| Revision as of 17:24, 2 November 2012 view sourceGeorge Ponderevo (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers22,899 editsm →Further reading← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:36, 2 November 2012 view source George Ponderevo (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers22,899 edits Adding/improving reference(s)Next edit → | ||
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| | image = Thomas Crapper.jpg | | image = Thomas Crapper.jpg | ||
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| | birth_date = Baptised 28 |
| birth_date = Baptised 28 September 1836 | ||
| | birth_place = Waterside, ], |
| birth_place = Waterside, ], Yorkshire, England | ||
| | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1910|1|27|1836|9|28}} | | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1910|1|27|1836|9|28}} | ||
| | death_place = ], ], England | | death_place = ], ], England | ||
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| | parents = Charles Crapper (father) | | parents = Charles Crapper (father) | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Thomas Crapper''' (baptised 28 September 1836; died 27 January 1910) was a ] who founded Thomas Crapper & Co in |
'''Thomas Crapper''' (baptised 28 September 1836; died 27 January 1910) was a ] who founded Thomas Crapper & Co in London. Contrary to ], Crapper did not invent the ]. He did, however, do much to increase the popularity of the toilet, and developed some important related inventions, such as the ]. He was noted for the quality of his products and received several ]s. | ||
| ]s with Crapper's company's name on them in ] are now one of London's minor ]s.<ref>{{ |
]s with Crapper's company's name on them in ] are now one of London's minor ]s.<ref>{{citation |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E6DB1639F935A15756C0A963948260&sec=travel&spon=&pagewanted=2 |title=Group Walks Gain Ground in London |last=Goddard |first=Donald |date=26 May 1985 |newspaper=New York Times |accessdate=2 March 2009}}</ref><ref name="Crapper History">{{citation |url=http://www.thomas-crapper.com/history02.asp |title=Thomas Crapper history, Westminster Abbey, Sandringham &c. |date=24 January 2004| publisher=Thomas Crapper & Co. |accessdate=2 February 2009}}</ref> Thomas Crapper & Co owned the world's first bath, toilet and sink showroom, in ] until 1966. The firm's lavatorial equipment was manufactured at premises in nearby Marlborough Road (now Draycott Avenue). | ||
| ==Company== | ==Company== | ||
| Crapper was born in ], Yorkshire, in 1836; the exact date is unknown, but he was baptised on 28 September 1836. His father, Charles, was a sailor. In 1853 he was apprenticed to his brother George, who was a master plumber in ]. After his apprenticeship and three years as a journeyman plumber, in 1861 Crapper set himself up as a sanitary engineer, with his own brass foundry and workshops in nearby Marlborough Road.<ref name="odnb">{{citation |last=McConnell |first=Anita |contribution=Crapper, Thomas (1837–1910) |title=Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/55389 |accessdate= |
Crapper was born in ], Yorkshire, in 1836; the exact date is unknown, but he was baptised on 28 September 1836. His father, Charles, was a sailor. In 1853 he was apprenticed to his brother George, who was a master plumber in ]. After his apprenticeship and three years as a journeyman plumber, in 1861 Crapper set himself up as a sanitary engineer, with his own brass foundry and workshops in nearby Marlborough Road.<ref name="odnb">{{citation |last=McConnell |first=Anita |contribution=Crapper, Thomas (1837–1910) |title=Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/55389 |accessdate=10 November 2008}}</ref> | ||
| The ] by ] in 1596. ] of Yorkshire patented the first practical water closet in England in 1778. ] in 1852 also took out a patent for the flush-out toilet.<ref name="NYTimes Krinsky">{{ |
The ] by ] in 1596. ] of Yorkshire patented the first practical water closet in England in 1778. ] in 1852 also took out a patent for the flush-out toilet.<ref name="NYTimes Krinsky">{{citation |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE4D7103CF931A35750C0A96F958260 |title=Of Facts and Artifacts |last=Krinsky |first=William L. |date=2 March 1999 |newspaper=New York Times |accessdate=2 March 2009}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes Wilson">{{citation |url=http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/tom-the-plumber/ |title=Tom the Plumber |last=Wilson |first=Blake |date=16 December 2008 |newspaper=New York Times |accessdate=2 March 2009}}</ref> In a time when bathroom fixtures were barely spoken of, Crapper heavily promoted ] and pioneered the concept of the bathroom fittings showroom.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| In the 1880s, Prince Edward (later ]) purchased his country seat of ] in ] and asked Thomas Crapper & Co. to supply the plumbing, including thirty lavatories with cedarwood seats and enclosures, thus giving Crapper his first ]. The firm received further warrants from Edward as king and from ] both as ] and as king. | In the 1880s, Prince Edward (later ]) purchased his country seat of ] in ] and asked Thomas Crapper & Co. to supply the plumbing, including thirty lavatories with cedarwood seats and enclosures, thus giving Crapper his first ]. The firm received further warrants from Edward as king and from ] both as ] and as king. | ||
