Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.
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Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead. |
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Engineer.
1794 | As company engineer he went to east Shropshire to study railroads and other works there for shipping goods into vessels on the River Severn. | |
October 1796 | He surveyed a canal between Frodsham and Weston Point. | |
August 1807 | He is given the task of building the Weston Canal. The Weaver trustees insisting that it should be built by their own engineer and accepting a £2,000 penalty if it is not completed in 27 months. | |
February 1810 | He is dismissed after the Weston canal was not completed on time and was well over estimate, and his methods and judgement had been critised in a report by Thomas Telford. He had worked for the Weaver for thirty years. |
Engineer with the army and the Salisbury & Southampton Canal.
September 1800 | He restarted work on the canal, having been made engineer on John Rennie's recomendation. | |
1804 | He is working on the canal. | |
June 1804 | He issues a writ for the payment of his salary. No payment was made and sheriffs seived portions of the canal. |
Also known as of Boston
Engineer of Boston.
July 1760 | Was assistant engineer to Langley Edwards. | |
1761 | Was appointed as toll-collector, surveyor of works, lock-keeper and warehouse-keeper at the salary of £45 a year. | |
1764 | His employment is renewed at a reduced salary of £42 a year. | |
1765 | He leaves the navigation when the commissioners want to reduce his salary to less than £40 a year. | |
January 1775 | He was appointed resident engineer at one pound, eleven shillings and sixpence a week including all expenses. | |
Early February 1775 | The directors resolve to discharge him and pay him 12 guineas for his trouble. |
Engineer.
1810 | He was asked to do a detailed survey of a small ship-canal line from Canterbury to St Nicholas Bay, near Margate, that had been proposed by Robert Whitworth junior. He did the survey and also suggested a 18f oot deep ship canal from St Nicholas Bay to Deal, where a second harbour was proposed. |
Engineer of the Gloucester & Berkley Canal.
1867 | He was asked to report on the canal and concluded that it could not be made to cover its expenses and would be better turned in to an osier bed. |
Engineer.
1819 | As company engineer he reports that the navigation at Long Whatton and Kegworth bridge was dangerous and inconvenient and could be improved by new cuts. | |
April 1826 | It was reported that his new cut and bridge at Kegworth had been completed in a very efficient and workmanlike manner. |
Surveyor.
1793 | He made a survey and proposed a canal with 24 locks rising 202.5 feet to a basin below Ashburton at an estimated cost of £15,000. |
Engineer and agent for the Duke of Rutland.
Spring 1793 | He was appointed engineer for the section of the canal from the Leicestershire boundary to Grantham. Unusually he was also a member of the intial company board of nine people even though he was an employee. | |
1 February 1797 | He reported that the eastern section was navigable. |
Engineer.
July 1819 | He was appointed engineer and started cutting the canal. | |
8 July 1823 | He had completed the canal and it opened to traffic. |
An engineer, first in mining, but later on canals including the Tennent Canal.
Late 1817 | As engineer he started building the canal. | |
Autumn 1818 | He completed the canal. | |
1821 | He started work on cutting the canal as engineer | |
1832 | He reported that Charles Tennant was considering doing away with the little used lock to the River Neath at Red Jacket and "if there was any traffic likely to come that way to have a capstan with a carriage to take a barge on it from the river to the branch canal". | |
1836 | He wrote to Charles Tennant "I understand they are now talking in earnest about extending the Neath Canal to Aberavon". He had made a plan and survey for a similar extension to Port Talbot many years before. |
Engineer.
After 1748 | The new Denver Sluice was opened incorporating the navigation lock that he designed. |
Engineer.
17 October 1833 | He was appointed engineer after havig already made a partial survey. | |
19 November 1833 | He produced his plans for the navigation. | |
19 August 1834 | He wrote to Comyns Parker, a land agent amd supporter of the scheme, to say that the support for the project had disappeared. |
Engineer who had studied under John Smeaton, worked on the Basingstoke Canal and in 1796 became an architect in the USA, designing Baltimore Cathedral and supervised the rebuilding of the Capitol and the White House in Washington after they had been burned by the British during the war of 1812.
1793 | He recommended the deepening and straightening of the Blackwater as far as Fullbridge. | |
1794 | He builds on his earlier report and suggests improvements of the Blackwater upstream to its junction with the Chelmer. |
Engineer.
April 1772 | He was employed as assistant engineer to Samuel Weston. |
Surveyor. Worked with John Box.
1774 | Surveyed the line for the proposed canal with John Box. | |
1777 | He was consulted on the possibility of a canal and proposed a canal from Sandplace, 2miles above East Looe, to Bank Mill bridge, 2.5 miles from Liskeard. He estimated it would cost £17,495 for a 15-mile canal with two inclined planes. | |
1785 | Based on his work in surveying the proposed Tamar Canal (an idea that developed into the Bude Canal) he published a book called A Treatise of Universal Inland Navigations. |
Surveyor.
