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The canals of Britain were known as Inland Navigations and the labourers and tradesmen who built them became known as "'''Navvies'''". As canal building turned to railway building in the 19th century, the name stuck and the Railway Navvies, and their exploits, became almost part of British folklore. Around 900 navvies were used to build the Severn Valley Railway. They were mostly recruited from those who had previously worked on the [[Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway|Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton]] and Worcester and Hereford Railways, although [[Henry Orlando Bridgeman]] made a special visit to Liverpool in May 1959 to enlarge the labour force<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Nabarro (1971)]] p. 34.</ref>.
==1861 Census==
*1860 "SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY.—The rain has greatly impeded the works on this line. A few days ago, part of a high stone wall, forming a facing to an embankment adjoining [[Wribbenhall Viaduct|the viaduct over the turnpike road at Wribbenhall]], fell; two men fell along with it, but fortunately no one was hurt."<ref>[https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000401/18601228/030/0005 Shrewsbury Chronicle - Friday 28 December 1860]</ref>
*1861 On 9 January 1861 in a cutting south of [[Mount Pleasant Tunnel]], a navvy named Jessie Bishop was killed when a blast hurled rocks at his head. The ganger was instructed to ensure that men were withdrawn to a safe distance before blasting.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Nabarro (1971)]] p. 36.</ref><ref name=BWJ/>
*1861 "BROSELEY - SAD ACCIDENT TO A NAVVIE AT THE ROVING.— On Sunday tool last distressing cries were heard at some distance from this unfrequented part of the valley, but without those hearing them being able to distinguish the direction in which they came, or the exact locality from which they proceeded. As they continued for some hours— from about twelve o’clock till three or four – Mr. Jackson, of Sutton Wood on the opposite side of the river, got up with his two sons, and, called a man Oliver to assist, procured a boat and crossed the Severn, thinking that some brother keeper had been left half dead by poachers. After some considerable time they came upon the object of their search — a man with his leg broken in two places from a fall on the side of the hill and weltering in a pool of blood. It appeared that, having been to Broseley for his provisions and having probably got more drink than was good for him, he had fallen in descending the hill side. He was taken to some temporary huts on the line, and medical assistance was sent for."<ref>Eddows’s Shrewsbury Journal 6 February 1861, via [http://www.broseley.org.uk/Papers/BROSELEY%201861.mht Broseley Local History Society 1861 transcriptions]</ref>
