A History of the Petter Family Innovations: 1865 - 1937

The manufacturing history of Yeovil and indeed its present day strength in areas of engineering and technology owes much to the innovative thinking and driving force of one of its famous families - the Petters. Local historian Jack Sweet offers this short history of the Petter family's contribution to the town's economy.

In 1865 John Petter of Barnstaple, bought an ironmonger's business in Yeovil as a wedding present for his son, John Bazeley Petter. Within a few years John Bazeley had expanded his retail ironmongery and engineering business by purchasing the Yeovil Foundry and took into partnership the manager, Mr Henry F Edgar. Producing agricultural implements and machinery, the firm of Petter and Edgar prospered, but it was James Petter's invention of the 'Nautilus' grate and fireplace in 1881, which brought the firm to national attention when the grates were installed in Queen Victoria's residences at Osborne House and Balmoral. The design of the grate was based on the internal shape of the Nautilus shell by means of which the fumes and smoke circulated in a chamber before being drawn out through the flue.
The partnership was dissolved following Henry Edgar's fatal accident in 1886 and shortly after, with the entry of James’s talented twin sons Ernest and Percy, and an exceedingly clever all-round engineer and designer, Mr Ben Jacobs, the firm was on the way to becoming innovative and successful manufacturers of oil engines. In 1895 the brothers and Ben Jacobs designed a one h.p. engine, which was installed in a ‘horseless carriage’, built by Hill and Boll in their Yeovil carriage works. Petters went on to build twelve new vehicles but in 1897 with the failure of their latest model to win one thousand guineas prize money in a national competition, together with financial problems being experienced by the company set up to manufacture the motor cars, the brothers returned their attention to the manufacture of oil engines.
Oil engines were being produced in large numbers and in 1912, the public company, James B Petter and Co. Ltd, built a new factory in Reckleford and named it the Nautilus Works. From the new factory, engines were being produced at the rate of 1500 a year, many of which were exported all over the world, and one of the best known was the Petters 'Handy Man'.

 

In 1913, the firm purchased land for a new foundry, which was named Westland, and early in 1914 the first castings were poured in, what was one of the largest foundries in Great Britain. Following the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Petters offered their entire manufacturing resources to the Government, and in 1915 the Westland Aircraft branch of the company was formed with an initial order from the Admiralty for supplying Short 184 float planes. The story of Westland Aircraft is told in separate articles.

 

Petters, as distinct from the aircraft branch of Westland, continued to manufacture oil engines and by 1917, over 14,000 engines had been sold. In 1935 Westland Aircraft Ltd was established and in 1937 Associated British Engines Ltd. acquired the Petter engine business. Two years later Petters became part of Brush Engineering Co. and all manufacture was moved to Loughborough, thus the long and successful manufacture of Petters engines of Yeovil came to an end.
 

January 2008 - Jack Sweet
 

Picture of the Petter Brothers provided courtesy of Ogden Publications - Farm Collector Magazine