James Robert Napier,
FRS (12 September 1821 – 13 December 1879), Scottish
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
and scientific writer, was the
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
of ''Napier's diagram'', a tool for nautical navigation.
Early life and education
James Robert Napier was born in Camlachie,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
in 1821, the son of father
Robert Napier, himself a noted shipbuilder. He was educated at the
High School of Glasgow
The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the choir school of Glasgow Cathedral in around 1124, and is the oldest school in Scotland, and th ...
, where he was found to excel at mathematics, and graduated from the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
.
Shipbuilder
Napier was placed in charge of his father's shipbuilding business in 1842.
In 1848 he married Emma Mary Twentyman, daughter of the silversmith
Lawrence Holme Twentyman, and together they had seven children.
Napier carried out a series of experiments, measuring errors in compass navigation, and published his findings in 1851. This was called ''Napier's Diagram'', and it was a graphic method of correcting deviation of a ship's compass, which is still referenced in navigation books.
Napier worked with the engineer and physicist
William Rankine
William John Macquorn Rankine (; 5 July 1820 – 24 December 1872) was a Scottish mechanical engineer who also contributed to civil engineering, physics and mathematics. He was a founding contributor, with Rudolf Clausius and William Thomson ( ...
to attempt to improve naval engineering, including patenting an air engine (founded on the thermodynamic principle that temperature difference governs engine efficiency) with him in 1853, but the engine never saw widespread use. In 1853, he was also made a full partner in his father's business, which became ''R. Napier & Sons''.
Later career
Exhausted from the frantic schedule required to build in 1856 for the British government during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
, Napier in 1857 left the shipbuilding business he had been running for the previous 15 years and started other, less successful ventures.
He started his own shipyard shortly thereafter, but soon closed the business, citing his failing health, and took an interest in the ''West of Scotland Fishery Company'', but this venture too proved unsuccessful. His next was to run one of his iron ships, the "Lancefield", as a ferry for cargo and passengers between
Ardrossan
Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the 'Three Towns'. Ardrossan is located on the east shore ...
and
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
. While this business was a moderate success, it led to legal troubles with the Glasgow and South-Western Railway Company. Although Napier won this legal battle, he subsequently sold the "Lancefield", ending his interest in shipping. After that he worked occasionally on commission as an engineering consultant. In this he helped to design a ship to navigate the Godaveri river in
Kaleshwaram
Kaleshwaram is a village in Mahadevpur Mandal in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district in the Indian state of Telangana. This name refers more broadly to the state of Telangana & Kaleshwaram Temple.
Kaleshwaram is at the juncture of the rivers Goda ...
, India.
Professional memberships
Napier was a member of
The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow, the
Royal Institution of Naval Architects
The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (also known as RINA) is an international organisation representing naval architects. It is an elite international professional institution based in London. Its members are involved worldwide at all levels ...
, and the
British Association for the Advancement of Science
The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
, and President of The
Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland
The Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland (IESIS) is a multi-disciplinary professional body and learned society, founded in Scotland, for professional engineers in all disciplines and for those associated with or taking an interes ...
from 1863 to 1865. He was inducted into the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
of London in 1867.
Society site
/ref>
Death
James Robert Napier died in Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
in December 1879, after contracting an illness while boating on Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...
.
Bibliography
*''Shipbuilding, Theoretical and Practical'' 1866 (with William Rankine and others)
*''On pressure logs for measuring the speed of ships'' 1872
*''On British weights and measures: The pound or libric system'' 1873
*''On the economy of fuel in domestic arrangements'' 1874
*''On the chemical and microscopical analysis of an unsound wine'' 1878
*''Memoir of the late... David Elder'' 1891 (published posthumously)
References
External links
short bio of Napier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, James Robert
Presidents of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland
Engineers from Glasgow
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
1821 births
1879 deaths
British marine engineers
James Robert
Fellows of the Royal Society
Scottish inventors
People educated at the High School of Glasgow
19th-century Scottish businesspeople