Collectors of vintage lawnmowers & housing the premier historic collection of mowers in Great Britain
James Ferrabee's Patent Budding Improved Lawnmower
(Photos to follow)
In the year 1830, John Ferrabee the owner of the Phoenix Ironworks in Thrupp, Stroud, had formed a partnership with Edwin Beard Budding. Together they patented the Budding lawn mower. At the time of these inventions, the Letters Patent would only be approved on full inventions, and the Letters Patent ran for 25 years. In most cases the Letters patent was the key to success, as money could be raised by licensing the Patent to other companies or manufacturers. Raising capital in those days was not as straight forward as today.
The original Buddings Patent was proved for England, Ireland, and Wales - not Scotland. This was because at that time and up to the late 1890’s, Scotland ran its own Patents house by Royal decent. This is why there was an infringement on the original Buddings Patent by Shanks of Arbroath in 1842.
In 1832 Ransomes of Ipswich had gained the first license to produce the Budding Patent lawnmower from John Ferrabee. I have found personal notes from the first lawn mower manager at Ransomes, that Ransomes would make large batches of parts in their foundries, but then wait till the winter months, before the mowers were built from those parts. The number of the machines made is rather ambiguous and it could be said it depends on which historical periodical you read, to which number you wish to work from!
There were other licenses sold to other manufacturers, to include Samuelson of Banbury and later Deane, Dray & Co of London Bridge. However, Thomas Greens of Leeds, decided to go a different way verging on infringement.
The main drawback of the original Patent, was the placement of the land rollers. The rear being of a large diameter, followed by a much smaller intermediate roller, then the cutting cylinder at the front, which worked to cut the grass. On uneven surfaces the mower would have a tendency to gouge the ground, known at the time as “thugging”
Unlike today, most machines in this period would have had slight changes made as improvements were realised.
The use of putting a manufacturers name on the machine was not a common practise till after the Great Exhibition of 1851 when it was realised it could be a good way to advertise.
By 1855 the original Letters Patent for the Budding lawn mower had run out. By this time the Patent system had allowed for improvements on inventions to be patented, opening the flood gates for more Patents.
James Ferrabee’s Budding Improved mower was Patented in 1858 firstly shown with a front axle and wheels, which later improved with an addition of a front roller. To finance the project, the patent was licensed to Ransomes & Sims.
Looking at the original patent and an actual machine which resides in Stroud Museum, the design of the actual castings would have been very expensive due to the amount of wastage in the machining process. Then looking at other evidence, the Ferrabee family was suffering financially. In 1855 the original partnership between James and Henry Ferrabee was dissolved (17th November, Gloucester Journal), in 1856 an auction was announced in two lots. Lot one, The Phoenix Iron Foundry contents, which was being used by James Ferrabee and Company – lot two adjoining land (31st May Gloucester Chronical). On December 19th 1857 Henry Ferrabee was declared bankrupt (Stroud Journal).
Looking at the records available for all Ferrabee’s products they were either making, or agents for, there were many collaborations with other companies. On 2nd July 1859 Messer’s J Ferrabee & Co exhibited their wares and were agents for Ransomes at The Stroud Flower Show (Stroud Journal).
Ransomes & Sims under licence produced a better casting design for J Ferrabee & Co which was cast with Ferrabee’s markings, a prefix capital M followed by a single number. There are only 2 examples known from this period 1858 – 1861 one owned by Milton Keynes Rural Life Museum & The Hall & Duck Trust.
The design of which Ransomes & Sims produced is today known as the origin of today’s lawn mowers
On May 6th 1861 James Ferrabee’s Budding Improved Patent made by Ransomes and Sims was re-marketed as the Ransomes Improved. Variations to width of cuts were added and all work marked Ransomes & Sims on the castings.
Today there is only one known example and this resides in Wimbledon’s Tennis Museum.
The Hall & Duck Trust
