Find a Carrier

[handbar]

I am trying to help a friend find out more information about a boat/barge her ancestors were on. Where should we look to find out more about the "Arab" which was in Brentford in the 1881 census? I have found lists of people and boats on Holts but not information about who her ancestor William Edwards would have been working for, unless I have missed it of course. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Ray T]

@handbar

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

These sites may help:

 

http://www.spellweaver-online.co.uk/

https://www.familytreeforum.com/content.php/325-Canals-and-Waterways

 

https://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/collection/family-history.htm

 

https://theboatinggenealogists.com/

 

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/?ds_kid=43700028815663246&msclkid=68baa09e348a1985ec71fdc610025828&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand - Prospecting&utm_term=findmypast&utm_content=ST_Exact_findmypast&ds_rl=1272596&gclid=CNqFyZ6jiuQCFQhgGwodbdANuA&gclsrc=ds

 

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/

 

https://home.rootsweb.com/

 

Mrs T and myself traced the ancestry of one boating family we know, back 10 generations, 5 of which were connected with the English canals.

I'm afraid it is hard going needing much research, not a 5 minute job. Often Birth, Marriage, Death certificates are needed, copies of these cost in the region of £9.00 a certificate.

 

As many of the boat people were illiterate the spelling of a sir name can vary.

 

 "Who do you think you are?" makes it look all too easy.

 

There are a couple of ladies on this forum who specialise in UK canal family history, they pop in from time to time. 

 

Best of luck!

 

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by Ray T

[handbar]

Thank you I think we have tried most of those but will double check. We are trying to find out who employed William Edwards in 1881 in Brentford on the Arab but of course finding his records has not revealed that so far. Thank you for your advice it is appreciated.

[pete harrison]

Brentford hosted a diverse collection of boats, right through to the end of commercial carrying. Boats utilising the docks and wharfs of Brentford in 1881 would have been a combination of river barges, canal barges and wide boats as well as narrow boats. Without knowing what type of boat ARAB was creates speculation. I have records for three boats of this name, but two are more likely to have operated in the Staffordshire potteries than on the Grand Junction Canal, and the other that is likely to have traded to London dates to the 1850's 

[handbar]

That is so interesting. Thank you. I have been told the Arab was named in the 1881 census. I will have to see if she knows any more but probably not.

[jeannette smith harrison]

William Edwards appears in the 1881 Brentford census as born abt 1846 in Colesley  Saffordshire  a married boaman   (Bargeman) 

 abode is listed as Steam Tug Arab 46  his wife is not with him but 2 x daughter Julia age 17 &  Rebecca 18 are listed with him plus a boat hand john Johnson   sorry added info he was in town Lock on the night of the Census 

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by jeannette smith harrison
added info

[handbar]

Yes thank you that is him. I am admin for Wolverhampton Family History Facebook group which covers Coseley so am trying to help. She has asked who employed him in 1881 which I am struggling with. She did not tell me it was a Steam Tug so that is useful. I have not had the chance to view the census myself as out group is busy at the moment.

[pete harrison]

9 minutes ago, jeannette smith harrison said:

William Edwards appears in the 1881 Brentford census as born abt 1846 in Colesley  Saffordshire  a married boaman   (Bargeman) abode is listed as Steam Tug Arab 46  

Well that is me out as I do not keep records of River Thames Tugs 

[handbar]

Thank you for trying to help.

[jeannette smith harrison]

Is this William Edwards connected to the many Edwards listed in the Wolverhampton boat peoples list ?

Many of my boatpeople moved from Tipton/ Dudley to Wolverhampton about this time  

 

[handbar]

I have not looked in to that but it is certainly a possibilty. You would be very welcome to come and join in the thread in our group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/257990924374682/

[Heartland]

I do not believe that the census has been read correctly

 

The entry 6 on page 45 of RG 11 1349 for Arab No 46. William Edwards born - and I suppose the place should be COSELEY- with the two daughters born Tipton. In the final column ARAB is listed as Canal Boat.

 

1 BRUNEL                           47        John Norris         Master of Canal Boat      Canal Boat

2 JOSEPH & JAMES            10366  Richard Rudd      Boatman (mate)              Wide Boat

3 FLORA                             11         Edward Holt       Master of Canal Boat        Canal Boat

4 WILLIAM                          44       Emanuel Smith     Boatman                         Canal Boat

5 INDUSTRY                        10370  Mary Lovatt         Boatwoman                    Canal Boat

6 ARAB                                46        William Edwards  Boatman                        Canal Boat

7 INDIAN                             1479    John R Johnson  Waterman                       Steam Tug

8 "Old laid up boat"            947     William Chinnery? Guard Labourer ?         

9 STANLEY MARGETTS?       52      Thomas Seagull   Master/ Bargeman          Barge

10 THE BATTERSEA                         Henry Beale         Captain of Barge

11 THE HOJAN                               Edward Jeffrey      Engineer                         Tug

 

The numbers are of interest some may be Grand Junction Canal Gauge Registation

 

The tugs were probably as stated Thames tugs.

 

As to the ARAB with a Staffordshire crew it is more likely that the ARAB belonged to a canal carrier making journey to or from the Thames from the West Midlands. In 1881 a principal carrier was Fellows, Morton who about this time also traded as the London & Staffordshire Carrying Co. I cannot see any registration at Birmingham or Wolverhampton but craft were also registered elsewhere. Other carriers included the then separate William Clayton and Joseph Whitehouse

 

Now, narrow boats travelled along the Grand Junction often in pairs. It is therefore possible that FLORA (11) WILLIAM (44), ARAB (46) and BRUNEL (47) were part of the same fleet    

         

[handbar]

Thank you. I am learning so much. I had no interest when I started trying to help someone but now wish I had a connection in my own family history. I will pass this on. I must also say what a helpful gtoup this is.

[Chris M Jones]

The only ARAB that I know of that was working in that area at the time was owned by the lime and cement manufacturers, Charles Nelson & Co Ltd of Stockton. This of course doesn’t mean it was the same boat.

 

The steam tug mentioned was likely to be INDIAN CHIEF owned by William Whitehouse, barge and tug owner of Brentford. He had the tug by February 1878 and his Thames Watermans Hall number was 1470.

 

The BRUNEL shown in Heartlands list was owned by anther lime and cement manufacturer, Greaves Bull & Lakin of Wilmcote, Stockton and Harbury. She was inspected as an unregistered boat in 1879 at Brentford Bridge with John Norris as her master.

 

Both cement firms had wharves at Paddington Basin in 1881 and their boats would have regularly visited Brentford to pick up backloads for their return trip into the Midlands.

[handbar]

Thank you for this information. I will pass it on. At least finding out more about the boats may compensate for not being able to confirm anything about her great great grandfather William Edwards before the 1881 census.

[Heartland]

Thanks Chris,

 

Yes looking at the Census again it is INDIAN CHIEF (Tug)  John E Johnson was born in "a place unreadable" then Wapping and as a waterman would be on the Thames, I suppose..

 

This fits with traffic worked off the Thames to the warehouses at Brentford

 

John Norris of BRUNEL was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire- he was 26 and his wife was 24- she was born in Staffordshire

 

By the way Chris, I sent you an email about talking at our next canal workshop.