John Common

John Common was born in 1778 and lived in Denwick, Northumberland. 

He was the son of Robert Common, a cartwright (someone who makes carts). 

In 1803 he met Henry Ogle who asked John to help him with his reaping machine design. 

John went on to develop three different reapers, the third of which was created in 1812 and it was tried at Denwick and a model sent to the Society of Arts by Earl Percy. The society said the invention was "incomplete" without proper trials and John decided that it was too much trouble and cost to continue with it. 

He passed the patterns for the reaper to Thomas and Joseph Brown who took the designs with them when they emigrated to New York in 1818. Over in America, Robert McCormick and his son Cyrus had been trying to create a reliable reaping machine for yearsHe travelled to London to exhibit the American Reaping Machine at the 1851 Great Exhibition where it won a gold award. The machines later went to Howick and John and local farmers said they were identical to Johns design. 

John also invented a double drill turnip sower which he received a prize for in 1818.