Joseph Gibbs (1798–1864) was a British civil engineer and mechanical inventor. He patented a series of inventions for sawing and cutting wood, metal and stone. He is also known for his design work on the Great Northern Railway and the London & Brighton Railway.

Family

Gibbs was born in Staffordshire, the youngest son of a mill-owner and manufacturer. His uncle was mineral agent to the

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has ...

and it was among the mines of the

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

hills that it is thought that Gibbs acquired his taste for mining and geological research.

Career

He visited

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

and was engaged to work on some hydraulic works. He then went on to work in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

. On his return to England he superintended the erection of several corn mills and saw mills in London. At this time he patented a series of inventions for sawing and cutting wood, metal, and stone. One invention was the Gibbs "elbow joint" which was used in the construction of inlaid floors. Floors were laid down that were composed of an infinite number of wood pieces of every kind and shape, each piece would be cut out and made accurately to fit its fellow and secured with a tongue by Gibbs's machinery, the surfacing and polishing only being done by hand. Gibbs was engaged for several years in erecting machinery for manufacturing and also lifting water. Some of that time was spent in Holland where he persuaded the Dutch authorities that the best method of draining a lake was by the use of steam power, as opposed to wind. Gibbs and his partner, Arthur Deane, were commissioned by the Dutch Government to execute the work. In 1831, Gibbs gave evidence to a

Parliamentary select committee A select committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Select committees exist in the British Parliam ...

on steam carriages. Gibbs had a joint patent, with printer and inventor Augustus Applegarth, awarded on 29 March, 1833, for "certain improvements in steam-carriages." Having some experience with steam power Gibbs turned his attention to the construction of passenger railways. Some of his first designs were that of the Great Northern Railway, and for part of the line from London to Brighton. The Bill for the Great Northern Railway was thrown out by

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

so Gibbs re-surveyed the line a few years later, but this was also unsuccessful. In 1844 the scheme was again brought forward, as the

London and York Railway The Great Northern Railway (GNR) was a British railway company incorporated in 1846 with the object of building a line from London to York. It quickly saw that seizing control of territory was key to development, and it acquired, or took le ...

and eventually approved by parliament, albeit in a modified form. He joined the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

, as a Member, on 6 April 1852. He died after what was described as "a long and painful illness" on 11 February 1864.

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* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbs, Joseph English civil engineers Structural engineers People of the Industrial Revolution British railway pioneers 19th-century British engineers English inventors London, Brighton and South Coast Railway people 1798 births 1864 deaths British railway civil engineers Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) people People from Staffordshire