Richard Hornsby

Richard Hornsby (Elsham in Lincolnshire 4 June 1790 – 6 January 1864) was an inventor and founder of a major agricultural machinery firm that developed steam engines.

In 1805, at the age of fifteen, he started his apprenticeship for Havercroft Wheelwright in Barnetby (North Lincolnshire).

When working in Barrowby, he had the idea to put a set of wheels on an adjustable harrow.

After Hornsby's death, his firm built the first working (experimental) diesel engine in 1892; it went on to develop the continuous track for agricultural usage in 1905, which revolutionized land warfare.

His family were quite wealthy, owning 421 acres (1.70 km2) of land, as the Hornsby company was a world leader in engine manufacture, until 1918.