Frederick Swanwick

Frederick Swanwick (1810–1885) was an English civil engineer who assisted George and Robert Stephenson. He was responsible for much of the work on railways in the North and Midlands of England, particularly the Whitby and Pickering Railway and the North Midland Railway.

He was born on 1 October 1810 in Chester to Joseph Swanwick and Hannah nee Wicksteed, one of a large family.

He was first educated at a school run by his maiden aunts, Mary and Martha Wicksteed, followed by tutelage of the Rev. William Bakewell, the Unitarian minister at Chester. At the age of around twelve he went to live with the Rev. Dr. Hutton in Leeds, since though his elder brothers had been sent to a public school, his large family was proving expensive to educate. In common with such schools of the time, the curriculum of the school seems to have consisted of Latin, Greek, French, and some elementary mathematics. It did not include science or engineering as unbefitting for one of his class.

In 1826, at the age of seventeen, he enrolled at the University of Edinburgh. He discarded his classical studies in favour of mathematics, natural philosophy and geology. Returning home in 1827, he continued his study of mathematics. He had a strong interest in civil engineering, following the work of a cousin on his mother’s side, Thomas Wicksteed, engineer of the East London Waterworks Company. It was at this time that the Grosvenor Bridge was being built at Chester across the River Dee. Frederick’s father knew the contractor James Trubshaw personally and obtained permission for Frederick to assist with the work. Following this, an uncle introduced him to George Stephenson.

Aged nineteen, he was indentured to George Stephenson for "four years and eight months from 5 October 1829 in the occupation or business of a civil engineer," and went to live with him at his home with the other apprentices. Within a year he was made private secretary, succeeding Daniel Gooch and continued in that position until Stephenson moved to Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

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