View source for William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong

{{short description|English inventor, scientist, engineer and industrialist (1810-1900)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox engineer
| honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Lord Armstrong
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CB|FRS}}
| image = Sir William George Armstrong.jpg
| image_width = 
| caption = 
| birth_name = William George Armstrong
| birth_date = 26 November 1810
| birth_place = [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1900|12|27|1810|11|26|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Rothbury]], Northumberland, England
| spouse = Margaret Ramshaw
| parents = [[William Armstrong (corn merchant)|William Armstrong]] <br/> Anne Potter
| children = 
| discipline = [[Civil engineering|Civil]], [[Mechanical engineering|Mechanical]], [[Electrical engineering|Electrical]], [[Structural engineering|Structural]]
| institutions = [[British Association for the Advancement of Science]] (President), [[Royal Society]] (Fellow), [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] (President), [[Institution of Mechanical Engineers]] (President), [[North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers]] (President), [[Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne]] (President)
| significant_projects = 
| significant_design = hydraulic crane, [[Armstrong Hydroelectric Machine|hydroelectric machine]], [[hydraulic accumulator|accumulator]], [[Armstrong Gun]]
| significant_advance = 
| significant_awards = [[Telford Medal]] {{small|(1850)}}, [[Albert Medal (Royal Society of Arts)|Albert Medal]] {{small|(1878)}}, Bessemer Medal {{small|(1891)}}
| signature = William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong Signature.jpg
}}

'''William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|CB|FRS}} (26 November 1810 – 27 December 1900) was an English engineer and industrialist who founded the [[Armstrong Whitworth]] manufacturing concern on [[Tyneside]]. He was also an eminent scientist, inventor and philanthropist. In collaboration with the architect [[Richard Norman Shaw]], he built [[Cragside]] in Northumberland, the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity. He is regarded as the inventor of modern artillery.

Armstrong was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in 1859 after giving his gun patents to the government. In 1887, during [[Queen Victoria]]'s golden jubilee year, he was raised to the peerage as [[Baron Armstrong]], of Cragside.

==Early life==
{{multiple image
|align=left
|image1=Ann Potter, 19th-century, National Trust, Cragside.jpg
|image2=William Armstrong (1778-1857), 19th-century, National Trust.jpg
|total_width=400
|footer=Armstrong's parents: [[William Armstrong (corn merchant)|William]] (right) and Anne (left), in two oil paintings held by the [[National Trust]] at [[Cragside]].
}}

Armstrong was born in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] at 9 Pleasant Row, [[Shieldfield]]. Although the house in which he was born no longer exists, an inscribed granite tablet marks the site where it stood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://openplaques.org/plaques/43448|title=William Armstrong marble plaque|first=Open|last=Plaques|website=openplaques.org}}</ref> At that time, the area – next to the [https://blog.twmuseums.org.uk/the-real-barras-bridge-and-newcastles-beautiful-lost-dean/ Pandon Dene] – was rural. His father, also called [[William Armstrong (corn merchant)|William]], was a corn merchant on the Newcastle quayside, who rose through the ranks of Newcastle society to become mayor of the town in 1850. An elder sister, Anne, born in 1802,<ref name="McKenzie">{{cite book |author=McKenzie, Peter |year=1983 |title=W.G. Armstrong: The Life and Times of Sir William George Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Cragside|publisher=Longhirst Press |isbn=0-946978-00-X}}</ref> was named after his mother, the daughter of Addison Potter.<ref name = Dod>{{cite book | last = Dod | first = Robert P. | title = The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland | year = 1860 | publisher = Whitaker and Co. | location = London | page = 93 }}</ref>

Armstrong was educated at the [[Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne]], until he was sixteen, when he was sent to [[King James I Academy|Bishop Auckland Grammar School]]. While there, he often visited the nearby engineering works of William Ramshaw. During his visits, he met his future wife, Ramshaw's daughter Margaret, six years his senior.<ref name="McKenzie"/>

