"One of the most hard-hearted, malevolent old scoundrels now living in Britain."
Lord Dundonald on John Wilkinson
The boring machine, designed by John Wilkinson (1728-1808), was one of the foundations of the Industrial Revolution. The idea of mechanical boring was not new, but Wilkinson used it to bore better cannon with a greater degree of accuracy. More importantly, however, boring machines could be used to make precisely engineered cylinders for steam engines. Thanks to his collaboration with James Watt, inventor of the commercial steam engine, Wilkinson enjoyed a monopoly on the engine for several years, and they both became very wealthy men.
As Wilkinson's wealth grew, so did his eccentricities. He was a volatile character and was often criticized by his fellow industrialists, thanks to some shady business dealings and the implication that some of his ideas may have already been suggested by others. Some of his family relationships were strained too—he was estranged from his father, and his spectacular fallout with his brother in the late 1780s caused the collapse of his steam-engine monopoly.
In his later years Wilkinson become increasingly obsessed with iron. He arranged an enormous and impractical iron coffin in which to be buried, and prophesied his supernatural return to his beloved furnaces seven years after his death. However, extraordinarily for his time, he gave pensions to old workers who had served him well, and he was held in high regard by his employees. After his death in 1808 he was commemorated in folksong by his ironworkers and, after seven years had passed, thousands turned up at his furnaces to see whether "Iron Mad" Wilkinson would "live up to" his prophecy.
