Edward Massey was a leading London nautical instrument maker and he invented and perfected several nautical instruments. He received the first patent for a successful mechanical log - British patent 2601 in March 1802. The British Board of Longitude awarded Massey £200 for his invention and they recommended that the British Royal Navy purchase five hundred units for their fleet of vessels. Massey’s mechanical logs quickly became a commercial success and many ships used his "patent logs" throughout the nineteenth century.