Maudslay, Henry

Maudslay, Henry

(born Aug. 22, 1771, Woolwich, Kent, Eng.—died Feb. 14, 1831, London) British engineer and inventor. The son of a workman, he became the inventor of machines fundamentally important to the Industrial Revolution, most outstandingly the metal lathe. He also invented methods for printing calico cloth and for desalting seawater for ships' boilers, as well as a measuring machine that was accurate to 0.0001 in. (0.00025 cm), and he designed and built many stationary and marine engines. Several outstanding engineers, notably James Nasmyth and Joseph Whitworth, learned their profession in Maudslay's shop. See also Joseph Bramah.