by Keith Retallick
On December 22nd 1854 the West Briton reported the death ‘At Liskeard, on Sunday last, of Mr Richard Retallick, aged 80 years, for nearly 45 of which he was a zealous agent of this paper for that town and its district.’ The same day the Royal Cornwall Gazetteer gave the same details adding that he was ‘late clerk to the Liskeard & Looe Canal Company’.
In fact Richard Retallick was joint engineer of the Liskeard & Looe Union Canal with Robert Coad and, for a time, was a local hero for his efforts in support of the scheme. In 1825, when construction started, he was appointed Superintendent of the Works to oversee construction and, after it opened fully in 1828, he became Clerk to the company in 1829 at a salary (inclusive of his assistant) of £80 per annum. From 1832 until 1838, when he was relieved of it, he had the contract to repair the canal, and his clerk’s salary dropped to £15. From 1839 it dropped to £5 but he retained the job until he resigned in 1854, some twelve months before he died.
There is a fascinating press report in the Royal Cornwall Gazette of March 12th 1825 which reports that :
‘Mr Retallack of Liskeard, who has been to London and examined before the Committee on the intended Canal from Looe to that place, returned on Saturday, where he was met about three miles from Liskeard by above 600 persons, who took the horses from the chaise and pulled him in by hand – all the music that could be mustered walking before and playing “See the conquering hero comes”.’
The 1851 Census shows Richard Retallick, a widower aged 76, living in Liskeard Borough with unmarried 42 year old daughter Ann. The record shows that his occupation was “retired watchmaker” which does not seem to be entirely consistent with his role in canal construction. However, Pigots Directory for 1830 shows that he had a Watch and Clock Making business in Market Street, Liskeard and also was an Ironmonger. He seems to have been an enterprising individual. The photograph shows an example of the work of Richard Retallick. It is a very attractive Long Case clock made by him around 1810. The clock was recently advertised by K and D Clocks of Bath for £975. The picture is reproduced by kind permission of Paul Kembury.
Richard Retallick was born at St Wenn in about 1788. He was married to Susannah (probably Sargent) and they had several children. From the baptismal records he was a Wesleyan Methodist. He died on December 18th 1864 aged 79, and is buried in Lezant churchyard with his wife Susannah. She died 4th March 1841 aged 72. Clearly they were of sufficient means to have a gravestone erected in their memory. It has an intriguing inscription which says:
“Corruption, earth and worry, Shall but refine this flesh,
Till my triumphant spirit comes, To put it on afresh.”