Thomas Dadford Jr. facts for kids
Thomas Dadford Jr. was an English engineer who designed and built canals. He was born around 1761 and died in 1801 when he was about 40 years old. Thomas came from a family of engineers who also worked on canals.
He first helped his father with projects in the north of Britain. Later, he worked on his own. Thomas helped build many canals, mostly in areas like Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire in Wales. He also worked on projects in Montgomeryshire and Ellesmere in England.
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Early Life and Family
Thomas Dadford Jr. was born in Britain around 1761. His parents were Thomas Dadford Sr. and Frances Brown. They are thought to have lived in a town called Wolverhampton.
Thomas's father was a canal engineer. His brothers, John and James Dadford, also became engineers. Thomas learned a lot about engineering from his father when he was young.
In 1797, Thomas married Ann Parker. She was from a place called Chaddesley Corbett. Both Thomas and Ann were Catholic Christians. They did not have any children.
Thomas died on April 2, 1801, in Crickhowell. He was buried in Llanarth, Monmouthshire. We don't know why he died. He didn't leave a will, but his wife Ann took care of his belongings and money, which were worth about £2,000.
Building Canals and Tramways
Thomas Dadford Jr. started working with his father in 1776 on the Stourbridge Canal. However, he was dismissed from that job the next year.
In 1782, he helped his father again. They surveyed the River Trent to see how it could be made better for boats.
Glamorganshire and Neath Canals
From 1790, Thomas worked on building the Glamorganshire Canal. He worked with his father and another engineer named Thomas Sheasby. In the same year, he helped survey for the new Neath Canal Company.
The next year, Thomas became the main engineer for the Neath Canal. He also became the surveyor and engineer for the Leominster Canal. He held these jobs at the same time until 1795.
He oversaw the building of the Neath Canal from Neath to Ynysbwllog. The canal was planned to cross the River Neath using an aqueduct. But in 1792, Thomas left the project before it was finished.
Monmouthshire Canal Projects
Thomas left the Neath Canal to become the engineer for the Monmouthshire Canal. His contract said he would spend most of his time on this canal. The main part of the Monmouthshire Canal was finished by 1796.
Because he spent most of his time on the Monmouthshire Canal, he could still work on the Leominster Canal for the rest of his time. Besides the canal, Thomas also oversaw the building of five tramways for the canal company. These tramways connected the canal to places like quarries, ironworks, and coal mines. He also built an independent tramway called the Trevil Rail Road.
The Monmouthshire Canal Company also asked him to survey the southern part of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal. They wanted to find a high route that would not need many locks. Thomas found such a route, and it was used. He stayed as the engineer for the Monmouthshire Canal until late 1798.
Other Canal Work
From 1794, Thomas helped his brother John, who was the engineer for the Montgomeryshire Canal. Some people thought Thomas wasn't there enough, but he still managed to be a contractor for one section in 1795 and 1796. He also inspected the final route with his father in 1797.
From January 1796, he was also the engineer for the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal. He spent a quarter of his time on this project and was still working on it when he died.
Thomas was very busy! He also found time to survey for the Ellesmere Canal in 1793. In 1798, he surveyed for an extension of the Neath Canal. In 1800, he did a new survey for the planned Aberdare Canal, among other projects.
Major Achievements
Even though Thomas Dadford Jr. had a short working life, he achieved a lot. He was responsible for some big structures.
- Fourteen Locks: He built the fourteen locks on the Monmouthshire Canal at Rogerstone.
- Gilwern Embankment: He built the embankment at Gilwern. This allows the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal to cross the River Clydach.
- Brynich Aqueduct: He built a stone aqueduct with four arches. This aqueduct carries the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal over the River Usk at Brynich.
Thomas had a bit less success with tunnels. The Southnet Tunnel on the Leominster Canal collapsed in 1795. Another engineer, John Rennie, wasn't happy about it. Also, the Ashford tunnel on the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal collapsed while it was being built.
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