George Edward Dering

Who was George Edward Dering?

George Edward Dering was a British inventor and eccentric.

His father was Robert Dering and his mother Leititia was the daughter of Sir George Shee, 1st Baronet. He was educated at Rugby School. He inherited the manor of Lockleys, Welwyn, Hertfordshire from his father in 1859 and an estate in Dunmore, County Galway estate from his uncle Sir George Shee, 2nd Baronet.

Dering gained an interest in telegraphy from his teacher. He invented a signal detector using a needle suspended to swing like a pendulum in 1850. This detector was used by the Bank of England in its company communication system on Threadneedle Street. The Electric Telegraph Company of Ireland used the system in 1852, and Dering was made a company director. Further use was made in experiments by European Telegraph company between London and Dover, and on Great Northern Railway.

He was interested in a range of scientific and technical subjects, obtaining some twenty patents relating to telegraphy, chemistry, iron- and brick-making. His principal interest was electricity: he had a standing order with booksellers for books on the subject and amassed a huge collection, subsequently bought by Theodore Newton Vail and presented to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also acquired the Cuthbert aeronautical collection, eventually presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society. A portion of the Cuthbert aeronautical collection was also acquired by Vail for MIT.