William Martin (1772-1851) was “an able mechanic” [1] who
worked as a ropemaker and also served in the militia, where he developed a reputation
as a highly competent swordsman, often taking part in, and winning, duels [2].
He was also an inventor and, in his biography [2], he includes the following
quote, where Mackenzie describes well-known residents of the Parish of Wallsend
in Newcastle-upon-Tyne [3]:
“William Martin, the Natural
Philosopher,” resides here. He has published, under the patronage of his Grace
the Duke of Northumberland, “A New System of Natural Philosophy, on the
Principle of Perpetual Motion; with a Variety of other Useful Discoveries.”
From the Lord having made man a living soul, by breathing into his nostrils the
breath of life, Mr Martin infers that air is the cause of perpetual motion.. ..Mr
Martin’s other discoveries are numerous and useful. They consist of a
life-preserver for seamen, air-fans for ventilating coal-mines, an inimitable
safety-lamp, a plan for curing the dry-rot, cutting canals, and extinguishing
fires at sea; also an improved velocipede, a suspension bridge, &c &c.
But unfortunately, though under such noble patronage, his inventions have not
been brought to a successful termination; and most of them have been stolen from
him by unprincipled men! Mr M. did, however, obtain, in 1814, a silver medal
and ten guineas from the Society of Arts, for his invention a of a spring
weighing machine...
Based on this description, what are we to make of William
Martin? His Perpetual Motion Machine was exhibited in London in 1808 and among
those who saw it was Charles Hutton FRS, the famous mathematician [4]. He
complimented William on the elegance of construction, but concluded that the
pendulum of the machine continued to swing because of the influence of magnets.
William, quite rightly, denied this, but chose not to explain that a hidden
tube connected with the outside of the building allowing atmospheric air to be
drawn to and fro, just beneath the ball at the base of the pendulum. William
himself gave a description of the machine in 1825 but it is difficult to
imagine its construction without seeing a version of it. As to his other inventions,
Balston [4] concludes that “..William’s safety-lamp and weighing-machine were
of real value..” and it may well be that the lamp was superior to those of Davy
and Stephenson that became most widely known. Among William’s less successful
inventions was the “Northumberland Eagle Mail”, a type of dandy horse bicycle propelled
by the feet of the rider (see below – there were many versions and we do not
know who copied whom). William used this to ride from town to town giving
lectures on Natural Philosophy, although Balston [4] describes the failure of
one demonstration: “…on the Town Moor, he got excessively hot propelling it
over the rough ground and was pelted with mud by the spectators.”
Clearly, William was thick-skinned as well as having a
talent for invention, although he continued to be irked by what he felt was a lack
of recognition and this set him against the scientific Establishment. He clearly retained a liking for duels, although not of the kind in which he was so successful as a younger man. Seccombe
[1] writes:
He founded the Martinean Society,
based on opposition to the Royal Society, and particularly hostile to the
Newtonian theory of gravitation, against which he harboured a growing
antagonism, which ultimately embraced all men of science. Styling himself
‘anti-newtonian’, Martin began giving lectures, first in the Newcastle district
and from 1830 throughout England. Throughout these years his voice was heard at
many meetings, ranting against scientists in general. He was inevitably drawn
to the annual gatherings of the British Association for the Advancement of
Science, the butt of his polemic The
defeat of the eighth scientific meeting of the British Association of Asses,
which we may properly call the rich folks’ hopping, or the false philosophers
in an uproar (1838).
In addition to his views on science and scientists, William
also pronounced on politics and economics (I apologise on his behalf for the
sexism) [4]:
He believed that there was much
more wisdom among the poor than among the rich and thought that only poor men
should be elected to Parliament. The college-bred man, he said, could make
great speeches, but a man could be a wonderful speaker without being wise. He
scouted the idea that England was over-populated, and said that shortage of
food and employment was wholly due to the mismanagement of the rich. He
advocated Government works – improving roads, reclaiming waste land, planting
forests, and enclosing commons – as the cure for unemployment. He proposed a
two-shilling income tax on all incomes above £100, and was ready to compensate
the taxpayers by giving each of them a gold medal or star to wear, with the
total amount of his taxes engraved on it.
It’s no surprise that the wider Establishment also rejected
him after such an attack. As we look back at William Martin, this quote from a
review of his book A New System of
Natural Philosophy in The Newcastle
Magazine of January 1822 concludes [5]:
When Mr Martin’s volume is read in
the 21st century.. ..the wise of that day will doubtless exclaim that, though
not quite so extensive as the universe, his works are equally inexplicable.
After a quotation or two, and a few exclamations about the greatness of God,
and the raptures of our author at the sight of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus..
..Mr Martin concludes with the republication of Pope’s universal prayer, which,
an ill-natured critic would say, is certainly, though not the most amusing, by
far the most instructive piece of philosophy in the book.
That’s right up there among the best damning reviews one
could get, but I haven’t read William Martin’s book so I am not in a position
to judge. However, having been trained as a scientist, I am conscious of the
need to avoid exaggeration and dishonesty, although there are cases of
scientists who bend the rules to get exposure. Although he was not trained as a
scientist, William Martin provides an example of someone who had talent, but did
not follow this creed, yet it is easy to warm to his stand against the political
Establishment and the role of the “ruling class”. His ideas on economics also have a contemporary feel.
Do we appreciate characters such as William Martin and, more
importantly, should we pay them much attention? How extraordinary, too, that
William and two of his brothers all became famous in their day: Jonathan
(1782-1838) was a notorious arsonist, driven by his religious beliefs [6], and
John (1789-1854) a well-known artist who has works in the collection at Tate
Britain.
[1] Thomas Seccombe, revised by Anita McConnell (2006) William
Martin (1772-1851). Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/18218
[2] William Martin (1833) A Short Outline of the Philosopher’s Life, from being a Child in Frocks
to the Present Day, etc. Newcastle, J Blackwell and Co..
[3] E. Mackenzie (1825) An
Historical, Topographical, and Descriptive View of the County of
Northumberland, etc. Volume II. Newcastle upon Tyne, Mackenzie and Dent.
[4] Thomas Balston (1945) The Life of Jonathan Martin, Incendiary of York Minster. London,
Macmillan & Co.
[5] Anon (1822) William Martin, The Natural Philosopher! The Newcastle Magazine, January 1822
pages 25-28.
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