Robert Stodart

Robert Stodart (bapt. 19 July 1748, Walston, Lanarkshire — 10 March 1831, Edinburgh), sometimes spelled "Stoddard" or "Stoddart," was a distinguished Scottish harpsichord and piano maker, a notable contributor to the advancement of "English action" mechanism invented by Americus Backers (ca.1740 — post-1778), one of Gottfried Silbermann's descendants.

Stodart apprenticed with an unknown woodworker in Dalkeith, a town in Midlothian, before relocating to London in the early 1770s, where Robert briefly apprenticed with renowned Swiss harpsichord-maker Burkhard Shudi (1702—1773) before joining John Broadwood's workshop as a tuner. Around 1773, Stodart lived with Americus Backers, and all three makers closely collaborated on fine-tuning and improving the pianoforte's mechanics. Robert Stodart established his independent workshop on Wardour Street in London circa 1775. The following year, Stodart received his first patent for a swell pedal to control the piano's volume; in 1777, he patented a unique "harpsichord-piano" hybrid.

There are conflicting sources regarding Robert's successors; he married Alison Turnbull in January 1783, and some biographers indicate they never had children. Stodart renamed the company "Robertus Stodart et Co" circa 1787, joined by his nephew or son, William Stodart (1762—ca. 1838). He retired sometime between 1794 and 1796, and the shop was again renamed M. & W. Stodard, after Matthew Stodart (b. 1758) joined (who was either the second Robert's son or his nephew).