Josias Jessop (1710-1760)
Foreman shipwright in the Naval Dockyard. Jessop was responsible for the repair and maintenance of Rudyerd's Tower, a wooden lighthouse on the Eddystone Rock. He carried out this task for twenty years until 1755, when the lighthouse burnt down. John Smeaton, a leading civil engineer, drew up plans for a new stone lighthouse and Josias became responsible for the overseeing the building work. The two men became close friends and on Jessop's death in 1760, Smeaton became the guardian of his son William
1745 Birth of son William Jessop