born April 13, 1748, Stainborough, Yorkshire, Eng.
died Dec. 9, 1814, London
British engineer and inventor.
Originally a cabinetmaker, Bramah in 1784 devised a pick-proof lock, which defied all efforts for 67 years. Since the success of his locks depended on their complexity, they could be produced in quantity only after the creation of a set of well-designed and precisely engineered machine tools, for which he hired a brilliant young blacksmith, Henry Maudslay . Their prototype machines were essential to the founding of the machine-tool industry. Bramah's hydraulic press found many industrial uses and led to the development of hydraulic machinery.