Stephen Moulton (7 July 1794 – 26 April 1880) was an Englishman who, as an agent of the American rubber pioneer Charles Goodyear, first brought samples of vulcanized rubber to the United Kingdom.
Moulton, who was born in Whorlton, County Durham, subsequently shared the samples with Thomas Hancock, who then beat Goodyear to a UK patent for the vulcanization process by a matter of a few weeks in 1843.
[1] After various disputes with Hancock and Goodyear over patents and manufacturing rights, Moulton established his own factory in 1848 at Kingston Mill near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England.
Moulton's home in Bradford was The Hall, a Jacobean mansion on the eastern edge of the town.
[2] Moulton's great-grandson Dr Alex Moulton was himself a pioneer of rubber engineering, being responsible for many innovations including the rubber suspension system he designed for the innovative BMC car, the Mini.