Walsh Wrightson CMG (28 October 1852 – 3 September 1935) was a British engineer who served his career in

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Early life and education

Wrightson was born on 28 October 1852, son of William Wrightson of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. He was educated at

Leeds Grammar School Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physica ...

Career

Wrightson joined the Ceylon civil service in 1875 as an engineer, and carried out many public works including the restoration of ancient Sinhalese irrigation works and the Kala Wewa reservoir, for which he was promoted by Governor Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon. In 1895, he went to Trinidad and Tobago to take up the appointment of Director of Works of Trinidad and Tobago, and completed many infrastructure projects including roads, bridges, a rail tunnel and a sewer system. He was a member of the Executive and Legislative Councils of Trinidad and Tobago from 1895 until his retirement in 1907. In 1903, he became embroiled in the Water Riots which occurred in

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...

which was a protest against a new ordinance which required the installation of water meters in homes and increased water rates, which Wrightson drafted and promoted.

Personal life and death

Wrightson married Helen Maud Montague Armitage in 1892. After he retired in 1907, he served as the chairman of the

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...

Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the po ...

(1910–1919) and as a member of

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Surrey, England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1974 the Conservative Party has held the majority. The leader ...

(1912–1919). Wrightson died in Mandeville,

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, where he had a second home, on 3 September 1935, aged 82.

Honours

Wrightson was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George ( CMG) in the 1900 Birthday Honours.

Wrightson Road Wrightson Road, named after Walsh Wrightson, British engineer and Director of the Public Works Department (1897–1907), links downtown Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago with the Audrey Jeffers Highway. It runs from the area of the Eric William ...

, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrightson, Walsh 1852 births 1935 deaths 19th-century British engineers Members of the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago British expatriates in British Ceylon British expatriates in Trinidad and Tobago Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George