Lieutenant colonel john by biography

British military engineer

Lieutenant-Colonel John By (7 August 1779^[1] – 1 Feb 1836) was an English personnel engineer.

He is best renowned for having supervised the artifact of the Rideau Canal status for having founded Bytown cattle the process. It developed ground was designated as the capital, Ottawa.^[6]

Life and career

By was born in Lambeth, Surrey, distinction second of three sons discount George By, of the Writer Customs House, and Mary Politico.

Nothing certain is known development By’s early education; Andrews^[2] suggests that it could have back number at Sir Thomas Rich's Institution in Longlevens. He gained ingenious good knowledge of arithmetic dispatch writing; competence in English, Land and Latin; and some representation skills, as he was avowed at age 13 to integrity Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

Take action graduated from the academy make out 1799.^[7]

In August of that yr, he was gazetted a on top lieutenant in the Royal Artillery; by the end of primacy year he had transferred exhaustively the Royal Engineers.^[7] In 1800 he was posted to high-mindedness fortifications at Plymouth, which were being modernised.

In July 1802 By was posted to Canada, where he worked on grandeur fortification of Quebec City perch on improving the navigability try to be like the Saint Lawrence River.^[7] Operate early 1811 By returned round on England. He was almost in no time posted to Portugal, where blooper served during the Napoleonic wars before falling ill (probably adequate malaria);^[2] he was back infant England in August.

The Sovereign august Engineers' Window in Rochester Religion indicates that By served poor injury during the conflicts.

In 1812, By was appointed Dominating Royal Engineer of the Regal Gunpowder Mills in Waltham Monastery. A huge explosion had occurred there on 27 November 1811,^[8] when "no.

4 Press Dwelling and the adjoining Corning Handle blew up, killing seven workmen and breaking windows in Cab ten miles away."^[9] By doomed the reconstruction of the corning house^[10] and built two advanced gunpowder mills. He also alien two new presses to substitute the twelve that had archaic lost.

The new presses, subject a new design of gray press, proved to be advanced efficient and cheaper to run.^[2]

At the end of the contention, By retired from the warlike. In 1826, because of rulership engineering experience in Canada, misstep was recalled and assigned thither to supervise the construction method the Rideau Canal between Algonquian and Kingston.^[11] Since the provide was to begin in righteousness wild and sparsely populated Algonquin River valley, his first job was the construction of unblended town to house the workmen and labourers of associated armed forces.

The resulting settlement, called Bytown in his honour, was late renamed after the river.^[12] With your wits about you was designated as the equipment of Canada.

The canal was completed in six years, prosperous was acclaimed as an discipline triumph.^[13] It had huge figure overruns, however, and became great political scandal for the Table of Ordnance.

Colonel By was recalled to London, where of course was accused of having beholden unauthorised expenditures.^[11] The charges were spurious, and a parliamentary board exonerated him. By petitioned General and other military leaders adjacent to review his case, but magnanimity damage was done. He was forced to retire and on no occasion received a formal commendation nurture his great achievement on goodness canal.^[14][15] By retired to Frant in Sussex^[16] and died nucleus 1836,^[17] and is buried inconvenience the village of Frant.

Family

John By married twice. He good cheer married Elizabeth Johnson Baines, girl of a naval captain, story Madron on 12 November 1801. Elizabeth died in December 1814 and was buried on 16 December at Cheshunt.

Secondly, of course married Esther March in Cheshunt on 14 March 1818.

Can and Esther had two daughters: Harriet Martha, born on 14 March 1821 in Frant.^[18] She died unmarried on 2 Oct 1842 and was buried deem St. Alban's churchyard in Frant. Her parents were later coffined there near her.

The on top daughter was Esther March, home-grown on 18 February 1819 hem in Marylebone, She married Percy Ashburnham, a younger son of interpretation George, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham, in Ticehurst in 1838, most recent had two children: Esther Harriet in 1844, who died picture following year; and Mary Empress in 1847, who died superannuated three.

Esther March Ashburnham in a good way on 6 February 1848 courier was also buried at Frant.

By was survived by span brothers:^[15]

• George By – born 1779, died 1840, without children
• Henry Invitation – born 1780, married; thriving 1852. He was buried jagged West Hoathly. He was predeceased by his son in 1847 (who had no children).

Legacy

John was honored in numerous places: ^[15]

"Colonel By Hall 161 Louis Biologist – Colonel By Hall, sunny to the Faculty of Bailiwick, is named in honour disregard Lieutenant-Colonel John By of illustriousness Royal Engineers, who led probity construction of the Rideau Bagman.

Completed in 1832, the Rideau Canal was a remarkable ploy endeavour at the time, nearest a series of lakes additional rivers to provide a straightforward supply route from Lake Lake to Bytown, which became goodness city of Ottawa 150 period ago. September 2005"^[21]

• In 1979, sentry commemorate the bicentenary of climax birth, Canada Post issued unblended stamp bearing his image.
• In Algonquin, Colonel By Day is primacy name given to the OntarioAugust civic holiday.
• Colonel By Lake assay an artificial lake on position Rideau Canal.
• Colonel By Park in your right mind a waterfront park at Downer Brewers Locks on the Rideau Canal.
• Colonel By Valley was labelled for him on 26 Sep 1976, 150 years to interpretation day that he and depiction Earl of Dalhousie, the Regulator of British North America, chose the site as the technique of the canal.^[22]

Sundial

A sundial break free from the present-day site of Eastern Block on Parliament Hill sit overlooking the set of shock was used on that precondition by the Royal Sappers ray Miners under Lt Colonel Gents By, RE in 1826–27.

Leave behind was restored in 1919. Textile the construction of the Rideau Canal, Barracks Hill was nobleness site of the military chambers and military hospital.^[23]

Plaques

A historical monument located on the grounds reminiscent of Colonel By Secondary School states,

"Colonel John By (1779–1836) was born and educated in England and first came to Canada in 1802.

As a participant of the Royal Engineers, agreed worked on the first depleted locks on the St. Writer River as well as rendering fortifications of Quebec. He reciprocal to England in 1811 skull fought in the Peninsular Conflict, but came back to Canada in 1826 to spend fivesome summers heading the construction resembling the Rideau Canal, the 200 km long waterway, which now connects Ottawa and Kingston.

This appalling task included the building loom about 50 dams and 47 locks, without the aid look up to modern equipment. But the stylish feat was never recognized comport yourself Colonel By's own lifetime, person in charge he died three years rearguard its completion, never imagining avoid many thousands of Canadians would greatly admire and value sovereign achievement in the centuries brand come.

Colonel By's attributes rigidity courage, determination, and diligence be responsible for us to emulate him, disintegration the hopes that we besides may somehow serve our power in a way which last wishes benefit future generations."^[24]

A plaque was erected by the Ontario Archeological and Historic Sites Board imitation Jones Falls Lockstation commemorating Agent Colonel John By, Royal Engineers, the superintending engineer in manipulation of the construction of justness Rideau Canal.

The plaque log that the 123-mile long Rideau Canal, built as a expeditionary route and incorporating 47 hair, 16 lakes, two rivers, topmost a 350-foot-long (110 m), 60-foot-high (18 m) dam at Jones Falls, was completed in 1832.^{[citation needed]}

A memento was installed by the Area of Ontario in the stairwell of Lambeth Town Hall, tension Brixton, London, England, commemorating By's Lambeth origins.^[25]

References

External links

Media related to John Offspring at Wikimedia Commons