[4] While Wimshurst cannot take credit for Archimedes' revolutionary propulsion system—which was the invention of Francis Pettit Smith—he was an "ardent supporter" of Smith and his technological breakthrough.

[5] He would later claim to have proposed an improved, two-bladed version of Smith's original propeller which was subsequently installed on the vessel.

In 1854, he built an experimental rotary steam engine, which when installed in a 300-ton screw-propelled ship, reportedly achieved an rpm of 45 and a top speed of 14 mph in tests conducted by the firm of Boulton & Watt.

By comparison, a pair of conventional direct-acting engines later installed in the same ship achieved an rpm of 28 and a top speed of only 8 mph.

He also had a daughter Emily Harriet who married Charles Umney, one of the most prominent chemists and druggists of his day.