John Davis and Son of All Saints Works, Derby and London
1779 Gabriel Davis went into business in Leeds as a manufacturer of optical, surveying and mathematical instruments.
1820 Business established
In the early 1830s John Davis travelled regularly between Liverpool, Cheltenham and Derby selling the company’s products.
1843 Davis moved to Derby where he bought the freehold of the 16th Century Meynell house in Irongate, Derby.
c1840 John Davis began to manufacture mining equipment such as safety lamps based on the design of Sir Humphrey Davy, the production of which continued for more than 100 years. The Company continued to manufacture the Hedley Mining Dial until around 1960
1875 Moved to new premises at All Saints Works; the business was led by Henry Davis
1882 Appointed sole manufacturer of a workmen’s time recorder based on Levy and Lane’s patent used with a turnstile.
1887 Made Willis's patent speedometer[1]
1889 Gravet slide-rule.[2]
1891 Released a catalogue of their miners' safety lamps. [3]
1894 Catalogue of Mining, Surveying, Engineering and mathematical Instruments and other devices [4] [5]
1896 Electric low water alarm[6]
Represented Jeffrey Manufacturing Co of USA, coal mining machines
1900 Incorporated as a limited company
1901 Theodolite [7]
John Davis of Derby’s product range included many types of miners’ lamps, anemometers, air powered lamps, hand lamps, a range of shot-firing explosives, in addition to the traditional Theodolites and Mining Dials.
1911 Doubled the capacity of their foundry for casting brass, gun-metal and aluminium [8]
1911 A new Theodolite (John Davies (sic) and Son) [9]
1911 London Address - 17 Victoria Street, Westminster.[10]
1913 Advert for Korden counter
1917 Advert for Slide Rules
1919 Advert for Slide Rules
1924 Brought out a new slide rule known as the "Monocrat".[11]
1927 Advert for Slide Rules
1962 Davis of Derby remained in the Davis family until 1962.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Engineer 1887
- ↑ The Engineer 1889/04/05 p280
- ↑ The Engineer 1891/04/10
- ↑ The Engineer of 5th January 1894 p26 & p77
- ↑ The Engineer 1894/09/14 p238
- ↑ The Engineer 1896
- ↑ Fielden’s Magazine Vol 4
- ↑ The Engineer of 21st July 1911 p87
- ↑ The Engineer of 28th July 1911 p108
- ↑ The Engineer1911/06/30
- ↑ The Engineer 1924/03/21
- Mechanical World Year Book 1913. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p417
- Mechanical World Year Book 1917. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p195
- Mechanical World Year Book 1919. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p231
- Mechanical World Year Book 1927. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p162
- [1] Nedias newsletter #74