Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies

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Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries Engineers of Ipswich were a major British agricultural machinery maker. Their most famous products were traction engines, ploughs and other tilling equipment.

[edit] History

The company was founded, as Ransomes, in 1789 by Robert Ransome, an ironfounder in Norwich before moving to Ipswich. He received patents for improvements to ploughs.

In 1869 four engineers, J.A. Ransome, R.J. Ransome, R.C. Rapier and A.A. Bennett, left the company (by then Ransomes, Sims & Head) by agreement, to establish a new company, Ransomes & Rapier, on a site on the River Orwell, to continue the business of railway equipment and other heavy works.

In 1902 Ransomes produced the first commercially available lawn mower, powered by an internal combustion gasoline engine.

In the First World War, they manufactured aeroplanes: 350 Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 fighters.

In 1989 the whole of the agricultural implement business was sold to Electrolux and merged with their subsidiary Overum.

This left Ransomes solely as a manufacturer of lawn mowers, with the Westwood and Mountfield mower brands. The company accepted a take-over offer from Textron Inc, USA, and their independent existence ended early in 1998.

The history of company is the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket, Suffolk and they are also represented in Ipswich Transport Museum.