MCADAM, JOHN LOUDON (1756-1836)

This article appears in Volume V17, Page 190 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: MAR-MEC

MCADAM, JOHN LOUDON (1756-1836) , Scottish inventor, who gave his name to the system of road-making known as " macadamizing," was born at Ayr, Scotland, on the 21st of September 1756, being descended on his father's side from the clan of the McGregors. While at school he constructed a model road-section. In 1770 he went to New

York

YORK
YORK (
HOUSE
- HOUSE
- HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
  Gothic
  - GOTHIC
  it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)
OF)
YORK, EDMUND OF
LANGLEY
- LANGLEY, SAMUEL PIERPONT (1834-1906)
, DUKE OF (1341-1402)
YORK, EDWARD
YORK, FREDERICK
AUGUSTUS
- AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)
, DUKE OF (1763-1827)
YORK, RICHARD, DUKE

, entering the counting-

house

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

of a merchant uncle. He returned to Scotland with a considerable fortune in 1783, and purchased an estate at Sauhrie, Ayrshire. Among other public offices he held that of road trustee. The highways of

Great

GREAT

Britain were at this time in a very bad condition, and McAdam at once began to consider how to effect reforms. At his own expense he began at Sauhrie, despite much opposition, a

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

of experiments in road-making. In 1798 he removed to Falmouth, where he had received a government appointment, and continued his experiments there. His general conclusion was that roads should be constructed of broken stone (see ROADS). In 1815, having been appointed surveyor-general of the Bristol roads, he was able to put his theories into practice. In 1819 he published a

Practical

PRACTICAL

Essay on the Scientific Repair and Preservation of Roads, followed, in 182o, by the Present State of Road-making. As the result of a parliamentary inquiry in 1823 into the whole question of road-making, his views were adopted by the public authorities, and in 1827 he was appointed general surveyor of roads. In pursuing his investigations he had travelled over thirty thousand miles of road and expended over 5000.

Parliament

PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

recouped him for his expenses and gave him a handsome gratuity, but he declined a proffered

knighthood

KNIGHTHOOD

. He died at Mofft, Dumfries-shire, on the 26th of November 1836.

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