John Edyvean
Encyclopedia
John Edyvean was a British
engineer from Cornwall
who invented the inclined plane system, to reduce the necessity for locks on the canal
system.
In 1773, during the reign of George III, a plan was made to create a canal from Mawgan Porth
, through various parishes including St Mawgan, St. Columb Major, Little Colan
, and St. Columb Minor, to Porth
. The project was meant to convey goods from the coast inland and eventually to the south coast.
Unfortunately, Mr Edyvean died before the project was completed at a cost of £100,000. An attempt to revive the scheme was made in 1829 by a Mr Retallick of Liskeard
, but this too amounted to nothing.
Edyvean died in the 1780s. An obituary of the time in a monthly review related:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
engineer from Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
who invented the inclined plane system, to reduce the necessity for locks on the canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
system.
In 1773, during the reign of George III, a plan was made to create a canal from Mawgan Porth
Mawgan Porth
Mawgan Porth is a beach and small settlement in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated north of Watergate Bay approximately four miles north of Newquay, on the Atlantic Ocean coast....
, through various parishes including St Mawgan, St. Columb Major, Little Colan
Colan, Cornwall
Colan is a village and civil parish in mid-Cornwall, UK. It is situated approximately three miles east of Newquay.Fir Hill Manor, which once belonged to the Hoblyn family of Colan, was the subject of a BBC Bristol documentary, The Curse of Fir Hill Manor...
, and St. Columb Minor, to Porth
Porth, Cornwall
Porth is a sea-side village near Newquay in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Notable residents have included:* Sir Richard Tangye* Sir Basil Tangye, Bart. * Derek Tangye, author, grandson of Sir Richard...
. The project was meant to convey goods from the coast inland and eventually to the south coast.
Unfortunately, Mr Edyvean died before the project was completed at a cost of £100,000. An attempt to revive the scheme was made in 1829 by a Mr Retallick of Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
, but this too amounted to nothing.
Edyvean died in the 1780s. An obituary of the time in a monthly review related:
- In the year 1779 he had finished the canal up to the town of St. columb..... in that year I went with some friends to visit this work. We overtook this poor old man groping his way up the inside of his canal, and leading a miserable little horse in his hand. We joined him and he conducted us to all the parts of his ingeneous work with the intelligence of one who had formed the whole, inch by inch, and this alone can account for the ease and safety with which in his blind state he passed though every part of it. We dined together and he gave us a little history of his life"