General Chat

A confirmed canalcaholic here .. Over 25 trips on UK canals .. Feels like its in the blood but not come across any of my people who lived on them ..... Just wondering if YOU have some and associated stories ??

Hope to take a group out next autumn but last biggy was 8 yrs and so missing it badly

Not the canals as such; I have in my ancestral family some relatives who were watermen and lightermen, working on the Thames. I have seen the outside of the Watermen's Hall in London. And I have found apprenticeship records in the Guildhall in London.

One relative died in 1863 - from his death certificate: in River Thames, Poplar. Cause of death: 'Found dead in the River Thames', he was age 16, Lighterman's Apprentice.
How sad. I visited the area, and said a prayer, at the same time dropping a single flower into the water.

I HAVE ANCESTORS BACK TO THE 1700'S
FREEMEN OF THE RIVER AT OXFORD, AND
BARGEE'S AND ONE WAS AN INN KEEPER
AND OWNED THE ONLY FERRY CROSSING IN OXFORD BACK IN THE 1700'S..AND ITS STILL
THERE

I used to live along the Grand Union on my canal boat. I did have a mooring at the bottom of a pub garden at Harlseden, London, but could often be found at either Little Venice or Camden Locks.

Sadly when I took management of a pub in Croydon I ended up selling "Peggy T" as I didn't spend enough time on her.

Love the interaction guys and guyesses :)
Such a hard life in many ways but these days we pleasure hirers and owners enjoy so much the comradelry of the waterways ... Been planning to take my disabled relatives along to ,,, And yes beam me up any time folks .... send me a personal message on here with contat details or find me on facebook

Hi David,
MY Hackett family were boat people, working on the canal's,i have hoping to find out what kind of load's they would have been carrying...they came from the warwickshire/birmingham area.... :-)

That is really lovley what you did Joy.....

Cane now that is interesting
Main line Worcester and Birmingham canal was on a TV programme just the other day a walk on it with history .
Done that run several times myself ... Would suggest that they would have worked cocoa for Cadburys at Bournville, Maybe some work for Worcester Porcelain Factories , and ofcourse the industries of Birmingham .

Some good interesting info from the old book Fellows, Morton and Clayton who were main carriers for the area

I haven't found any boat people in my tree as yet, but I love to see the narrow boats and love canal walking. Last week we walked short stints along the Grand Union, Coventry, Ashby and Oxford canals. People are always pretty friendly.

BTW David, I have more than 10 Luthers in my tree!

Mine on one side of the family worked the Trent and as far out at Grimsby, Barnsley, Doncaster. Some of the children were born on the boats. They carried coal and other things. Have lists of some of their boats, but no photos. Also i have a sad tale of one of the sons drowning at Patrington. Also two brothers who drowned on the same day together on the Trent at a Gala day. They were both found. One of them had a huge amount of money in his pocket as he was the inn keeper at Susworth. They were listed as Master Mariners. They owned property and sloops and keels. I hope to go on one of the two keels at Brigg that sail down the Trent, now that would be great to travel the way my ancestors did. Wow.
:D

A tenuous connection!

When my mum and I were in England in 1994, we visited a pub in Worksop that her mother's uncle had owned a century earlier -- no longer called the Gas Tavern, happily. It was on the canal, and the afternoon crowd in its dark cool interior consisted of the boys from the canal boats. I imagine that canal traffic was one of the main reasons for the pub's location there in the first place. So we had a drink on the house, and I wrote an intro to the pub's guest book, and one of the boys showed us the inside of his boat, complete with all the authentic touches.

And I wished mightily that I did not have my mum with me. ;)

Lol Janey :):) Yes Canal pubs are a real treat ..... almost 1/3 of all pubs in England are near or on the canals

Nutty thats really interesting stories ..... Been foot first in canals round Hurlston ... Sad tales but so many would have lost their lives wither legging through tunnels or just "too full of the amber nectar" or simply too busy working to see the potential for disaster

Gee thank's David
would it have been the same for the 1840s c.... :-)

No canal people in my family as far as I know. But I love looking at the canal boats in Gloucester and along the Gloucester Sharpness canal where we sometimes walk along the tow path. The Waterways museum in Gloucester is interesting as well. Our daughter has a good friend who owns a canal boat (called JunyMoon I think), we went on for a trip near Gloucester and it was so peaceful. I think their boat is moored near Newbury at the moment.

Dreams of one day owning a narrowboat .......... Waiting for a £1 m to :)
Yes 1840s would have been part of the Industrial revolution and in some sences the boom period for the many canals round Brum ... More canals than Venice there :S

We have a boat on the Monmouthshire Brecon Canal in Wales.
You cant beat boating and the people you meet are so helpful.
I would advice anyone to try boating its wonderful :

Annex lol on the Luthers We sure are rare in some places but big in others

Love the Mon and Brec . Walked parts of it a lot as a Bridgend guy with family in the Abergavenny area

One of my ancestors was a Loch keeper. Is that the same? I'm in Oz and don't know much about these things.
It has been a long time, but when I found him, it seems that his son aged 9, drowned in the loch; also his wife and he himself - all in different years. I wonder if all were accidents.

Love G;ous docks and last visited the WW Museum last while courting my wife 12 yrs ago :)