| In 1904, Crapper retired, passing the firm to his nephew George and his business partner Robert Marr Wharam. Crapper lived at 12 Thornsett Road, ], for the last thirteen years of his life and died on 27 January 1910. He was buried in the nearby ].<ref name=odnb/> | In 1904, Crapper retired, passing the firm to his nephew George and his business partner Robert Marr Wharam. Crapper lived at 12 Thornsett Road, ], for the last thirteen years of his life and died on 27 January 1910. He was buried in the nearby ].<ref name=odnb/> | ||
| In 1966 the company was sold by then owner Robert G. Wharam (son of Robert Marr Wharam) on his retirement, to their rivals John Bolding & Sons. Bolding went into liquidation in 1969. The company fell out of use until it was acquired by Simon Kirby, a historian and collector of antique bathroom fittings, who relaunched the company in ], producing authentic reproductions of Crapper's original Victorian bathroom fittings.<ref>Hume |
In 1966 the company was sold by then owner Robert G. Wharam (son of Robert Marr Wharam) on his retirement, to their rivals John Bolding & Sons. Bolding went into liquidation in 1969. The company fell out of use until it was acquired by Simon Kirby, a historian and collector of antique bathroom fittings, who relaunched the company in ], producing authentic reproductions of Crapper's original Victorian bathroom fittings.<ref>{{citation |last=Hume |first=Robert |title=Thomas Crapper: Lavatory Legend |date=January 2010 |publisher=Stone Publishing House 2009 |magazine=BBC History Magazine |isbn=978-0-9549909-3-0}}</ref> | ||
| ==Siphonic flush toilet== | ==Siphonic flush toilet== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Crapper held nine patents, three of them for water closet improvements such as the floating ], but none was for the flush toilet itself.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} Thomas Crapper's advertisements implied the siphonic flush was his invention; one having the text "Crapper's Valveless Water Waste Preventer (Patent #4,990) One movable part only", but patent 4990 (for a minor improvement to the water waste preventer) was not his, but that of Albert Giblin in 1898.<ref>{{citation |last=Hart-Davis |first=Adam |title=Thomas Crapper – Fact and Fiction |url=http://www.exnet.com/1995/11/01/science/science.html |publisher=ExNet |accessdate=13 |
Crapper held nine patents, three of them for water closet improvements such as the floating ], but none was for the flush toilet itself.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} Thomas Crapper's advertisements implied the siphonic flush was his invention; one having the text "Crapper's Valveless Water Waste Preventer (Patent #4,990) One movable part only", but patent 4990 (for a minor improvement to the water waste preventer) was not his, but that of Albert Giblin in 1898.<ref>{{citation |last=Hart-Davis |first=Adam |title=Thomas Crapper – Fact and Fiction |url=http://www.exnet.com/1995/11/01/science/science.html |publisher=ExNet |accessdate=13 May 2010}}</ref> Crapper's nephew, George, did improve the ] mechanism by which the water flow is started. A patent for this development was awarded in 1898.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} | ||
| ==Origin of the word "crap"== | ==Origin of the word "crap"== | ||
| It has often been claimed in popular culture that the slang term for human ], "crap", originated with Thomas Crapper because of his association with lavatories. The most common version of this story is that American servicemen stationed in England during World War I saw his name on cisterns and used it as army slang, i.e. |
It has often been claimed in popular culture that the slang term for human ], "crap", originated with Thomas Crapper because of his association with lavatories. The most common version of this story is that American servicemen stationed in England during World War I saw his name on cisterns and used it as army slang, i.e. "I'm going to the crapper".<ref name="World Wide Words">{{citation |url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cra1.htm |title=World Wide Words}}</ref> | ||
| The word '']'' is actually of Middle English origin; and hence predates its application to bodily waste. Its first application to bodily waste, according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', appeared in 1846 under a reference to a ''crapping ken,'' or a privy, where ''ken'' means a house.<ref name="World Wide Words"/> | The word '']'' is actually of Middle English origin; and hence predates its application to bodily waste. Its first application to bodily waste, according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', appeared in 1846 under a reference to a ''crapping ken,'' or a privy, where ''ken'' means a house.<ref name="World Wide Words"/> | ||
Revision as of 17:36, 2 November 2012
| Thomas Crapper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Baptised 28 September 1836 Waterside, Thorne, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 27 January 1910(1910-01-27) (aged 73) Anerley, Bromley, England |
| Occupation(s) | Industrialist, plumber |
| Spouse | Maria Green (1837–1902) |
| Parent | Charles Crapper (father) |
Thomas Crapper (baptised 28 September 1836; died 27 January 1910) was a plumber who founded Thomas Crapper & Co in London. Contrary to widespread misconceptions, Crapper did not invent the flush toilet. He did, however, do much to increase the popularity of the toilet, and developed some important related inventions, such as the ballcock. He was noted for the quality of his products and received several royal warrants.
