John Harris (16 July 1812 - 20 July 1869) was a railway engineer who worked on the

Stockton and Darlington Railway The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected coal mining, collieries near with ...

from 1836 to 1847.

Personal life

He was born on 16 July 1812 in Maryport, Cumbria, the son of William Harris, a sailcloth manufacturer who was bankrupted in the financial crisis of 1816, and his wife Sarah. He married Mary Ann Mason on 24 September 1838 at the Friends' Meeting House, Penrith, but she died in 1839. He married secondly Mary Wilson on 11 April 1844 at Kendal and they had 5 children: *Mary Elizabeth Harris (1845-1852) *John William Harris (1851-1852) *Ernest Wilson Harris (1852-1857) *John Wilson Harris (1853-1962) *Bertha Harris (b. 1856) He died on 20 July 1869 in Kendal after an attack of jaundice.

Career

He trained under Thomas Storey, Civil and Mining Engineer in

St Helen Auckland St Helen Auckland is a village in County Durham, England. It is south-west of Bishop Auckland. It is named after St. Helen in distinction from Bishop Auckland as the church is dedicated to her (the Church of St Helen, St Helen Auckland). In 19 ...

. In 1836 he was appointed resident engineer to the

, replacing Thomas Storey, a position he held until around 1847. During this tenure he was responsible for the railway approaches to the Middlesbrough Dock and the coal staithes. He also built a railway bridge across the

River Tees The River Tees (), in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries ...

at Stockton which was designed by

Robert Stephenson Robert Stephenson , (honoris causa, Hon. causa) (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railways", he built on the achievements of hi ...

, replacing an earlier suspension bridge. He also designed the Middlesbrough and Redcar railway, and the

Weardale Extension Railway The Stanhope and Tyne Railway was an early British mineral railway that ran from Stanhope to South Shields at the mouth of the River Tyne in County Durham, England. It ran through the towns of Birtley, Chester Le Street, West Stanley and Co ...

from Crook to Waskerley, part of the Wear Valley Railway. He was also involved in the construction of the railway between Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole railway and the Kendal to Windermere Railway. He was appointed a Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1841. In 1853 he became involved in the Hope Town Foundry, Darlington, and later went into partnership with Mr. Summerson. From 1863 - 1869, the foundry constructed about twelve steam locomotives. He was also a partner in the South Durham Iron Company. Later in life he became the principal assistant to

Joseph Pease Joseph Pease may refer to: * Joseph Pease (railway pioneer) (1799–1872), railway owner, first Quaker elected Member of Parliament ** Sir Joseph Pease, 1st Baronet (1828–1903), MP 1865–1903, full name Joseph Whitwell Pease, son of Joseph Pea ...

in his political career. He is thought to have been significantly affected by the collapse of the bank of

Overend, Gurney and Company Overend, Gurney and Company was a London wholesale banking, wholesale discount bank, known as "the bankers' bank", which collapsed in 1866 owing about £11 million, equivalent to £ million in . The collapse of the institution triggered a bankin ...

in 1866 which resulted in him selling many of his assets.

Works

*(first)

Middlesbrough railway station Middlesbrough is a railway station on the Durham Coast, Esk Valley and Tees Valley lines. The station serves the town of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by TransPennine Express. Direct destina ...

1838 (from 1846 a goods station) *Goods Shed, Darlington North Road, 1839-40 (expanded from original 1832 building) *Middlesbrough Docks 1839-41 *Coal Drops, Middlesbrough Docks 1840-41 *Tees Suspension Bridge, Stockton 1841 (designed by Robert Stephenson) *

1843-45 *

Kendal and Windermere Railway The Kendal and Windermere Railway built a branch line from the main line to Kendal and on to Windermere, in Cumbria in north-west England. It was promoted by local interests in Kendal when it became clear that the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway ...

1845-47

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, John 1812 births 1869 deaths People from Maryport British railway civil engineers English Quakers Stockton and Darlington Railway