Alexander Cumming

Alexander Cumming (c. 1731-1814)

Alexander Cumming (* circa 1731–1733 in Edinburgh ; † March 8, 1814 in Pentonville , London ) was a clockmaker, mathematician and mechanic who had settled in New Bond Street in London. In 1781 he became a member of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers .

He is considered the inventor of the modern water closet . He developed an S-shaped pipe ( siphon ), which is still built into the toilets today, and received an English patent for it (No. 814). This prevented the smell from getting back outwards. With his invention in 1775 he laid the foundation stone for today's toilet , although the actual invention of the water closet in 1596 can be attributed to the Englishman Sir John Harington . However, due to a lack of acceptance, Harington's invention was forgotten and was therefore only patented by Alexander Cumming in 1775.

In fact, the first water closet was put into operation in 1810, 35 years later.

In 1783 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .

Web links

Literature by and about Alexander Cumming in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

↑ Cumming, Alexander (1731 / 2-1814). AIM25 - Archives in London and the M25 area, accessed May 16, 2020 .
^ The Development of the Flushing Toilet - Detailed Chronology 1596 onwards. (PDF; 170 kB) Twyfords Bathrooms, Stoke-on-Trent, UK, accessed on May 16, 2020 .
^ Frederick J. Britten: Old Clocks and Watches and the Makers . A historical and descriptive account of the different styles of clocks and watches of the past in England and abroad containing a list of nearly 14,000 makers. 6th edition. Beekman Books Inc, London 1932, pp. 890 .

personal data
SURNAME	Cumming, Alexander
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	London watchmaker; invented the water closet in 1775
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1733
PLACE OF BIRTH	Edinburgh
DATE OF DEATH	March 8, 1814
Place of death	Pentonville , London

[1] Cumming, Alexander (1731 / 2-1814). AIM25 - Archives in London and the M25 area, accessed May 16, 2020 .

[2] The Development of the Flushing Toilet - Detailed Chronology 1596 onwards. (PDF; 170 kB) Twyfords Bathrooms, Stoke-on-Trent, UK, accessed on May 16, 2020 .

[3] Frederick J. Britten: Old Clocks and Watches and the Makers . A historical and descriptive account of the different styles of clocks and watches of the past in England and abroad containing a list of nearly 14,000 makers. 6th edition. Beekman Books Inc, London 1932, pp. 890 .