Armstrong's father was set on his following a career in the law,<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{Cite web|title=End of industrial era as last munitions factory shuts|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/9337316/End-of-industrial-era-as-last-munitions-factory-shuts.html|access-date=2020-09-20|website=The Telegraph|date=17 June 2012 |language=en-GB}}</ref> and so he was articled to Armorer Donkin, a solicitor friend of his father. He spent five years in London studying law and returned to Newcastle in 1833. He became a partner in Donkin's business in 1835, and the firm became Donkin, Stable and Armstrong. He married Margaret Ramshaw in 1835, and they built a house in [[Jesmond Dene]], on the eastern edge of Newcastle.<ref name="McKenzie"/> Armstrong worked for eleven years as a solicitor, but during his spare time, he showed great interest in engineering and developed the "[[Armstrong Hydroelectric Machine]]" between 1840 and 1842.<ref name="McKenzie"/><ref name="anderson">{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=Antony F. |title=Sparks from Steam |journal=Electronics and Power |date=1978 |issue=January |doi=10.1049/ep.1978.0041 |url=http://www.antony-anderson.com/Armstrong.pdf}}</ref> In 1837, he laid the foundations for the engineering and environmental consultancy which is today known as Wardell Armstrong.

==Change of career==
Armstrong was a very keen angler, and while fishing on the [[River Dee, Cumbria|River Dee]] at [[Dent (Lonsdale)|Dentdale]] in the [[Pennines]], he saw a [[waterwheel]] in action, supplying power to a [[Dent Marble|marble]] quarry. It struck Armstrong that much of the available power was being wasted. When he returned to Newcastle, he designed a rotary engine powered by water, and this was built in the High Bridge works of his friend Henry Watson. Little interest was shown in the engine. Armstrong subsequently developed a piston engine instead of a rotary one and decided that it might be suitable for driving a [[hydraulic crane]]. In 1846 his work as an amateur scientist was recognized when he was elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Society]].<ref name=Dougan />

[[File:Hydraulische jigger, William Armstrong, ca 1888, MAS.jpg|thumb|Armstrong hydraulic jigger winch of 1888]]
In 1845 a scheme was set in motion to provide piped water from distant reservoirs to the households of Newcastle. Armstrong was involved in this scheme and he proposed to Newcastle Corporation that the excess water pressure in the lower part of town could be used to power a [[quayside]] crane specially adapted by himself. He claimed that his hydraulic crane could unload ships faster and more cheaply than conventional cranes. The Corporation agreed to his suggestion, and the experiment proved so successful that three more hydraulic cranes were installed on the Quayside.<ref name=Dougan />

The success of his hydraulic crane led Armstrong to consider setting up a business to manufacture cranes and other hydraulic equipment. He therefore resigned from his legal practice. Donkin, his legal colleague, supported him in his career move, providing financial backing for the new venture. In 1847 the firm of W. G. Armstrong & Company bought {{convert|5.5|acre|m2}} of land alongside the river at [[Elswick, Tyne and Wear|Elswick]], near Newcastle, and began to build a factory there. The new company received orders for hydraulic cranes from Edinburgh and Northern Railways and from [[Port of Liverpool|Liverpool Docks]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-lord-armstrong |title=Death of Lord Armstrong |magazine=History Today |date=2000-12-12 |access-date=2018-03-10}}</ref> as well as for [[hydraulic machinery]] for dock gates in [[Grimsby]]. The company soon began to expand. In 1850 the company produced 45 cranes and two years later, 75. It averaged 100 cranes per year for the rest of the century. In 1850 over 300 men were employed at the works, but by 1863 this had risen to 3,800. The company soon branched out into bridge building, one of the first orders being for the [[Inverness]] Bridge, completed in 1855.<ref name="Dougan"/>

==Hydraulic accumulator==
[[File:Grimsby Dock Tower (aerial view).jpg|thumb|[[Grimsby Dock Tower]]]]
Armstrong was responsible for developing the [[hydraulic accumulator]]. Where water pressure was not available on site for the use of hydraulic cranes, Armstrong often built high [[Accumulator tower|water tower]]s to provide a supply of water at pressure – for instance, the  [[Grimsby Dock Tower]]. However, when supplying cranes for use at [[New Holland, North Lincolnshire|New Holland]] on the [[Humber Estuary]], he was unable to do this because the foundations consisted of sand. After much careful thought he produced the [[hydraulic accumulator#Raised weight|weighted accumulator]], a cast-iron cylinder fitted with a plunger supporting a very heavy weight. The plunger would slowly be raised, drawing in water, until the downward force of the weight was sufficient to force the water below it into pipes at great pressure. The accumulator was a very significant, if unspectacular, invention, which found many applications in the following years.<ref name="McKenzie"/>

==Armaments==
{{see also|Armstrong Gun}}
[[File:Sagahan Armstrong gun used at the Battle of Ueno against the Shogitai 1868.jpg|thumb|Armstrong gun deployed by Japan during the [[Boshin war]] (1868–69).]]

