Metcalf, John (1717–1810)

English road and bridge builder. He lost his sight through smallpox at the age of six and was known as ‘Blind Jack of Knaresborough’, but conquered his disability and fought for George II at Falkirk and Culloden during the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. Afterwards he operated a stagecoach between York and Knaresborough and later constructed over 300 km/186 mi of turnpike road. His roads on the wet Pennine moors were constructed of stones and gravel laid on beds of heather, with a steep camber and good drainage ditches to drain off rainwater.