Adjustable Spanner

Richard Clyburn 1842

Original Clyburn Spanner 1843 10½ʺ
Original Clyburn Spanner 1843 10½ʺ

Richard Clyburn invented the adjustable spanner in 1842. He registered the design in September 1843. This versatile tool can be adjusted to fit a variety of nuts and bolts and allows a single adjustable wrench to replace an entire set of fixed spanners.

Thrupp Mill
Clyburn Spanner 1843 detail
Clyburn Spanner 1843 detail
Richard Clyburn (1796-1852) born in Yorkshire was a Consulting Engineer in the Agricultural and Textile industries in Gloucester. He made high precision tools from both wrought and cast iron. In 1836 he was the Engineering Manager and partner in the Uley in Gloucestershire Iron Works with George Lister, also from Yorkshire. Clyburn's spanner design with open end jaws was pioneering.
Clyburn Spanner head
Clyburn Spanner head
It also featured rack and worm that he would have discussed with engineering work colleague Edwin Budding. Clyburn even produced a double ended adjustable spanner.



Longevity
Bahco Clyburn
Bahco Clyburn

Clyburns adjustable spanner design remained in production in Birmingham factories and worldwide, and appeared in tool catalogues up until about 1964.
Today the adjustable crescent shaped spanner is used worldwide and throughout Europe where it is often referred to as the 'English key' (Clé anglaise - French.) or simply a 'Clyburn Spanner'. It was made under license in several countries.
The spanner, from Germanic spannen (tighten), in a modern sense is a different tool to the wrench, olde English to twist.

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In History
  • 21 September 1936.
    This month 87 years ago the world lost Frank Hornby
  • 01 September 1976.
    This month 47 years ago the world lost Percy Shaw
  • 10 September 1960.
    This month 63 years ago the world lost Harold Gillies
  • 01 September 1806.
    This month 217 years ago the world lost Edward Nairne
  • 21 September 1836.
    This month 187 years ago the world lost John Stafford Smith
  • 01 September 1846.
    This month 177 years ago the world lost Edwin Beard Budding
  • 25 September 1936.
    This month 87 years ago the world lost William Horlick
  • Christmas Cracker. 200 years ago 18/10/1823 Tom Smith was born
  • 17 September 1877.
    This month 146 years ago the world lost William Henry Fox Talbot
  • 28 September 1839.
    On this day 184 years ago John Lawson Johnston was born
  • 18 September 1938.
    This month 85 years ago the world lost William Fletcher
  • Marshall Amplification. 100 years ago 29/7/1923 Jim Marshall was born
  • 10 September 1938.
    This month 85 years ago the world lost Charles Cruft
  • 18 September 1967.
    This month 56 years ago the world lost John Cockcroft
  • 16 September 1890.
    This month 133 years ago the world lost Louis Le Prince
  • 50 years ago in 1973 The first stable LCD is announced to the world.
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