Who was John. L. Macadam?
Inventor of the Macadam Road Surface (Tarmac)
and pioneer roadway engineer.
Date and Place of Birth:
21st September 1756, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland.
Family Background:
Family descended from the chiefs of the Clan
McGregor.
Education:
Mr Doicks School at Maybole.
Chronology/Biography of John Loudon Macadam:
1770: Went To New
York City and entered the Counting House of a rich merchant Uncle.
1783: Returned To
Scotland with a considerable fortune.
1798: Moved to Falmouth
in Cornwall on a Court Contract.
1827: Appointed
Surveyor General of Metropolitan Roads in Great Britain.
Written Works:
- 1816:
“Remarks on the Present System of Road Making”
- 1819:
"Practical Essays on the Scientific Repair and Presentation
of Roads.”
- 1823:
"Parliamentary Enquiry into Road Making.”
Marriage:
To Gloriana Nicoll, daughter of William Nicoll
of Suffolk, New York.
Places of Interest:
Date and Place of Death:
26th November 1836, Moffat, Dumfrieshire, Scotland.
Age at Death:
80.
Site of Grave:
Moffat Cemetery, Dumfrieshire, Scotland next
to his grandmother.
