William Wouldhave

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William Wouldhave (1751–1821) is a rival of Lionel Lukin for the title of inventor of the lifeboat. His tombstone, erected thirteen years before Lukin’s, describes Wouldhave as:

‘Inventor of that invaluable blessing to mankind the Lifeboat’

Wouldhave, who was a parish clerk from South Shields, did not succeed with the practical application of his invention until 1789, three years after Lukin’s converted coble was presented to Dr Sharpe. In this year a competition was launched to reward any inventor who could provide a craft for the purpose of saving lives from shipwreck. This following the tragic fate of the doomed Newcastle ship, the Adventure that had gone aground near the coast at the mouth of the river Tyne. From the shore, although clearly visible, nothing could be done to save the passengers and crew who were seen to be dropping from the rigging into the sea.

The competition won by Wouldhave led to the construction of the first purpose-built lifeboat.