born 1728, Clifton, Cumberland, Eng.
died July 14, 1808, Bradley, Staffordshire
British industrialist.
Known as "the great Staffordshire ironmaster," he found many new applications for iron, developed a boring machine whose precision enabled James Watt to perfect his steam engine , and used Watt's first steam engine to drive a huge air pump in his factory for the large-scale manufacture of wrought iron .