Villiers didn't make identification of their engines an easy task!! Luckily the Police in my home state in Australia erected their own list of engine numbers for their own mysterious policeman reasons.

Not to be confused with Amherst Villiers, automotive engineer and developer of the supercharger for the 'Blower Bentley'

Villiers Engineering was a manufacturer of motorcycles and cycle parts, and an engineering company based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, England.

Early history[edit]

In the 1890s John Marston's Sunbeam had become extremely successful by relying on high quality of production and finish. But Marston was dissatisfied with the pedals on his machines, which he bought in. In 1890 he dispatched his son Charles to the US on a selling trip, but included in his instructions that Charles must discuss pedal engineering with Pratt and Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut and come back with a high-class pedal and the machinery for making it. Charles said that the Villiers Engineering Co. was 'the ultimate fruit' of his trip to the US,^[1] being impressed by the production system and the labour saving devices. He pointed out that 'it was not possible to develop these at Sunbeamland, which had long been working on another plan, but it was possible to start them in a new factory'.^[1]

As a result of the tour, in 1898, John Marston bought a small Japanning works based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton. Under the direction of Charles, the company made cycle parts for the Sunbeam company. As the factory was producing more parts than Sunbeam required, it sold components to other manufacturers.

1902 was a momentous year for Villiers. Firstly, John Marston sold the company to his son Charles for £6,000 on a loan against future profits. Secondly, it developed and patented the cycle free-wheel, which every cycle manufacturer required. The production of free wheels reached its peak just after the Second World War, as the company produced 80,000 per week or 4 million per year.

Production pre First World War[edit]

Apart from the production of freewheels outlined above, the company produced its first engine in early 1912, a 350 cc four-stroke complete with integral two-speed gearbox. Later that year it developed a 269 cc two-stroke (70mm bore and stroke) and the simplcity of this engine and attractive price made it a rapid success. During 1913 the Sun-Villers motorcycle was launched manufactured by the Sun Cycle & Fittings Co.

By 1914 the Villiers 269 cc 2-stroke engine had been adopted by a large number of motorcycle manufacturers, such as the Allday (Alldays & Onions), The Royal Ruby, The New Ryder, the Bown-Villiers, the Coventry-Eagle, the Gerrard, Sparkbrook, the Invicta (A. Barnett & Co), the Ixion, the Juno, and the Roulette.^[2]

In spite of the huge success of the 269 cc two-stroke, the four-stroke engine had not completely been shelved, as in October 1914, J.H Motors of Oldham announced^[3] two motorcycles, the No.1 fitted with a 2.75HP Villiers four-stroke engine of 349cc (74.5 x 80mm bore and stroke), and a 2.5HP two-stroke model using the Villiers 269 cc engine. Whether many of either model were made before war orders halted production in 1915 is unclear.

Other manufacturers known to use Villiers engines up to 1915 include the Campion, The Hobart,^[4] the Chater-Lea, the Diamond, and the Excelsior.

Production during World War One[edit]

During World War One, in common with many firms not directly involved in making military transport, the Villiers factory changed to production of munitions, in particular fuses for 75mm shells. Companies engaged in war work still worked on new models anticipating the end of the war, with Villiers applying for 16 engine-related patents during the war. One particular issue was a generic problem – the fact that before the war most engines relied on German-made magnetos for ignition, which caused a major issue during the war. In January 1917 Villiers patented their solution to this problem – the flywheel-magneto, which became a standard feature of their engines.^[5]

Production in the inter-war years[edit]

