Richard Smith Clayton
Richard Smith Clayton (1838-1876)
1877 Obituary [1]
MR. RICHARD SMITH CLAYTON, son of Mr. Thomas Clayton, woolstapler, of Bradford, Yorkshire, was born on the 14th of September, 1838. He was educated at the Priory, South Lincolnshire, and at Rugby School.
In 1855 he was articled to Mr. (now Sir John) Hawkshaw, Past-President Inst. C.E., with whom he remained four years, during part of which time he was employed on the works of the Holyhead Breakwater.
From 1860 to 1865 he was engaged under Mr. John Fraser, M.Inst.C.E., in the construction of railways in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and as Resident Engineer on the West Riding and Grimsby railway (Wakefield to Doncaster). During the latter part of 1867 and the beginning of 1868 he represented the late Mr. Seymour Clarke on the "Railway (Ireland) Commission."
In 1869 and 1870 he was engaged in Hungary, under Messrs. Waring Brothers, and afterwards went to Buenos Ayres for that firm, returning in 1871.
From this time to June 1876 he was connected with Mr. Fraser in surveys for and in the construction of the Newark and Melton railways (now Great Northern and London and North-Western joint lines), and assisted that gentleman on the surveys of the railways from Melton to Leicester, arid other lines in that district.
In 1876, the state of his health necessitating his abstention from business, he was recommended by his medical advisers to go abroad.
In June he went to North America, where he died on the 5th of July.
He was elected a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers on the 7th of April 1868.