Thomas Dadford Sr. (died 1809) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

canal engineer A canal engineer is a civil engineer responsible for planning (architectural and otherwise) related to the construction of a canal. Canal engineers include: China * Yu the Great (c.2200BCE-c.2100BCE), first Dynast of China, founder of the fir ...

as were his sons,

Thomas Dadford Jr. Thomas Dadford Jr. (ca. 1761 to 1801) was an England, English canal engineer, who came from a family of canal engineers. He first worked with his father in the north of Britain on the Stour and the Trent, but later independently, contributing to ...

John Dadford John Dadford was an England, English canal engineer, as were his father Thomas Dadford and brothers Thomas Dadford, Jr. and James Dadford. He lived from approximately 1769 to 1800, although neither date is known for certain. Biography John Dadfor ...

, and

James Dadford James Dadford (born 1769) was an English canal engineer. Career He was engineer of the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal from 1795 to 1800. His father Thomas Dadford, and brothers Thomas Dadford, Jr. and John Dadford were also canal engineers. ...

Biography

Thomas Dadford probably originated from Stewponey or

Stourton, Staffordshire Stourton is a hamlet in Staffordshire, England a few miles to the northwest of Stourbridge. There is a fair amount of dispute over the pronunciation, being pronounced 'stower-ton', 'stir-ton' or 'store-ton' by different people from the area. The ...

, near

Stourbridge Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The 20 ...

. He started as one of

James Brindley James Brindley (1716 – 27 September 1772) was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century. Early life Born i ...

's many pupil-assistants, in which capacity he worked on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and the

Birmingham Canal Navigations Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) is a network of canals connecting Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and the eastern part of the Black Country. The BCN is connected to the rest of the English canal system at several junctions. It was owned and oper ...

. He was engineer and surveyor on the

Dudley Canal The Dudley Canal is a canal passing through Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The canal is part of the English and Welsh connected network of navigable inland waterways, and in particular forms part of the popular Stourport Ring narrowboat ...

until 1783, and consulted by them later when they were extending through

Dudley Tunnel Dudley Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Dudley Canal Line No 1, England. At about long, it is now the second longest canal tunnel on the UK canal network today. ( Standedge Tunnel is the longest, at , and the Higham and Strood tunnel is now ...

. *1774 – with John Priddy he surveyed the Stroudwater Canal *1782 – with Thomas (Junior), he made recommendations for improvements to the

River Trent The Trent is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midland ...

. *1784 – advised on the

Coventry Canal The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England. It starts in Coventry and ends to the north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also has connections with th ...

's aqueduct over the River Tame. *1789 – cutting contractor on the Cromford Canal. *1791, he became a

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal own ...

of the

Neath Canal The Neath and Tennant Canals are two independent but linked canals in South Wales that are usually regarded as a single canal. The Neath Canal was opened from Glynneath to Melincryddan, to the south of Neath, in 1795 and extended to Giant's Gra ...

. The latter part of his career was spent in Monmouthshire, Glamorganshire, and Montgomeryshire, for example on the

Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal ( cy, Camlas Sir Fynwy a Brycheiniog) is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its currently (2018) navigable length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural ...

in the early 1790s, often working with his two sons. He worked on many canal projects, including the Neath and the Aberdare, in many of which he was also a shareholder. Until 1794, with his son and

Thomas Sheasby Thomas Sheasby, Senior (c.1740–1799) was a British civil engineer and contractor. His early work involved bridge construction, after which he went on to build canals, including several in South Wales. He was imprisoned for a time when there ...

, he was engineer and contractor on the

Glamorganshire Canal The Glamorganshire Canal in South Wales, UK, was begun in 1790. It ran along the valley of the River Taff from Merthyr Tydfil to the sea at Cardiff. The final section of canal was closed in 1951. History Construction started in 1790; being ...

, until they had a row with the company and were

arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

ed for alleged overpayments. The matter was later resolved in their favour and they were exonerated. His last canal was the

Montgomeryshire , HQ= Montgomery , Government= Montgomeryshire County Council (1889–1974)Montgomeryshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin= , Status= , Start= , End= ...

, where he succeeded his son John as engineer in July 1797.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dadford, Thomas Sr. 1809 deaths English canal engineers People from South Staffordshire District Year of birth missing

Biography

See also

References