Daniel Harris (Oxford)
Encyclopedia
Daniel Harris was a builder, prison governor, civil engineer and architect who lived and practised in Oxford.
's register for his death in 1840 records his age as 79. He married Elizabeth Tomkins of Oxford in 1789, and they had four daughters between 1791 and 1801. Harris died at his home in New Road
, Oxford in June 1840.
as a journeyman carpenter and rose to become Governor of Oxford Castle
and Prison from 1786 until 1809. He developed a contracting business with convict labour, supplemented by hiring wage-earning tradesmen.
Harris became involved in waterway engineering, starting by being the contractor to extend the Oxford Canal
in Oxford from Hayfield Road to Worcester Street and build Worcester Street wharves 1788-89. He built four pound locks to replace flash lock
s, the first being Osney Lock
for the Thames Navigation Commission
in 1790. In central Oxford the Oxford Canal and the Thames were originally linked by a flash lock at Hythe Bridge. In 1795-97 Harris replaced it with Isis Lock, a broad lock to allow Thames barges in and out of the Oxford Canal Company's Worcester Street wharves. None of Harris's pound locks survives in the form in which he built them. The Oxford Canal rebuilt Isis Lock as a narrow lock in 1844, and all of his Thames locks have been either rebuilt or replaced.
From 1812 until 1837 Harris worked in partnership with the architect John Plowman
.
Family
Harris's birthplace is obscure but he was born about 1761, as the entry in St-Peter-le-BaileySt Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
's register for his death in 1840 records his age as 79. He married Elizabeth Tomkins of Oxford in 1789, and they had four daughters between 1791 and 1801. Harris died at his home in New Road
New Road
New Road may refer to:* New Road , England, now part of the London Inner Ring Road* New Road, Oxford, England, location of Oxford Castle* New Road, Worcester, England, home ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club...
, Oxford in June 1840.
Career
Harris came to OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
as a journeyman carpenter and rose to become Governor of Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy...
and Prison from 1786 until 1809. He developed a contracting business with convict labour, supplemented by hiring wage-earning tradesmen.
Harris became involved in waterway engineering, starting by being the contractor to extend the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
in Oxford from Hayfield Road to Worcester Street and build Worcester Street wharves 1788-89. He built four pound locks to replace flash lock
Flash lock
Early locks were designed with a single gate, known as a flash lock or staunch lock. The earliest European references to what were clearly flash locks were in Roman times....
s, the first being Osney Lock
Osney Lock
Osney Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is close to Oxford where the village or island of Osney is next to the river.The first lock was built of stone by Daniel Harris for the Thames Navigation Commission in 1790....
for the Thames Navigation Commission
Thames Navigation Commission
The Thames Navigation Commission used to manage the River Thames in southern England. In particular, they were responsible for installing or renovating many of the locks on the river in the 18th and early 19th centuries.- History :...
in 1790. In central Oxford the Oxford Canal and the Thames were originally linked by a flash lock at Hythe Bridge. In 1795-97 Harris replaced it with Isis Lock, a broad lock to allow Thames barges in and out of the Oxford Canal Company's Worcester Street wharves. None of Harris's pound locks survives in the form in which he built them. The Oxford Canal rebuilt Isis Lock as a narrow lock in 1844, and all of his Thames locks have been either rebuilt or replaced.
From 1812 until 1837 Harris worked in partnership with the architect John Plowman
John Plowman
John Plowman was an architect based in Oxford, England.From 1812 until 1837 Plowman worked in partnership with the builder, civil engineer and architect Daniel Harris.-Work:...
.
Work
- Oxford Prison, Oxford: enlargement, 1785-1805 (to designs by William BlackburnWilliam BlackburnWilliam Blackburn was the leading prison architect of the Georgian Era. Following the principles of John Howard, his designs aimed to provide inmates with dry and airy cells....
) - Oxford CanalOxford CanalThe Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
, Oxford: Worcester Street Wharf, 1788-89 - River ThamesRiver ThamesThe River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, Oxfordshire: Osney LockOsney LockOsney Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is close to Oxford where the village or island of Osney is next to the river.The first lock was built of stone by Daniel Harris for the Thames Navigation Commission in 1790....
, Oxford, 1790 - River Thames, Oxfordshire: Godstow LockGodstow LockGodstow Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is between the villages of Wolvercote and Wytham on the outskirts of Oxford. The first lock was built of stone by Daniel Harris for the Thames Navigation Commission in 1790...
, GodstowGodstowGodstow is a hamlet on the River Thames about northwest of the centre of Oxford. The ruins of Godstow Abbey, or Godstow Nunnery, are here.-The Abbey:...
, 1790 - River Thames, Oxfordshire: Pinkhill LockPinkhill LockPinkhill Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England. It is close to Farmoor, Oxfordshire.The first lock was built of stone by Daniel Harris for the Thames Navigation Commission in 1791....
, FarmoorFarmoorFarmoor is a village west of the centre of Oxford, England. The village was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
, 1791 - Oxford Canal, Oxford: New Road Wharf, Oxford, 1793 and 1801
- River Thames, Oxfordshire: Sandford LockSandford LockSandford Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, situated at Sandford-on-Thames which is just South of Oxford. The first pound lock was built in 1631 by the Oxford-Burcot Commission although this has since been rebuilt...
, Sandford-on-ThamesSandford-on-ThamesSandford-on-Thames is a village and Parish Council beside the River Thames in Oxfordshire just south of Oxford. The village is just west of the A4074 road between Oxford and Henley.-Early history:...
, 1795 - Oxford Canal, Oxford: Isis Lock 1795-97 (rebuilt 1844)
- Wyaston House, New Inn Hall StreetNew Inn Hall StreetNew Inn Hall Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It is a shopping street running north-south parallel and to the west of Cornmarket Street, with George Street to the north and Queen Street to the south...
, Oxford 1795-97 (for Oxford Canal Company) (now Linton House, part of St Peter's College, OxfordSt Peter's College, OxfordSt Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
) - Braziers Park, IpsdenIpsdenIpsden is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, about southeast of Wallingford.-Parish church:The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin was built late in the 12th century as a chapelry of North Stoke...
, Oxfordshire, 1799 - Saint Mary's parish, Bampton, OxfordshireBampton, OxfordshireBampton, also called Bampton-in-the-Bush, is a village and civil parish in the Thames Valley about southwest of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Weald....
: alterations to rectory, 1799 - Saint Botolph's parish, SwyncombeSwyncombeSwyncombe is a hamlet and civil parish about east of Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England. Swyncombe's toponym derives from the Old English words Swin for wild boar and combe for valley or hollow....
, Oxfordshire: rectory, 1803 - Abingdon Prison, AbingdonAbingdon, OxfordshireAbingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, Oxfordshire, 1805-11 (to designs by Jeffry WyattvilleJeffry WyattvilleSir Jeffry Wyattville was an English architect and garden designer. His original surname was Wyatt, and his name is sometimes also written as Jeffrey and his surname as Wyatville; he changed his name in 1824.He was trained by his uncles Samuel Wyatt and James Wyatt, who were both leading architects...
) - Saint Mary Magdalene parish, Stoke TalmageStoke TalmageStoke Talmage is a village and civil parish south of Thame in Oxfordshire.Stoke Talmage seems to have had a parish church since the 11th century, although the first clear historical reference to it dates from 1219. The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary Magdalene was restored in 1758....
, Oxfordshire: extension to rectory, 1820