August 1800 | He presented his report proposing a way of providing efficient drainage and navigation on the river at a cost of £22,975. |
A Bradford engineer who worked on the Aire and Calder modernisation with his father and who surveyed the River Derwent in 1810. Assisted by James Abernethy.
June 1810 | He completes the plans from his survey of the river which he did under his father's direction. | |
1812 | He was asked by S H Copperthwaite, Earl Fitzwilliam's agent, to survey a line from above Sutton Lock to Pocklington. He said that this was impracticable and that the canal should join the Derwent at East Cottingwith. Without a survey he estimated that an 8 lock canal would cost £43,630 if taken to the Hull turnpike road plus £8,257 if continued another .75 mile and 2 locks into Pocklington. | |
August 1813 | He started his survey and was thinking of having another lock on the Derwent at East Cottingwith to raise the depth to 4 feet. He had seen several vessels stuck on a shoal here for 7 or 8 days. He was unable to complete the survey at this time as he was taken ill. | |
June 1814 | He completed his survey and produced an estimate of £32,032 for the line to the Hull turnpike road near Pocklington. | |
September 1814 | He is asked by George Bagley, one of the promoters, to extend his survey across the turnpike road to Pocklington. He produces a plan showing a further 5 locks into the town. | |
October 1814 | With reference to William Chapmans report on the drainage of the upper Derwent he said that above Yedingham the river was navigable to Foulbridge, and that two small locks would give enugh water for it up to its junction with the river Hertford. | |
1818 | He was employed by Christopher Tennant of Stockton to survey a line for the proposed Stockton & Aukland Canal. This broad canal with 50 locks was to run from the River Tees at Portrack, below Stockton, for 29.5 miles through Whitton, Mordon, Bradbury and Shildon to the River Gaunless at Evenwood. The estimated cost was £205,283 later increased to £225,283. | |
Summer 1818 | He is warmly thanked by shareholders for completing the work within estimate, although there was some overspend due to additional facilities add during construction. | |
September 1818 | He was asked to help Thomas Wood, the company engineer, in a preliminary survey of a route from Haddlesey to the Dutch River. | |
August 1819 | He and Thackray did a survey of a canal from Sprotbrough to Wentmouth with a branch to Womersley on behalf of John Rennie for the company. | |
September 1819 | He was asked to survey a possible branch to the limestone quarries at Womersley. | |
July 1820 | He was given charge of construction of the new cut. | |
October 1820 | He was employed to survey an extension of the Silkstone tramroad into the Worsbrough valley or for a new tramroad to that point. | |
23 January 1822 | He wrote a report proposing dock accommodation at Goole for Brigs. | |
1823 | He reported on the cost of coal carried by the Lancaster and Leeds & Liverpool canal routes and the effects of the various costs on the trade carried by both companies. | |
After July 1823 | He recommended raising Worsbrough reservoir by 4 foot 6 inches thus increasing it from 42 to 62 acres at a cost of £3,150 plus the cost of the land. The work was finished in 1826. He also said that the canal locks were too lightly built and it was agreed to reconstruct 2 or 3 each year. | |
September 1823 | He estimates a cost of £1,084 for a cut from the Sheffield Canal to the Tinsley cut and the is agreed by both companies. He later ponits out that the cut cannot be made until a good supply of water from the Sheffield Canal is assured. | |
August 1824 | He recommended a piecemeal development plan for the main line from Leeds to Castleford with a 7 foot depth all the way. He also recommended a 7 foot depth on the Calder to Wakefield and a new cut. | |
1825 | He submits two reports suggesting river improvements. The one for Doncaster was agreed with the corporation but the other between Rotherham and Tinsley was dropped due to an objection. | |
1828 | He was asked by the company to survey and estimate for a canal from near Stainforth on the Don to join the Goole Canal of the Aire & Calder Navigation. | |
October 1832 | He reports on the line of the proposed Sheffield & Chesterfield Junction Canal laid out by Joseph Burke. He makes some improvements of his own and re-estimates the cost as £75,870. | |
After 1834 | Was building of Goole Dock and ship lock, assisted by James Abernethy | |
April 1834 | The board told him to prepare plans for the Stanley Ferry Aqueduct. | |
1835 | He was consulted about two schemes to improve the lower river. He agreed that a scheme using two miles of the Stainforth & Keadby Canal could work but rejected the idea of locks on the Dutch River. | |
1836 | He is asked to report on making a short cut to join the Goole canal to the River Don. | |
January 1836 | He writes of "the decided hostility of the Aire & Calder Company, as resolved upon at their meeting on Saturday 16th inst." concerning the proposed Manchester & Leeds Railway. | |
January 1839 | His plan for a Leeds & Armley Navigation, to take craft drawing up to 7 feet above Leeds Bridge, was put to the board. | |
1840 | He designed a new dock at Leeds. | |
22 October 1852 | He reported on the line of the Sheffield & Chesterfield Junction Canal which had been surveyed by Mr Burke. In general he approved of the 7.75 mile line but suggested it be lengthen by about a mile to reduce earthworks and estimated the cost at £75,870. |
Engineer.
