William Reid Clanny

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William Reid Clanny (1770–10 January 1850), was born in Bangor, County Down, Ireland. He moved to Sunderland, England and practiced as a physician for 45 years. In 1813 he invented the Clanny safety lamp for miners.

[edit] Life and works

By 1816, when Clanny published "Practical observations on safety lamps for coal mines," he had experimented in person with a safety lamp at the Herrington Mill Pitt. His lamp, and other improvements were, after some initial disputes, recognized for their true worth by his contemporaries including northern coal owners who presented him with a piece of silverware. George Stephenson acknowledged a debt to Clanny's researches and Davy invented his version of a lamp very soon after a visit to Sunderland in August 1815.

Clanny died on 10 January 1850. He is buried at Gill Cemetery in Sunderland. His obituary in the Sunderland Herald singled out his lamp as his greatest achievement.