Richard Hornsby & Sons

Richard Hornsby & Sons
Company type	Private company
Industry	Engineering, Agricultural machinery, Engine manufacturing
Founded	1828 in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England
Founder	Richard Hornsby
Defunct	1918
Fate	Merged with Rustons of Lincoln to form Ruston & Hornsby
Headquarters	Grantham, England
Products	Engines, agricultural machinery, tractors, chain track tractors
Number of employees	Approximately 3,000 (1918)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Richard Hornsby & Sons, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 2025

Richard Hornsby & Sons operated as a manufacturer of engines and machinery in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England from 1828 through 1918. The firm was instrumental in producing the oil engine invented by Herbert Akroyd Stuart, which was marketed under the Hornsby-Akroyd brand. Additionally, the company developed an early vehicle track system and sold its patent rights to Holt & Co. in the United States, a forerunner of Caterpillar Inc.. In 1918, Richard Hornsby & Sons merged with neighboring engineering company Rustons of Lincoln, forming the new entity Ruston & Hornsby.

Formation

The enterprise took its name from Richard Hornsby (1790–1864), an engineer specializing in agricultural machinery. Hornsby initially partnered with Richard Seaman, joining his blacksmith business in Grantham in 1810. In 1815, they established a blacksmith's shop together. Upon Seaman’s retirement in 1828, Hornsby acquired his shares and rebranded the company as Richard Hornsby & Sons.

Agricultural machinery

At their Spittle Gate Works facility, Richard Hornsby & Sons became a leading producer of agricultural equipment. Their offerings included steam engines designed to power threshing machines and other implements such as traction engines; their portable steam engine was particularly prominent in the market. The company also purchased an adjacent farm to conduct practical testing of new machinery prior to mass production.

Hornsby Akroyd Engine

During the 1890s, collaboration with inventor Herbert Akroyd Stuart resulted in the creation of the world's first commercially available heavy oil engines, manufactured in Grantham starting July 1892. While other manufacturers declined to produce this engine due to perceived competition threats, Hornsby recognized its promise and proceeded with production. The initial unit was sold to the Newport Sanitary Authority and was later retrieved for exhibition purposes.

In 1892, T.H. Barton at Hornsbys enhanced the original design by replacing the vaporiser with an innovative cylinder head and increasing the compression ratio, enabling ignition through compression. Between 1891 and 1905, a total of 32,417 engines were built. These engines powered lighting installations at landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, the Rock of Gibraltar, and the Statue of Liberty—the latter chosen following an oil engine award at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair—as well as numerous lighthouses and Guglielmo Marconi's inaugural trans-Atlantic radio transmission.

First tractor

Richard Hornsby & Sons is acknowledged for manufacturing Britain's inaugural oil-powered tractor, named the Hornsby-Akroyd Patent Safety Oil Traction Engine, introduced in 1896 featuring a 20 hp engine. The first recorded sale occurred in 1897 when Mr. Locke-King purchased one. That same year, it earned a Silver Medal from the Royal Agricultural Society of England. Subsequently, this tractor was adapted with a chain-track mechanism.

Heavy oil military tractor

Following military trials of traction engines in 1902, authorities sought a tractor that matched steam tractors' performance but consumed less fuel and water. In 1903, a competition offered £1000 for a road-ready tractor weighing under 13 tons capable of hauling 25 tons over 40 miles at an average speed of 3 mph on gradients of 1 in 18, while also achieving speeds up to 8 mph with half load on slopes of 1 in 6. Additional criteria included possessing a winch rated for 15 tons and crossing water up to two feet deep. The only entrant was the Hornsby Heavy Oil Tractor, which won £1000 plus an £180 bonus for towing 25 tons over 58 miles without refueling.

This model featured a twin-cylinder engine with cylinders set at an angle sharing a common crankshaft, operating at 350 rpm regulated by a governor managing fuel delivery through hit-and-miss cycles controllable by the driver. Its chassis resembled traditional steam traction engines, equipped with rear wheels seven feet tall and front wheels measuring 42 inches in diameter. Cylinder dimensions were 13 inches bore by 18 inches stroke. Starting involved compressed air after preheating the vaporizer. Forward speeds were selectable via sliding spur gears at approximately 1.5, 3, 5, and 8 mph, plus reverse gear.

Chain track tractor

David Roberts, Hornsby's chief engineer and managing director, invented and secured a patent for a chain track system in July 1904, intended for heavy oil-powered tractors. In February 1906, Roberts presented the tractor to the British Army's Mechanical Transport Committee at Grantham, where it demonstrated superior performance compared to traditional wheeled tractors. A lighter variant of this chain track was also installed on a Rochet-Schneider automobile.

