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Caledonian Canal

Records of the Caledonian Canal: tolls and traffic 1894 and 1919, Commissioners' report 1909, plan of engine early-mid 20th century.

1894-mid 20th century

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Considered in 1726, 1773 and again in 1785, no action was taken to build the Caledonian Canal until surveys done by John Rennie in 1793 and Thomas Telford in 1801-1802 formed the basis of the Bill submitted to Parliament. Britain was at war with France and the canal offered a safer means of transportation than sea routes. Navigation of the Pentland Firth was considered at best inconvenient and at worst dangerous. The canal would provide an alternative to that. It would also provide jobs for a population that, the government feared, would otherwise be tempted to leave the Highlands. After the Acts were passed in 1803 and 1804, Thomas Telford was appointed principle engineer and William Jessop consultant engineer. Shortly after work had begun, Matthew Davidson and John Telford (no relation to Thomas) were employed as resident engineers at the Clanaharry end and Corpach end respectively. John Telford was replaced by Alexander Easton in 1807 and Matthew Davidson's son James succeeded his father in 1819. After Alexander Easton's departure in 1823, James Davidson became engineer for the whole canal. George May took over seven years later. Another James Davidson was appointed engineer in 1867 after George May's death; he was succeeded eleven years later by William Rhodes. John Davidson replaced William Rhodes in 1885. John Rickman was Secretary to the Commissioners until 1830,and then the position was filled by Samuel Smith. The number of labourers fluctuated depending on the Commissioners' finances and the harvests, but peaked at about 1200. On its opening in October 1822, the entire canal was 60 miles long. It was not complete; pressure from Parliament and repeated calls for the canal's abandonment forced the Commissioners to open it. The eastern section had already been open to traffic for four years by this time and had had a passenger service operational for two. The middle section proved more problematic than the eastern and western sections, and as the work had dragged on, costs had risen and the commissioners had become more concerned. Thomas Telford was called in to explain the situation, and a year later, in 1819, there were even suggestions that the scheme should be abandoned. Colonel Alexander Ranaldson MacDonnell, a landowner along Loch Oich, was involved in a bitter dispute about the route of the canal through his land. Several times between 1814 and 1822 he backed up his verbal and written objections by driving the labourers off the land. It was cheaper to group locks in staircases, which is what Thomas Telford did for the majority of the 29 locks along the route by 1844. All were capable of taking vessels 160 feet by 36 feet, and all bridges crossing the canal were swing bridges. Unfortunately, the inferior quality materials used in the locks construction meant that they quickly fell into disrepair. After a partial collapse of one lock in 1826, the canal was closed for a week in 1829 to repair serious faults that had developed. A year later George May took over as resident engineer, a position he held until his death in 1867. George May proclaimed that the repairs were satisfactory and no further work would be needed in the foreseeable future, although he repeatedly expressed his criticism of the middle section. After another lock wall collapse in 1837, this time in Fort Augustus, estimation was made of all essential works needed if the navigation was to be safe and efficient. On seeing the costs, the suggestion of abandonment was again raised until it was calculated that this was likely to be just as expensive. Whilst the debate raged on in Parliament through the 1840s regarding grants, there were further collapses. Contractors were hired by the Commissioners but it was only when one of the contractors died falling from a bridge on the canal that the work was authorised by Parliament. This stoppage lasted from 1843 to 1847. In several places culverts large enough to allow carts and cattle to pass under the canal had been built because they were cheaper than bridges. The canal was deepened in 1825 and 1847 but never was the entire length the intended 20 feet deep, and in many places was only just over half that. There were sea entrance basins at either end of the canal, at Corpach near Fort William and Clachnaharry near Inverness. Water supplies were a problem, not because water was scarce but because heavy rains inundated the streams that fed the canal. Debris washed down caused blockages and flooding. This happened several times, for example in 1849, and necessitated further repairs and compensation payments. Even when inquiries concluded that neither canal nor Commissioners were responsible for flood damage, it only encouraged the canal's detractors. Engineer John Davidson's report in 1888 revealed serious repairs were needed. Many of the lock-gates were unable to cope with heavy steamers. It took until 1906 for them all to be replaced, as yet again the Commissioners did not have the money and needed grants to cover the costs. Many involved in the scheme and in Parliament suspected that trade would not develop as had originally been hoped, and they had had their fears confirmed. The canal was completed after the war had ended and as a recession began. Inferior construction hampered efforts to encourage traffic. Sailing ships had difficulties crossing the lochs, despite tugs being introduced in 1847 to assist them. Poor harvests further reduced the volume of goods transported on the canal, but at the same time the Commissioners hired more labourers than necessary to alleviate the plight of the Highlanders. One of the reasons given for constructing the canal was that it was a better option than the Pentland Firth, which was correct when the Bill was going through Parliament; however the transition to steam navigation and improved charts had made that route far less formidable by the 1850s. Coast-to-coast railway lines were also competing with the canal for trade. After 1865, the canal's iron trade was taken by the newly-completed Perth to Inverness railway. The commissioners' income was only just greater than its expenditure. Twice the Commissioners were given permission to lease the canal. No offers were received either time, which proves just what a poor investment the canal was considered to be. There was, however, a good passenger service that ran until 1939. Initially, 3 steamboats ran from Glasgow to Inverness. Unlike commercial traffic, the number of passengers actually rose in the 1860s, albeit slightly, and the arrival of the railways helped open up the area to more passengers. The closing years of the First World War saw traffic increase as the American naval bases relied upon the canal for their supplies, and many of the mines placed between the Orkneys and Norway had been delivered via the canal. Revenue dropped further as the passenger services were curtailed and boats requisitioned by the government paid no charges. The Ministry of Transport took over from the Commissioners in 1919. The canal had failed to regain its pre-war levels of trade and the Commissioners held railways responsible. Major alterations had been suggested before the war but it was felt the results would not justify the expense. The Ministry made no extensive modifications either but the money spent on repairs was sometimes two and a half times the revenue generated. It seemingly did little to help, as complaints, accidents due to structural inadequacy and long periods of closure were routine in the inter-war years. Reports of the centenary of the canal's opening in 1922 suggest not so much a celebration as an insinuation that the navigation had been a waste of money. Again the canal was busy during the Second World War, but otherwise it was only used by fishing boats. In 1948 the canal was nationalised and came under the jurisdiction of the British Transport Commission. Locks were mechanised in 1960 to shorten the journey time. The Wiggins Teape Paper Mill opened at Corpach in 1966, after the basin and sea-lock were enlarged, which for some time did increase traffic until its closure. Then traffic returned to mostly consisting of fishing boats and pleasure cruisers. For further information on the Caledonian Canal see Edward Paget-Tomlinson's 'The Illustrated History of Canals & River Navigations' and Jean Lindsay's 'The Canals of Scotland'.

It has not been possible to ascertain any original structure of record-keeping from the small number of records held for this company. The subfonds has therefore been arranged in chronological order.