John Curr
Encyclopedia
John Curr was the manager of the Duke of Norfolk
's collieries in Sheffield
, England from 1781 to 1801. During this time he made a number of innovations that contributed significantly to the development of the coal mining industry and railways.
, England in around 1756. He moved to Sheffield some time before 1776. In 1780 he was appointed superintendent of the Duke of Norfolk's Sheffield collieries. He married Hannah Wilson (18 May 1759 – 10 June 1851) in about 1785, and they had eight children, including Joseph Curr
, a catholic priest, and Edward Curr
, who was Secretary of the Van Diemen's Land Company
from 1824 to 1841. He died in Sheffield on 27 January 1823.
and adopted at many other English mines.
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
's collieries in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England from 1781 to 1801. During this time he made a number of innovations that contributed significantly to the development of the coal mining industry and railways.
Personal life
Curr was born in County DurhamCounty Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England in around 1756. He moved to Sheffield some time before 1776. In 1780 he was appointed superintendent of the Duke of Norfolk's Sheffield collieries. He married Hannah Wilson (18 May 1759 – 10 June 1851) in about 1785, and they had eight children, including Joseph Curr
Joseph Curr
Father Joseph Curr was a Roman Catholic priest and author who was called a "martyr of charity" for his work in Leeds in a typhus epidemic in 1847....
, a catholic priest, and Edward Curr
Edward Curr
Edward Micklethwaite Curr was an Australian pastoralist and squatter.-Biography:Curr was born in Hobart, Tasmania , the eldest of eleven surviving children of Edward Curr and Elizabeth Curr...
, who was Secretary of the Van Diemen's Land Company
Van Diemen's Land Company
The Van Diemen's Land Company was created in 1824, received a Royal Charter in 1825, and was granted 250,000 acres in northwest Tasmania in 1826...
from 1824 to 1841. He died in Sheffield on 27 January 1823.
Career
In about 1776 Curr substituted small four-wheeled carriages for the sledges that had previously been used to transport coal underground, the first use of such carriages in vertical pits. On 12 August 1788 he received a patent (No. 1,660) for a method of lifting these carriages out of the mine using wooden guide rails. Curr then developed the rails on which the carriages ran. Previously wooden rails had been used, with plates of iron attached to the top surface of the rail and flanges on the wheel of the carriage; Curr developed an L-shaped cast iron rail that removed the need for flanges on the carriage wheels. The use of these rails was subsequently promoted by Benjamin OutramBenjamin Outram
Benjamin Outram was an English civil engineer, surveyor and industrialist. He was a pioneer in the building of canals and tramways.-Personal life:...
and adopted at many other English mines.