Benjamin Blyth
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Hall Blyth was a Scottish
civil engineer
.
Blyth was born at St Cuthbert's parish, Edinburgh
to Robert Brittain Blyth, an iron merchant, and his wife, Barbara, maiden name Cooper. He was their third son, and the first to survive to adulthood.
Blyth was trained as a railway engineer under an apprenticeship with Grainger & Miller, a railway contractor. In 1848 he established an engineering practice on the prestigious George Street
in Edinburgh
where it would remain for the next 100 years. He took his brother Edward Lawrence Ireland Blyth into partnership in 1854, Edward having finished his own apprenticeship with Grainger & Miller, the practice became known as B & E Blyth. The practice did work for the Caledonian
, Glasgow and South Western
, Scottish Central
, Dundee and Perth
, Great North of Scotland
and Portpatrick
railway companies.
Blyth was a first cousin of Arthur Blyth
, who was three times premier of South Australia in the 19th century. Their fathers were brothers.
Blyth married Mary Dudgeon Wright in Leith, Edinburgh, on 1 August 1848. Mary took on clerical duties in the early stages of Blyth's company.
Blyth died from diabetes aggravated by overwork at home in North Berwick
on 21 August 1866 and is buried in Grange Cemetery, being survived by his wife, seven sons and two daughters. His eldest son Benjamin Blyth II
took over his father's practice and the company remains in business to this day as Blyth and Blyth. His house served as the offices of Scottish Natural Heritage
between 1950 and 2003 and will now be converted into apartments.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
.
Blyth was born at St Cuthbert's parish, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to Robert Brittain Blyth, an iron merchant, and his wife, Barbara, maiden name Cooper. He was their third son, and the first to survive to adulthood.
Blyth was trained as a railway engineer under an apprenticeship with Grainger & Miller, a railway contractor. In 1848 he established an engineering practice on the prestigious George Street
George Street, Edinburgh
Situated to the north of Princes Street, George Street is a major street in the centre of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Laid out from 1767 as part of James Craig's plan for the New Town, George Street was named in honour of King George III.-Geography:...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
where it would remain for the next 100 years. He took his brother Edward Lawrence Ireland Blyth into partnership in 1854, Edward having finished his own apprenticeship with Grainger & Miller, the practice became known as B & E Blyth. The practice did work for the Caledonian
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
, Glasgow and South Western
Glasgow and South Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway , one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle...
, Scottish Central
Scottish Central Railway
The Scottish Central Railway was formed in 1845 to link the Caledonian Railway near Castlecary to the Scottish Midland Junction Railway at Perth...
, Dundee and Perth
Dundee and Perth Railway
The Dundee and Perth Railway is a historic railway in Scotland. It was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1845.-History:Following incorproration on 31 July 1845, the line was opened on 22 May 1847...
, Great North of Scotland
Great North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
and Portpatrick
Portpatrick Railway
The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway, often known as the Port Road, was a railway in south-west Scotland, which linked Dumfries, via Castle Douglas, with the port towns of Portpatrick and Stranraer...
railway companies.
Blyth was a first cousin of Arthur Blyth
Arthur Blyth
Sir Arthur Blyth KCMG was premier of South Australia three times; 1864–1865, 1871–1872 and 1873-1875....
, who was three times premier of South Australia in the 19th century. Their fathers were brothers.
Blyth married Mary Dudgeon Wright in Leith, Edinburgh, on 1 August 1848. Mary took on clerical duties in the early stages of Blyth's company.
Blyth died from diabetes aggravated by overwork at home in North Berwick
North Berwick
The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
on 21 August 1866 and is buried in Grange Cemetery, being survived by his wife, seven sons and two daughters. His eldest son Benjamin Blyth II
Benjamin Blyth II
Benjamin Hall Blyth II FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer.Blyth, who was born in St Cuthbert's Parish, Edinburgh, was the eldest of the nine children of the railway engineer Benjamin Blyth...
took over his father's practice and the company remains in business to this day as Blyth and Blyth. His house served as the offices of Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
between 1950 and 2003 and will now be converted into apartments.