Hugh Henshall
Encyclopedia
Hugh Henshall was an English
civil engineer
, noted for his work on canals. He was born in North Staffordshire
and was a student of the canal engineer
James Brindley
, who was also his brother-in-law
.
Henshall was born to John Henshall and Anne Cartwright (d. February 1776), most likely in Newchapel
, Wolstanton
. They had five children between 1731 and 1747. Henshall's father John may have assisted James Brindley on early surveys of the Trent and Mersey Canal
. The two families became close, and Henshall became a pupil of Brindley. Henshall later met John Gilbert
, his brother Thomas Gilbert
, and Josiah Clowes
. Henshall's sister, Jane, married William Clowes, a local landowner with mining interests and elder brother of Josiah Clowes. Another sister of Henshall, Anne, married James Brindley
on 8 December 1765 when she was 19, and he was 49.
In 1778 Henshall purchased the farm and surrounding lands at Greenway Bank, near Tunstall
in Staffordshire
.
He died on 16 November 1816, and is buried at St. James, in Newchapel
.
in 1758 to survey the proposed Trent and Mersey Canal. In 1765 he helped survey the River Weaver
from Winsford
to Lowton
, and in the same year planned a link from Cheshire
to the Bridgewater Canal
, and surveyed the River Severn
. In 1768 Brindley, assisted by Henshall, surveyed the route of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
. Henshall carried out the survey for the act of Parliament, with Samuel Simcock.
Henshall's experience surveying the River Weaver became invaluable. He was made clerk of works on the Trent and Mersey Canal
, and made the parliamentary map of the canal. James Brindley
, engineer for the canal, died in 1772. Henshall became Brindley's heir, and continued his work, completing the Harecastle Tunnel
and the northern reaches of the canal including the junction with the Bridgewater Canal. He completed the canal in May 1777. Brindley had also surveyed the route of the Chesterfield Canal
in 1769, and was supervising its construction at the time of his death. John Varley moved from being clerk of works to resident engineer with Henshall. Concerns were raised about Varley's accounting, and collusion in awarding contracts for construction to his relatives, and in 1774 Henshall was appointed Chief Engineer. The canal was to be built as a narrow canal, but in 1775, nine shareholders offered to fund the extra cost of making it a broad canal from Retford to Stockwith. The death of Henshall's mother, and his absence led to criticism from the canal company for not attending to the work. Henshall also completed the Bridgewater Canal
in 1776.
In December 1787, along with two other engineers, he investigated flooding on the Mersey and Irwell Navigation and noted that the navigable depth at Hollins Ferry was 2 feet to 2 feet 9 inches, whereas it had been 1 foot 8 inches sixteen years previously.
In 1790 he was asked to survey the route of the proposed Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. He produced a written report which helped assuage the fears of local mill owners, worried that the new canal would harm their water supply. He was a member of the committee to the canal, and a subscriber to the scheme, making an initial investment of £1,000 in shares. He also helped engage contractors during construction of the canal.
In 1792 Henshall was asked to re-survey Josiah Clowes's plans for the route of the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal
, and recommended a diversion to Newent, where there were minor coalfields. The following year, along with Charles McNiven, he returned to the Mersey and Irwell navigation to perform a survey. He reported that if the locks and cuts were kept in good order and the millers prevented from lowering the water level that the navigation could be more successful and more reliable.
Henshall and Thomas Dadford, Jr.
(another pupil of James Brindley) surveyed the line of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
for a tramroad from Llan-march Coal and Mine Works to the Clydach ironworks. Henshall also worked for William Jessop
while he was advising on the line of the Grand Western Canal
. In 1795 Henshall completed the survey of the Caldon Canal
.
