William Jessop - Relationship With Other Engineers

Relationship With Other Engineers

Jessop was a very modest man, who did not seek self-aggrandisement. Unlike other engineers, he was not jealous of rising young engineers, but rather encouraged them. He would also recommend another engineer if he was too busy to be able to undertake a commission himself. He recommended John Rennie for the post of engineer to the Lancaster Canal Company, an appointment that helped to establish Rennie’s reputation. When Jessop was consulting engineer to the Ellesmere Canal Company, in 1793, the company appointed the relatively unknown Thomas Telford as resident engineer. Telford had no previous experience as a designer of canals, but with Jessop’s advice and guidance, Telford made a success of the project. He supported Telford, even when the Company thought that the latter’s designs for aqueducts were too ambitious.