In 1854, during the [[Crimean War]], Armstrong read about the difficulties the [[British Army]] experienced in manoeuvring its heavy field guns. He decided to design a lighter, more mobile field gun, with greater range and accuracy. He built a [[Breech-loading weapon|breech-loading gun]]<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> with a strong, rifled barrel made from wrought iron wrapped around a steel inner lining, designed to fire a [[shell (projectile)|shell]] rather than a [[cannonball|ball]]. In 1855 he had a [[Glossary of British ordnance terms#Pounder|five-pounder]] ready for inspection by a government committee. The gun proved successful in trials, but the committee thought a higher calibre gun was needed, so Armstrong built an 18-pounder on the same design.

After trials, this gun was declared to be superior to all its rivals. Armstrong surrendered the patent for the gun to the British government, rather than profit from its design. As a result he was created a [[Knight Bachelor]] and in 1859 was presented to [[Queen Victoria]].<ref name=Dod /> Armstrong became employed as Engineer of Rifled Ordnance to the [[War Department (UK)|War Department]].<ref name=Dod /> In order to avoid a conflict of interests if his own company were to manufacture armaments, Armstrong created a separate company, called [[Elswick Ordnance Company]], in which he had no financial involvement. The new company agreed to manufacture armaments for the British government and no other. Under his new position, Armstrong worked to bring the old [[Royal Arsenal|Woolwich Arsenal]] up to date so that it could build guns designed at Elswick.<ref name=Dougan />

However, just when it looked as if the new gun was about to become a great success, a great deal of opposition to the gun arose, both inside the army and from rival arms manufacturers, particularly [[Joseph Whitworth]] of [[Manchester]]. Stories were publicised that the new gun was too difficult to use, that it was too expensive, that it was dangerous to use, that it frequently needed repair and so on. All of this smacked of a concerted campaign against Armstrong. Armstrong was able to refute all of these claims in front of various government committees, but he found the constant criticism very wearying and depressing. In 1862 the government decided to stop ordering the new gun and return to muzzle loaders. Also, because of a drop in demand, future orders for guns would be supplied from Woolwich, leaving Elswick without new business. Compensation was eventually agreed with the government for the loss of business to the company, which went on legitimately to sell its products to foreign powers. Speculation that guns were sold to both sides in the [[American Civil War]]<ref name=Dougan /> was unfounded.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bastable|first=Marshall J.|title=Arms and the State, Sir William Armstrong and the Remaking of British Naval Power|publisher=Ashgate|year=2004|isbn=0754634043|location=UK|pages=126–128}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hamer|first=F. E.|title=The Personal Papers of Lord Rendel|publisher=Ernest Benn|year=1931|location=UK|pages=277–278}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=21 January 1864|title=The Armstrong Guns|journal=The Times|pages=Letters to the Editor}}</ref>

== Warships ==

In 1864 the two companies, W. G. Armstrong & Company and Elswick Ordnance Company merged to form Sir W. G. Armstrong & Company. Armstrong had resigned from his employment with the War Office, so there was no longer a conflict of interest. The company turned its attention to naval guns. In 1867 Armstrong reached an agreement with [[Charles Mitchell (shipbuilder)|Charles Mitchell]], a shipbuilder in Low Walker, whereby Mitchells would build warships and Elswick would provide the guns. The first ship, in 1868 was HMS ''Staunch'', a [[gunboat]].<ref name=Dougan/>
[[File:High Level Bridge and Swing Bridge - Newcastle Upon Tyne - England - 14082004.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|The [[Swing Bridge]] in [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]]]
In 1876, because the 18th-century bridge at Newcastle restricted access by ships to the Elswick works, Armstrong's company paid for a new [[Swing Bridge, River Tyne|Swing Bridge]] to be built, so that warships could have their guns fitted at Elswick. In 1882 Armstrong's company merged with Mitchell's to form Sir William Armstrong, Mitchell and Co. Ltd. and in 1884 a shipyard opened at Elswick to specialise in warship production. The first vessels produced were the torpedo cruisers [[SMS Panther (1885)|''Panther'']] and [[SMS Leopard (1885)|''Leopard'']] for the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]]. The first battleship produced at Elswick was [[HMS Victoria (1887)|HMS ''Victoria'']], launched in 1887.<ref>{{cite web|author=Henrietta Heald |url=http://www.williamarmstrong.info/discovery-museum-exhibition |title=William Armstrong &#124; Learning Centre |publisher=Williamarmstrong.info |access-date=2018-03-10}}</ref> The ship was originally to be named ''Renown'', but the name was changed in honour of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Armstrong drove the first and last rivets. The ship was ill-fated, as she was involved in a collision with [[HMS Camperdown (1885)|HMS ''Camperdown'']] just six years later in 1893 and sank with the loss of 358 men, including Vice-Admiral Sir [[George Tryon]]. An important customer of the Elswick yard was Japan, which took several cruisers, some of which defeated the Russian fleet at the [[Battle of Tsushima]] in 1905. It was claimed that every Japanese gun used in the battle had been provided by Elswick. Elswick was the only factory in the world that could build a battleship and arm it completely.<ref name=Dougan/>

