Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 115342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 162,241 pages of information and 244,492 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

John Davis and Son

From Graces Guide
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Anemometer, Biram's patent, used in connection with colliery ventilation. The vanes appear to be made of some sort of stiffened fabric. On display at Pontypridd Museum.
Anemometer displayed at Radstock Museum
Miner's compass on display at the Museum of Dartmoor Life
1894.
1899.
1903.
July 1908.
1913.
1918.
1923.
1926.
1927.

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

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

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Sources of Information

  1. The Engineer 1887
  2. The Engineer 1889/04/05 p280
  3. The Engineer 1891/04/10
  4. The Engineer of 5th January 1894 p26 & p77
  5. The Engineer 1894/09/14 p238
  6. The Engineer 1896
  7. Fielden’s Magazine Vol 4
  8. The Engineer of 21st July 1911 p87
  9. The Engineer of 28th July 1911 p108
  10. The Engineer1911/06/30
  11. 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