Matthew Murray
Matthew Murray was born in Newcastle upon Tyne during 1765. He left school at the age of fourteen to begin an apprenticeship as a blacksmith or whitesmith. This trade involved working with iron and steel, shaping metal through heating and hammering. In 1785 he concluded his training and married Mary Thompson from Whickham. The couple moved to Stockton the following year before settling in Darlington. There they worked at a flax mill owned by John Kendrew. Mechanical spinning of flax had been invented for this specific location. Murray lived there with his wife and their three daughters and one son named Matthew.
A lack of trade in Darlington flax mills forced the family to move to Leeds in 1789. They joined forces with John Marshall who rented a small mill at Adel. Marshall aimed to develop a pre-existing flax-spinning machine with help from Murray. After trial and error overcame breakages in the twine, improvements allowed construction of a new mill at Holbeck in 1791. Murray installed machinery of his own design which he patented in 1790. A second patent followed in 1793 covering instruments for spinning fibrous materials. This included a carding engine and a spinning machine introducing wet spinning. The technique revolutionized the entire British linen trade. Murray served as chief engineer maintaining the machinery while pleasing his employer.
Industry in the Leeds area developed rapidly creating an opportunity for general engineers. In 1795 Murray partnered with David Wood to set up a factory at Mill Green. Several nearby mills received machinery from the new firm. Success prompted a move to larger premises at Water Lane in 1797. James Fenton and William Lister joined as partners at this point. The firm became known as Fenton, Murray and Wood. Murray acted as technical innovator while Wood managed day-to-day operations. Fenton handled accounts and business development. The partnership supplied machinery to numerous local mills. Their rapid expansion demonstrated strong commercial viability within the textile sector.
Murray sought to make steam engines simpler and more compact than existing models. He wanted them self-contained units ready for site assembly with pre-determined accuracy. Many existing engines suffered faulty assembly requiring much effort to correct. James Pickard had already patented the crank and flywheel method converting linear motion to circular motion. Murray ingeniously bypassed this difficulty using a Tusi couple hypocycloidal straight line mechanism. A large fixed ring contained internal teeth around which a smaller gear wheel rolled. This smaller gear had half the outer diameter of the fixed ring. The piston rod attached to the gear rim drove it backwards and forwards. Linear motion converted into circular motion by the gear wheel bearing on a crank. Engines built this way were more compact and lightweight than previous ones. Murray ceased using this motion once Pickard's patent expired.
High quality steam engine sales increased greatly necessitating a new assembly shop. Murray designed a huge three-storeyed circular building known as the Round Foundry. It contained a centrally mounted steam engine powering all machines inside. Each room in the adjacent house he built received heat from steam pipes. Locals called this residence Steam Hall due to its pioneering heating design. The foundry housed specialized equipment including a planing machine kept in a locked room. Only certain employees gained access to this critical tool. High standards of workmanship resulted in machinery of exceptional precision for the era. The circular architecture itself became a landmark of industrial engineering innovation.
Success attracted hostility from competitors Boulton and Watt who sent spies to visit. William Murdoch and Abraham Storey ostensibly made courtesy visits but actually spied on production methods. Murray foolishly welcomed them and showed everything they requested. They reported back that casting and forging work was superior to their own. Efforts followed to adopt many of Murray's production methods internally. An attempt by Boulton and Watt to obtain information via bribery also occurred. James Watt junior purchased land adjacent to the workshop to prevent expansion. Two patents were successfully challenged and overturned by the rival firm. Murray included too many improvements together in single patents causing invalidation if any infringed copyright. Despite these maneuvers Fenton, Murray and Wood remained serious rivals attracting many orders.
In 1812 the firm supplied John Blenkinsop with the first twin-cylinder steam locomotive named Salamanca. This vehicle represented the first commercially successful steam locomotive ever built. Double cylinders were Murray's invention though he paid Richard Trevithick royalties for high pressure systems. He improved upon it using two cylinders rather than one for smoother drive. Only lightweight locomotives could work on cast iron rails without breaking them. Total load capacity remained limited until malleable iron rails appeared around 1819. A toothed wheel driven by connecting rods meshed with a toothed rail at track side. This rack railway system enabled small engines to haul loads totaling twenty times their weight. Three more models followed including Lord Wellington and possibly Prince Regent. George Stephenson later modeled his own locomotive Blücher on this design minus the rack drive.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was Matthew Murray born?
Matthew Murray was born in Newcastle upon Tyne during 1765. He left school at the age of fourteen to begin an apprenticeship as a blacksmith or whitesmith.
What did Matthew Murray invent for steam engines?
Matthew Murray invented a Tusi couple hypocycloidal straight line mechanism that converted linear motion into circular motion without using a crank. This design made his steam engines more compact and lightweight than previous models until James Pickard's patent expired.
Where did Matthew Murray build the Round Foundry?
Matthew Murray built the Round Foundry in Leeds as a huge three-storeyed circular building to house specialized equipment including a planing machine. The foundry contained a centrally mounted steam engine powering all machines inside while heating pipes warmed the adjacent residence known as Steam Hall.
Which company did Matthew Murray form with David Wood and others?
Matthew Murray formed the partnership Fenton, Murray and Wood after moving to larger premises at Water Lane in 1797. James Fenton and William Lister joined as partners alongside Murray and David Wood to supply machinery to numerous local mills.
When did Matthew Murray supply the first commercially successful steam locomotive?
In 1812 the firm supplied John Blenkinsop with the first twin-cylinder steam locomotive named Salamanca which represented the first commercially successful steam locomotive ever built. This vehicle used a rack railway system where a toothed wheel meshed with a toothed rail at track side to haul loads totaling twenty times its weight.