[[File:HMS Victoria (1887).jpg|thumb|left|[[HMS Victoria]] in 1887]]
[[File:Tower Bridge (aerial view).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Aerial view of [[Tower Bridge]], London]]

The Elswick works continued to prosper, and by 1870 stretched for three-quarters of a mile along the riverside. The population of Elswick, which had been 3,539 in 1851, had increased to 27,800 by 1871. In 1894, Elswick built and installed the steam-driven pumping engines, hydraulic accumulators and hydraulic pumping engines to operate London's [[Tower Bridge]]. In 1897 the company merged with the company of Armstrong's old rival, Joseph Whitworth, and became Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd. Whitworth was by this time dead.<ref name=Dougan/>

Armstrong gathered many excellent engineers at Elswick. Notable among them were [[Sir Andrew Noble, 1st Baronet|Andrew Noble]] and [[George Wightwick Rendel]], whose design of gun-mountings and hydraulic control of gun-turrets were adopted worldwide. Rendel introduced the [[cruiser]] as a naval vessel. There was great rivalry and dislike between Noble and Rendel, which became open after Armstrong's death.<ref name=Dougan/>

==Cragside==
{{main|Cragside}}
[[File:Visitors Entrance Cragside - geograph.org.uk - 1529418.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|The entrance front of Cragside{{snd}} Shaw's "Wagnerian"<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Pevsner | first1 = Nikolaus| last2 = Richmond | first2 = Ian| author-link1 = Nikolaus Pevsner | title = Northumberland| series = The Buildings Of England| year = 2002| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kClO7NOfvsIC| location=New Haven, US and London| publisher = [[Yale University Press]]| isbn = 978-0-300-09638-5 |page=244}}</ref> overture]]
From 1863 onwards, although Armstrong remained the head of his company, he became less involved in its day-to-day running. He appointed several very able men to senior positions and they continued his work. When he married, he acquired a house called Jesmond Dean (sic), which is now demolished, and not to be confused with the nearby [[Jesmond Dene House]]. Armstrong's house was to the west of [[Jesmond Dene]], Newcastle, and thus not far from his birthplace, and he began to landscape and improve land that he bought within the Dene. In 1860 he paid local architect [[John Dobson (architect)|John Dobson]] to design a [[Jesmond Dene Banqueting Hall|Banqueting Hall]] overlooking the Dene, which still survives, though it is now roofless. His house close to Newcastle was convenient for his practice as a solicitor and his work as an industrialist, but when he had more spare time he longed for a house in the country.<ref name="Dougan"/>

He had often visited [[Rothbury]] as a child, when he was afflicted by a severe cough, and he had fond memories of the area. In 1863 he bought some land in a steep-sided, narrow valley where the Debdon Burn flows towards the [[River Coquet]] near Rothbury. He had the land cleared and supervised the building of a house perched on a ledge of rock, overlooking the burn. He also supervised a programme of planting trees and mosses so as to cover the rocky hillside with vegetation.

