William Stenson (1770–1861) was a mining engineer born in
Coleorton,
Leicestershire.
Background
Little is currently known about Stenson's background. Detail of his parentage remains unknown and neither is it known where he would have received his training as an engineer. It is known that he was a non-conformist, being buried in the old Baptist cemetery at
Hugglescote
Hugglescote is a village on the River Sence in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is about south of the centre of Coalville, and its built-up area is now contiguous with the town.
Hugglescote and Donington le Heath were part of ...
and also that he is said to have been born at
Coleorton,
Leicestershire. The connection of his family with Coleorton is supported by a baptismal entry for one William Stenson of Coleorton Moor which occurs in the register of
Packington
Packington is a village and civil parish in the district of North West Leicestershire.OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest :(1:25 000) : It is situated close to the A42 road (England), A42 road and the towns of Ashby de la Zouch and Measha ...
Baptist Church for 1770, though this would relate to an adult baptism and therefore not that of Stenson the engineer.
It has also been suggested that 'Stenson' would have been a variant spelling of 'Stinson', the Stinsons being a very prominent family of tradesmen in this district. During the nineteenth and early twentieth century for example, several of this family were proprietors of businesses in the neighbouring village of Whitwick, which included a tallow candle factory, mineral water factory and butcher's shop.
Founding of Whitwick Colliery and birth of the town of Coalville
In the 1820s, he started to sink a mine shaft on a farm alongside a track known as Long Lane in the parish of
Whitwick
Whitwick is a large village in Leicestershire, England, close to the town of Coalville in the northwest of the county. It lies in an ancient parish which formerly included the equally historic villages of Thringstone and Swannington. It was an ...
. His boring, in what was then a remote wilderness, proved the presence of coal and led to the growth of an industrial settlement around the site of the colliery which is now known as the modern town of
Coalville
Coalville is an industrial town in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Tr ...
.
Soon after founding the
Whitwick
Whitwick is a large village in Leicestershire, England, close to the town of Coalville in the northwest of the county. It lies in an ancient parish which formerly included the equally historic villages of Thringstone and Swannington. It was an ...
Colliery, when visiting the
se a suitable route and then, with the backing of his partners, formed the
Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&SR) was one of England's first railways, built to bring coal from West Leicestershire collieries to Leicester, where there was great industrial demand for coal. The line opened in 1832, and included a tun ...
Company. He contacted
George Stephenson
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians
In the history of the United Kingdom and the ...
, who invested £2500 in the enterprise and Stephenson's son,
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
, was appointed the railway's engineer.
Stenson - often referred to as 'the father of
Coalville
Coalville is an industrial town in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Tr ...
' - lived to the grand old age of ninety and witnessed the birth of the new town. His house (now demolished) was near the site of the present day
North West Leicestershire
North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 census was 93,348. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville and Ibstock.
The ...
Municipal Offices, and this has been commemorated by the placement of a memorial stone, "erected in loving memory by his family, July 1999". More recently, his memory has been perpetuated by the naming of a road on the Whitwick Business Park - "Stenson Road", and also by the renaming of the town's municipal offices, to "Stenson House".
![Coalville Municipal Building January 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Coalville_Municipal_Building_January_2013.jpg)
He was buried in the old Baptist cemetery off Grange Road,
Hugglescote
Hugglescote is a village on the River Sence in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is about south of the centre of Coalville, and its built-up area is now contiguous with the town.
Hugglescote and Donington le Heath were part of ...
, where his tomb has recently been restored.
People from Coleorton
1771 births
1861 deaths
People from Coalville
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