User:MIDI/Drafts/John Treacher Sr.

John Treacher Sr. (1735–1802) was an English surveyor and civil engineer. He is best known for his work on the navigability of the River Thames.

Career
Treacher was likely to have had little education as evidenced by poor handwriting and "eccentric spelling" in his documents held by The National Archives. One of Treacher's first periods of employment on the River Thames was as a carpenter working with John Smith on the first pound lock at Sonning Lock. These works were undertaken on the supervision of general surveyor Joseph Nickalls.

In March 1787, Treacher was appointed supervising engineer for Goring and Cleeve Locks. His first tasks were to procure four pile engines and the sufficient resources to build both locks from oak. By December, both locks were complete. The following year, Treacher was promoted to Surveyor of the Upper Districts of the Thames, covering the 4th, 5th and 6th districts of the Thames—from Lechlade to the reach between Whitchurch and Mapledurham Locks. In early 1788 he oversaw the construction of pound locks at Benson and Day's Lock, both of which were completed by December at a cost of —plus further expenses for the lock cuts and towing paths.

In 1791, Treacher directed works to update the unique navigation at Culham Lock. Previously, two flash locks had been in use—one upstream and one downstream of Sutton Mill—effectively forming a huge pound lock beneath the mill building. Barges would enter the pound and descend beneath the mill before rising and exiting; the vast dimensions of this lock system meant process took almost 10 times longer than a standard pound lock turnaround. Treacher negotiated with the mill owner that part of the buildings would be removed, and in return the navigation commission would install mitre gates.

Treacher proposed improved navigation at Abingdon by rebuilding Abingdon Flash Lock into a pound lock and undertaking extensive dredging works in the navigation channel. William Jessop objected to this proposal, and instead suggested making the Swift Ditch (the original navigation channel of the Thames) navigable again and restoring the 17th-century Oxford-Burcot Commission pound lock on the channel. Treacher's proposal was eventually agreed upon, and in March 1790 plans for a 120 x stone-walled chamber as well as widening works to Abingdon Bridge were approved. John Nock, a mason from Daneway and contractor for the Thames and Severn Canal, oversaw the bridge works and Edward Edge constructed the lock. By the end of the year, all the flash locks—except for the system at Culham—in Treacher's jurisdiction from Whitchurch to Oxford were complete. A single flash gate at Nuneham Weir was retained to raise the pound between there and Sandford Lock whenever necessary. By the end of 1792, the locks to Lechlade had been complete. Although under Treacher's responsibility, in reality the locks were constructed under the supervision of Daniel Harris and Josiah Clowes.

In April 1796, Treacher designed Romney Lock and the following year constructed the adjacent weir; the works were carried out by Joseph Kimber of Colnbrook and supervised by John Clarke.

Treacher's last project was Blake's Lock on the River Kennet in Reading. Although on the Kennet, the lock was under the jurisdiction of the Thames Navigation Commission. Treacher replaced the old flash lock with a pound lock, as well as create a new 700 yd cut to bypass the meanders of the river near Reading Jail and the ruins of Reading Abbey. The works began April 1801; Treacher's son John—as well as his old colleague John Smith—gained the contract for the lock, and Mordecai Brookes of Hungerford oversaw the construction of the new cut.

Personal life
Treacher married Elizabeth Simmons in 1756. Their first son John was born in 1760; they later had a second son. Elizabeth died in 1791. Treacher died in Sonning in 1802, shortly before the works on Blake's Lock were complete. His will was proved on 3 June 1802.