William
Jessop
was born in Devonport in 1745. He became a pupil of John
Smeaton
at the age of 16 and worked with him on canals in Yorkshire. In 1790
Jessop founded the Butterley
Iron Works and began to manufacture fish-bellied cast-iron rails which
marked an important advance in railway technology.
By the late 1790s Jessop was recognised as one of Britain's leading
engineers. He was involved in a great number of projects including
the Grand Junction Canal, the Surrey
Iron Railway, the Bristol Docks and
the West India Docks on the Thames in London.
William Jessop died in 1814.
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