Thomas Casebourne
Thomas Casebourne (1797-1864). Civil Engineer.
Born 14 Oct 1797 at Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Son of Adam Casebourne and his wife Sarah née Townshend or Townsend. Baptised 10 Apr 1798 at St Mary’s, Hemel Hempstead.[1]
Casebourne was a pupil of Thomas Telford, remaining on his staff as one of his trusted assistants.
1820 Married Catharine Rose on 21 Jul 1820 at St Botolph’s, Boston, Lincolnshire. Thomas is shown as of the parish of Ely, Cambridgeshire at the time.[2] Telford had become involved with drainage of the Fens in 1818, specifically Eau Brink Cut on the River Ouse. Casebourne is said to have worked on this project under the supervision of his uncle, the Resident Engineer, Thomas Townshend.
1826 Surveyed the “London and Liverpool Mail Road” under the direction of Thomas Telford.[3].
1828 Admitted as Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers 12 Feb 1828. His proposers were Thomas Telford, William Cubitt and William Anderson. Resided 25 Charlotte Street, Great Surrey Street, London. [4]
1830 Resided 35 Little Charlotte Street, Blackfriars, London. [5]
1830 In January Thomas Telford paid £4 10s to Thomas Casebourne to prepare the drawings of the plans and sections for the Ketley-Chirk Road, for six days’ work in the office at 15s a day.[6]
1833 Worked from Thomas Telford on the Metropolis Water Supply inquiry.[7]
1833 Resident Engineer for the Ulster Canal until its completion, working for Thomas Telford until the latter's death in 1834, then for William Cubitt.[8]
1834 Transferred from Associate to Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. His proposers were John Macneill, George Turnbull and Joseph Cubitt. Resided Caledon, County Tyrone.[9]
1842 Presented a paper to the Institution of Civil Engineers entitled “Description of a Portion of the Works in the Ulster Canal” on 11 Jan 1842.[10] He was rewarded for this paper with a Telford and Walker Premium Book.[11]
1846 onwards Resident Engineer to the West Hartlepool Harbour and Docks Company.[12] Some sources show his move as 1845, but Irish newspapers show him still in Ireland in Jan 1846.
1851 Census – Resided Stranton, West Hartlepool. Civil Engineer.
1851 Directory entry - Civil Engineer to the West Hartlepool Dock Company [sic].[13]
1851 Presented a paper to the Institution of Civil Engineers entitled "Description of a raft, or float, used for submarine blasting, on the walls of the West Hartlepool harbour and docks" on 1 Apr 1851 [14]
1852 the Clarence Railway, Stockton and Hartlepool West Railway and the Hartlepool Dock and Railway Company were amalgamated to form the West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway Company. [15] Thomas Casebourne became Civil Engineer for the new company.[16]
1854 Nominated as one of the first Commissioners for the West Hartlepool Improvement Bill.[17]
1858 Directory Entry – Resided Albert Terrace, West Hartlepool. Civil Engineer. Vice President of the Mechanics’ Institute.[18]
1862 Employment as engineer to the West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway Co reported to have been terminated as part of a cost cutting measure. His salary was £500 per annum.[19]
1863 Appointed chairman of the West Hartlepool Improvements Commissioners.[20]
1863 Resigned as chairman of the Improvements Commissioners due to ill health. Succeeded by Ralph Ward Jackson.[21]
1864 Died 2 Jan 1864 at West Hartlepool.[22]
He had 4 sons, Thomas Casebourne (b1831), Henry Casebourne (1833-1915), Charles Townshend Casebourne (1836-1897) and George Edward Casebourne (1844-1927).
As the Casebournes were involved in engineering and business over several generations, members of the family appear in many places in Graces Guide. As an aid to understanding and navigating these many activities, a simplified family tree with links can be viewed at this link.
