Record

Authorised form of nameStrutt; William (1756 - 1830); cotton spinner
Dates1756 - 1830
NationalityBritish
Place of birthBlackwell, near Alfreton
Date of birth20 July 1756
Place of deathDerby
Date of death29 December 1830
DatesAndPlacesBurial:
Unitarian Chapel, Friargate, Derby, England, United Kingdom
OccupationCotton spinner
ActivityEducation:
Educated by Mr Gregory of Findern, Mr Lowe of Norton and Mr Wilkinson of Nottingham.
Career:
Joined father's cotton spinning firm (1770); given freedom of Derby and made a burgess of the Borough (1779); inherited Strutt business with his brothers George and Josph, firm renamed W, G &J Strutt; invented a method of making large buildings fire resistant; devised a system of ventilating and warming large buildings, used successfully at the Derbyshire General Infirmary (1810); improved the construction of stoves; invented the Belper stove (1806); great friend of Erasmus Darwin with whom he founded the Derby Philosophical Society.
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election26/06/1817
Age at election61
ProposerPeter Mark Roget
Richard Sharp
James Lawson
Marc Isambard Brunel
James Watt
RelationshipsParents: Jedediah (wheelwright, farmer and cotton spinner) and Elizabeth Strutt
Spouse: Barbara Evans
Children: Edward Strutt (FRS 1860)
OtherInfoCredited with designing the first successful 'fireproof' mill, a six-storey building in Derby, began in 1792 and completed in 1793.
SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Mrs Mary Beaumont (descendant of William Strutt)
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc 1830-1831 No 7 p 84
CodeNA3447
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
EC/1817/12Strutt, William: certificate of election to the Royal Society
NLB/4/976Copy letter from Herbert Rix, to Lord Rayleigh [John William Strutt]12 December 1890
NLB/10/785Copy letter from Herbert Rix, to Dr Michael Foster, Secretary, Royal Society5 February 1895
NLB/10/296Copy letter from Herbert Rix, to Lord Kelvin [John William Strutt], Fellow of the Royal Society6 November 1894
ACS/1/2/3/151Letter from [Alan Archibald Campbell] Swinton, to Rayleigh [John William Strutt]2 March 1928
Add to My Items

    Collection highlights

    Browse the records of some of our collections, which cover all branches of science and date from the 12th century onwards. These include the published works of Fellows of the Royal Society, personal papers of eminent scientists, letters and manuscripts sent to the Society or presented at meetings, and administrative records documenting the Society's activities since our foundation in 1660.

    The Royal Society

    The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of
    the world's most eminent scientists and is the
    oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
    Registered charity number 207043

    Website design ©CalmView



    CONTACT US

    + 44 207 451 2500
    (Lines open Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:00. Excludes bank holidays)

    6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG

    Email Us →

    SUBSCRIBE

    Subscribe to our newsletters to be updated with the
    latest news on innovation, events, articles and reports.

    Subscribe →

    © CalmView