. He also became involved in the pottery trade with Robert Williamson at Longport
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
, noted for his work on canals. He was born in North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire describes an area of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It contains the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and the City of Stoke-on-Trent. The Stoke and Newcastle areas make up The Potteries Urban Area, whilst the Moorlands are largely...
and was a student of the canal engineer
Canal engineer
A canal engineer is a civil engineer responsible for planning related to the construction of a canal.The names of canal engineers include:* James Brindley* James Dadford* John Dadford* Thomas Dadford* Thomas Dadford, Jr....
James Brindley
James Brindley
James Brindley 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:...
, who was also his brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
.
Early life
Newchapel
Newchapel is a hamlet in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, close to Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, England.Newchapel was originally named Thursfield. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Turvoldesfeld...
, Wolstanton
Wolstanton
Wolstanton is a suburban area on the outskirts of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.-History:Historically, Wolstanton was a place in its own right. It is mentioned in the Domesday book where it is listed amongst the lands belonging to the King. The land consisted of work for 2 ploughs, 14...
. They had five children between 1731 and 1747. Henshall's father John may have assisted James Brindley on early surveys of the Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
. The two families became close, and Henshall became a pupil of Brindley. Henshall later met John Gilbert
John Gilbert (agent)
John Gilbert was land agent and engineer to the third Duke of Bridgewater and is credited with the idea which led to the building of the Bridgewater Canal....
, his brother Thomas Gilbert
Thomas Gilbert (architect)
Thomas Gilbert was a British Architect who lived from 1706 to 1776. He is best known for designing and building St. George's Church on the Isle of Portland. His architectural design, which he applied to the Church came from Christopher Wren, to whom he was an apprentice.-References:...
, and Josiah Clowes
Josiah Clowes
Josiah Clowes was a noted civil engineer and canal builder.Clowes was appointed head engineer, surveyor and carpenter to the Thames and Severn Canal in 1783 to assist Robert Whitworth. Clowes became resident engineer and was paid £300 per year. Clowes' work on the canal developed him a reputation...
. Henshall's sister, Jane, married William Clowes, a local landowner with mining interests and elder brother of Josiah Clowes. Another sister of Henshall, Anne, married James Brindley
James Brindley
James Brindley 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:...
on 8 December 1765 when she was 19, and he was 49.
In 1778 Henshall purchased the farm and surrounding lands at Greenway Bank, near Tunstall
Tunstall, Staffordshire
Tunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent....
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
.
He died on 16 November 1816, and is buried at St. James, in Newchapel
Newchapel
Newchapel is a hamlet in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, close to Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, England.Newchapel was originally named Thursfield. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Turvoldesfeld...
.
Waterways engineering
Henshall worked with Brindley and John SmeatonJohn Smeaton
John Smeaton, FRS, was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist...
in 1758 to survey the proposed Trent and Mersey Canal. In 1765 he helped survey the River Weaver
River Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
from Winsford
Winsford
Winsford is a town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich, and grew around the salt mining industry after the river was canalised in the...
to Lowton
Lowton
Lowton is a village, part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is around from Leigh and south of Wigan. The settlement lies across the A580 East Lancashire Road....
, and in the same year planned a link from Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
to the Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
, and surveyed the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
. In 1768 Brindley, assisted by Henshall, surveyed the route of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a narrow navigable canal in the English Midlands, passing through the counties of Staffordshire and Worcestershire....
. Henshall carried out the survey for the act of Parliament, with Samuel Simcock.
Henshall's experience surveying the River Weaver became invaluable. He was made clerk of works on the Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
, and made the parliamentary map of the canal. James Brindley
James Brindley
James Brindley 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:...
