Richard Bowyer Smith (2 September 1837 in London, England – 4 February 1919 in

Subiaco, Western Australia Subiaco (known colloquially as Subi) is an inner- western suburb of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is approximately west of Perth's central business district, in the City of Subiaco local government area. Historically a working-cl ...

) was an Australian inventor.

Career

Smith migrated from London to South Australia with his parents Owen and Mary Ann Smith (née Lee), arriving on 15 May 1838. He is reported as serving an apprenticeship as a wheelwright with J. G. Ramsay & Co. of

Strathalbyn, South Australia Strathalbyn is a town in South Australia, in the Alexandrina Council. As of 2016, the town had a population of approximately 6,500. Location Strathalbyn is 60 km southeast of Adelaide on the banks of the River Angas, at the southeastern ed ...

. Under Smith's direction, his brother

Clarence Herbert Smith Clarence Herbert Smith (10 August 1855 in Alma, Victoria — 25 July 1901 in Ardrossan, South Australia) was an Australian agriculturalist, engineer, blacksmith and inventor. He was a farmer at Kalkabury, north of Arthurton, South Australia, ...

created the first

stump-jump plough The stump-jump plough, also known as stump-jumping plough, is a kind of plough invented in South Australia in the late 19th century by Richard Bowyer Smith and Clarence Herbert Smith to solve the particular problem of preparing mallee lands fo ...

, entitled the ''Vixen'', in 1876. The South Australian government had offered a reward of £200 to anyone who could develop an effective mechanical stump puller due to frustration with lack of productivity efficiency on its

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

s with current equipment. The plough consisted of any number of hinged shares: when the blade encountered an underground obstacle, it would rise out of the ground. Attached weights forced the blade back into the ground after the root was passed, allowing as much of the ground to be furrowed as possible. Although a little unorthodox, it proved remarkably effective, and was dubbed the "stump-jump" plough. Smith took out a patent in 1877 for the design, but allowed it to lapse, though one report has him selling the patent rights to

Mellor Brothers Mellor Brothers was a farm machinery manufacturer in the early days of the colony of South Australia, founded by Joseph Mellor, and carried on by two of their four sons. History Joseph Mellor, his wife Mary née Fox, and son Thomas Fox Mellor ar ...

. R. B. Smith was later credited as the inventor of the design by the

Parliament of South Australia The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the 47-seat House of Assembly ( lower house) and the 22-seat Legislative Council (upper house). General elections are ...

in 1882, despite controversy over the claim, and was awarded £500. His brother began manufacturing the parts in South Australia, whilst R. B. Smith relocated to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in 1884, demonstrating and marketing the plough he designed with little sales success and minimal profits. After moving to Western Australia, Smith was the manager of a hotel from 1893 to 1895, and between 1895 and 1899 he operated 'railway refreshment rooms'. He then leased of farmland at

Beverley Beverley is a market and minster town and a civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre and north-west of City of Hull. The town is known fo ...

, where he resumed his passion for creating agricultural tools. He proceeded to then open a workshop in the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

suburb of

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...

in 1912, having ended his lease of the farming land.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Richard Bowyer 1837 births 1919 deaths 19th-century Australian inventors 19th-century Australian engineers Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery