Thomas Crapper
of Thomas Crapper and Co, inventor of the 'Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer'.
1836 28 Sept: Baptised in Thorne, Doncaster, son of Charles Crapper and his wife Sarah
c.1850 Became an apprentice to a master plumber in Chelsea, London
Later began working as a journeyman opening up his own sanitary business on Robert Street.
1860 A plumber, he married Maria Green in Chelsea[1]
1866 he transferred his business to Marlboro' Works, and soon gained a reputation for quality and service.
1871 Thomas Crapper 34, plumber and brass founder, employing 12 men and 12 boys, lived in Battersea with Maria Crapper 34[2]
A great self-publicist, he opened the world's first bathroom showroom in King's Road, with W.C. bowls in the window. [3]
Improved the flush toilet by inventing the 'Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer', a ball and suction device that allows an efficient flush with a minimum of water and also shuts off the flow to the tank.
During the 1880s Thomas Crapper & Co's reputation was such that he was invited to supply the plumbing to Sandringham House, the home of the Prince of Wales, as well as plumbing for other members of Royalty. He also supplied the drainage for Westminster Abbey in London, England.
1893 Patent on "Improved Means for Operating the Mechanism of Water Closets"
1894 Patents on "An Improved Expanding Plug for Drain Pipes and Traps" and "An Improved Pipe Joint, applicable for connecting Pipes and Traps, Closets and Traps, and the like."
He held nine patents in total - including 4 for improvements to drains, one for manhole covers, 3 for water closets and one for pipe joints.[4]
1898 Albert Giblin, who had been an employee, patented "Improvements in Flushing Cisterns". It seems Crapper made small improvements in this technology.[5]
1904 Crapper retired from the plumbing business and sold it to his partner, Robert M. Wharam.
1910 Died in Bromley
Buried in Beckenham Cemetery
There is a memorial stone to his memory in Westminster Abbey. Several books have been written about his life including one by Wallace Reyburn, "Flushed With Pride: The Story Of Thomas Crapper" (1969).
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Marriage record
- ↑ 1871 census
- ↑ Simon Kirby in the intro to {https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Did_Thomas_Crapper_Really_Invent_the_Toi/zmMtAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=English+Patents+%22thomas+Crapper%22&pg=PT194&printsec=frontcover] Did Thomas Crapper really invent the toilet?
- ↑ [1] "The name's familiar" by Laura Lee
- ↑ [2] English Lexicogenesis
- [3] Find a grave