Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

Waterways Engineers and Surveyors from Williams, Edward Leader Sir

Sir Edward Leader Williams 1828 - 1910

Advised that the Manchester Ship Canal should be a non-tidal waterway. Son of Edward Leader senior Williams.

Late 1856	River Weaver	He was appointed engineer, chosen from 110 applicants for the post.
June 1863	River Weaver	He was told by the trustees to prepare a plan "of a Sea Wall at Weston Point to extend from our present Basin to the Bridgewater Property and Basins for the purpose of affording further accommodation and facilities to the Trade of the River". This led to the building of Delamere dock.
1865	River Weaver	He said that Runcorn Docks were crowded and that the London & North Western Railway were building a high level branch to within 13 miles of Winsford at great expense. This would allow salt to be transported at less cost than on the Weaver. He also pointed out that some of the largest Winsford works already had railway connections and that others were getting them.
Late 1865	River Weaver	He produced a plan for making the river navigable to seagoing vessels with a minimum river depth of 12 feet and 15 feet over the lock sills, the enlargement of the Weston Canal and a new lock at Sutton. The new locks were to be 200 feet long and 40 feet wide with three pairs of hydraulic powered gates. He estimated the cost as £195,800 for the river up to Northwich.
July 1870	River Weaver	He told a sub-connittee how a hyrdraulic boat lift at Anderton, costing no more than £12,000, would work.
1 September 1872	Bridgewater Canal	Having left the Weaver Navigation he became engineer and general manager of the new Bridgewater Navigation Company.
1875	Bridgewater Canal	Having rejected a trial of a steam tug hauled on a chain or cable on the bottom of the canal that was set up by Fowler of Leeds, he now ordered 6 narrow-beam tugs. Eventually he had 28 of these.
1875	River Weaver	As engineer for the Bridgewater Navigation Company he suggested using the Delamere dock entrance as a means of connecting traffic from the Bridgewater Canal at Runcorn directly to the Weaver but the Weaver trustees rejected the idea.
1879	Bridgewater Canal	He left the Bridgewater Navigation Company.
1882	Manchester Ship Canal	He had his first connection with the project.
1882	River Weaver	He had discussions with the company engineer, L B Wells and Emerson & Co following a burst of a press and caission on the Anderton Lift. Thicker cast iron and modified presses were installed.
1885	Manchester Ship Canal	Gave evidence before a parliamentary committee in opposition to the Bridgewater Navigation Company.
21 August 1893	Bridgewater Canal	The Barton Swing Aqueduct, which he had designed as engineer of the Manchester Ship Canal, was opened to traffic.
1902	River Trent	Around this time he surveyed the river with a view to building new locks and other improvements to navigation.

Edward Leader senior Williams died 1879

Engineer to the Severn Commissioners. Father of Sir Edward Leader Williams and worked with W B Clegram.

Autumn 1838	River Severn	As engineer responsible for river improvements between Stourport and Gloucester he presented a revised plan to the Commission.
Autumn 1840	River Severn	He was appointed sub-engineer to the newly formed Severn Improvement Association.
August 1847	River Severn	As engineer for the Commisssion he admitted that the depth of the river was only 4 feet in some parts, blaming the deletion of his proposed lock at Upton from the 1842 Act.
1849	River Severn	He told an enquiry that it was impossible to maintain channel depths by dredging as this made the channels "so many mill-races, down which it was difficult to navigate the vessels" leading to frequent accidents.
1860	Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal	The company bought two steam coasters for use on the Severn which he had designed, the Ironside and the Cuurassier. These wer 94 feet long with a 19 feet 6 inches beam built on a wooden frame with an iron plate skin.
1869	River Severn	An Act was passed based on his and W B Clegram's proposals for a weir in the western channel to improve flows in the eastern channel to Gloucester and for a lock at Llanthony.

Henry Williams

Shropshire canal surveyor active from about 1788 until 1839.

July 1788	Shropshire Canal	He and John Lowdon were awarded £50 each for their entries in a competition to find "the best means of raising and lowering heavy weights from one navigation to another".
February 1794	Shropshire Canal	He was appointed surveyor.
1797	Shrewsbury Canal	He was appointed engineer and superintendent while continuing to be employed by the Shropshire Canal company.
1831	Shrewsbury Canal	He reported on the cost of altering locks and bridges on the canal to make it suitable for narrowboats.
1839	Shropshire Canal	He retired.

John Williams

Engineer.

