In September 1841, engineer William Wilkins of London formed a partnership with plane maker Edward Cox. It seems likely that they planned to share Wilkins' machine shop located at 84 Long-acre street, but maintain separate manufacturing activities with Cox making planes and Wilkins making metal lathes and accessories. Only a few months later, in December 1841, their partnership was dissolved. Cox continued as a plane maker, working out of his residence, and was making lathes by 1851. Wilkins' business, meanwhile seems to have failed and the contents of his machine shop were sold at auction in May 1842.

A decade later Wilkins was again in business and making lathes and tools out of premises at 9 High street. This is the last reliable data point we have found on this maker but information is generally scarce so it is possible that he was in business for some years before and/or after 1851.

Information on this maker is exceedingly difficult to come by, complicated by having a common name. We found persons of the same name working in London during roughly 1830-1890 as architect. archaeologist, lighthouse-lamp maker, beer seller, bootmaker, and bricklayer. Searching for Wilkins lathes will reveal some photographs and sale listings of ornamental lathes but these all seem to show the same one or two lathes.

Information Sources

• Pre-1840 mentions of a William Wilkins, London architect and archaeologist, is definitely a different person—the architect/archaeologist died in 1839.
• 1841 Post Office London Directory, under "Lathe & Tool Makers": "Wilkins William, 85 Long acre".
• December 1841 issues of London Gazette and shown on a web page on early English plane makers.

  December, 1841.—Take notice, that the Partnership between us, Working Engineers and General Tool Manufacturers, carried on at 84, Long-acre, and at No. 10, Castle-street, Long-acre, is this day dissolved. All outstanding debts due to the Tool Trade to be paid to Ed. Cox; and all outstanding debts due to the Engineering Trade to be paid to Wm. Wilkins.
  Wm. Wilkins
  Edward Cox.

• Grace's Guide page on William Wilkins of London. The following data points are noted.
  • 1841 Post Office London Directory as listed above.
  • 1841-09-28 Morning Advertiser.

    TO AMATEURS, CARPENTERS, CABINET-MAKERS, COACH BUILDERS, and Others.—GENERAL TOOL and PLANE-MANUFACTORY, No. 85, Long-acre, London. E. COX begs to inform the Public that has had 20 years' practical experience in Moon’s General Tool Establishment, formerly of St. Martin's-lane, who has now retired; and that he has entered into Partnership with W. Wilkins, Lathe, Slide-rest maker, &c., as above, and are selling the best Articles that can be manufactured, at much reduced prices. All persons requiring Tools, &c., will find this Establishment worth their notice.

  • 1841-12-29 Globe, in a listing of "Partnerships Dissolved".

    William Wilkins and Edward Cox, engineers and tool makers, Long-acre and Castle Street.

  • 1842-05-28 Morning Herald (London), ad.

    To Amateur and Professional Turners, Engineers, and Others.—Turning Lathes, and Philosophical Instruments. TOPLIS and SON have been favoured with instructions to SELL by AUCTION, at their Rooms, No. 16, St. Paul's Churchyard, on Wednesday, June 1... Also the turning lathes and tools of Mr. Wilkins, engineer, Long-acre, comprising several excellent iron lathes, with double gear, slide, rests, &c. A 15-inch engineer's powerful lathe, with iron handle and wheel, and all the working tools and anvils, numerous castings for lathe frames, and a valuable assortment of steam-engine and lathe patterns, and other effects...

  • 1851 Post Office London Directory, under "Lathe & Tool Makers": "Wilkins Wm. 9 High street, Bloomsbury".
• 1850-11-07 British patent to a William Crane Wilkins of Long-acre, Middlesex County, Engineer, for "An invention in lighting, and in apparatus for lighthouses, signal, floating and harbour lights." This appears to be a different William Wilkins.
• 1872 International Guide to British and Foreign Merchants and Manufacturers, published by Ingoldby and Lamb, London, page 282, under "Engineers": "Wilkins, W. & Co., 25 Long Acre, London, W.C." Despite being on the same street as our 1841 W. Wilkins, this seems more likely than not to be a different person. The 1884 J. A. Berly's Universal Electrical Directory and Advertiser, page 128, lists "Wilkins, W., & Co., 25, Long-acre, London, W.C." under "Lighthouse Dioptric Apparatus Makers". This is likely the William Crane Wilkins mentioned above as having applied in 1850 for a lighthouse-related patent.
• 1992 Christie's auction listing.

  An ornamental turning lathe signed Wilkins, London, with iron bed, double mahogany frame, flywheel, crankshaft and treadle gear, shepheard's crook overhead, traversing mandrel headstock, brass pulley with four-row division plate, seven brass screw hobs and two star nuts, index, screw-barrel tail-stock, boring collar and stand, oval chuck and cam ring, eccentric chuck, 13 assorted work chucks, heavy metal turning slide rest, small oak chest containing 22 slide-rest tools, 16 drills and an early type drill slide, a fretsaw attachment, and sundries.

  This item sold for £1,980. A 2021 Practical Machinist post advertised this same lathe for sale. The photograph there can be viewed in our Photo Index for William Wilkins