People of Note
John Shephard (1852-1940)
John Shephard
was born 2 December 1852 at Masbrough,Rotherham. His parents were William Shephard,
a grocer and Ann (Nee Rickertt). John married in 1885 to Alice Emma Roberts, a domestic servant.
An engineer, he started his working life in about 1863 at Guest and Chrimes , Rotherham, as an apprentice then a fitter, where he stayed until about 1883.
The following year, he emigrated to Australia where he set up Davies, Shephard & Co. - an engineering and brass founders in Melbourne.
In 1893, he made a micro-ruling engine for test rulings, the only surviving test ruling with a series of bands whose resolution goes down to one half of a micron.
Shephard was President of the Royal Society of Victoria from 1912 to 1913.
He was interested in microscopy and established a reputation in microscopy circles in Melbourne for which he was long remembered.
Shephard died 15 May 1940 at Brighton, Victoria, Australia.
