James Gillingham (1839–1924)[1] was a prosthetic limb manufacturer based in Chard, Somerset[2] in the 19th century[3] and one of the first to have photographs taken of his works.
Chard, as a result, became a major centre of the British artificial limb industry.
[10] The Lancet medical journal in a 1868 article described Gillingham's prostheses as "strong, light, and durable" and took 10 days to make, were "easy wearing and not likely to get out of repair; simple in construction, and as beautiful as life in appearance.
[8] Gillingham's story was included in the BBC One 2017 documentary titled Invented in… that featured the Chard Museum.
[6] In 2001, author Derrick W. Warren wrote the book James Gillingham: Surgical Mechanist & Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs, published by Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society.