242:
182:
33:
122:(baptised 28 September 1836; died 27 January 1910) was an English plumber and businessman. He founded Thomas Crapper & Co in London, a plumbing equipment company. His notability with regard to toilets has often been overstated, mostly due to the publication in 1969 of a fictional biography by New Zealand satirist
271:
Crapper's advertisements implied the siphonic flush was his invention. One such advertisement read, "Crapper's
Valveless Water Waste Preventer (Patent #4,990) One movable part only", even though patent 4,990 (for a minor improvement to the water waste preventer) was not his, but that of Albert Giblin
249:
As the first man to set up public showrooms for displaying sanitary ware, Crapper became known as an advocate of sanitary plumbing, popularising the notion of installation inside people's homes. He also helped refine and develop improvements to existing plumbing and sanitary fittings. As a part of
692:
228:
In 1966 the
Crapper company was sold by then-owner Robert G. Wharam (son of Robert Marr Wharam) upon his retirement to its rival John Bolding & Sons. Bolding went into liquidation in 1969. The company fell out of use until it was acquired by Simon Kirby, a historian and collector of antique
673:
808:
393:
171:, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1836; the exact date is unknown, but he was baptised on 28 September 1836. His father, Charles, was a sailor. In 1853, he was apprenticed to his brother George, a master plumber in
257:
was a significant improvement on the "S" as it could not jam, and unlike the S-bend, it did not have a tendency to dry out and did not need an overflow. The BBC nominated the S-bend as one of the
137:. The firm's lavatorial equipment was manufactured at premises in nearby Marlborough Road (now Draycott Avenue). The company owned the world's first bath, toilet and sink showroom in
690:, Crapper, George & Wharam, Robert Marr, "Improvements in or relating to Automatic Syphon Flushing Tanks", published 11 January 1897, issued 6 March 1897
197:
in
Norfolk and asked Thomas Crapper & Co. to supply the plumbing, including thirty lavatories with cedarwood seats and enclosures, thus giving Crapper his first
451:
459:
380:
539:
569:
334:). In English, it was used to refer to chaff and also to weeds or other rubbish. Its first recorded application to bodily waste, according to the
212:
In 1904 Crapper retired, passing the firm to his nephew George and his business partner Robert Marr Wharam. Crapper lived at 12 Thornsett Road,
424:
250:
his business he maintained a foundry and metal shop, which enabled him to try out new designs and develop more efficient plumbing solutions.
198:
142:
858:
848:
863:
647:
313:
origin and predates its application to bodily waste. Its most likely etymological origin is a combination of two older words: the
618:
843:
778:
516:
178:
In 1861 Crapper set himself up as a sanitary engineer with his own brass foundry and workshops in nearby
Marlborough Road.
717:
486:
217:
593:
833:
759:
294:, originated with Thomas Crapper because of his association with lavatories. A common version of this story is that
190:
671:, Giblin, Albert, "Improvements in Flushing Cisterns", published 1 March 1898, issued 9 April 1898
202:
531:
561:
687:
668:
838:
336:
75:
168:
44:
241:
245:
Manhole cover, inscribed "T Crapper & Co
Sanitary Engineers Marlboro Works Chelsea London"
216:, for the last six years of his life and died on 27 January 1910. He was buried in the nearby
181:
276:
mechanism by which the water flow starts. A patent for this development was awarded in 1897.
264:
Crapper held nine patents, three of them for water closet improvements such as the floating
129:
Crapper held nine patents, three of them for water closet improvements such as the floating
828:
823:
8:
230:
641:
233:, producing authentic reproductions of Crapper's original Victorian bathroom fittings.
156:
302:
saw his name on cisterns and used it as Army slang, i.e., "I'm going to the crapper".
774:
755:
748:
610:
512:
194:
152:
853:
796:
385:
409:
284:
It has often been claimed in popular culture that the vulgar slang term for human
743:
597:
254:
206:
172:
134:
123:
711:
389:
328:
314:
310:
138:
480:
372:
817:
148:
590:
340:, appeared in 1846, 10 years after Crapper was born, under a reference to a
290:
299:
141:. Crapper was noted for the quality of his products and received several
321:
295:
265:
130:
201:. The firm received further warrants from Edward as king and from
802:
213:
71:
32:
133:. He improved the S-bend plumbing trap in 1880 by inventing the
273:
285:
272:
in 1898. However, Crapper's nephew, George, did improve the
175:, and thereafter spent three years as a journeyman plumber.
425:"Three True Things About Sanitary Engineer Thomas Crapper"
223:
507:
Hume, Robert (2010), "Thomas
Crapper: Lavatory Legend",
370:
McConnell, Anita (2004). "Crapper, Thomas (1837–1910)".