Immediately after the war Villiers picked up where they had left off, with supply of the 269 cc engine, now as the Mark II engine with different method of attaching the exhaust. By 1919 the bikes that used the Villiers engines included the Excelsior lightweight, the Diamond (D.F.& M. Engineering Co), the Royal Ruby, the Wolf Lightweight (Wulfruna Engineering), the Carfield, the Ruffells, the P.V. (Elliston & Fell), the Sparkbrook, the Yvel, the P&S lightweight (Pearson and Sopwith), the Chater-Lea, the Campion, the Victoria (of Glasgow), the Hobart, the Olympic, the Ixion, the Bown-Villiers, the Wilkin, and the Saltley. The engine remained much the same, and continued to use a separate magneto, though it did have an oil pump to provide crankcase and piston lubrication via a hollow crankcase bolt – a design that Villiers had patented during 1914/1915.^[6]

The Mark III engine embodied some changes to crankcase and brushes in 1919/1920, and in March 1920 the new Villiers Mark IV engine complete with flywheel magneto was revealed.^[7] In May 1920 a new British Excelsior lightweight model was announced, this being the first motorcycle to show the new Villiers engine using the flywheel-magneto instead of a separate magneto.^[8]

In September 1922 Villiers announced the details of their new 1923 engine range,^[9] which included 147 cc, 250 cc and 343 cc engines. These engines featured a radial finned cylinder head, with both the inlet and exhaust port being at the front of the engine, and they all had the Villiers flywheel-magneto. While the 147 cc relied on petrol-oil mixture for crankshaft lubrication, the two larger engines used a separate oil feed system. The new 250 cc engine produced 25 per cent more power than the older 269 cc engine.

In 1926 Villiers introduced an even smaller engine, the 125 cc with twin exhaust ports and side mounted carburettor, and in 1927 they introduced the 344cc twin 2-stroke. Villiers were to go on to produce a wide range of single and twin cylinder 2-strokes primarily for motorcycle use. At the end of the 1920s they also started producing engines for stationary use, with the first model being the water-cooled WX11 and in 1933 the air-cooled Mar-vil. Villiers engines were also used in lawn mowers, for example the 147 cc engine was used in the Atco mowers of the 1920s and in 1931 it was joined by a 98 cc Villiers engine, known as the Midget.

The Villiers company also had links to the Seagull outboard marine engines, both of which owed their existence to John Marston. The Seagull engines used the Villiers flywheel magneto, and a 'Seagull-Villiers' carburetor.

In 1936, L. E. Baynes and Sir John Carden, trading as Carden-Baynes Aircraft of Heston Aerodrome, launched the Carden-Baynes Auxiliary, a light aircraft which was essentially a motorized Abbott-Baynes Scud 3 glider. This carried a retractable 249 cc Villiers engine driving a push-propeller and producing 9 bhp, and the fuel tank held enough to run the engine for thirty minutes. The 249 cc Carden-Baynes Auxiliary is believed to be the lowest-powered aircraft in the history of powered flight.

Production during the Second World War[edit]

During the war part of Villiers production was again turned to fuses for shells, with over 10 million produced, although they continued to make engines and cycleparts. Their engines were also used in small motorcycles designed for air drop with paratroopers – the Excelsior Welbike and the James ML paratrooper's machine known as the Clockwork Mouse.

Post-war production[edit]

In 1956, Villiers produced its two millionth engine and presented it to the Science Museum in London.

In 1957 Villiers absorbed JA Prestwich Industries, makers of the J.A.P. engines. In 1962 the company were claiming that:

'jointly the two companies produce a vast range of two-stroke and four-stroke petrol engines and four-stroke diesel engines from 1/3 to 16 b.h.p. These are the engines which power many of Britain's two-stroke motor cycles, scooters and three wheelers, and the great majority of the motor mowers, cultivators, concrete mixers, generating sets, elevators, pumping sets. etc.'

Villiers manufactured a range of single and twin two-stroke engines (from 98 cc to 325 cc) for light motorcycle and vehicle manufacturers until the 1960s.

In the early 1960s, the company was taken over by Manganese Bronze Holdings, and in 1966 together with AMC became Norton-Villiers, and in 1972 merged with the BSA group to become Norton-Villiers-Triumph, which eventually went into liquidation in 1978.

