (born in 1914).
In Dursley, Pedersen set up manufacture of his unusual and ingenious cantilevered bicycle, which earned a small but devoted following.
Unfortunately Pedersen lacked business acumen and was both profligate and prone to being cheated. He left Dursley unannounced when in his sixties, leaving his family behind, and Ingeborg subsequently returned to Denmark, marrying Jens Kristoffer Jensen, who adopted the children.
Pedersen was spotted by a friend selling matches in London
, and the friend arranged to pay his way back to Denmark in 1920. He died in 1929, poor and virtually unknown, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Bispebjerg, a suburb of Copenhagen
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
inventor much associated with the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
town of Dursley
Dursley
Dursley is a market town in Gloucestershire, England. It is under the North East flank of Stinchcombe Hill , and about 6 km South East of the River Severn. The town is adjacent with Cam which, though a village, is a community of double the size...
. He is chiefly known today for the highly distinctive Pedersen bicycle
Pedersen bicycle
The Pedersen bicycle, also called the Dursley Pedersen bicycle is a bicycle that was developed by Danish inventor Mikael Pedersen and produced in the English town of Dursley. Though never hugely popular, they enjoy a devoted following and are still produced today...
. His story is one of rags to riches and back again, and he was largely forgotten in his native country, but fans of the Pedersen bicycle arranged for him to be reburied and a memorial erected at Dursley.
Inventions
Pedersen invented and patented a novel corn thresherThreshing
Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of cereal grain from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it. It is the step in grain preparation after harvesting and before winnowing, which separates the loosened chaff from the grain...
capable of separating corn from chaff
Chaff
Chaff is the dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain, or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material such as scaly parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw...
, a transmission system, a gear system for horse drawn mills and a braking system for waggons, among other ideas. He was also musical, and although his primary trade was that of a smith, he was listed as a musician in the 1890 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
.
Pedersen was involved in the development of a continuous centrifuge
Centrifuge
A centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by an electric motor , that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis...
for the churning and separation of cream and butter from milk - that is, one which did not need to be stopped in order to remove the cream. This was patented in 1878; Pedersen's involvement was not noted, a matter which angered him. Pedersen subsequently worked on further refinements, leading to patents and considerable income. His refined version of the centrifuge is still in use today. The rights were bought by Koefoed and Hauberg in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, and as part of an export drive they made contact with R A Lister and Company
R A Lister and Company
R A Lister & Company was founded in Dursley, Gloucestershire, in 1867 by Sir Robert Ashton Lister , to produce agricultural machinery. The family was originally from Yorkshire but Ashton's father relocated to Dursley in 1817....
, of Dursley in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England.
Life in England
Lister suggested that Pedersen come to England to set up local assembly with parts shipped from Denmark, and this he agreed to do, bringing his mistress Dagmar with him (he was by this time separated from his wife Laura). The separator was highly successful in the English market and Pedersen became rich, renting the largest house in Dursley and becoming prominent in society in the town. He formed a choir and took part in concerts, and set up a number of social and sporting groups.During a visit to his brother Hans Mathias in Denmark, Pedersen met and fell in love with a girl, Ingeborg, 29 years his junior, bringing her back to Dursley in 1907. In 1908 she gave birth to their first child, a boy named Palnatok, They also had a daughter who died at two years old and two further sons, Vaughan and Svend (born in 1914).
In Dursley, Pedersen set up manufacture of his unusual and ingenious cantilevered bicycle, which earned a small but devoted following.
Unfortunately Pedersen lacked business acumen and was both profligate and prone to being cheated. He left Dursley unannounced when in his sixties, leaving his family behind, and Ingeborg subsequently returned to Denmark, marrying Jens Kristoffer Jensen, who adopted the children.
Pedersen was spotted by a friend selling matches in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and the friend arranged to pay his way back to Denmark in 1920. He died in 1929, poor and virtually unknown, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Bispebjerg, a suburb of Copenhagen
Reburial
In 1995 a collection was started by enthusiasts for the Pedersen bicycle to raise funds in order to bring Mikael Pedersen's remains back to Dursley and re-bury them there. This was achieved in 1995, and the service was attended by over 300 people including the Bishop of Gloucester, representatives from the Danish Embassy and Pedersen's grandchildren.Sources
- The Ingenious Mr Pedersen, David Evans, 1979, a revised version was due in 2006 under the title "Mr Pedersen, A Man of Genius", from Tempus, ISBN 0752445057. The 1979 edition contains some basic drawings and explanations of various inventions, including bicycles and agricultural machinery.
- Town recalls pedal pioneer, Bristol Evening PostBristol Evening PostThe Bristol Evening Post is a newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, Northern Somerset and South Gloucestershire....
, 28 October, 2005 - Town welcomes family of legendary inventor, Gazette Series, 28 October, 2005