William Tuke

• Born                      13 December 1811 at Knapton Grange, Winteringham Parish, York, England
• Died                       26 February 1874

William Tuke, (1811/12-1874) land agent, architect, and surveyor was descended from a famous Yorkshire Quaker family of surveyors. His grandfather, John, had produced a map of the City of York in 1792 and his father, made the first survey of the County of Yorkshire.  William Tuke and his wife, Emma Lawton (born 1812/13) had nine children including their fourth son and the fifth child William Charles Tuke (of Maxwell and Tuke). By 1871, William Tuke and his family had moved from Bradford to Pendleton, Salford; Slater’s Directory of 1871-2 lists William Tuke, architect, at 52 Church-street Pendleton, his residence given as Castle Terrace, Seedley.  William Tuke died on 26 February 1874, killed instantly when struck by a train at Gilnow near Bolton. Identical reports of the accident appeared in both the Manchester Guardian and Salford Chronicle:

 A SURVEYOR KILLED ON THE RAILWAY NEAR BOLTON - Yesterday afternoon a shocking accident occurred on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway at Gilnow. Mr William Tuke, surveyor Church Street Pendleton together with two assistants named William Griffiths Dalton-street, Hulme and Robert Preston, Phoenix Street, Brindle Heath had been in the neighbourhood all morning surveying preparatory to the widening of the line and the construction of sidings. About half past two o clock they left for the purpose of taking some refreshment and on their return in about three quarters of an hour, Mr Tuke was walking across the line looking for a mark he had made before leaving when a passenger train from Bolton came up unobserved and he was struck over the left eye by the buffer of the engine, hurled beyond the metals and killed on the spot. His assistants, Griffiths and Preston, who were close behind him noticed the engine approaching, and had just time to get out of the way. Both the latter state that they did not hear the driver of the train whistle. The deceased was between 50 and 60 years of age. [Manchester Guardian 27 February 1874 Page 6 Column 3]