185:
Thomas
Crapper Branding on one of his company's toilets
482:
Thomas
Crapper history, Westminster Abbey, Sandringham
279:
706:
704:
702:
809:Thomas Crapper Water Closet Products Advertisement
750:Thunder, Flush and Thomas Crapper: An Encyclopedia
747:
371:
253:Crapper improved the S-bend trap in 1880. The new
229:bathroom fittings, who relaunched the company in
815:
805:– the plumbing company founded by Thomas Crapper
699:
562:"Difference between U, P, and S Traps explained"
771:Flushed With Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper
591:50 Things That Made the Modern Economy: S-Bend
473:
327:(siftings, waste or rejected matter, from the
686:
485:, Thomas Crapper & Co., 24 January 2004,
320:(to pluck off, cut off, or separate) and the
259:50 Things That (have) Made the Modern Economy
384:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
742:
431:. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution
31:
369:
151:with Crapper's company's name on them in
268:, but none for the flush toilet itself.
240:
180:
16:British businessman, plumber (died 1910)
768:
449:
422:
381:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
110: 1837; died 1902)
816:
667:
643:Thomas Crapper – Fact and fiction
639:
572:from the original on 11 September 2019
365:
363:
361:
224:Posthumous fate of the Crapper company
621:from the original on 11 November 2017
489:from the original on 11 December 2008
650:from the original on 18 January 2020
611:"Thomas Crapper: Myth & Reality"
584:
542:from the original on 7 November 2017
506:
462:from the original on 25 January 2022
396:from the original on 25 January 2022
859:19th-century British businesspeople
849:People from Thorne, South Yorkshire
452:"Group Walks Gain Ground in London"
358:
13:
735:
423:Eschner, Kat (28 September 2017).
189:In the 1880s Prince Albert (later
155:have become one of London's minor
14:
875:
790:
720:from the original on 7 April 2010
374:Dictionary of National Biography
193:) purchased his country seat of
680:
661:
633:
450:Goddard, Donald (26 May 1985),
236:
107:
603:
554:
532:"When Did Thomas Crapper Die?"
524:
500:
443:
416:
1:
844:British royal warrant holders
803:Thomas Crapper & Co. Ltd.
351:
864:King's Road, Chelsea, London
536:biography.yourdictionary.com
410:UK public library membership
298:stationed in England during
7:
773:. Polperro Heritage Press.
167:Thomas Crapper was born in
10:
880:
511:, Stone Publishing House,
769:Reyburn, Wallace (2010).
337:Oxford English Dictionary
280:Origin of the word "crap"
91:
83:
60:
52:
39:
30:
23:
834:British chief executives
754:. Michael O'Mara Books.
162:
566:differencebetween.info
390:10.1093/ref:odnb/55389
246:
186:
244:
184:
596:5 April 2018 at the
509:BBC History Magazine
255:U-bend plumbing trap
87:Plumber, businessman
47:, Yorkshire, England
568:. 20 January 2017.
296:American servicemen
231:Stratford-upon-Avon
218:Elmers End Cemetery
157:tourist attractions
640:Hart-Davis, Adam,
456:The New York Times
344:or a privy, where
247:
187:
780:978-0-9559541-5-3
518:978-0-9549909-3-0
408:(Subscription or
195:Sandringham House
153:Westminster Abbey
117:
116:
56:28 September 1836
871:
839:British plumbers
784:
765:
753:
744:Hart-Davis, Adam
729:
728:
727:
725:
713:World Wide Words
708:
697:
696:
695:
691:
684:
678:
677:
676:
672:
665:
659:
658:
657:
655:
637:
631:
630:
628:
626:
607:
601:
588:
582:
581:
579:
577:
558:
552:
551:
549:
547:
528:
522:
521:
504:
498:
497:
496:
494:
477:
471:
470:
469:
467:
447:
441:
440:
438:
436:
420:
414:
413:
405:
403:
401:
377:
367:
111:
109:
67:
35:
21:
20:
879:
878:
874:
873:
872:
870:
869:
868:
814:
813:
793:
788:
781:
762:
738:
736:Further reading
733:
732:
723:
721:
710:
709:
700:
693:
685:
681:
674:
666:
662:
653:
651:
638:
634:
624:
622:
609:
608:
604:
598:Wayback Machine
589:
585:
575:
573:
560:
559:
555:
545:
543:
530:
529:
525:
519:
505:
501:
492:
490:
479:
478:
474:
465:
463:
448:
444:
434:
432:
421:
417:
407:
399:
397:
368:
359:
354:
348:means a house.
