Person Parsons; Sir; Charles Algernon (1854 - 1931); engineer Parsons Charles Algernon Sir engineer 1854 - 1931 British Male Connaught Place, Hyde Park, London, England 13 June 1854 18540613 On board the 'Duchess of Richmond' at Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies 11/02/1931 19310211 Burial: Parish church of St Bartholomew's, Kirkwhelpington, Northumberland, England

p1 Upper Brook Street, Mayfair (1918-1931).

Engineer Engineering Education: Trinity College, Dublin; St John's College, Cambridge MA Career: Began an apprenticeship at the works of Sir William Armstrong & Co. at Elswick, Tyneside; worked at Kitson & Co. of Leeds where he developed a four-cylinder-high speed epicycloidal steam engine, which he also patented, and pursued experimenting on the propulsion of torpedoes by means of rockets (1881-3); junior partner in Clarke, Chapman & Co. of Gateshead, taking charge of their electrical department; founded the firm C. A. Parsons & Co bringing back his patent rights, and establishing a small works at Heaton (1889); devoted himself to steam-turbine propulsion of ships by establishing a separate organisation with works a Wallsend, and formed a separate company, later known as the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company (1884); the Admiralty tasked him with the construction of a 30 knot turbine-driven destroyer, the Viper (1899); launched the first turbine-powered passenger ship, Clyde steamer TS King Edward (1901); the first turbine transatlantic liners RMS Victorian and Virginian (1905); and the first turbine-powered battleship, HMS Dreadnought (1906); acquired a controlling interest in the optical firm of Ross Ltd, of Clapham where he introduced improvements in glass-grinding methods (1921); purchased the Derby Crown Glass Company, and under the name of the Parsons Optical Glass Company produced about a hundred different kinds of glass for optical purposes (1922); purchased the firm of Sir Howard Grubb & Sons, makers of large astronomical telescopes, and built new works for it at Walkergate (1925); died of neuritis whilst on a cruise with his wife (1954). Honours: CB 1904; KCB 1911; OM 1927 Memberships: MICE Awards/Medals: Albert Medal 1911 Franklin Medal 1920 Faraday medal 1923 Kelvin medal 1926 Bessemer Gold Medal 1929 Parents: William Parsons, third earl of Rosse (1800–1867) (FRS 1831), and Mary Parsons, countess of Rosse (1813–1885), photographer, elder daughter of John Wilmer Field, of Heaton Hall, Yorkshire. Siblings: Laurence Parsons (FRS 1867), fourth Earl of Rosse. Spouse: Katherine Bethell (d. 1933), the daughter of William Froggatt Bethell of Rise Park, East Riding of Yorkshire (1883). Children: Rachel Mary Parsons (1885–1956); Algernon George Parsons (1886–1918), killed in action during World War I. Remembered for the steam turbine. Invented the ‘auxetophone'. Royal Society roles: VP 1908-1909 Medals and prizes: Rumford Medal 1902; Copley Medal 1928 Lectures: Bakerian 1918 Fellow 09/06/1898 44 William Anderson; George Johnstone Stoney; William Cawthorne Unwin; William Edward Ayrton; Charles Vernon Boys; John Isaac Thornycroft; William Henry Preece Andrew Noble; William Thomson [Lord Kelvin]; Armstrong; William Henry White; Frederick Bramwell; John Hopkinson; John Perry; George Gabriel Stokes; Joseph John Thomson Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc Series A 1931 vol 131 pp v-xxv, plate, signed by J A E International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Parsons%2C+Charles+Algernon https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH6504 13 Jun 1854 - 11 Feb 1931 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 05/06/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA3128 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 17/03/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/48285664 ac07f188-dccb-49cb-83fd-d8cc094326e9