Episode 2 of 2

Parliamentary Award for Lifeboat Invention

When
1802
Where
Parliament
Part of
First Rescue Lifeboat Test

In 1802, Greathead successfully petitioned parliament for his 1790 lifeboat invention, receiving a £1,200 award despite contested claims.

Greathead claimed he had invented a lifeboat in 1790. He successfully petitioned parliament in 1802 and was awarded £1,200 for his trouble. Although his claims have been contested, he built 31 boats that saved many lives and succeeded in making the concept of a shore-based rescue lifeboat widely accepted.

Sources

  1. Henry Greathead Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-10

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.