Edward Rice Sweet Escott
Edward Rice Sweet Escott (1840-1904)
1905 Obituary [1]
EDWARD RICE SWEET ESCOTT, died at Halifax on the 18th September, 1904, aged 64.
Educated at Foyle College, Londonderry, of which at the time his father, the Rev. W. Sweet Escott, was principal, he obtained his professional training under Messrs. Fraser and Campbell, architects and surveyors of Londonderry.
In 1864 he acted as an assistant to Richard Davids, Surveyor to the Carnarvon Corporation, and in the following year was appointed an assistant to Thomas Thorburn, Town Surveyor of Birkenhead, with whom he remained for 3 years.
In 1869 Mr. Escott accepted a temporary engagement upon the trigonometrical survey of the Borough of Halifax, and on the completion of this work, he received an appointment as Assistant Engineer on the permanent staff of the borough. This position he retained until December, 1872, when he was appointed Borough Engineer of Burnley, but returned to Halifax in July, 1873, as Borough Engineer and Surveyor, in succession to Mr. Borrie, a position which he occupied for 27 years. During his tenure of this post he carried out many works incidental to the growth of a large town, and on his retirement hie services were retained as Consulting Engineer to the Corporation until his death.
Mr. Escott served for several years as a member of the Halifax School Board, in the work of which he took great interest, attending regularly both board and committee meetings; and to the various charitable institutions in Halifax he extended constant and generous support. He became a member of the Incorporated Association of Municipal and County Engineers on its formation, and after serving on the council of that body, he was, in 1895, elected to the office of President.
Mr. Escott was elected a Member of the Institution on the 6th December, 1881.