Bennet Woodcroft and the value of English patents, 1617–1841

We examine the potentialities of a new indicator measuring the value of English patents in the period 1617–1841. The indicator is based on the relative visibility of each individual patent in the contemporary technical and legal literature as summarized in Bennet Woodcroft's Reference Index of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Explorations in economic history 2011, Vol.48 (1), p.97-115
Main Authors: Nuvolari, Alessandro, Tartari, Valentina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
17th century
18th century
Economic history
England
European history
Industrial history
Industrial Revolution
Innovation
Invention
Inventions
Patents Invention Industrial Revolution England
United Kingdom
Woodcroft, Bennet
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Summary:We examine the potentialities of a new indicator measuring the value of English patents in the period 1617–1841. The indicator is based on the relative visibility of each individual patent in the contemporary technical and legal literature as summarized in Bennet Woodcroft's Reference Index of Patents of Invention. We conclude that the indicator provides a reasonable proxy for the value of patents and that it can be usefully employed to shed light on the timing and scope of innovation during the Industrial Revolution. In particular, our indicator offers a suitable reconciliation between the patent records evidence and the Crafts–Harley view of the Industrial Revolution.
ISSN:0014-4983
1090-2457
DOI:10.1016/j.eeh.2010.09.005