Manhole covers with Crapper's company's name on them in Westminster Abbey are now one of London's minor tourist attractions. Thomas Crapper & Co owned the world's first bath, toilet and sink showroom, in King's Road until 1966. The firm's lavatorial equipment was manufactured at premises in nearby Marlborough Road (now Draycott Avenue).
Company
Crapper was born in Thorne, Yorkshire, in 1836; the exact date is unknown, but he was baptised on 28 September 1836. His father, Charles, was a sailor. In 1853 he was apprenticed to his brother George, who was a master plumber in Chelsea. After his apprenticeship and three years as a journeyman plumber, in 1861 Crapper set himself up as a sanitary engineer, with his own brass foundry and workshops in nearby Marlborough Road.
The flushing toilet was invented by John Harrington in 1596. Joseph Bramah of Yorkshire patented the first practical water closet in England in 1778. George Jennings in 1852 also took out a patent for the flush-out toilet. In a time when bathroom fixtures were barely spoken of, Crapper heavily promoted sanitary plumbing and pioneered the concept of the bathroom fittings showroom.
In the 1880s, Prince Edward (later Edward VII) purchased his country seat of Sandringham House in Norfolk and asked Thomas Crapper & Co. to supply the plumbing, including thirty lavatories with cedarwood seats and enclosures, thus giving Crapper his first Royal Warrant. The firm received further warrants from Edward as king and from George V both as Prince of Wales and as king.
In 1904, Crapper retired, passing the firm to his nephew George and his business partner Robert Marr Wharam. Crapper lived at 12 Thornsett Road, Anerley, for the last thirteen years of his life and died on 27 January 1910. He was buried in the nearby Elmers End Cemetery.
In 1966 the company was sold by then owner Robert G. Wharam (son of Robert Marr Wharam) on his retirement, to their rivals John Bolding & Sons. Bolding went into liquidation in 1969. The company fell out of use until it was acquired by Simon Kirby, a historian and collector of antique bathroom fittings, who relaunched the company in Stratford-upon-Avon, producing authentic reproductions of Crapper's original Victorian bathroom fittings.
Siphonic flush toilet
Crapper held nine patents, three of them for water closet improvements such as the floating ballcock, but none was for the flush toilet itself. Thomas Crapper's advertisements implied the siphonic flush was his invention; one having the text "Crapper's Valveless Water Waste Preventer (Patent #4,990) One movable part only", but patent 4990 (for a minor improvement to the water waste preventer) was not his, but that of Albert Giblin in 1898. Crapper's nephew, George, did improve the siphon mechanism by which the water flow is started. A patent for this development was awarded in 1898.
Origin of the word "crap"
It has often been claimed in popular culture that the slang term for human bodily waste, "crap", originated with Thomas Crapper because of his association with lavatories. The most common version of this story is that American servicemen stationed in England during World War I saw his name on cisterns and used it as army slang, i.e. "I'm going to the crapper".
The word crap is actually of Middle English origin; and hence predates its application to bodily waste. Its first application to bodily waste, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, appeared in 1846 under a reference to a crapping ken, or a privy, where ken means a house.
Its most likely etymological origin is a combination of two older words, the Dutch krappen: to pluck off, cut off, or separate; and the Old French crappe: siftings, waste or rejected matter (from the medieval Latin crappa, chaff).
References
- ^ McConnell, Anita (2004), "Crapper, Thomas (1837–1910)", Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, retrieved 10 November 2008
- Goddard, Donald (26 May 1985), "Group Walks Gain Ground in London", New York Times, retrieved 2 March 2009
- Thomas Crapper history, Westminster Abbey, Sandringham &c., Thomas Crapper & Co., 24 January 2004, retrieved 2 February 2009
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Krinsky, William L. (2 March 1999), "Of Facts and Artifacts", New York Times, retrieved 2 March 2009
- Wilson, Blake (16 December 2008), "Tom the Plumber", New York Times, retrieved 2 March 2009
- Hume, Robert (January 2010), "Thomas Crapper: Lavatory Legend", BBC History Magazine, Stone Publishing House 2009, ISBN 978-0-9549909-3-0
- Hart-Davis, Adam, Thomas Crapper – Fact and Fiction, ExNet, retrieved 13 May 2010
- ^ World Wide Words
Further reading
- Hart-Davis, Adam (1997). Thunder, Flush and Thomas Crapper: An Encyclopedia. Michael O'Mara Books. ISBN 1-85479-250-4.
- Reyburn, Wallace (2010). Flushed With Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper. Polperro Heritage Press. ISBN 978-0-9559541-5-3.
External links
- Thomas Crapper at Snopes.com
- Thomas Crapper & Co. Ltd. - the plumbing company founded by Thomas Crapper