William Cookworthy was an English Quaker minister, a successful pharmacist and an innovator in several fields of technology.
Background
He was born of Quaker parents in Kingsbridge, Devon on 12 April 1705. His father, also called William, was a weaver and his mother was Edith, the daughter of John and Margaret Debell of Street Martin-by-Looe in east Cornwall: they had married in 1704. William was a bright child but his education was halted when his father died on 22 October 1718 and the family"s investment in the South Sea Company failed in the autumn of 1720.
Education
As the family had no spare money, William walked to London to take up the offer and, eventually, successfully completed the apprenticeship.
Career
Their children were: William had been offered an apprenticeship, at no cost, by the Bevan Brothers, two Quaker apothecaries, with a successful business in London. The Bevans set him up in business in, where he was extremely successful. He bought out the Bevans" interest in 1745.
Porcelain He discovered china clay in Cornwall and devised a way of making porcelain, which previously was imported from China.
Lighthouse engineering Cookworthy helped Smeaton with the development of hydraulic lime, which was essential to the successful building of the lighthouse. Dietary advice He advised naval officers that scurvy might be prevented and treated by supplying crews with fresh fruit and vegetables, and in their absence, sauerkraut (rich in vitamin C).
In 1767 Cookworthy, in conjunction with Rev Thomas Hartley, translated Emanuel "s theological works, The Doctrine of Life, Treatise on Influx, and Heaven and Hell, from Latin into English. His initial reaction to "s works was one of disgust, but with persistence, he was convinced of their merits and was a persuasive advocate.
Hartley and Cookworthy later visited at his lodgings in Clerkenwell shortly before "s death.
In 1768 he founded a works at for the production of Porcelain. lieutenant is also known that prior to his departure, Captain James Cook and Captain John Jervis, together with the naturalists Doctor Solander and Sir Joseph Banks, were guests of Cookworthy.