Nothing is known of Thomas Casebourne junior. Henry Casebourne worked as a clerk in the engineering department of the North Eastern Railway. In 1870, he wrote to The Engineer about work his father had done on the jointing of stone blocks on the harbour at West Hartlepool[23]
1865 Obituary [24]
MR THOMAS CASEBOURNE was born in 1797 at Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
In early life he devoted himself to engineering pursuits, and was a favourite pupil of Mr. Telford, by whom he was employed as assistant on several works, and subsequently, amongst other duties, he was engaged in drainage works in the Lincolnshire Fens, on the London and Liverpool Road, the Metropolitan Water Survey, &c.
From 1833, and for twelve years subsequently, he had charge of the execution of the works of the Ulster Canal, which were originally designed by Mr. Telford, and were subsequently under the direction of Mr. (afterwards Sir W.) Cubitt (Past-President). This canal was designed to facilitate the intercourse between the west and the north of Ireland, by effecting a junction between Lough Neagh and Lough Erne. A description of a portion of these works, accompanied by drawings, was presented to the Institution of Civil Engineers in the Session 1842, and for it Mr. Casebourne received a Telford Premium of Books.
In 1845 he removed to the locality now so well known as West Hartlepool - then a mere hamlet - to undertake the Resident Engineership of the Harbour and Docks constructed there; and since that period his name has been intimately connected with all that related to the port, harbour, and town of West Hartlepool.
In 1850 he submitted to the Institution a Paper descriptive of a float, or fixed platform, which he had used for submarine blasting in the bay of Hartlepool, and which was stated to have answered its purpose extremely well.
On the incorporation of the Commissioners of West Hartlepool in 1854, he was one of the original Commissioners appointed under the Towns Improvement Act; and he continued to fill the office of Commissioner up to the period of his decease. He was for some time Chairman of the Board, only resigning that appointment in favour of Mr. R. W. Jackson (Assoc. Inst. C.E.) a week or two before his death.
He also for a short time represented the West Hartlepool town interest in the Pier and Port Commission ; but on the resuscitation of the Refuge Harbour question, he retired from that office, in order that he might not sit in judgment upon his own, amongst other competing plans.
At the West Hartlepool Improvement Board, Mr. Casebourne was a regular attendant. He was also for many years a Vice-President and Life Member of the Local Literary and Mechanics’ Institute.
Mr. Casebourne was elected an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers on the 12th of February, 1828, and was transferred to the class of Members on the 26th December, 1837.
His decease occurred on the 2nd of January, 1864, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. He was a careful, conscientious man, had a good knowledge of the practice of Civil Engineering, and very deservedly, acquired the confidence of all with whom he was brought into contact.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Register of baptisms
- ↑ Parish Register
- ↑ Drawings held in the National Archives, Kew, ref WO 78/5807
- ↑ Institution of Civil Engineers Membership records manuscript and 1828 Institution of Civil Engineers
- ↑ Institution of Civil Engineers Membership records
- ↑ Telford MSS, National Library of Scotland Acc F20
- ↑ Telford MSS, National Library of Scotland Acc 9157
- ↑ ”The Story of Telford” by Alexander Gibb, “Description of a Portion of the Works in the Ulster Canal” by Thomas Casebourne and 1834 Institution of Civil Engineers
- ↑ Institution of Civil Engineers Membership records manuscript
- ↑ Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers (1842) 2 (1842): 52–53.
- ↑ Morning Herald (London) - 20 Jan 1843
- ↑ Armagh Guardian - 2 Feb 1847, Durham County Advertiser - 30 Nov 1849 and Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury - 30 Apr 1853
- ↑ Hagar’s Directory of the County of Durham 1851
- ↑ Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, (1851): 293–295 1851
- ↑ West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway Company Act, 1852
- ↑ Newcastle Journal - 8 Mar 1856 (marriage of daughter) and others
- ↑ Durham Chronicle - 10 Feb 1854
- ↑ Kelly's Directory of Northumberland & Durham 1858
- ↑ Newcastle Chronicle - 12 Apr 1862
- ↑ Durham Chronicle - 30 Jan 1863
- ↑ Newcastle Courant - 25 Dec 1863
- ↑ Durham Chronicle - 8 Jan 1864
- ↑ The Engineer 1870/06/24
- ↑ 1865 Institution of Civil Engineers: Obituaries