His new house was called [[Cragside]], and over the years Armstrong added to the Cragside estate. Eventually the estate was {{convert|1729|acre|km2}} and had seven million trees planted, together with five artificial lakes and {{convert|31|mi|km}} of carriage drives, and his demonstration centre at Cragend Farm Hydraulic Silo. The lakes were used to generate hydro-electricity, and the house was the first in the world to be lit by hydro-electricity, using incandescent lamps provided by the inventor [[Joseph Swan]].<ref name="McKenzie"/>

As Armstrong spent less and less time at the Elswick works, he spent more and more time at Cragside, and it became his main home. In 1869 he commissioned the celebrated architect [[Richard Norman Shaw]] to enlarge and improve the house, and this was done over a period of 15&nbsp;years. In 1883 Armstrong gave [[Jesmond Dene]], together with its banqueting hall to the city of Newcastle. He retained his house next to the Dene. Armstrong entertained several eminent guests at Cragside, including the Shah of [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the King of [[Thailand|Siam]], the prime minister of China and the [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Prince]] and [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess of Wales]].<ref name="Dougan"/>

==Later life==
[[File:Armstrong statue, Newcastle upon Tyne, 29 September 2012 (1).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Armstrong statue, Newcastle upon Tyne, in front of the [[Great North Museum: Hancock]] which he helped pay for.]]
In 1873 he served as [[High Sheriff of Northumberland]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23945|page=513|date=6 February 1873}}</ref> He was President of the [[North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers]] from 1872 to 1875. He was elected as the president of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] in December 1881 and served in that capacity for the next year.<ref name="civils">{{Citation | first = Garth | last = Watson| title = The Civils | publisher = London: Thomas Telford Ltd | page = 251 | year = 1988 | isbn = 0-7277-0392-7}}</ref> He was conferred with Honorary Membership of the [[Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland]] in 1884.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iesis.org/honorary-fellows.html|title=IESIS Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland|website=www.iesis.org}}</ref> In 1886, he was persuaded to stand as a [[Liberal Unionist Party|Unionist Liberal]] candidate for [[Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK Parliament constituency)|Newcastle]], but was unsuccessful, coming third in the election. That same year he was presented with the [[Freedom of the City]] of [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]. In 1887 he was raised to the peerage as '''Baron Armstrong''', of Cragside in the County of Northumberland. His last great project, begun in 1894, was the purchase and restoration of the huge [[Bamburgh Castle]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/death-lord-armstrong|title=Death of Lord Armstrong &#124; History Today|website=www.historytoday.com}}</ref> on the Northumberland coast, which remains in the hands of the Armstrong family. His wife, Margaret, died in September 1893, at their house in Jesmond. Armstrong died at Cragside on 27 December 1900, aged ninety. He was buried in Rothbury churchyard, alongside his wife. The couple had no children, and Armstrong's heir was his great-nephew [[William Watson-Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong|William Watson-Armstrong]]. He was succeeded as chairman of the company by his one-time protégé, [[Sir Andrew Noble, 1st Baronet|Andrew Noble]].<ref name="Dougan"/>

Such was Armstrong's fame as a gun-maker that he is thought to be a possible model for [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s arms magnate in ''[[Major Barbara]]''.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> The title character in [[Iain Pears]]' historical-mystery novel ''[[Stone's Fall]]'' also has similarities to Armstrong.

==His attitude to armaments==
There is no evidence that Armstrong agonised over his decision to go into armament production. He once said: "If I thought that war would be fomented, or the interests of humanity suffer, by what I have done, I would greatly regret it. I have no such apprehension."  He also said: "It is our province, as engineers to make the forces of matter obedient to the will of man; those who use the means we supply must be responsible for their legitimate application."<ref name="Dougan"/>

==Views on renewable energy==

Armstrong advocated the use of [[renewable energy]]. Stating that coal "was used wastefully and extravagantly in all its applications", he predicted in 1863 that Britain would cease to produce coal within two centuries.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> As well as advocating the use of [[hydroelectricity]], he also supported [[solar power]], stating that the amount of solar energy received by an area of {{convert|1|acre|m2}} in the [[tropics]] would "exert the amazing power of 4,000 horses acting for nearly nine hours every day".<ref name="Ecologist">{{cite web |url=http://www.theecologist.org/investigations/energy/269238/the_origins_of_hydroelectricity.html |title= The origins of Hydroelectricity|access-date=6 September 2007 |last=Higgins |first=Polly |date=6 September 2009 |work=The Ecologist}}</ref>

