6 Haldank Gke — Henry Wilde 



After the Broughton Copper Company had taken over the patents, 

 it was alleged that Sir Joseph Lee had infringed these patents. 

 This led to a costly legal action, in which the defendant was 

 defeated. 



Dr. Wilde's association with the Elkingtons led to an impor- 

 tant use of his machines. Richard Elkington may be regarded 

 as the founder of the electro-plating industry in England. He 

 and his cousin Henry opened a large electro-plating works in 

 Birmmgham in 1841. They soon realised that dynamos must 

 be substituted for primary cells, and they tried the primitive 

 machines then available. In 1865 G. R. Elkington, junior, patented 

 a process for the electrolytic refining of copper, which is iden- 

 tical in principle with that used at the present day. He adopted 

 the use of Wilde's machines, and his firm paid a royalty of 

 ;^3oo per annum for a number of years to Messrs. Wilde & Co. 

 Messrs. Elliott of Pembrey, near Swansea, who took over the 

 refining process from the Elkingtons, also used Wilde's machines. 

 One of these was capable of giving 900 lbs. of copper in 24 

 hours. As the electrolytic refining process extended, Wilde 

 obtained other users of his machines abroad. These included 

 the Mansfield Mining Company of Eisleben and Messrs. Stern 

 of Oker. 



Extension of Patents. Liii(^ation. 



In 1877 Henry Wilde petitioned the Privy Council to extend his 

 dynamo patents of 1863 and 1865. He had the advantage of the 

 evidence of the eminent engineer, Y . ]. Bramwell, who made the 

 claims of the patentee very clear. The result of the petition was 

 that the patents were extended until 1884. 



When the Gramme dynamo was introduced into this country, 

 Wilde brought an action against the British agents for infringe- 

 ment of his patent. The agents obtained the opinions of F. H. 

 Holmes, who for twenty-five years had been engaged in design- 

 ing and constructing dynamos, S. A. Varley, one of the first to 

 use residual magnetism for the excitation of electro-magnets, 

 and Fontaine and Werdemann, well-known inventors. Their 

 evidence was so strong, and threw so much doubt on the priority 

 of Wilde's inventions, that Wilde found it advisable to withdraw 

 his action. 



Henry Wilde's fondness for litigation grew with his years, 

 and in 1902 he brought a regrettable action against the late 

 Professor S. P. Thompson and the printers and publishers of 

 Thompson's standard treatise on " Dynamo-electric Machinery." 

 The plaintiff claimed an injunction to restrain the defendants 

 from asserting that Henry Wilde " is not the inventor of the 

 generator of dynamic electricity known as the Dynamo or 

 attributing such invention to any person or persons other than 

 the Plaintift," and claimed damages and costs. The report of 



