William Dent Priestman

William Dent Priestman (23 August 1847 7 September 1936), born near Kingston upon Hull, was a Quaker and engineering pioneer, inventor of the Priestman Oil Engine, and co-founder of the Priestman Brothers engineering company with his brother Samuel as manufacturers of cranes, winches and excavators. Priestman Brothers built the earliest recorded railway locomotive powered by an internal combustion engine.

Biography William, along with ten other offspring, was the son of Leeds corn-miller (and latterly NER director) Samuel Priestman.

He was educated at Bootham School in York then apprenticed at the Humber Iron Works, and later at the North Eastern Railway (NER) in Gateshead. In 1869, he joined William Armstrong & Company, the engineering company owned by William Armstrong, known as the 'Priestman Oil Engine'.

In 1894 William and Samuel Priestman were given the John Scott Award for their engine.

Having lost control of the Priestman company in 1895 following insolvency William spent the rest of his life helping others. He died in Hull in 1936.

The engine was manufactured from 1888 to 1904 with over 1,000 units produced,

One engine has been preserved as a stationary exhibit at the Streetlife Museum of Transport in Kingston upon Hull. The engine design was recognised by the Engineering Heritage Hallmark Scheme awarded by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 2000 for its significance in British engineering history.

Priestman Brothers

The company founded by William and Samuel Priestman produced diggers and dredgers as well as engines; in 1895 the company became bankrupt, and the brothers lost control of the firm. The company continued in the business of producing diggers and dredgers well into the latter half of the 20th century.

Other In addition to his contribution to industry Priestman was also credited with inducing Sir Edward Fry to introduce an initial draft of the Bribery and Illicit Communications Act.