John Wallis Titt (14 April 1841 – 5 May 1910) was a nineteenth-century English agricultural engineer, millwright, iron founder, and builder of large wind engines.

Early life

Titt was born in 1841 at Chitterne, Wiltshire, the son of John Titt and his wife Eliza Wallis. He was baptized into the Church of England at Chitterne St Mary on 24 October 1841."1841 October 24th, No. 193. John Wallis son of John & Eliza Titt Abode Chitterne All Saints Quality Trade or Profession Farmer", Baptisms Solemnized in the Parish of Chitterne St Mary in the County of Wilts, 1813 to 1861, p. 25 In the 1851 census, his father was a farmer of 220 acres employing ten labourers.1851 United Kingdom census, Chitterne All Saints, Ancestry.com, accessed 10 April 2026 Elm Farm, Chitterne, had a post mill, which as a young man Titt worked for his father.

Career In 1865, Titt left home to join Messrs Wallis, Haslam and Steevens, agricultural engineers and steam engine manufacturers of Basingstoke, Hampshire. He worked for them for about two years as a commercial traveller. In 1867, he joined the millwrighting firm of Brown & May, based in Devizes, Wiltshire. He remained with them for five years. From 1870, Titt was an agent for Brown and May. From 1872, he was an agricultural engineer with that firm and also an agent for Fowler's of Leeds, Yorkshire. In March 1874, he went into business on his own account, announcing that he had succeeded to the Warminster branch of Brown & May's business and henceforward would repair Portable Steam Engines and machines and act as agent for all kinds of engineering."JOHN WALLIS TITT", Devizes and Wilts Advertiser, Thursday 26 March 1874, p. 1

In 1876, Titt established the Woodcock Ironworks at Warminster and at first was mostly manufacturing elevators. He continued in business as an agricultural engineer and iron founder, and in 1884 made his first wind engine, for the Boyton estate. Titt continued to run the firm until he retired through ill health in 1903, the year in which he exhibited three wind engines at the Royal Agricultural Societys show, at Park Royal, Acton, London.

In 1903, Titt sold his business, the Woodcock Ironworks and its assets, to two of his sons, Alec and Herbert Titt, for £5,000 () "to be paid in manner mentioned in an Indenture of Assignment and Covenant dated the 12th September 1903"."John Wallis Titt", moonrakers.com, accessed 10 April 2026 The firm was continued by those sons.

Titt died in May 1910. In reporting his death, the Salisbury Times referred to him as "the founder of the firm which turns out the wind-pumps which ornament, or otherwise, the countryside.""Death of Mr. John Wallis Titt", Salisbury Times, 13 May 1910, p. 3

Personal life On 23 November 1868, at Warminster, Titt married Emily Eliza Sainsbury, the daughter of Thomas Sainsbury, of Warminster, an innkeeper."No. 156 November 23rd 1868", Marriages Solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of Warminster in the County of Wilts, p. 78, Ancestry.com, accessed 8 April 2026 At the April 1871 census, they were living at Portway, Chitterne, with their eight-month old son Alec and one young housemaid.1871 United Kingdom census, Portway, Chitterne, Ancestry.com Another son, John Wallis Sainsbury Titt, baptized in 1879,"John Wallis Sainsbury Titt / Baptism Date 10 Oct 1879 / St. John's, Warminster, Wiltshire, England / Father John Wallis Titt / Mother Emily Eliza / FHL Film Number 1279436 / Reference ID item 2, p. 24 died young. At the time of the 1901 census, Titt and his wife were living at Woodcock House, Warminster, with sons called Herbert W., aged 27, engineer, and Wallis G., aged 19, bank clerk. Two unmarried daughters were also living with them, Edith and Ethel.the 1901 United Kingdom census, Woodcock House, Warminster, Ancestry.com, accessed 8 April 2026 Herbert Wallis Titt, born in 1873, migrated to Australia in the 1930sHerbert Wallis Titt, Milson's Point, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1931–1934 but later returned to Warminster. Emily Eliza Titt died in Warminster on 10 March 1939, aged 93.

Titt wind engines Titt made three main types of wind engine: the Woodcock, the Simplex direct, and the Simplex geared. After the firm was taken over by his sons, another standard type of windpump, the Imperial, was produced.

Woodcock engines

The Woodcock engine was a conventional iron windpump. It came in two sizes, with wind wheels of and and could be supplied with a wood or steel tower. The Woodcock wind engine could pump water to a total height of .

Simplex direct engines

The Simplex engines came either as direct drive or as geared drive. The direct drive engines had a wind wheel diameter of , , , or . A high tower was supplied as standard, but could be made to any greater height a customer desired at extra cost. The blades of the wind wheel were similar in design and operation to the shutters on a Spring or Patent sail. Some of the larger direct engines were turned into the wind by a fantail. A single or double fantail could be ordered, according to the customer's wishes.

Simplex geared engines

The geared engines came in the same sizes as the direct engines and were also available in , , and diameters. A tower was standard for the smallest three sizes, and the larger sizes came with a as standard. Again, a taller tower could be supplied at extra cost. The geared Simplex engines were turned into the wind by a fantail.

Imperial engines By January 1906, the firm was also advertising "Imperial" pumping wind engines, in sizes between and , "constructed throughout of steel, and suitable for pumping water from wells and boreholes"."John Wallis Titt, Woodcock Iron Works, Warminster, England", trade advertisement, January 1906, "John Wallis Titt", gracesguide.co.uk, accessed 11 April 2026

Wind engine locations

Two remaining wind engines made by John Wallis Titt are on show at the Wind Energy Museum in Repps with Bastwick, Norfolk.

Titt wind engines are known to have been built at the following locations: unless otherwise stated