Description:William Murdock (or Murdoch), the son of an Ayrshire mill designer, was born in 1754. Murdock had an excellent grasp of mechanics and, in 1777, he walked 300 miles to Birmingham to meet James Watt, in the hope of persuading Watt to employ him at his factory. Watt's business partner, engineer Matthew Boulton, took him on. Boulton later described him as the finest engine erector he had ever seen.
Murdock remained works manager with Watt and Boulton's company - even after they persuaded him against patenting his own steam engine research into high pressure engines, which Watt and Boulton did not wish to involve themselves with.
Murdock's best known contribution, then, was to gas lighting. In Redruth in Cornwall, while managing a pumping engine installation, Murdock made an important discovery. He was relaxing by the fire one evening, when he placed some coal dust in the bowl of his pipe, and placed this in the fire. As coal gas was formed and came out of the mouthpiece, Murdock saw it shine brightly. He had discovered the properties of gas as an illuminant. He used this discovery to illuminate his house in Redruth and later on the Soho Works of Boulton and Watt. Murdock died in 1839 and was buried in St Mary's Church in Handsworth.
Image taken from the T.E. Pemberton album held by the Handsworth Historical Society.