By July 1907, an enhanced version of the chain track was displayed at the British Army headquarters in Aldershot, accompanied by a chain-tracked trailer designed to transport artillery pieces. This demonstration impressed military officials and earned Roberts a £1000 prize from the War Office for uninterrupted travel. The machine’s capabilities attracted widespread attention, underscoring its potential application in mechanized warfare.

A third iteration underwent testing at Aldershot in May 1910, successfully towing a 60-pounder gun across challenging terrain. Major W. E. Donohue proposed combining artillery guns and bulletproof shields into a unified self-propelled platform—a concept Roberts chose not to develop but later came to regret.

Further trials conducted in North Wales exposed concerns regarding the tractor’s insufficient power relative to horse teams. Following conversion to petrol, brake horsepower increased to 105. While the Mechanical Transport Committee remained hopeful about integrating these tractors alongside horses, Brigadier General Stanley von Donop, Director of Artillery for the Royal Artillery, expressed doubts about the tractor’s effectiveness and showed limited interest in advancing its development.

Transfer of caterpillar tractor patent

By 1911, enthusiasm for Hornsby’s machine had diminished significantly. The War Office refused to assess a Holt Tractor, aligning with Von Donop’s negative stance. After five years of development funded largely by Army fees without securing military or commercial orders, Roberts faced bleak prospects. Meanwhile, Benjamin Holt of America’s Holt Manufacturing Company registered the trademark "Caterpillar" on August 2, 1910. Hornsby sold his patents to Holt in 1911 for £4,000. Holt subsequently merged with C. L. Best to establish the Caterpillar Tractor Company.

At the outbreak of the First World War, Britain was compelled to import caterpillar tractors from Holt for hauling heavy artillery, which forced British tank designers to develop new models based on American designs.

Although Hornsby’s chain track did not have a direct impact on tank engineering, Lieutenant-Colonel R. E. B. Crompton—who participated in early trials—was somewhat influenced by it. The initial British tanks utilized track plates derived from another American vehicle, the Bullock tractor, which lacked sprung suspension. Crucial to British tank innovation was William Foster & Co., an agricultural machinery manufacturer located near Hornsby’s site.

First commercial film

Promotional trials featuring both the Hornsby Tractor and Rochet-Schneider vehicles were recorded on film to aid sales efforts and were screened in cinemas, including special showings for senior British officers and international military attachés.

World War II

On September 30, 1940, seven factory employees lost their lives during a daytime bombing raid that involved four high-explosive bombs; this marked the fifth air raid on the town during the war.

Ownership

Following the death of Hornsby in 1864, control of the company transferred to his son Richard Jr., who unexpectedly passed away in 1877 at the age of 50. Subsequently, the firm transitioned to a public company, with a valuation of £235,000 and a workforce of approximately 1,400 employees under the leadership of James and William Hornsby. During the First World War, Hornsbys concentrated their efforts on producing munitions and Admiralty engines, which curtailed other product innovations. Confronted with uncertain future prospects, the management pursued a merger and selected Ruston as their partner. On 11 September 1918, Hornsby, employing around 3,000 staff, was acquired by Ruston & Proctor based in Lincoln.

Surviving machines

Only a limited number of early Richard Hornsby & Co. machines have endured, yet several significant models remain intact. Operational Hornsby Oil tractors are showcased at vintage events across the UK, with an additional unit undergoing restoration in Australia.

Preserved examples include multiple Hornsby Ackroyd oil engines as well as the Track assembly from the Hornsby Steam Tractor.

A variety of steam engines and tractors manufactured by Hornsby continue to be maintained; according to "The Traction Engine Register 2008," there are 12 portable engines and 3 traction engines still extant in the UK. Prominent specimens include number 1851 (dated August 1871), housed in the Science Museum's Wroughton storage facility, and number 7297 located at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life in Lincoln.

References

Hornsby Steam Chain Tractor website
One Hundred Years of Good Company (company history), authored by Bernard Newman, 1957, Northumberland Press
Hornsby Builders Catalogue, Lincoln 1958

External links

Video clips

Tank Chats No. 23: Hornsby Tractor presented by the Tank Museum
1908 promotional footage (with German subtitles) from the British Film Institute
One-third scale model of a Hornsby Tractor
Scale model Hornsby Tractor featured at Stapleford Steam event in 2008 held in Leicestershire
A 1905 Hornsby-Akroyd engine showcased at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2005