Walter Hancock 1799-1852

[Rover]

Arguably the "Father of the Automobile".In the 1830`s Walter Hancock
constructed 10 different Steam Carriages for common roads that were
the only successful vehicles of this type of their time.He was the first
to run a fare paying Steam Omnibus service in 1832 that carried 120000
fare paying customers along the City Rd to the City from West Ham.He
invented a verticle tubed high pressure steam engine that was not prone
to blow up as well as the Hancock Wheel. Pioneering suspension,
steering,turning,of the first automobiles using a steam engine.He also
developed with his brother Charles a Gutta Percha extrusion machine
for making rubber and gutta percha coated copper wire to allow the first
successful underwater telegraph messages.At Stratford West Ham Langthorne.
His only Daughter and child Elizabeth Ann married James Bennett and settled in Bray Berkshire.His brother Thomas was the first to scientifically describe
the Vulcanization of India Rubber,to name the process with William Brockleton and
patent in England.

[jplant1]

That's a very interesting line to look at Rover - thanks. FreeBMD has Walter's death, and what I assume is the wedding of James Bennett to Elizabeth, at St James's in 1866.

I can't find addresses for Walter's omnibus works or his brother's gutta percha works. Do you know where they were?

[smudger]

there is an article in the "newham story" about the india rubber and gutta percha works
smudger

[smudger]

James Lyne Hancock Ltd. India Rubber Manufacturers of 266 Goswell Road. London EC1. Established in 1820 and registered in 1912. Thomas Hancock, the discoverer and patentee of the vulcanisation of rubber and the first to manufacture India Rubber, was the founder.
India Rubber Gutta-Percha and Telegraph Works Company Ltd. Cable Manufacturers of 83-86 Farringdon Street, London EC1. Registered in 1864, Well known for its trading in Argentina, India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. This company can trace its roots to Arrowsmith and Silver, Colonial Merchants, Clothiers and army agents of Cornhill, London. The firm later became known as Silver and Co., run by Stephen W. Silver who founded a rubber waterproof clothing factory at Greenwich, transferred to West Ham/Silvertown in 1852. It also manufactured India Rubber and ebonite articles such as insulated telegraph wire. Originally incorporated as Silver's India Rubber Works and Telegraph Cable Co. ltd. The company expanded rapidly by building a new gutta-percha factory at Silvertown, promoting cable companies such as West Coast of America Telegraph Co. Ltd in 1876 and South America Cable Co. Ltd in 1891. In 1934, the company was acquired by British Goodrich Rubber Co. Ltd, later taken over by BTR. The Silvertown factory who severely damaged during World War Two, and sold in 1965.
from metropolitan archives  does not mention charles or walter ?
smudger

[Robert Rogers]

I have been contacted by David Eustace, the GGGGrandson of Walter Handock re information on him and the Gutta Percha works at Stratford. He said:-

I`m researching our GGGGrandfather Walter Hancock 1799-1852 and we’re interested in the West Ham Gutta Percha Co and that Walter and his brother Charles 1802-1877 opened in the old Stratford Parish Workhouse on Abbey Rd in the late 1840`s.

I believe it became Gordon`s Gin in the late 19C.

Would you know where I may acquire photographs of the old Workhouse?

We are also very interested in gaining information on the exact location in Stratford, West Ham Langthorne, that Walter had his Work Yard for building the worlds first Steam Automobiles and Steam Omnibuses.

In the old Workhouse the Hancock brothers Walter and Charles made the first Rubber/Gutta Percha coated telegraph cables to unlimited length on Charles` patented extrusion machine.

This cable was initially laid between Calais and Dover in 1851and allowed the first undersea telegraphs messages.

Charles was the first man in England to patent Gutta Percha and was a listed Artist.

Their older brother Thomas Hancock had a Rubber Factory at 266 Goswell Road EC 1 and was the first man to scientifically discover the vulcanization process of rubber ,to name it with his friend William Brockeldon, and patent the process.     
He was also the Senior Partner of Charles Mackintosh and Co, after Chas. Macintosh`s death.
Walters Steam Omnibus`s were the first Steam fare paying commercial vehicles in the world and travelled from Stratford along Pentonville and the City Rd.
 
In 1833.The Steam Buses made 12,000 trips over 6 months. He also built a three wheeled automobile in 1834 that had a top speed of 30 MPH that he drove around Stratford and to Regents Park and the city. His wife and only child Elizabeth Ann Hancock 1836-1911 lived in Stratford until 1865 whereupon she moved to Bray Maidenhead.

Another Hancock of this family also is connected with East London and that is the Social Reformer Thomas Hancock Nunn a nephew of Thomas Walter and Charles.
He arrived at the first University Settlement at the Mansion House and spent his life organizing benevolent Groups and working with the poor in Whitechaple and West Ham after graduating from Oxford. I believe there are sites in East London and Hampstead such as Thomas Hancock-Nunn house in his memory. His brother John inherited the Rubber Firm on Goswell Rd..
I have managed to send him some information about the Leather Cloth Factory and the modern area, but cannot help on the Rubber works or the Omnibus side.

He as given me the O/K to post this information, and if anybody can help him, his e-mail address is  david.eustace@canadapost.postescanada.ca if anybody has any more information they can supply.