==The benefactor==
Armstrong donated the long wooded gorge of [[Jesmond Dene]] to the people of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1883, as well as Armstrong Bridge and Armstrong Park nearby.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bamburghcastle.com/history/armstrong/did-you-know |title=Did You Know? |access-date=25 March 2019 |archive-date=25 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325145601/https://www.bamburghcastle.com/history/armstrong/did-you-know |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was involved in the foundation in 1871 of the College of Physical Science<ref>Short, Alice Isabella (1989) [http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/6556 ''The contribution of William, Lord Armstrong to science and education'']. Doctoral thesis, Durham University. Chapter X.</ref> – a  forerunner of the [[Newcastle University|University of Newcastle]], renamed Armstrong College in 1906. He was President of the [[Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne]] from 1860 until his death, as well as twice president of the [[Institution of Mechanical Engineers]]. Armstrong gave £11,500 towards the building of Newcastle's [[Hancock Natural History Museum]], which was completed in 1882. This sum is equivalent to over £555,000 in 2010. Lord Armstrong's generosity extended beyond his death. In 1901 his heir, [[William Watson-Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong|William Watson-Armstrong]] gave £100,000 (equivalent to £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|100000|1901|r=0}}}} in {{Inflation-year|UK}}),{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} for the building of the new [[Royal Victoria Infirmary]] in Newcastle upon Tyne. Its original 1753 building at Forth Banks near the River Tyne was inadequate and impossible to expand.<ref name=McKenzie /> In 1903 the barony of Armstrong was revived in favour of William Watson-Armstrong.

==Honours==
* In 1846 he was made a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] (FRS).
* In 1850 he received the [[Telford Medal]] from the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]]. 
* In 1859 William Armstrong was [[Knighthood|knighted]] as a [[Knight Bachelor]] (Kt).
* He was made a Companion of the [[Order of the Bath]] in the Civil Division
* In 1874 he was elected an International Member of the [[American Philosophical Society]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=APS Member History |url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=William+G.+Armstrong&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref>
* In 1878 he received the [[Albert Medal (Royal Society of Arts)|Albert Medal]] from the [[Royal Society of Arts]].
* In 1886 he was awarded the [[Freedom of the City]] of [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]].
* In 1887 he was raised to the peerage as a [[Hereditary peer]], allowing him to sit in the [[House of Lords]]. He took the title Baron Armstrong, of [[Cragside]] in the County of [[Northumberland]]. 
* In 1887 he was elected to honorary membership of the [[Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society]]<ref>Memoirs and proceedings of  the Manchester Literary & Philosophical Society FOURTH SERIES  Eighth  VOLUME   1894 </ref>
* In 1891 he received the Bessemer Gold Medal from the [[Iron and Steel Institute]].



;Honorary Degrees
{| class="wikitable"
! Location !! Date !! School !! Degree
|-
| {{Flagu|England}} || style="font-weight:bold;"| 1862 || [[University of Cambridge]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D)  
|-
| {{Flagu|England}} || style="font-weight:bold;"| 1870 || [[University of Oxford]] || [[Doctor of Civil Law]] (DCL) 
|-
| {{Flagu|England}} || style="font-weight:bold;"| 1882  || [[University of Durham]] || [[Doctor of Civil Law]] (DCL)
|-
|}
{{Incomplete list|date=March 2019}}

<ref>{{Cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-669|title=Armstrong, William George, Baron Armstrong (1810–1900), armaments manufacturer and industrialist|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/669|last1=Linsley|first1=Stafford M.}}</ref>

==Arms==
{{Infobox COA wide
|escutcheon = Gules a Tilting spear in fess Or headed Argent between two Dexter Arms embowed in Armour fesswise proper Hands of the last
|crest = A Dexter Arm embowed in Armour holding a Sledge Hammer encircled at the elbow by a Wreath of Oak all proper
|supporters = On either side a Smith shirt sleeves rolled up, leather apron, and dark blue breeches, dark grey stockings, holding over the shoulder in the exterior hand a Sledge Hammer all proper
|motto =  Fortis in armis}}

