Person Brunel; Sir; Marc Isambard (1769 - 1849); civil engineer Brunel Marc Isambard Sir civil engineer 1769 - 1849 French Male Hacqueville, near Gisors, Normandy, France, Europe 25 April 1769 1769 1 Prospect Park, St James's Park, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe 12 December 1849 1849 Burial: Kensal Green Cemetery, London

98 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London (1807-1824)

Civil engineer Education: Gisors (1777); St Nicaise seminary at Rouen (1780) Career: Received training in hydrography and draughtmanship from Franois Carpentier; volunteered for journey to West Indies on 'Le Marchal de Castries' (1786-1792); fled France to New York and became a civil engineer (1793); appointed chief engineer of New York (1795); moved to England (1799); patented various machines he had invented, including one for making ships' blocks; erected sawmills at Battersea and Woolwich; cast into prison for debt; built the Thames Tunnel (1825-1842) Honours: French Lgion d'honneur (1829) Kt (24 March 1841) Memberships: Member of the Institutions of Civil Engineers (1823); Foreign Member of the Royal Academy of Science in Stockholm (1828); Foreign Horonary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1834); Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society Edinburgh (1845) Parents: Jean Charles Brunel and Marie Victoire Lefèvre Married: Sophie Kingdom Children: Sophia Kingdom Brunel; Emma Kingdom; Isambard Kingdom Brunel (FRS 1830) Due to his royalist stance, which many people from Normandy shared, he had to flee France during the Reign of Terror. His later-wife, Sophie Kingdom, was imprisoned during this time as an English spy and was spared a death sentence through the fall of Robespierre in 1794. Throughout his life, Brunel struggled with his finances and after a financially unsuccessful venture into other industries, he remained within civil engineering. He and his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, continuously collaborated throughout their professional lives, although his son is frequently considered the more well-known and successful one of the pair in his contributions to engineering. Royal Society roles: Sworn into Council 1 December 1832 ; VP 1832-1834 Committee and panels: Report of the Hydrometer Committee (1832) Fellow 24/03/1814 44 Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; ODNB References: Sir Alan Muir Wood, 'Self-Confident Engineer', review of Adrian Vaughan, Isambard Kingdom Brunel: Engineering Knight Errant in NR 1994 vol 48 pp 323-325 F C Moon, 'Robert Willis and Franz Reuleaux: pioneers in the theory of machines' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 209-230 Brunel M I, IM000624.jpg ©The Royal Society 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://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH1289 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/image-rs-18223 25 Apr 1769 - 12 Dec 1849 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 19/10/2021 as part of Name Authority Project update. NA7956 21/11/2001 Andyg pmab 02/04/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/134149196547674792547 543ee7a7-e359-4a4e-ba1d-e04864c33358