Richard Sutcliffe
Encyclopedia
Richard Sutcliffe was an Irish-born mining engineer and inventor. He was born on a farm in Tipperary
Ireland and worked at coal mines in Ireland between 1857 and 1885. He moved to Barnsley
, England in August 1885. In 1892 he invented the world's first coal cutting machine. In 1905 he invented the world's first underground conveyor belt
. This invention revolutionized the mining industry by greatly reducing the amount of labour needed to transport coal. His company, Richard Sutcliffe Ltd., based in Horbury
near Wakefield
pioneered the manufacture of conveyor belts used in the mining and assembly line industries. His company devised many other types of mining equipment. His company also produced four documentaries about the manufacturing industry, directed by Lindsay Anderson
between 1948 and 1954.
After his death, his children took over his business which was later bought out by a larger company. Today, his descendants run a company that manufactures playground equipment.
Tipperary
Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
Ireland and worked at coal mines in Ireland between 1857 and 1885. He moved to Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, England in August 1885. In 1892 he invented the world's first coal cutting machine. In 1905 he invented the world's first underground conveyor belt
Conveyor belt
A conveyor belt consists of two or more pulleys, with a continuous loop of material - the conveyor belt - that rotates about them. One or both of the pulleys are powered, moving the belt and the material on the belt forward. The powered pulley is called the drive pulley while the unpowered pulley...
. This invention revolutionized the mining industry by greatly reducing the amount of labour needed to transport coal. His company, Richard Sutcliffe Ltd., based in Horbury
Horbury
-Demography:In 2008 Horbury had a largely white population compared with Yorkshire and the Humber.-Population change:The population of Horbury in 2001 was 10,002-Transport:...
near Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
pioneered the manufacture of conveyor belts used in the mining and assembly line industries. His company devised many other types of mining equipment. His company also produced four documentaries about the manufacturing industry, directed by Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
between 1948 and 1954.
After his death, his children took over his business which was later bought out by a larger company. Today, his descendants run a company that manufactures playground equipment.
External links
- Sutcliffe Play : Playground Equipment - Design and Manufacture at www.sutcliffeplay.co.uk
- "Richard Sutcliffe" - Google Patents at www.google.com US patents
- Esp@cenet results view at v3.espacenet.com Worldwide patents held