References[edit]

Notes

1. ^ ^abVon Harten & Marston (1979), p. 58
2. ^'55 two-stroke and lightweight motorcycles', Motor Cycle, 23 July 1914
3. ^'Latest Designs', Motor Cycle, 15 October 1914, pp436-437
4. ^'For Sale 1915 Hobart-Villiers', Motor Cycle, 6 July 1916, Advertisements P26
5. ^'Improvements in or relating to Magneto-devices for Internal-combustion Engines', Patent GB111391, 31-1-1917
6. ^'Improvements in Oil Supply Systems for Crank Chambers and the like', Patent GB191509423, 1915
7. ^'A New Flywheel Magneto', The Motor Cycle, 25 March 1920, p363
8. ^'New Machines and an Old Name', The Motor Cycle, 13 May 1920, p540
9. ^'Three Sizes of Villiers Engine', The Motor Cycle, 28 September 1922, pp437-438

Bibliography

• Von Harten, Marjorie; Marston, Melissa (1979), Man of Wolverhampton: Life and Times of Sir Charles Marston, Coombe Springs Press, ISBN978-0-900306-53-2

External links[edit]

Villiers

From Graces Guide

‎‎

Villiers Engineering Co Ltd was a manufacturer of small engines for motorcycles and other uses, and cycle parts, based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton.

of Marston Road, Wolverhampton. Telephone: 21666/7/8. Telegraphic Address: 'Villiers, Wolverhampton'. (1937)

General

1880s John Marston'sSunbeam cycle had become extremely successful, by relying on high quality of production and finish. But Marston was dissatisfied with the pedals on his machines, which he bought in.

In 1890, he dispatched his son Charles Marston to the USA on a selling trip but included in his instructions that he must discuss pedal engineering with Pratt and Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut and come back with a high class pedal and the machinery for making it. Charles has said that the Villiers Engineering Co was 'the ultimate fruit' of his trip to the USA. He was impressed by the production system and the labour saving devices he saw there. He pointed out that 'it was not possible to develop these at Sunbeamland, which had long been working on another plan, but it was possible to start them in a new factory'.

1898 As a result of the tour John Marston bought a small Japanning works in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, that had belonged to Edward Bullivant. Under the direction of Charles, the new company made cycle parts for the Sunbeam cycle. As the factory was producing more parts than Sunbeam required, Villiers also sold components to other manufacturers.

Frank Farrer, who was then the manager of Palmer Tyre's Coventry depot, was appointed as sole agent for the sale of the surplus pedals. Farrer had many connections with the cycle trade, was a good engineer and a great salesman and was to become the driving force in Villiers. So successful was this move that Frank Farrer joined Villiers full-time in 1902; the factory employed 36 men.

1902 John Marston sold the company to his son Charles for £6,000 on a loan against future profits. Secondly, it developed and patented the cycle free-wheel, which every cycle manufacturer required. The production of free wheels reached its peak just after World War II, as the company produced 80,000 per week or 4 million per year.

1912 Early in the year they introduced their first motor cycle engine, an inlet over exhaust 350cc four stroke with a built in two speed gearbox and clutch but it was considered too complex and was not a success.

1912 At the end of the year they introduced their first two-stroke engine with a 269cc unit. This engine was designated the Mark I and given the code 'O'. The cylinder had a fixed head and the bearings for the crankshaft and small end were made of phosphor-bronze while the big end a roller bearing. The piston was a deflector head type made in cast iron. The exhaust pipe and expansion box were made in aluminium. The lubrication system was by hand pump from the oil tank, which was built alongside the petrol tank. The oil was passed through a drilled front crankcase bolt into the crankcase where oil-ways fed it to the bearings. Surplus oil was splashed onto the walls where it was picked up by the incoming petrol vapour and taken to the upper cylinder.

