Sealy Fourdrinier

Large Fourdrinier-style paper-making machine. A row of heated drums dry out the paper, which enters the machine as wet pulp.Large rolls are usually sliced into a number of thin rolls, which can feed continuous presses (e.g. newspapers) or be cut into separate sheets.

Sealy Fourdrinier (9 October 1773 – 1847) was an English paper-making entrepreneur.^[1]

He was born the son of paper maker and stationer Henry Fourdrinier and grandson of the engraver Paul Fourdrinier (1698-1758), who were of Huguenot descent. His brother was Henry Fourdrinier, his later partner in business.

Around the end of the 18th century Sealy and his brother were approached by John Gamble and Leger Didot, who were seeking financial support to develop an automatic paper making machine developed in Paris by Louis-Nicolas Robert, an employee of Didot. In 1801–02 the Fourdriniers entrusted engineer Bryan Donkin (then working with John Hall)^[2] with the development of Robert's model into a prototype continuous paper-making machine. The world's first production machine was installed at Frogmore Paper Mill in Apsley, Hertfordshire in 1803 and a second, much improved and larger machine installed the following year. By 1810 eighteen machines had been installed at various mills.^[3]

The cost of developing and improving the machines was of the order of £60,000 and although the inventions were covered by various patents taken out by the Fourdrinier brothers, the costs of manufacture, installation and maintenance and the difficulty of collecting royalties forced the brothers to declare themselves bankrupt in 1810.

The machines themselves, known as Fourdrinier machines, were very successful and continued to be made in considerable numbers by Donkins. In 1837 a Parliamentary Select Committee acknowledged the importance of the Fourdriniers’ contribution to the paper industry and voted them £7000 compensation.

シーリー・フォードリニアーは1847年にサザークで亡くなった。彼はロンドンのセント・メアリー・ウォルノースでハリエット・パウナルと結婚し、ジェームズ・シーリー（1805-1870）、ハリエット（1806-1863）、ルイザ・エリザベス（1813-1892）という子をもうけた。ルイザ・エリザベスは牧師のジョン・バサースト・ディーンと結婚し^{[ 4 ]} 、メアリー・バサースト・ディーンを含む13人の子供の母となった。もう一人の娘、エレノア・ディーン（1861-1941）はヘンリー・アーネスト・ウッドハウスと結婚し、作家P・G・ウッドハウスの母となった^{[ 5 ]}。

参考文献

1. 「シーリー・フォードリニア」『グレース・ガイド』 2016年11月9日閲覧
2. 「ジョン・ホール（ダートフォード出身）」『グレース・ガイド』2017年5月23日閲覧。
3. 「フォードリニエと世界初の製紙機械」フロッグモア製紙工場。 2016年11月9日閲覧。
4. 『ジェントルマンズ・マガジン』 101ページ「結婚」
5. バークの貴族階級、第2巻（2003年）、2,164ページ