Richard Peacock
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Richard Peacock (April 9, 1820 - March 3, 1889) was an English engineer, one of the founders of locomotive manufacturer Beyer-Peacock.
Born in Swaledale, he was educated at Leeds Grammar School but at 14 left to be apprenticed at Fenton, Murray and Jackson in Leeds. At 18 he was a precocious locomotive superintendent on the Leeds and Selby Railway. When the line was acquired by the York and North Midland Railway in 1840 he worked under Daniel Gooch at Swindon, but reputedly fled to escape Gooch's wrath. In 1841, he became the locomotive superintendent of the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne & Manchester Railway, subsequently the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.
In 1853, he joined Charles Beyer to found the celebrated locomotive company Beyer-Peacock. He had met Beyer through the acquisition of locomotives from Sharp Bros, and through both being among the founders of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1847.
From the 1885 general election until his death in 1889, Peacock was MP for Manchester Gorton.
He died in Manchester.
[edit] References
- ↑ Lloyd, Backtrack, 2004, 18 710
- This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.
[edit] Bibliography
- Ahrons, L.E. (1927) The British Steam Railway Locomotive 1825-1925
- Obituary - The Engineer, March 8, 1889.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by (new constituency) |
Member of Parliament for Manchester Gorton 1885–1889 |
Succeeded by Sir William Mather |
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