Edward William Barnett
Edward William Barnett ( -1895)
Articled to McClean and Stileman
1859 Went to India
1865 E. W. Barnett, engineer of the 4th and 5th districts of the N.W. Line - Madras Railway.[1]
1871 Returned to England
1872 Director of the Great Western Telegraph Co, E. W. Barnett, C.E., (late of the Madras Railway Co).[2]
1873-75 Conservative member for dover
1883 E. W. Barnett, C.E. at present resident in Bangalore.[3]
also Portishead Docks and Ryde and Newport Railway and various works in South America
1895 Died. 'In our obituary notices appears the name of Mr. Edward William Barnett. F.R.G.S., C.E., whom some of our older readers may remember a native of this town (Walsall), and pupil of Queen Mary’s Grammar School. He was the fourth son of Mr. Horatio Barnett, formerly of Bescot Hall, one the most prominent solicitors and leading citizen of the town for many years. He served his articles with the late firm of Messrs. McClean and Stileman, who were engineers of the South Staffordshire Railway. In 1859 Mr. Barnett received an appointment in India, and executed many important works in connection with the Madras and Bombay Railway, among which was the construction of the celebrated Chiltravuilly Bridge - then the longest in the world. He built the Native Workhouse and a boys’ school, which latter he also endowed. He returned from India in 1871, and amongst other contracts entered into were the Portishead Docks, Hyde and Newport Railway, Cadiz Water Works, and various railway and harbour works in South America. In 1873 he was elected as member for Dover in the Conservative interest, but in 1875, owing to ill-health due to his residence in India, he retired from all active work. In 1872 he re-visited his native town after many years’ absence, and after inspecting the Cottage Hospital took himself the sole expense of furnishing the ward which now goes by the name of the 'Barnett' Ward. The only surviving brothers of Mr. Edward Barnett are Mr. Horatio Barnett, solicitor, who practises in London, and Rear-Admiral Barnett, of Barrow-in-Furness, who served with distinction in the Crimean War (having taken part in the famous assault on the Redan), and has also been engaged on active service in various parts of the world.'[4]