March 1819

Ellesmere Canal

The western line, which he built as resident engineer, was completed to Newtown, a distance of 7 miles 3 furlongs and with six locks.

Philip Williams

Engineer and a one time Agent for the Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal Company.

March 1794

Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal

He was appointed engineer for the extension of the Clydach valley tramroad to Bryn-mawr with branches to Nant-y-glo and Llwydcoed colliery.

J W Wilson

Engineer.

1865

Wimbledon & Wandsworth Canal project

He estimated the cost of the scheme at £53,000 for a 2 mile and 3 furlongs canal with 2 locks from Wandsworth Basin running paralell to the River Wandle to near Plough Lane , Wimbledon. The scheme also included a new road for part of the route.

Philip Henry Witton

Engineer.

Late 1797	Warwick & Birmingham Canal	He added the post of engineer to his existing job as clerk-accountant.
October 1800	Warwick & Birmingham Canal	Having completed the canal he left his post.

Frederick Wood

Engineer.

1830	Oxford Canal	He made a number of chain survey books giving details of locks, bridges, mileposts and other canal features. Some of these were used to assist canal inspections for over a hundred years after they were prepared.
1836	Birmingham & Warwick Junction Canal	He surveyed a line for the canal from the Birmingham Canal and Worcester & Birmingham Canal to the Warwick & Birmingham Canal and then to Aston Locks.
October 1842	Cassington Cut	He was approached by the Duke of Marlborough's agent over the lack of repairs to the wharf following the Oxford Canal company's decision not to renew their lease on the canal and wharf.
1853	Oxford Canal (Northern Section)	He produced a plan for a 12 chain (264 yard) cut north of Hawksbury Junction which would have cut out the awkward turn and shortened the route through to the northern part of the Coventry Canal by 2 miles.

John Wood

Engineer.

December 1831

Ashton Canal

He was appointed engineer at £180 a year.

Thomas Wood

Engineer. Assistant to Elias Wright.

1816	Aire and Calder Navigation and River Aire	He succeeded Elias Wright as engineer and put forward plans for improving the navigation to Leeds and building a new basin there.
1818	Aire & Calder Main Line	His new basin at Leeds was opened.
September 1818	Aire & Calder Main Line	He was asked to do a preliminary survey of a route from Haddlesey to the Dutch River with the help of George Leather junior.
1820	Aire and Calder Navigation and River Aire	He is dismissed for malpractice.
1820	Aire & Calder Main Line	He reported that the navigation improvements to Leeds were complete.

John Woodhouse

Engineer from Chilvers Coton, Warwickshire, 1 mile southwest of Nuneaton. Worked under James Barnes.

Early 1802	Huddersfield Narrow Canal	He had made a bid for a contract to dig the middle section of the tunnel but withdrew when he got a contract on Blisworth Tunnel on the Grand Junction Canal.
June 1802	Grand Junction Canal	He was one of several contractors engaged to build Blisworth Tunnel.
May 1804	Grand Junction Canal	He was appointed superintendent of tunnel workmen under James Barnes.
September 1805	Grand Junction Canal	He was appointed engineer of the Northern district.
1808	Old Grand Union Canal	About this time he, supported by a Leicester group, put forward a line for the canal with a tunnel.
Early 1808	Worcester and Birmingham Canal	The company agreed to trial an experimental boat lift that he had invented. Woodhouse was to errect this at his own cost and the company was to pay for excavation and masonry.
24 June 1808	Worcester and Birmingham Canal	His 12 foot boat lift at Tardebigge was ready for trials. A wooden tank holding water and a narrowboat weighing 64 tons was counter balanced by a platform loaded with bricks, the two connected by eight chains running over cast-iron wheels.
July 1809	Worcester and Birmingham Canal	Appointed engineer in succession to Thomas Cartwright.
1815	Grand Junction Canal	He was given the contract to build 8 side ponds for Hanwell locks. It was later said that these were unusable due to bad workmanship.
1815	Worcester and Birmingham Canal	His Tardebigge boat lift is replaced by a lock.
1819	Gloucester & Sharpness Ship Canal	About this time he was appointed enginner of the Gloucester & Berkley Canal at 500 guineas a year plus expenses.
May 1820	Gloucester & Sharpness Ship Canal	Thomas Telford wrote to the company saying that Woodhouse's son had been supplying the wrong kind of stone to the works at Sharpness, adding "I am of the opinion that it is absolutly necessary to employ as resident engineer a person wholly unconnected with Contractors for Material or Labour in any shape". As a result Woodhouse was dismissed.

