Bartholomew Sikes (died 1803)[1] was an officer in the employ of HM Excise who in the late 18th century perfected a device by which the alcoholic content of a liquid can be measured.[2]
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for establishing the Use of an Hydrometer, called Sikes's Hydrometer, in ascertaining the Strength of Spirits, instead of Clarke's Hydrometer. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 56 Geo. 3. c. 140 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 2 July 1816 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Spirits (Strength Ascertainment) Act 1818 |
Status: Repealed | |
In 1802 he presented his invention to a board of inquiry together with nine other competitors who included Mary Dicas of Liverpool whose hydrometer was the approved instrument by the American excise. Sikes' device was chosen over the other nine.[3]
The success of the device caused his name to be immortalised in an Act of Parliament: Sikes' Hydrometer Act 1816 (56 Geo. 3. c. 140). From 1816 until 1980 the hydrometer was the standard used in the UK to measure the alcohol proof of spirits, and from 1846 in Canadian law.[4]
References edit
- ^ "Bartholomew Sikes". Collections. Science Museum Group. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Tate, Francis G. H. (14 March 1931). "Bartholomew Sikes's System of Alcoholometry". Nature. 127 (3202): 398–399. doi:10.1038/127398a0. S2CID 186243546. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Morrison-Low, A. D. (23 September 2004). Dicas [married name Arstall], Mary (fl. 1800–1815), maker of scientific instruments. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/49542.
- ^ Denison 1955, p. 132
Bibliography edit
- Denison, Merrill (1955). The Barley and the Stream: The Molson Story. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Limited.