Sir Joseph Whitworth FRS 1st Baronet
(1803-1887)

Died aged c. 84

Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet Bt FRS FRSA (21 December 1803 – 22 January 1887) was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for screw threads. Whitworth also created the Whitworth rifle, often called the "sharpshooter" because of its accuracy, which is considered one of the earliest examples of a sniper rifle. Whitworth was created a baronet by Queen Victoria in 1869. Upon his death in 1887, Whitworth bequeathed much of his fortune for the people of Manchester, with the Whitworth Art Gallery and Christie Hospital partly funded by Whitworth's money. Whitworth Street and Whitworth Hall in Manchester are named in his honour. Whitworth's company merged with the W.G. Armstrong & Mitchell Company to become Armstrong Whitworth in 1897.

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Commemorated on 2 plaques

Sir Joseph Whitworth 1803-1887 Engineer, Inventor and Innovator Established the British Standard Whitworth screw thread Served his apprenticeship here

Amber Mill, Oakerthorpe, United Kingdom where they attended school

Sir Joseph Whitworth 1803-1887 Pioneer of Mechanical Engineering whose work on the standardisation of screw threads and precision machine tools have helped pave the way for the Industrial Revolution lived here 1850-1872

Chancellors Way, Moseley Road, Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom where they lived