Downton pump

The Downton pump is type of positive displacement pump patented in 1825 by Jonathan Downton, a British shipwright.

[2] The design of the Downton pump sought to create a more constant flow of pumped liquid, and a steadier load-state on the pump, by increasing the number of buckets operating in the pump.

These buckets were actuated by means of a rotating crankshaft and connecting rods, which caused the buckets to reciprocate up and down, with each feeding the next with liquid.

[3] Hebert (1836) contains a description and cut-away illustration of an early Downton pump.

[4] The power source for the pump could be either mechanical or human, with human-powered Downton pumps being operated by means of a capstan.