James Puckle

James Puckle (1667–1724) was an English inventor, lawyer and writer from London chiefly remembered for his invention of the ''Defence Gun'', better known as the ''Puckle gun'', a multi-shot gun mounted on a stand capable of (depending on which version) firing up to nine rounds per minute. The Puckle gun is one of the first weapons referred to as a machine gun (though its operation does not match the modern definition of the term) and resembles a large revolver.

Puckle's best-known literary work (reprinted as recently as 1900) was ''The Club'', a moral dialogue between a father and son. Provided by Wikipedia