Elias Wright

Engineer. Was assisted by Thomas Wood.

August 1792	Barnsley Canal	As one of the Aire & Calder's two resident engineers he took part in the survey of the route and estimating pior to the first public meeting promoting the canal.
1793	Barnsley Canal	He took part in the survey and estimate of £72,115 for the 6 mile Haigh bridge branch.
1797	Aire & Calder Navigation - Selby Section	He said that extra height dam boards had to be used at Haddlesey weir because the 3 feet 6 inches depth of the canal was too shallow.He also said that two miles of the canal had sandy banks which washed and blew into the canal necessitating frequent dredging.
1799	Aire & Calder Navigation - Wakefield Section	As company engineer he proposed building a depot and workshops at Lake Lock on the Calder below Stanley Ferry.
1804	Aire & Calder Navigation - Wakefield Section	He reported that better work was now being done more cheaply at the Lake Lock depot. There were 9 carpenters, 4 sawyers, 4 blacksmiths, a blockmaker with his boy and a sailmaker and an assistant. He wrote that "a better set of Workmen are not to be found in any Yard in the Kingdom, not only as to their ability in their Profession but also for their Industry, Sobriety and good Conduct".
1807	Aire and Calder Navigation and River Aire	He told shareholders "On the Navigation of the general Line of the Rivers, I think I may be permitted to say, it improves every Year, and is at present better than at any former time".
July 1807	Aire & Calder Navigation - Wakefield Section	He advised shareholders to oppose John Lee and Shepley Watson's proposal for using their new cut saying "to suffer any individual, or set of them, to have the Power over the Water, would be total Ruin of the Navigation".
1808	Aire & Calder Navigation - Wakefield Section	He completed the building of the new Lake Lock.
1812	Aire & Calder Navigation - Wakefield Section	He reported that only two more locks, at Penbank and Altofts, had to be dealt with before craft 18 feet wide could reach Wakefield.
1816	Aire and Calder Navigation and River Aire	He ceased his role as company engineer.

John R Wright

Surveyor.

1840

River Blyth

He did a survey of Southwold Harbour, supervised by James Walker. It was found that the scouring effect of the tide had been reduced by no less than 148,296,490 cubic feet of water on each tide due to the reclaimation of 1,504 acres of marsh land.

Samuel Wylde

Engineer of the Bridgewater Canal company.

1833

Bridgewater Canal

He recommended a new design of flat that had one-third more capacity, based on the same general type, with a nearly vertical stern, boom that did not project beyond the rudder and a mast that could be struck. As a trial one was ordered made in wood and one of iron. These proved successful and four more were ordered in 1834.

Mr Wyman

Engineer of Higham Ferrers.

Spring 1758

River Nene

He put forward a proposal for making the river navigable from Thrapston to Northampton. His plan was approved by Thomas Yeoman but he withdrew in favour of a plan by John Smith junior "on account of Mr Smith's cheaper proposals, his Integrity and superior Experience in such affairs".

Andrew Yarranton 1616 - 1684

An owner of iron works at Astley on the Severn near Stourport. He was interested in several inland navigation schemes and wrote "England's Improvement by Sea and Land" in 2 parts published in 1677 and 1686. Father of Robert Yarranton.

After 1653	Dick Brook	He made the brook navigable with two flash locks in the first yards from the Severn. These were built to take iron-ore to a forge about half a mile above the upper lock.
1655	River Salwarpe	He and Captain Wall offered to seek letters patent from the Lord Protector to make the river navigable. He made an agreement with Droitwich corporation which allotted land to him for 21 years as payment for this. No further action was taken on this proposal.
1665	River Stour (Worcestershire)	He started work on making the river navigable for 16 ton craft between Stourbridge and Kidderminster, building 12 locks and 4 "turnpikes" (thought to be half-locks) a task he completed in 1667. He wrote that he "fell on, and made it compleatly Navigable from Sturbridge to Kederminster; and carried down many hundres Tuns of Coals, . . . and there it was obstructed for want of money, which by Contract was to be paid". He also constructed a tramroad from near Stourbridge to a colliery, for a £1,255 fee.
1675	River Avon (Hampshire)	He surveyed the river, at the request of Lord Salisbury, and found it was practicable to make it navigable. He thought timber and ironstone might be carried.
1677	Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation	In his book England's Improvement by Land and Sea he recorded the results of his survey and estimated a cost of £8,000 to make the river navigable.
1677	Oxford Canal (Southern Section)	In his book England's Improvement by Land and Sea he proposed making the River Cherwell navigable from Banbury to Oxford for £10,000 so that corn from the area could be carried to London.

