Thomas Sopwith

Thomas Sopwith FRS (3 January 1803 – 16 January 1879) was an English mining engineer, teacher of geology and local historian.

Early life The son of Jacob Sopwith (1770–1829), by his wife Isabella, daughter of Matthew Lowes, Thomas was born at Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England. His father was a builder and cabinet-maker; Sopwith maintained links with the family furniture and joinery business throughout his life. Initially an illustrator of antiquities, he then took up land and mineral surveying, and subsequently described himself as a civil engineer. He invented, and the family firm manufactured, an ingenious type of desk with all its drawers secured by a single lock, the 'monocleid', which won a prize at the 1851 Exhibition; an improved levelling stave; and wooden geological teaching models. He worked closely with Richard Grainger in the redevelopment of Newcastle Upon Tyne. He worked with Joseph Dickinson of Alston, Cumbria, on a survey of the lead mines in the area owned by Greenwich Hospital. In this role, he advocated for social and educational reform, particularly in the mining communities of Northumberland and Durham. During his tenure at Allenheads, he introduced a number of measures to improve the welfare of workers and their families, including the construction of new housing with a focus on health and family comfort, and he established schools that offered freehand and technical drawing, composition, and geography, among other subjects. On his retirement in 1871, Sopwith received a testimonial from 1,621 workers, acknowledging his contributions to improving their lives.

Railway engineer

Sopwith became a railway surveyor, working on commissions. Sopwith had called attention to the scientific importance of recording the geological features exposed in the cuttings of railways; and the British Association, at his initiative, made a grant in 1840 for the purpose.

Personal life Sopwith married three times: first, Mary Dickenson in 1828, who died in 1829; secondly, Jane Scott in 1831, who died in 1855; and thirdly, Anne Potter in 1858.

Among his eight children were: Jacob Sopwith, who died at the age of 19 after travelling to India with the Army under a false name. Ursula Sopwith, who married David Chadwick, M.P. on 11 June 1878 His children included: Olive Sopwith, who married South African mining magnate Jack Barnato Joel in 1907. Thomas Sopwith, founder of the Sopwith Aviation Company. Anna Sopwith, who married Sir William Shelford, K.C.M.G. Arthur Sopwith, who married William Shelford's sister Catherine and had four children, including clergyman Karl Sopwith.

Sopwith died in London and was buried at West Norwood Cemetery where there is a "Sopwith Path".

Awards and honours Sopwith was elected a member or a fellow of many learned societies, including the Royal Society, the Athenaeum Club, the Geological Societies of England and France, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Royal Institution, the Royal Geographical Society, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society of Arts, the Royal Meteorological Society, the Statistical Society of London and the Archaeological Institute and Archaeological Association.

He was awarded the Telford Silver Medal by the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1842 and elected the fifth President of the Royal Meteorological Society in 1859.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1845. His candidature citation read: Thomas Sopwith Esq FGS London, Memb Inst CE and Member of the Geological Society of France, Civil Engineer [of] St Marys Terrace Newcastle on Tyne. The Author of a Treatise on Isometric Drawing. The Inventor or improver of Methods of representing Mineral structure by dissected Models.

Works

In 1826 Sopwith published A Historical and Descriptive Account of All Saints' Church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Newcastle). and two editions (1834, 1838) of a treatise on the use of the isometric projection for drawing surveys. He also made the case for mining records in book form.

Diaries Sopwith wrote detailed diaries spanning the 57 years 1821–1878, recording daily events in his professional and personal life. He travelled widely, first by coach, then on the railways, and kept records of the times, prices, and conditions of travel in his diaries. His diaries also provide accounts of his meeting with people who were, or became, significant such as Charles Babbage, Charles Darwin and John Ruskin. The diaries are now held in the Special Collections at Newcastle University Library. Contemporaries also considered that Sopwith had substantial artistic ability, including as a cartoonist, although few of his drawings now survive.

Other works Eight Views of Fountains Abbey … with Description, Newcastle, 1832. Description of Monocleid Writing Cabinets, Newcastle, 1841?. An Account of the Museum of Economic Geology, London, 1843. Education: its Present State and Future Advancement, Newcastle, 1853. Notes of a Visit to Egypt, London, 1857. Notes of a Visit to France and Spain, Hexham, 1865. Education in Village Schools, London, 1868. Three Weeks in Central Europe, London, 1869.