Quick Facts
Biography
Sir Rowland Macdonald Stephenson (9 January 1808 – 1895) was a 19th-century British railway engineer instrumental in the establishment of the East India Railway in British India.
Early life
Born in Bloomsbury on 9 January 1808, into a long-established Cumberland family, Rowland Macdonald Stephenson was the oldest son of banker and politician Rowland Stephenson and wife Mary Eliza.Educated at Harrow, he began work in his father's bank but its failure in 1828 (and his father's consequent exile in America) caused him to move into engineering, at first as London agent for the Gospel Oak Ironworks in Staffordshire. He applied himself to the study of railway engineering and became and associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1836. In 1838 he became secretary of "The Comprehensive Company for establishing Regular Steam Communication with India", which became the "Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company" in 1840. In 1840, Sir Rowland married Marianne, the daughter of Lieutenant Edward Hederstedt, R.N., and together, they had twelve children. After Marianne's death in 1882, Sir Rowland, at the age of 75, married Elizabeth Tindall, the widow of J. Tindall of Scarbough.
Children
| Name | Date of birth | Date of death | Brief biography | Marriage and children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marianne Catherine Stephenson | 1845 | DNK | Born in Greater London, Marianne was the oldest child. | |
| Rowland MacDonald Stephenson | 1847 | DNK | Born in Greater London, Rowland was the oldest son. | |
| Frank Stephenson | 1848 | DNK | Born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. | |
| Henry Goodwyn Stephenson | 31 January 1853 | DNK | Born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. | |
| Caroline Louisa Stephenson | 5 October 1854 | DNK | Born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
Railroad career
In 1843 he took his family to India, hoping not only to establish railways there, but all the way back to Europe. Sir Rowland was managing director of the East India Railway Company, and his brother Cecil Mackintosh Stephenson, was an agent which started building a line from Calcutta in 1849, and he was knighted for this in October 1856. He advocated an imperial railway to the Chinese government in 1859 and a Kowloon–Canton Railway to the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in 1864; both proposals were rejected.
Legacy
Authored works
- Stephenson, C.E., R. Macdonald. Report Upon the Practicability and Advantages of the Introduction of Railways into British India. (London: Printed by Kelly & Co., 1845).
- Stephenson, Rowland Macdonald. Railways: An Introductory Sketch with Suggestions, in Reference to Their Extension to British Colonies, Part I. with Illustrations (London: John Weale, Architectural Library, 1850).
- Stephenson, Sir Macdonald. Railways in Turkey (London: John Weale, 1859).
- Stephenson, Sir Macdonald. Railways in China (London: J. R. Adlard, 1864).
- Stephenson, Sir Rowland Macdonald. Rudimentary and Practical Instructions on the Science of Railway Construction for the Use of Beginners and Those Who Have Commercial Practice. (London: Virtue Brothers & CO., 1866).
- Stephenson, C.E., F.R.G.S., Sir R. Macdonald. The Science of Railway Construction, 4th edition. (London: Strahan & CO., Publishers, 1869).