John Whitehurst

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John Whitehurst (10 April 1713 – 18 February 1788) of Cheshire, England was a clockmaker and scientist, and made significant early contributions to geology. He was an influential member of the Lunar Society.

Whitehurst was born in Congleton, Cheshire, to a clockmaker, the elder John Whitehurst. In 1722 he invented the "pulsation engine", a water-raising device that was the precursor of the hydraulic ram. In 1736 Whitehurst moved to Derby. In 1774, he obtained a post at the Royal Mint in London, receiving the title "Stamper of the Money Weights" in 1775 [link]. In 1778 he published his theory on geological strata in An Inquiry into the Original State and Formation of the Earth. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society on the 13th May 1779.

Sources

• [Biography at Revolutionary Players website]
• [Royal Society's list of Fellows]

 

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