Bridgewater, Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of (1736-1803)

British canal builder, known as "the father of British inland navigation'. Faced with the problem of transporting to Manchester coal mined on his estate at Worsley, a distance of 16`km/10`ml, he engaged James Brindley to construct (1759--61) a canal which proved to be highly successful. In 1776 he extended it to reach Liverpool, a total distance of 64`km/40`mi. The earliest canal in England, it became known as the Bridgewater Canal.