Thomas Dadford Jr. (ca. 1761 to 1801) was an
English 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 firs ...
, 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 a number of canal schemes, mainly in Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire but also in Montgomeryshire and Ellesmere, before dying at the age of 40.
Family history
Thomas Dadford was born in Britain around 1761, the first son of
Thomas Dadford
Thomas Dadford Sr. (died 1809) was an English canal engineer as were his sons, Thomas Dadford Jr., John Dadford, and James Dadford.
Biography
Thomas Dadford probably originated from Stewponey or Stourton, Staffordshire, near Stourbridge. H ...
Sr. and Frances Brown, who are believed to have been living in
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...
at the time. His father was a canal engineer, and his brothers
John Dadford and
James Dadford also worked in this field. Thomas received his early training from his father.
On 15 August 1797, he married Ann Parker of Chaddesley Corbett,
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
. Both were Christians of the
Catholic faith. They had no children.
The marriage did not last long, as Thomas died on 2 April 1801. He died at
Crickhowell
Crickhowell (; , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community (Wales), community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic counties of Wales, historic county of Brecknockshire.
Location
The town lies on th ...
, and was buried at
Llanarth, Monmouthshire. The cause of his death is not known.
[ Prof A W Skempton (Ed) (2002) ''A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers In Gt Britain'', Thomas Telford Publishers, ] When he died, he left no will, but his wife obtained letters of administration in her favour; and his ''"goods, chattels and credits"'' amounted to £2,000.
[
]
Working history
His father was the engineer for the Stourbridge Canal, and from 1776 Thomas assisted him. However, he was dismissed in the following year.
In 1782 he assisted his father again, with a survey of the River Trent
The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, 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 Midlands ...
, which was to be improved for navigation.
His next project, from 1790, was the construction of the Glamorganshire Canal, where he worked with his father and with Thomas Sheasby. In 1790 he assisted his father and brother John with a survey for the fledgling Neath Canal Company. The following year he became the engineer for the Neath Canal, and also became surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...
and engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
for the Leominster Canal
The Leominster Canal was an English canal which ran for just over 18 miles from Mamble to Leominster through 16 locks and a number of tunnels, some of which suffered engineering problems even before the canal opened. Originally, the canal was ...
, a position which he held until 1795, simultaneously with his other projects.[
]
He supervised the construction of the Neath Canal from Neath
Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
to Ynysbwllog, where the canal was to cross the River Neath
River Neath () is a river in south Wales running south west from the point at which its headwaters arising in the Brecon Beacons National Park converge to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay.
Course U ...
by an aqueduct; but in 1792 he resigned before the project was completed, in order to become engineer for the Monmouthshire Canal
Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
. He was contracted to devote three-quarters of his time to the canal, the main line of which was completed by 1796, and the remaining quarter enabled him to fulfill his obligation on the Leominster Canal. In addition to the canal, he supervised construction of five tramways for the canal company, which connected to quarries, ironworks and collieries, and an independent tramway, the Trevil Rail Road. The Monmouthshire Canal Company also asked him to survey the southern section of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal, with a view to finding a high level route which would result in most of the canal being lock-free. This he did and the route was adopted. He retained his position as engineer to the Monmouthshire Canal until late 1798.[
From 1794 he assisted his brother John, who was engineer on the ]Montgomeryshire Canal
The Montgomery Canal (), known colloquially as "The Monty", is a partially restored canal in eastern Powys and northwest Shropshire. The canal runs from the Llangollen Canal at Frankton Junction to Newtown, Powys, Newtown via Llanymynech and ...
. He was criticized by that company for his lack of attendance, but still managed to be the contractor for one section in 1795 and 1796, and to inspect and report on the final route with his father in 1797.
From January 1796 he was engineer for the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal () is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its currently (2018) navigable length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National parks of England and Wales, National Park, and its present rural c ...
, devoting one quarter of his time to this task, and was still acting in this capacity when he died.[
His workload was prodigious, as he managed to fit in surveys for the ]Ellesmere Canal
The Ellesmere Canal was a waterway in England and Wales that was planned to carry boat traffic between the rivers Mersey and Severn. The proposal would create a link between the Port of Liverpool and the mineral industries in north east Wales an ...
in 1793, a survey for the extension of the Neath Canal from Neath to Giant's Grave in 1798, and a new survey of the proposed route for the Aberdare Canal in 1800, amongst others.[
]
Achievements
During his brief working life Thomas Dadford Jr. managed to achieve a great deal. Major structures for which he was responsible include the fourteen locks
Fourteen Locks () is a series of locks, also known as the Cefn Flight, on the Crumlin arm of the Monmouthshire Canal at Rogerstone in Newport, South Wales. The flight of locks was completed in 1799 and raises the water level 160 ft (50 ...
on the Monmouthshire Canal at Rogerstone
Rogerstone (, meaning "Black house") is a large village and community (parish) in Newport, Wales. The area is governed by Newport City Council. The village falls within the ancient parish of Bassaleg and historic county of Monmouthshire.
...
, the embankment at Gilwern which enables the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal to cross the River Clydach and a four-arched stone-built aqueduct which carries the same canal over the River Usk
The River Usk (; ) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it flows north int ...
at Brynich.[
He had less success with tunnels. The Southnet Tunnel on the Leominster Canal collapsed in 1795 (for which he was criticized by the engineer John Rennie), and the Ashford tunnel on the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal collapsed during construction.][
]
See also
*Canals of the United Kingdom
The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a History of the British canal system, varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the ...
*History of the British canal system
The canal network of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution. The UK was the first country to develop a nationwide canal network which, at its peak, expanded to nearly i ...
References
Further reading
*Edward Paget-Tomlison's "Illustrated History of Canals & River Navigations"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dadford, Thomas Jr.
Engineers from the West Midlands (county)
English canal engineers
1760s births
1801 deaths
18th-century English engineers