Born 1754. Died November 15, 1839.

William Murdock was born at Bellow Mill, near Old Cumnock, Ayrshire, where his father carried on the business of a millwright and miller, and likewise possessed a farm on the estate of the Boswell family of Auchinleck. His mother's maiden name was Bruce, and she used to boast of being lineally descended from Robert Bruce, of Scottish History. Little is known of Murdock's life prior to his coming to England, and joining, in the year 1777, Boulton and Watt's establishment at Soho, at that time in its infancy. He must, however, have had some celebrity in his native country, as he was employed to build a bridge over the river Nith, in Dumfrieshire, a very handsome structure, and still in existence. His talents were soon appreciated at Soho, particularly by James Watt, with whom he continued on terms of the closest friendship until Mr. Watt's death in 1819. After remaining two years at Soho, Murdock was appointed by Messrs. Boulton and Watt to superintend the erection, and undertake the general charge, of their new steam-engines in Cornwall, where he erected the first engine, in that part of the country, with a separate condenser. He continued to live in the district for the space of nineteen years, giving great satisfaction to the mining interest; so much so, that when it became known that he was about to return to Soho, 1000l. a-year was offered him to remain in Cornwall. During his residence there Murdock contrived and executed a model locomotive, which, as early as the year 1784, he was in the habit of showing to his friends in working order, and drawing a small waggon round a room in his house at Redruth. He used to tell a story, that while making experiments with this engine, he one night determined to test its powers on a level road leading from his house to the church, which was situated about a mile distant from the town; this road was bounded on each side by high edges, and well suited for the purpose. Murdock accordingly sallied out, and placing his engine on the ground, lit the fire, or rather lamp, under the boiler; after a few minutes off started the locomotive with the inventor full chase after it; after continuing the pursuit for a short distance, he heard cries as of a person in great distress; the night was too dark to perceive objects afar off, but on going on, he found that the sounds proceeded from the clergyman of the parish, who had set out for the town on business, and being met on this lonely road by the fiery monster, had taken it for the Evil One in person. This model locomotive was exhibited before a meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1850, sixty-six years after the date of its construction.

Mr. Murdock is, however, better known to the public by his application of the light of coal gas to general purposes. Although this gas had been well known, and obtained both naturally and artificially more than half a century before his time, no attempt had as yet been made to turn the discovery to any useful account. In the year 1792 Murdock first employed coal gas for the purpose of lighting his house and offices at Redruth; he made it serve also as a lantern, by attaching a bladder with a tube mouthpiece under the bottom of a glass shade, which contrivance used to light him across the moors when returning home at night from the mining engines he was erecting in different parts of the district. After various experiments which proved the economy and convenience of light so obtained, he perfected his apparatus and made a public exhibition of it by lighting up the front of Boulton and Watt's manufactory at Soho, on the occasion of the general illumination for the peace of Amiens, in 1802. He subsequently lighted up some cotton mills at Manchester, beginning with Messrs. Phillips and Lee's, and published a paper on the subject in the 'Philosophical Transactions' of 1808, for which the Royal Society presented him with the Rumford gold medal.

In 1798 Murdock returned to take up his permanent residence at Soho, superintending the machinery there, and occasionally the erection of engines at a distance, among which may be mentioned those of the New River Head, Lambeth, Chelsea, Southwark, East London, West Middlesex, and other waterworks. In the following year he took out a patent for improvements in boring cylinders and in the manufacture of steam casings; this patent also included the double D slide valve and a rotary engine. Amongst other inventions and discoveries of Murdock's are: a plan for boring stone pipes for water, and cutting columns out of solid blocks of stone (for which he took a patent in 1810); a pneumatic lift working by compressed air; and a cast iron cement, which he was led to discover by the accidental observance of some iron borings and sal-ammoniac, which had got mixed in his tool-chest and rusted a sword blade nearly through. He also made use of compressed air to ring the bells in his house; a plan which so pleased Sir Walter Scott, to whom it had been described, that he had his house at Abbotsford fitted up in a similar manner. Murdock likewise discovered a substitute for isinglass, and when in London for the purpose of explaining to the brewers the nature of his discovery, occupied very handsome apartments. Being, however, at all times absorbed in whatever subject he had in hand, he little respected the splendour of his drawing-room, but proceeded with his experiments as if in the laboratory at Soho, quite unconscious of the mischief he was doing. This resulted in his abrupt dismissal from the apartments by the enraged landlady, who one morning, on calling in to receive orders, was horrified at seeing all her magnificent paper-hangings covered with wet fish skins hung up to dry, and actually caught him in the act of pinning up a cod's skin to undergo the same process.

In the year 1815, while Mr. Murdock was fitting up an apparatus of his own invention for heating the water of the baths at Leamington, a ponderous cast-iron plate fell upon his leg above the ankle, nearly severing it in two. This severe accident laid him up for a long time, and he never entirely recovered from the effects of it. During the latter years of his life Murdock's faculties, both corporeal and mental, experienced a gradual decay, causing him to live in complete retirement. He died in 1839, aged eighty-five years, and his remains were buried in Handsworth Church, near to those of Boulton and James Watt.

Mr. Murdock married in the year 1785 the daughter of Captain Paynter, of Redruth, Cornwall, who died at the early age of twenty-four, having had four children.—From a Paper read by Mr. William Buckle, of Soho, before a meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, October 23, 1850.