1912 Situated on a half acre site and employed 20 men

1914 Listed under Cycle Manufacturers as Villiers Cycle Co and under Cycle Fittings Manufacturers as Villiers Cycle Component Co both of Upper Villiers Street ^[1]

WWI Produced munitions

1916 Introduced the Mark II with changes to the exhaust system which was now made in steel and in the method of holding the exhaust to the cylinder

After the war, Villiers engines were supplied to: Atco Mowers, Clifford Cultivators, Howard Rotavator, Sun motorcycles, James motorcycles, Greeves motorcycles, Francis-Barnett motorcycles, Norman motorcycles, Ambassador motorcycles, DKR motorcycles, DMW motorcycles, Dot motorcycles and Panther motorcycles.

1918 Frank Pountney joined the company and became chief engineer

1919 Charles Marston stepped back from the day to day management of the company. He remained as Chairman but appointed Frank Farrer as Managing Director.

1920 Introduced the Mark III with improvements to the exhaust, the driving shaft altered and the crankcase and bushes modified. The outside flywheel was made with a separate centrepiece which could be changed to allow for pulley or sprocket usage

1921 Introduced the Mark IV with a change in the driving shaft that enabled the flywheel magneto to be fitted

1922 Introduced the Mark IV with flywheel magneto and available with electric lighting

1922 They discontinued the 269cc engine and introduced a range of 147cc, , 247cc and 342cc. The three units were basically the same with the flat-fin heads now using a 'sunburst' pattern which gave better cooling. They had a single exhaust port and an intake port facing forward with the carburettor bolting directly onto the cylinder. All had the flywheel magneto which included lighting coils, a 'small' magneto measuring some 7.5-inch diameter was used on the 147cc engine, with a standard 9-inch diameter on the larger engines.

1924 Introduced the 172cc engine

1925 Produced its own carburettor

1926 Acquired the Mills Carburettor Co

1926 Produced three prototype cars but after this the project was dropped

1926 Introduced the 125cc model, the Mark VI D 1.25 hp engine. Similar to the 147cc engine having a fixed cylinder head with roller type big end, but with twin exhaust ports.

1927 Introduced the Villiers Twin of 344cc. This had aluminium pistons, three large plain bearings, and was built in unit with a three speed gearbox and clutch. The automatic lubrication was fed from the crankcase and the flywheel magneto was placed in front of the engine.

1928 Became a Public company.

1928 Introduced the E class 196cc (later amended to 197cc). This engine was available with Autolube or Petroil lubrication and had a fixed cylinder head, a variable ignition system and a twin exhaust system, similar to the 172cc models.

c1929 Introduced a 500cc Twin but it was not put in to production

c1932 Introduced the Midget 98cc engine with the exhaust and transfer ports placed at the side of the cylinder in-line with the crankshaft and a retaining disk used to prevent the gudgeon pin entering the transfer port. The cylinder and head were cast in one piece and a cast iron deflector-type piston was used. It used roller bearing big-ends and a force fit crank-pin with the cylinder upright. Petroil lubrication was used.

1933 Villiers Engineering Co^[2]

1933 Introduced a stationary engine of 2.5 hp

1933 Introduced the Marvil air-cooled two-stroke stationary engine rated at 0.6 hp at 1,750 rpm

1934 Japanese industry had been found to be copying the bicycle free-wheel made by Villiers Engineering and supplying the product to India^[3]

1935 Produced the Pygmylite generator units

1936 Introduced the D type 122cc engine with a bore and stroke of 50×62mm. The cylinder barrel was fitted with a separate head and a flat-topped piston was used, exhaust studs were placed on both sides of the barrel and the carburettor stub on the offside. Four transfer ports were built in and roller bearings were used on the big end with the usual bronze sleeves on the main bearings. The small-end was fully floating on a bronze bush, the flywheel magneto was fitted with a two-pole system and covered by a flat alloy plate.

