Priestman Brothers
Encyclopedia
Priestman Brothers was an engineering company based in Kingston upon Hull
, UK that manufactured diggers, dredgers, cranes and other industrial machinery. In the later 1900s the company also produced the Priestman Oil Engine, an early design of oil fueled internal combustion engine.
bought the Holderness Foundery with money from his father, a Leeds corn-miller. William's brother Samuel also joined the company.
It is said the company's entry into the construction of dredging equipment began in 1876 when they were asked to construct machinery to recover lost gold from the sea west of the coast of Spain. No gold was found but the company's equipment proved useful for dredging of harbours and docks.
From 1888 to 1904 the company produced various versions of the Priestman Oil Engine, an early example of an internal combustion engine. Models were produced with engine power from 2 hp up to 60 hp for a double cylindered version. The company opened a factory in Philadelphia (USA) in 1892, also producing engines.
In 1895 bad debts and a decline in sales made the company insolvent, the business was reformed but William and Samuel lost their seats on the board.
.
The company constructed a factory in Marfleet
, Hull
in 1950, which eventually covered 63 acre (254,952.2 m²).
In 1928 production of excavators named after animals began; models named "Lion", "Tiger" and "Panther" were produced.
The company merged with Coles Cranes of Sunderland in 1970.
In the 1970s they developed a range of hydraulic excavators. The VC range of dredging machine with long reach booms to replace draglines. This had an innovative sliding counter weight to balance the boom at long reach. These were popular with small sand and gravel pits and with the drainage board and water companies in Lincolnshire for cleaning dykes. They also built special versions on tall pedestals for dock side unloading duties.
In 1972 the Steels Group, Priestman's parent company, was taken over by the expanding Acrow Group. The Steels Group also owned the Coles Cranes company and the Neal & Taylor crane companies.
The Priestman division was sold off in 1984 to the nearby firm of Sanderson of Skegness in Lincolnshire. The Sanderson Group then got into trouble in the early 1990s and the Priestman operations were sold to another local company, RB Cranes, following the breakup of the Ruston-Bucyrus group. They were then taken over by NEI Group and merged with Coles Cranes of Sunderland, and began building offshore cranes for North Sea oil rig platforms.
Today, what is left of the company trades in Bradford under new owner, Gardner Denver
, the American based compressor and blower manufacturer. It no longer manufactures cranes or excavators.
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, UK that manufactured diggers, dredgers, cranes and other industrial machinery. In the later 1900s the company also produced the Priestman Oil Engine, an early design of oil fueled internal combustion engine.
Priestman family ownership (1870-1895)
The company was founded in 1870; William Dent PriestmanWilliam Dent Priestman
William Dent Priestman, born in 1847 near Kingston upon Hull was a Quaker and engineering pioneer, inventor of the Priestman Oil Engine, and co-founder with his brother Samuel of the Priestman Brothers engineering company, manufacturers of cranes, winches and excavators.-Biography:William along...
bought the Holderness Foundery with money from his father, a Leeds corn-miller. William's brother Samuel also joined the company.
It is said the company's entry into the construction of dredging equipment began in 1876 when they were asked to construct machinery to recover lost gold from the sea west of the coast of Spain. No gold was found but the company's equipment proved useful for dredging of harbours and docks.
From 1888 to 1904 the company produced various versions of the Priestman Oil Engine, an early example of an internal combustion engine. Models were produced with engine power from 2 hp up to 60 hp for a double cylindered version. The company opened a factory in Philadelphia (USA) in 1892, also producing engines.
In 1895 bad debts and a decline in sales made the company insolvent, the business was reformed but William and Samuel lost their seats on the board.
Public ownership (1895-)
The company was reformed and began business again; after the first world war its products were used in the rebuilding of French villages, in 1921 a machine for digging field drainage drains was produced and the company received investment from the Ministry of AgricultureMinistry of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry or department of agriculture is a ministry or other government agency charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister for agriculture....
.
The company constructed a factory in Marfleet
Marfleet
Marfleet is a suburb of Kingston upon Hull, near the A1033 road, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was served by Marfleet railway station on the Hull and Holderness Railway until it closed in 1964....
, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
in 1950, which eventually covered 63 acre (254,952.2 m²).
In 1928 production of excavators named after animals began; models named "Lion", "Tiger" and "Panther" were produced.
The company merged with Coles Cranes of Sunderland in 1970.
In the 1970s they developed a range of hydraulic excavators. The VC range of dredging machine with long reach booms to replace draglines. This had an innovative sliding counter weight to balance the boom at long reach. These were popular with small sand and gravel pits and with the drainage board and water companies in Lincolnshire for cleaning dykes. They also built special versions on tall pedestals for dock side unloading duties.
In 1972 the Steels Group, Priestman's parent company, was taken over by the expanding Acrow Group. The Steels Group also owned the Coles Cranes company and the Neal & Taylor crane companies.
The Priestman division was sold off in 1984 to the nearby firm of Sanderson of Skegness in Lincolnshire. The Sanderson Group then got into trouble in the early 1990s and the Priestman operations were sold to another local company, RB Cranes, following the breakup of the Ruston-Bucyrus group. They were then taken over by NEI Group and merged with Coles Cranes of Sunderland, and began building offshore cranes for North Sea oil rig platforms.
Today, what is left of the company trades in Bradford under new owner, Gardner Denver
Gardner Denver
Gardner Denver, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets engineered industrial machinery and related parts and services primarily in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and Australia...
, the American based compressor and blower manufacturer. It no longer manufactures cranes or excavators.
Sources and literature
- This article uses material from the "Priestman" article on the Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.