309:is actually of
282:
239:
226:
207:Prince of Wales
165:
124:Wallace Reyburn
113:
105:
101:
98:
79:
69:
65:
64:27 January 1910
48:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
877:
867:
866:
861:
856:
851:
846:
841:
836:
831:
826:
812:
811:
806:
800:
797:Thomas Crapper
792:
791:External links
789:
787:
786:
779:
766:
760:
739:
737:
734:
731:
730:
698:
679:
660:
632:
615:theplumber.com
602:
583:
553:
523:
517:
499:
472:
442:
415:
356:
355:
353:
350:
329:medieval Latin
311:Middle English
281:
278:
238:
235:
225:
222:
164:
161:
149:Manhole covers
143:royal warrants
120:Thomas Crapper
115:
114:
103:
99:
96:
95:
93:
89:
88:
85:
81:
80:
70:
68:(aged 73)
62:
58:
57:
54:
50:
49:
43:
41:
37:
36:
28:
27:
25:Thomas Crapper
24:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
876:
865:
862:
860:
857:
855:
852:
850:
847:
845:
842:
840:
837:
835:
832:
830:
827:
825:
822:
821:
819:
810:
807:
804:
801:
799:at Snopes.com
798:
795:
794:
782:
776:
772:
767:
763:
761:1-85479-250-4
757:
752:
751:
745:
741:
740:
719:
715:
714:
707:
705:
703:
689:
683:
670:
664:
649:
645:
644:
636:
620:
616:
612:
606:
599:
595:
592:
587:
571:
567:
563:
557:
541:
537:
533:
527:
520:
514:
510:
503:
488:
484:
483:
476:
461:
457:
453:
446:
430:
426:
419:
411:
395:
391:
387:
383:
382:
376:
375:
366:
364:
362:
357:
349:
347:
343:
342:crapping ken,
339:
338:
333:
330:
326:
323:
319:
316:
312:
308:
303:
301:
297:
293:
292:
287:
277:
275:
269:
267:
262:
260:
256:
251:
243:
234:
232:
221:
219:
215:
210:
209:and as king.
208:
204:
200:
199:Royal Warrant
196:
192:
183:
179:
176:
174:
170:
160:
158:
154:
150:
146:
144:
140:
136:
132:
127:
125:
121:
94:
90:
86:
84:Occupation(s)
82:
77:
73:
63:
59:
55:
51:
46:
42:
38:
34:
29:
22:
19:
770:
749:
722:, retrieved
712:
688:GB 189700724
682:
669:GB 189804990
663:
652:, retrieved
642:
635:
623:. Retrieved
614:
605:
586:
574:. Retrieved
565:
556:
544:. Retrieved
535:
526:
508:
502:
491:, retrieved
481:
475:
464:, retrieved
455:
445:
433:. Retrieved
428:
418:
398:. Retrieved
379:
373:
345:
341:
335:
331:
324:
317:
306:
304:
289:
286:bodily waste
283:
270:
263:
258:
252:
248:
237:Achievements
227:
211:
188:
177:
166:
147:
128:
119:
118:
66:(1910-01-27)
18:
829:1910 deaths
824:1836 births
429:Smithsonian
400:10 November
300:World War I
139:King's Road
97:Maria Green
818:Categories
625:5 November
576:30 October
546:5 November
493:2 February
435:27 January
412:required.)
352:References
322:Old French
205:, both as
191:Edward VII
785:(fiction)
646:, ExNet,
305:The word
78:, England
746:(1997).
724:11 April
718:archived
648:archived
619:Archived
594:Archived
570:Archived
540:Archived
487:archived
460:archived
394:Archived
266:ballcock
203:George V
131:ballcock
53:Baptised
854:Toilets
466:2 March
318:krappen
214:Anerley
173:Chelsea
112:
104:
100:
76:Bromley
72:Anerley
777:
758:
694:
675:
654:13 May
515:
406:
332:crappa
325:crappe
274:siphon
169:Thorne
135:U-bend
92:Spouse
45:Thorne
315:Dutch
106:(
102:
775:ISBN
756:ISBN
726:2010
656:2010
627:2017
578:2017
548:2017
513:ISBN
495:2009
468:2009
437:2022
402:2008
307:crap
291:crap
163:Life
61:Died
40:Born
600:BBC
386:doi
346:ken
820::
716:,
701:^
617:.
613:.
564:.
538:.
534:.
458:,
454:,
427:.
392:.
378:.
360:^
288:,
261:.
220:.
159:.
145:.
126:.
108:m.
74:,
783:.
764:.
629:.
580:.
550:.
439:.
404:.
388::
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.