William Dunsford
William Dunsford was the long-serving Superintendent (Manager) of the Wilts and Berks Canal, holding the position from 1817 until his death in 1845. Having previously worked for the rival Oxford Canal Company, he was a prolific letter writer whose correspondence provides deep insight into the "years of near prosperity" for the canal.
Financial and Operational Leadership
Dunsford is credited with a significant financial turnaround for the Company. When he took office in 1817, the canal was £20,000 in debt and had ceased paying dividends. By 1839, he had entirely cleared this debt and overseen a return to profitability; dividends peaked at £9,000 annually in 1840 and 1841.
To achieve this, Dunsford employed several tactical management strategies:
- "Drawbacks": He utilized a system of cash rebates to traders to lower effective tolls, allowing Somerset coal to remain competitive against coal from other regions.
- Trade Wars: He engaged in aggressive competition with his former employer, the Oxford Canal Company, which frequently attempted to undersell the Wilts and Berks in markets like Abingdon and Wantage.
- Infrastructure Improvements: He oversaw the construction of the Coate Reservoir (completed in 1822) to address the canal's chronic water shortages. Later, in 1839–1840, he managed the creation of the Tockenham Reservoir to handle increased traffic during the construction of the Great Western Railway (GWR).
Personal Controversy and Allegations of Corruption
Despite his financial success, Dunsford was a highly controversial figure. He lived in a lavish villa in Swindon, which the writer William Cobbett described in 1826 as so grand it surpassed typical gentleman's homes and appeared fit for a "Secretary of State". Cobbett noted that such a residence implied the canal's profits must be "prodigious," though the sources clarify that Dunsford's private business interests may have actually funded his lifestyle.
Traders and shareholders, including George Butler and Thomas Vincent, raised serious allegations against him, including:
- Monopoly and Conflict of Interest: He was accused of maintaining a "monstrous monopoly" on the trade of stone, coal, salt, and slate.
- Self-Dealing: Allegations were made that he manipulated toll rates to favor his own private trade, used company carpenters to repair his personal boats, and sold stone to the Canal Company at inflated prices.
- Secrecy: For decades, Dunsford and the Committee of Management refused to allow shareholders to inspect the Company’s books, a policy they only reversed in 1839 under extreme pressure from influential proprietors.
Legacy and Succession
Dunsford remained in his post through the arrival of the GWR, an era where he initially appeared "blind" to the existential threat the railway posed to canal traffic. Following his death in 1845, he was succeeded as manager by his son, Henry Lyde Dunsford, who had served as his assistant for over ten years.