Robert Yarranton

Engineer. Son of Andrew Yarranton.

1667

River Stour (Worcestershire)

He attempted to complete the works but lack of money meant little more was done.

Thomas Yeoman 1700 - 1781

One of the earliest civil engineers.

1753	River Nene	He surveyed the river from Thrapston to Northampton.
1755	Stroudwater Canal	He made a survey and proposed building a reservior to supply the mills on the proposed navigation.
1757	River Ivel	He and Langley Edwards were appointed surveyors.
Spring 1758	River Nene	He was asked examine the propsals of John Smith junior and Mr Wyman for making the western division of the river navigable and found that both schemes were sound.
1759	River Nene	He reported that the navigation between Wansford and Waternewton was very bad in places and that the commissioners seem to have had little or no authority over the proprietors, who had sole use of the tolls for themselves.
1759	Stroudwater Canal	He gave evidence in support of the Bill that became an Act in early April.
Late 1761	River Nene	Around this time he surveyed the newly opened navigation and gave it a favourable report.
1762	Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation	He did a survey and estimate for the navigation.
19 June 1764	Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation	The following extract from his letter to John Smeaton demonstrates the difficulties he had with the navigation promoters: . . . Now Suppose I should tell you that I am not paid for what I have done will you believe me and if I should add that the under Sheriff took it in his head two Days to attend the Survey with Company and order'd provision & to the Water Sides, lay all night at Danbury at my Inn, and left me to pay every thing even so much as his and his friends Corn and Hay for their Horses, will you give credence to it? but so it is my Friend and so it must be, until they take it in their Heads to pay; Should not I charge two Years Interest in September next? . . . I beg that my best wishes be acceptable to Mrs Smeaton, Children and Self and am with sincerity Dear Sir Your most obedient and obliged humble Servt Thos Yeoman.
1765	Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation	He produced another plan which was used in the application for a Bill to parliament and estimated the cost as £13,000. He proposed widening the river to 30 feet at the surface and 20 feet at the bottom with a depth of 4 feet and locks 70 feet long and 14 feet wide.
1766	River Stort	He became engineer for the navigation.
16 July 1766	River Lee	He was asked to survey the navigation as assistant to John Smeaton.
17 September 1766	River Ancholme	He reported "Ferriby Sluice had decayed and the Humber water had gone up to Glanford leaving much silt. The New Drain 40 ft wide is reduced to 15 ft - 16 ft in some places which is the chief cause of flooding. Above Glanford it is interrupted by Lug Beds, Weeds, and Sands and wholly silted up for the last miles next to Bishop Briggs."
1 July 1767	River Lee	He was elected surveyor and collector for the new river trustees.
1768	Forth & Clyde Canal	He surveyed and reported on the line of the canal.
1769	Aire & Calder Navigation - Selby Section	He made a survey for a canal from Leeds to Selby and gave a preliminary estimate of £65,350.
1769	River Nene	He agreed that no permanent solution to flooding on the river could be found until the obstructions at Wisbech were removed.He also recommended a navigable sluice above Guyhirne and a side cut through Wisbech.
Late 1769	Coventry Canal	He was called in to advise the company for a few months.
Autumn 1769	River Stort	He had completed the 15 locks and other works to make the river navigable from Bishop's Stortford to the Lee.
Late 1771	Coventry Canal	He was called in to advise on the route from Atherstone to Fradley and recommended a new route to Polesworth and replacing the Tame aqueduct by a level crossing of the river.
Late July 1771	River Lee	He resigned from his post of surveyor.
December 1772	Aire & Calder Navigation - Selby Section	He supported John Longbotham's Leeds & Selby Canal in parliamentary evidence. This scheme was the alternative to the Aire & Calder's Selby Canal.
Autumn 1774	Stroudwater Canal	He re-surveyed the line and suggested a 8 mile canal 42 feet wide with 12 locks taking Severn craft.
1776	Stroudwater Canal	He said, speaking of the cranes that were to transfer goods by Mills instead of locks, that he had "seen the Engines now remaining upon the River - that are out of Repair not being used - . . . most of the Iron work is lost".

George Young

Surveyor from Worcester.

1785	River Severn	About this time he re-surveyed the river from Coalbrooke to Diglis, below Worcester, that William Jessop had surveyed. He proposed 15 locks instead of Jessop's 13 or 14.
1792	Shrewsbury Canal	He surveyed the line for the canal.

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.