Basic Biographical Details Name: | Benjamin Hall Blyth I | Designation: | | Born: | 14 July 1819 | Died: | 21 August 1866 | Bio Notes: | Benjamin Hall Blyth was born at North Berwick on 14 July 1819, the son of Robert Brittain Blyth, a Birmingham iron merchant and his wife Barbara Cooper. They had Scottish connections and were related to the Peddies through the Coventry family.
Blyth trained as a civil engineer, almost wholly on railway construction with Grainger & Miller. He commenced independent practice in Edinburgh in 1848, soon moving to the 135 George Street office where the practice would remain for over 100 years. He went into partnership with his brother Edward Laurence Ireland Blyth, who had also assisted in the Grainger & Miller office, in 1854, the practice title being B & E Blyth, and they quickly established a reputation as consulting engineers. Work flowed in from the Caledonian, Glasgow & South Western, Scottish Central, Dundee & Perth, Great North of Scotland and Portpatrick railway companies. They had a reputation for efficiency and thoroughness. Benjamin Hall Blyth died from overwork at North Berwick on 21 August 1866 and was buried at Grange Cemetery. He left moveable estate of £56,052 in the United Kingdom and £1,250 in Australia. He was survived by his wife Mary Dudgeon Wright who died on 29 December 1868 and at least seven sons. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 132, George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | 1848 | Before 1854 | | | 135, George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | Before 1854 | 1886 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | Grainger & Miller | c. 1835(?) | Before 1845 | Apprentice | | | B & E Blyth | 1854 | 1866 | Partner | |
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Bailey, Rebecca M | 1996 | Scottish architects' papers: a source book | | Edinburgh: The Rutland Press | | | Blyth & Blyth | 1948 | A history of the firm of Blyth & Blyth, chartered civil engineers, consulting structural engineers … 1848-1948 | | Edinburgh: C J Cousland | | | Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, A | 1996 | A History of Scottish Architecture | | | | | Scotlands People Website | | Wills & Testaments | | | Edinburgh Sheriff Court Wills Sc70/4/106 and Edinburgh Sheriff Court Inventories SC70/1/131 |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers | 1867 | XXVI | | pp556-560 |
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