===Publications===
*{{citation
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DRkFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA530
  | title = On the application of a column of water as a motive power for driving machinery
  | first = W.G.  | last = Armstrong
  | author-link = William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong
  | date = 18 April 1840
  |journal = [[The Mechanics' Magazine]]
  |volume = 32  |number = 871
  | publisher = J.C. Robertson
  | pages =530–536, ''illus.'' p. 529
}}
*{{Cite journal
  | last1 = Armstrong | first1 = W. G. | author-link= William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong
  |author-mask=2
  | title = On the transmission of power by water pressure, with the application to railway goods stations, forge and foundry cranes, and blast-furnace hoists
  | doi = 10.1243/PIME_PROC_1868_019_007_02
  |journal=[[Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers|Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng.]]
  | publisher = [[Institution of Mechanical Engineers]]
  | volume = 19 | issue = 1868 | pages = 21–26
  | year = 1868
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LehIAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA21 <!-- alt url https://books.google.com/books?id=z2EAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA21 -->
| url-access = subscription
  }}
*{{Citation
  | last1 = Armstrong | first1 = W. G. | author-link=William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong
  |author-mask=2
  | title = Description of the hydraulic swing bridge for the North Eastern Railway over the River Ouse near Goole 
  | doi = 10.1243/PIME_PROC_1869_020_013_02 
  |journal=[[Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers|Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng.]]
  | publisher = [[Institution of Mechanical Engineers]]
  | volume = 20  | issue = 1869
  | pages = 121–126 
  | year = 1869 
  | url  =https://archive.org/stream/proceedings186900inst#page/120/mode/2up
}}, Plates: [https://archive.org/stream/proceedings186900inst#page/118/mode/2up 17–24]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name=Dougan >{{harvp|Dougan|1970}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
  |last=Dougan  |first=David
  |year=1970
  |title=The Great Gun-Maker: The Story of Lord Armstrong
  |publisher=Sandhill Press
  |isbn=0-946098-23-9
}}
* Heald, Henrietta (2012), ''William Armstrong: Magician of the North''. Alnwick, Northumberland: McNidder & Grace. {{ISBN|978-0857160-42-3}}.
* Smith, Ken (2005), ''Emperor of Industry: Lord Armstrong of Cragside''. Newcastle: Tyne Bridge Publishing, 48 pp. {{ISBN|1-85795-127-1}}.
* Bastable, Marshall J. (2004), ''Arms and the State, Sir William Armstrong and the Remaking of British Naval Power''. UK: Ashgate, 300 pp. {{ISBN|0-7546-3404-3}}.
* Renwick, Lou (2024), Transformation: Lord Armstrong's Cragend Farm. UK. Feedaread. Amazon. 134 pp. {{ISBN|978-1835-97207-6}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong}}
* [http://www.williamarmstrong.info/ William Armstrong website]

{{s-start}}
{{s-npo|pro}}
{{s-bef |before=[[James Kennedy (engineer)|James Kennedy]] }}
{{s-ttl |title=[[President (corporate title)|President]] of the [[Institution of Mechanical Engineers]] |years=1861–1862 }}
{{s-aft |after=[[Robert Napier (engineer)|Robert Napier]] }}

{{s-bef |before=[[John Penn (engineer)|John Penn]] }}
{{s-ttl |title=[[President (corporate title)|President]] of the [[Institution of Mechanical Engineers]] |years=1868–1869 }}
{{s-aft |after=[[John Ramsbottom (engineer)|John Ramsbottom]] }}

{{s-bef|before=[[James Abernethy]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers|President]] of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] |years=December 1881 – December 1882}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James Brunlees]]}}

{{s-reg|uk}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl| title = [[Baron Armstrong]]
       | years = 1887–1900 }}
{{s-non| reason = Extinct }}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, William}}
[[Category:1810 births]]
[[Category:1900 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Newcastle upon Tyne]]
[[Category:People from Rothbury]]
[[Category:People educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne]]
[[Category:Barons Armstrong]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:English industrialists]]
[[Category:19th-century English engineers]]
[[Category:English inventors]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:History of Northumberland]]
[[Category:Hydraulic engineers]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:People associated with Newcastle University]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers]]
[[Category:Weapon designers]]
[[Category:High sheriffs of Northumberland]]
[[Category:Mayors of Newcastle upon Tyne]]
[[Category:Liberal Unionist Party parliamentary candidates]]
[[Category:Bessemer Gold Medal]]
[[Category:19th-century English lawyers]]
[[Category:Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria]]
[[Category:19th-century English businesspeople]]
[[Category:International members of the American Philosophical Society]]
[[Category:Businesspeople awarded knighthoods]]