1936 Villiers Engineering Co sold about one-third of the old Sunbeam factory to the Fischer Bearing Co of Germany who would equip it to make ball bearings^[4]

1936 Advertised the ex-Sunbeam works and offices for sale at knock-down price^[5]

1937 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. 'Villiers' Stationary Engines from ½ hp to 4hp, for industrial purposes.A full range of Steel Stamping and Non-Ferrous Castings. 'Villiers' Cycle Products, including Freewheels, Speed Gears, and 'Villiers' Motor Cycle Engines. (Stand Nos. D.825 and D.724) ^[6]

1937 Introduced the Junior 98cc engine which lay flat with the cylinder facing forward. The piston was of aluminium alloy and had a deflector head. The big end had alternating steel and bronze rollers, the crankshaft mounted in ball bearings, and the crankpin overhung the casing. A clutch was built into the casing.

1937 Manufacturers of two-stroke engines and accessories. 'Villiers' Two-stroke Engines and Accessories. ^[7]

1956 Villiers produced its two millionth engine and presented it to the Science Museum in London.

1956 The company was on a 17 acre site and employed 3,500 persons

1957 Villiers absorbed J. A. Prestwich Industries Ltd, makers of the JAP engines.

1961 Manufacturers of internal combustion engines, including the 'Villiers' two-stroke and four-stroke light internal combustion engine. Also manufacture cycle components, freewheels, magnetos, and carburettors. ^[8]

1962 The company was claiming that: 'jointly, the two companies produce a vast range of two-stroke and four-stroke petrol engines and four-stroke diesel engines from 1/3rd to 16 b.h.p. These are the engines which power many of Britain's two-stroke motorcycles, scooters and three-wheelers and the great majority of the motor mowers, cultivators, concrete mixers, generating sets, elevators, pumping sets. etc.'

1965 The company was taken over by Manganese Bronze Holdings.

1966 Together with AMC, the company became part of Norton-Villiers. At this point, Villiers stopped supplying engines to outside companies. Production of the Villiers engine closed in the UK, but continued in Madras, India.

1966 Villiers Tool Development Ltd renamed Viltool Ltd at Wednesfield, Shropshire, specialising in transfer machinery for production lines; turnover had doubled in a year^[9].

1968 Manganese Bronze Holdings sold its 70 percent interest in Viltool^[10] to the Snyder subsidiary of the Synder Corporation of the USA^[11].

In 1999 Villiers Plc acquired the healthcare company Ultramind and renamed the company Ultrasis.

Models

• WX11 1927/28 Introduced the WX11 stationary engine rated at 1.5 bhp

• Mk25 1941 Four-cycle side-valve 250cc rated at 3 bhp

• Mk20. 1941 Introduced the Mk20 200cc engine.

• Mk10. 1941 98cc

• Mk12. 1941 120cc

• MK40. 1950 Introduced the Mk40 385cc engine

• Mk15. 1953 Introduced the Mk15 (147cc) engine

See Also

Sources of Information

1. ↑1914 Wolverhampton Red Book and Directory
2. ↑The Times Sep 27, 1933
3. ↑The Times, Feb 28, 1934
4. ↑The Times, Jan 21, 1936
5. ↑The Times Apr 25, 1936
6. ↑1937 British Industries Fair p429
7. ↑1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
8. ↑1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
9. ↑The Times, 20 January 1967
10. ↑The Times, 18 May 1968
11. ↑The Times, Thursday, Jun 20, 1968

• [1] Wikipedia
• [2] Ian Chadwick's motorcycle web site
• [3] Cyber Motor Cycles web site
• [4] Made in Birmingham
• [5] The Villiers Engineering Company - A Short History of the Company
• [6] The Villiers Engineering Company - From Bike Parts to Engines
• [7] Wolverhampton History
• Powered Vehicles made in the Black Country by Jim Boulton and Harold Parsons. Published 1990. ISBN 0 904015 30 0