Famous Devon Figures

Isaac Singer
Born in New York state the eighth child of his German-Dutch immigrant parents, Isaac Merrit Singer left home at the age of 12. After a diverse number of occupations one of which was engineering he invented the 'shuttle' and this invention helped to end sweatshop labour as well as making him a fortune. Isaac married a number of times and had many children, both legitimate and illegitimate, but in the 1870s the Singers left France and with his wife's health failing came to Devon and bought the 20acre Fernham Estate where he built what is now known as Oldway Mansion which he always referred to as the 'wigwam'. He died in 1875 aged 65 leaving an estate of £15m.