author
John Metcalf
1717–1810
Best known as Blind Jack of Knaresborough, this remarkable English road builder lost his sight as a child and still went on to shape miles of northern roads. His life was so adventurous that it reads almost like folklore, mixing engineering, travel, music, and sheer determination.
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About the author
Born in Knaresborough on August 15, 1717, John Metcalf became blind at the age of six after smallpox. Despite that, he built a reputation for independence and resourcefulness long before he became famous as an engineer.
Metcalf is remembered as one of the earliest professional road builders of the Industrial Revolution. He worked on turnpike roads across northern England and became widely known as Blind Jack of Knaresborough, admired for practical skill, confidence, and an unusual ability to judge ground and distance without sight.
His story remained well known partly because his life was recorded in his own account near the end of his life. He died on April 26, 1810, but he is still remembered as an extraordinary example of resilience and ingenuity.