Francis Croughton Stileman
Francis Croughton Stileman (1824-1889)
1824 Born in Winchelsea, Sussex
Articled to John Robinson McClean
1849 Entered into partnership with Mr. McClean.
1850 Moved to the Furness district, where he lived from 1850 to 1853.
1855 of Great George St., Westminster. Proposal to join Inst of Civil Engineers
1861 Frank Stileman 36, civil engineer, lived in Kensington, with Frances Stileman 32, his brother Capt C Stileman 29, captain in the militia, and C M Barnett 23, sister in law, Frank Stileman 9, Frances A Stileman 7, Emma B Stileman 3, Constance E Stileman 4[1]
1881 Civil Engineer, living in Barrow in Furness with his son, Frank Stileman 29, civil engineer, Angelina S. Stileman 27, Francis W.H. Stileman 4 , Frances E. Stileman 3, Cyril G. Stileman 1[2]
1889 Died. Buried in Kensal Green Cemetery
1889 Obituary [3]
FRANCIS CROUGHTON STILEMAN was born at Winchelsea on the 25th of May, 1824. He was the second son of Richard Stileman, of the Friars, Winchelsea, and was educated at the Rev. Dr. Lord’s school.
He then became a student at the College of Civil Engineers, Putney, under Lieut.-Col. Hutchinson, H.E.I.C.S., the Rev. Mr. Page, and the Rev. Mr. Cowie, now Dean of Exeter, from 1840 to 1844.
On leaving Putney, he was articled to the late J. R. McClean, Past President Inst. C.E., during which time he acted as Resident Engineer on the South Staffordshire Railway, Birmingham, Dudley and Wolverhampton Railway, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Reservoirs, and the South Staffordshire Water-works.
In 1849 he entered into partnership with Mr. McClean, and shortly after left Staffordshire for the Furness district, where he resided from 1850 to 1853.
During this latter year he came to London, being associated with Mr. McClean as Engineer to the Furness Railway Company, Furness and Midland Railway, Tottenham and Hampstead Railway, Eastbourne Waterand Sewage-works, Ryde Pier and Tramways, Bristol and Portishead Railway, Portishead Docks, and for the system of railways in Galicia and Moldavia known as the Lemberg and Czernovitz. One of the works of the Furness Railway - the enlargement of the Lindal Tunnel, originally built for a single line - was an undertaking of great interest in its day.
Mr. Stileman contributed to the Minutes of Proceedings a Paper 'On the Construction and Enlargement of the Lindal Tunnel on the Furness Railway,' which was printed in vol. xix., p. 229.
On the death of Mr.Walker, in 1862, the firm of McClean and Stileman became Consulting Engineers for the Harbours of Dover and Alderney, Plymouth Breakwater Fort, the Surrey Commercial Docks, and other works.
Frank McClean then became a member of the firm, but he only continued his connection until 1869.
On the retirement of Mr. McClean from active work in 1868, Mr. Stileman became Engineer-in-Chief to the Furness Railways harbour and docks, consisting of an entrance-basin, 8.5 acres, with 100-feet openings and 32 feet depth of water at H.W.O.S.; a lock, with three pairs of gates 700 feet long by 100 feet wide; and dock and timber ponds of an area of some 200 acres. In addition to the Furness Railway he acted as Engineer for most of the large works in the town, carrying out among others the existing system of the Barrow Corporation Waterworks.
He also designed and carried out the Keighley Water-works, Ryde and Newport Railway, Lowestoft Sewerage-works, &c. He was also engaged on many Parliamentary deposits of great importance, and was well known in the Committee Rooms as an excellent engineering witness. Mr. Stilemen was elected a Member of the Institution on the 5th of March, 1855, and in 1884 was elected to a seat on the Council, which he continued to hold till his death. He was also a Member of the Iron and Steel Institute. He occupied a position of eminence in the profession, in which he was appreciated for his uniformly upright and conscientious conduct.
He died suddenly in his office on the 18th of May, 1889, aged sixty-four, having only some fern hours previously given evidence in an arbitration case connected with the Manchester Ship Canal. At the Ordinary Meeting of the Institution on the 21st of May, the President, Sir George Bruce, specially alluded to the recent death of Mr. Stileman, unte, p. 203.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1861 census
- ↑ 1881 census
- ↑ 1889 Institution of Civil Engineers: Obituaries
- Civil Engineer Records