, engineer for the canal, died in 1772. Henshall became Brindley's heir, and continued his work, completing the Harecastle Tunnel
Harecastle Tunnel
Harecastle Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove in Staffordshire. It is made up of two separate, parallel, tunnels described as Brindley and the later Telford after the engineers that constructed them. Today only the Telford tunnel is navigable...
and the northern reaches of the canal including the junction with the Bridgewater Canal. He completed the canal in May 1777. Brindley had also surveyed the route of the Chesterfield Canal
Chesterfield Canal
The Chesterfield Canal is in the north of England and it is known locally as 'Cuckoo Dyke'. It was opened in 1777 and ran 46 miles from the River Trent at West Stockwith, Nottinghamshire to Chesterfield, Derbyshire...
in 1769, and was supervising its construction at the time of his death. John Varley moved from being clerk of works to resident engineer with Henshall. Concerns were raised about Varley's accounting, and collusion in awarding contracts for construction to his relatives, and in 1774 Henshall was appointed Chief Engineer. The canal was to be built as a narrow canal, but in 1775, nine shareholders offered to fund the extra cost of making it a broad canal from Retford to Stockwith. The death of Henshall's mother, and his absence led to criticism from the canal company for not attending to the work. Henshall also completed the Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
in 1776.
In December 1787, along with two other engineers, he investigated flooding on the Mersey and Irwell Navigation and noted that the navigable depth at Hollins Ferry was 2 feet to 2 feet 9 inches, whereas it had been 1 foot 8 inches sixteen years previously.
In 1790 he was asked to survey the route of the proposed Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. He produced a written report which helped assuage the fears of local mill owners, worried that the new canal would harm their water supply. He was a member of the committee to the canal, and a subscriber to the scheme, making an initial investment of £1,000 in shares. He also helped engage contractors during construction of the canal.
In 1792 Henshall was asked to re-survey Josiah Clowes's plans for the route of the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal
Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal
The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal is a canal in the west of England, which ran from Hereford, the county town of Herefordshire to Gloucester the county town of Gloucestershire, where it linked to the River Severn...
, and recommended a diversion to Newent, where there were minor coalfields. The following year, along with Charles McNiven, he returned to the Mersey and Irwell navigation to perform a survey. He reported that if the locks and cuts were kept in good order and the millers prevented from lowering the water level that the navigation could be more successful and more reliable.
Henshall and Thomas Dadford, Jr.
Thomas Dadford, Jr.
Thomas Dadford was an English canal engineer, who came from a family of canal engineers. He worked with his father and later independently, contributing to a number of canal schemes before dying at the relatively young age of 40....
(another pupil of James Brindley) surveyed the line of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural character and tranquillity belies its original purpose as an industrial corridor for coal and iron, which were brought to...
for a tramroad from Llan-march Coal and Mine Works to the Clydach ironworks. Henshall also worked for William Jessop
William Jessop
William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
while he was advising on the line of the Grand Western Canal
Grand Western Canal
The Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Lands End...
. In 1795 Henshall completed the survey of the Caldon Canal
Caldon Canal
The Caldon Canal , opened in 1779, runs 18 miles from Etruria, in Stoke-on-Trent where it leaves the Trent and Mersey Canal at the summit level, to Froghall, Staffordshire...
.
Other business interests
Henshall's purchase of Greenway Bank allowed him to concentrate on his canal carrying business, "Hugh Henshall & Co." This company became the carrying company for the proprietors of the Trent and Mersey Canal. The business was a success and in 1786 was taken over by PickfordsPickfords
Pickfords is a moving company based in the United Kingdom, part of the Moving Services Group UK Ltd.The business is believed to have been founded in the 17th century, making it one of the UK's oldest functioning companies. The earliest record is of a William Pickford, a carrier who worked south of...
. He also became involved in the pottery trade with Robert Williamson at Longport
Longport
Longport can refer to:*Longport, New Jersey in the United States of America*Longport, Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent, England*Longphort, a term used in Ireland for a Viking ship enclosure...
.
See also
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...
- Waterways in the United KingdomWaterways in the United KingdomWaterways in the United Kingdom is a link page for any waterway, river, canal, firth or estuary in the United Kingdom.-Related topics:*Waterway, water power, navigable, navigable aqueduct, navigable river, navigable waters, navigability, Waterway society, List of waterway societies in the United...
- List of civil engineers