Thomas Telford's Temptation

For many years Charles Hadfield had been puzzled by the fact that Telford's autobiography makes almost no reference to William Jessop, even though Jessop had been officially appointed as Telford's senior on both the Ellesmere and Caledonian Canals. Hadfield therefore carefully examined all the surviving evidence and made some intriguing discoveries.

All Jessop's personal papers have been lost and all the letters which Jessop wrote to Telford about these two canals have vanished from official archives. Why? The author unfolds a fascinating tale of detection and offers his evidence for the reader to judge.