John Henry Knight (inventor)

John Henry Knight (1847 to 1917) of Barfield, Farnham, Surrey, was one of the pioneers of British motor construction. Born in Farnham and apprenticed to a Deptford firm of engineers, he built a steam road carriage in 1868 that ran for two or three years around Farnham, and in 1895 he made a light petroleum car for two passengers, with an engine of 3.5 inch bore and 4.5 inch stroke and a top speed of about 9 mph. Driving it on the public road led to a test case: on 17 October 1895 his assistant James Pullinger was stopped in Castle Street, Farnham, and at Farnham Petty Sessions both men were fined for using a locomotive without a licence. The car was shown at the Crystal Palace motor show in May 1896. Knight also patented the Trusty oil engine and published Light Motor Cars and Voiturettes in 1902.