Berthon, Edward Lyon (1813–1899)

English inventor. His model of a screw propeller was eventually adopted by the Admiralty. His other mechanical inventions were ‘Berthon's log’ for measuring the speed of ships, an instrument for discovering the trim of a boat, and collapsible boats which were first ordered by the Admiralty in 1873.

Berton was born in London, studied surgery at Liverpool and Dublin, and lived abroad 1834–40, where he experimented on screws for propelling ships. He went to Cambridge in 1841 and took holy orders in 1845.