Late 1809 | He is asked by S H Copperthwaite, agent of the Earl Fitzwilliam, to prepare plans to make the river navigable. | |
Summer 1810 | He proposed a navigation with two locks a "full sized" one at New Malto and a small one at Old Malton taking craft of 26 feet long with a 11 foot 6 inches beam. |
Engineer. Probably the son of George Leather junior.
July 1837 | While working as part of George Leather & Son he reported in favour of proposals for a new lock at Leeds to connect the canal to the River Aire above the weir. |
Engineer.
Spring 1781 | Was appointed engineer. | |
Summer 1785 | He became resident engineer. | |
1800 | He was replaced as engineer by James Green. |
Surveyor.
1789 | Did the survey for the navigation that was used for the 1790 enabling act. | |
Late December 1791 | His original survey is criticised by John Rennie who says "The original survey is very incorrect. I am surprised that Mr Lenny should have paid so little attention to accuracy". |
Engineer.
1771 | Was appointed Engineer following Thomas Yeoman in the post. | |
December 1779 | He was blamed for the unsatisfactory state of the navigation and was dismissed after showing the river to his successor, John Glynn. |
Engineer. Was assisted by Samuel Bull.
Late 1769 | He was appointed engineer. | |
8 July 1776 | He was appointed engineer. | |
5 November 1777 | He was dismissed by the directors after he refused to allow them to give him detailed orders and report to them twice a week. |
Engineer on the Mersey & Irwell Navigation.
Engineer.
1833 | As engineer for the navigation he was part of the delegation that met with the Grand Junction Railway company to discuss the building of Dutton viaduct across the river. | |
1837 | He was appointed engineer to the London & Southampton Railway which ran alongside and across the canal. | |
Late 1842 | His survey for the Maidstone, Rochester & Gravesend Railway proposed a short tunnel crossing over the Higham canal tunnel rather than using the canal tunnel for the railway as had been previously suggested. |
Constuction engineer of the Leeds & Liverpool canal between 1771 and 1777 and a pupil of John Smeaton. Had his plans approved by James Brindley.
1766 | He proposed a canal from Leeds to Liverpool, according to Joseph Priestley. | |
1768 | Around this time he did a survey for a 2 mile 5 furlong canal with 20 from Godley bridge, near Halifax, to the Calder navigation. This was probably done on behalf of a private group of promoters or single promoter. | |
Early 1768 | He planned a route from the Aire & Calder Navigation at Leeds to Liverpool via Gargrave, down the valley of the Lancashire rivers Calder and Ribble to near Preston and Ormskirk. | |
January 1769 | James Brindley largely approved his plan for the canal. | |
14 June 1769 | Took a letter to James Brindley, on behalf of some of the Lancashire committee, asking for his views on proposed changes to the Lancashire part of the canal route. | |
11 December 1769 | It was agreed at a general meeting that his line for the canal should be adopted. | |
1770 | He surveyed two possible branches one betweem Birstall and Dewsbury and the other to Bradford via Cleckheaton the Spen valley. | |
1770 | He is appointed clerk of works and later when James Brindley asked to be relieved from his post as cheif engineer he takes on this role as well. | |
After April 1771 | He was consulted on the engineering aspects of the canal. | |
1772 | He was employed to make a survey for the proposed Leeds & Selby Canal. His canal was to take 50 or 60-ton craft over a 23 mile 1 furlong route which included a long aqueduct and a 400 yard tunnel at an estimated cost of £59,468. | |
October 1772 | His contract is renewed and he is paid £500 a year for his full time employment. | |
1773 | He attends a parliamentary committee on the projected Leeds & Selby Canal, which he surveyed. | |
June 1775 | He resigned from the company after the committee had complained of him not spending enough effort to the canal. He had recently bought coalmines at Upholland. | |
1787 | He proposes to build a cut from the River Winster, near where it joined the the River Kent estuary at Castle Head (SD422799), northeast across Foulshaw Moss to Nether Levens where it would join the River Kent. The Kent was then to be diverted south-southwest along the coast to Arnside where it would turn south along the coastline to the deep water at Heysham Head. The scheme was intended to provide drainage as well as navigation. | |
1791 | He produces another route for the Lanchire section of the canal in response to Robert Whitworth's line. | |
8 June 1791 | Was asked to re-survey Whitworth's line, together with Robert Dickinson and Richard Beck, and to extend it southward to Worsley. | |
1792 | He surveyed an extension to the proposed canal from Sladen to Sowerby Bridge which included a 8,428 yard tunnel to the Calder near Halifax. He estimated the cost as £190,291. | |
1792 | He surveyed the line of the proposed canal with William White. | |
1792 | He did a second survey of the line for the canal, Robert Whitworth having done the first. | |
September 1792 | He assisted William Crosley in surveys for reserviors so that the canal could be supplied with water without affecting the water supplies to mills. | |
June 1800 | He asked the company for a small annual stipend saying he was in "the decline of life" and without employment. In return for some papers he held he was advanced some small amounts and the company paid his funeral expenses of £40. |
Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.