FOWLER
Born in 1826 into a prominent Wiltshire family of farmers and industrialists, John Fowler was apprenticed to Edgar Gilkes, a fellow Quaker from Nailsworth who had started a business making locomotives for the Stephensons as well as bridges and colliery winding gear in Middlesborough. Also working there was Quaker Edgar Fry of the prominent Bristol confectionery dynasty.
Gilkes and Fowler soon formed a business partnership which, after Fowler’s time, became the well-known Bristol Wagon Works (which see).
Fowler had meanwhile become intrigued by the possibility of mechanical ploughing and, after a visit to witness the Irish potato famine, determined to improve drainage and cultivation techniques. His enormous strides in this field are described in detail in the Story of the Steam Plough Works by Michael R Lane.
Fowler patented a horse-operated mole drain winch in 1855 and at the same time he was in discussion with Clayton and fellow Quakers at Ransomes about how to apply steam power. In 1856 Thomas Aveling (using a Clayton) became one of Fowler’s first customers.
Stephensons then made a complete steam cable ploughing unit for Fowler in 1858, after which KItson’s made nearly a hundred steam apparatus
