George Bate

[dor]

My wife writes an article about the local canals  for a local monthly magazine and in a recent one she looked at some of the 1911 census for boat people in Nantwich.

One person mentioned was a George Bate and someone wrote in as they had a connection with him.

 

They were interested to know if there was any further information about him.  He also had a son called George who was eight in 1911.  We have a reference to a George Bate who had been a lock gate builder on the Worcester & Birmingham canal who may have been the son.

 

If anyone has any further information about George Bate we would be pleased to hear it and pass the information on to our correspondent.

 

[Captain Pegg]

I have references to a boating family of that name in my wider family connections and they have links to Worcestershire. There is also some evidence that various people named Bate and Bates in my tree may in fact be one and same family. I don’t have much information at present because it’s a very peripheral link to me directly but a quick check suggests there is much more to discover.

 

I’ll see what I can find and if I can link the folk I’ve identified to your George Bate.

 

JP

[dor]

Thanks Captain.  I can let  you have the 1911 census info as well if interested.

[Captain Pegg]

20 minutes ago, dor said:

Thanks Captain.  I can let  you have the 1911 census info as well if interested.

Yes please. I can search in both directions then.

 

ETA - hold on that for a moment because I can probably find it with the info you have already given,

Edited August 19, 2020 by Captain Pegg

[Captain Pegg]

Found it. Lock keeper at Audlem? There are a surprising number of people named Bate in Cheshire.

[dor]

This might be of interest:

 

 

[BEngo]

55 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

Found it. Lock keeper at Audlem? There are a surprising number of people named Bate in Cheshire.

Including  the fairly well known 'Blaster Bates'.  Met his daughter Mandy once.

 

N

[Captain Pegg]

2 minutes ago, BEngo said:

Including  the fairly well known 'Blaster Bates'.  Met his daughter Mandy once.

 

N

Must admit I had to look him up. In any case I’d expect Bates to be fairly common but not Bate.

 

[Athy]

1 minute ago, Captain Pegg said:

Must admit I had to look him up. In any case I’d expect Bates to be fairly common but not Bate.

 

I still have one of his comedy L.P.s! In between blowing things up for a living, he did after-dinner speaking wherever he could find an audience who understood his accent.

 

[Captain Pegg]

46 minutes ago, dor said:

This might be of interest:

 

 

I can’t find any obvious link between this Bate family and any boating families, certainly not as far as their ancestry goes. Mark Bate at the top of the list is George Bate’s father (and is probably a little older than listed).
 

What’s the information regarding the lock gate builder George Bate?

 

JP

[David Schweizer]

Looking through my research into GH Cooke windlasses I have found that the Locks near Wheelock immediately below Wheelock Bottom lock No 66, on the T & M were  rerferred to as Bates Locks in the 1860's, perhaps named after the Lock Keeper. Whether it had anything to do with your Bates family I do not know.

Edited August 19, 2020 by David Schweizer

[Derek R.]

Bates, that rang a bell. And one that led me to rummage the bookshelf.

Look for Pat Warners' book "A Lock Keepers Daughter". George Bates B.E.M. is mentioned in the acknowledgements and on P45, a picture of himself and his pigs. He is mentioned as a neighbour to the Warners who themselves lived in Reservoir House on the Tardebigge flight.

 

Pat describes George Bate as a neighbour from her childhood and whose family served the canal from 1812 - 1968. George's Great Grandfather, Charles Bate was at the opening of the canal, having started work as a Blacksmith in 1812. Georges Grandfather John Bate, came into the canal business acting as agent for local agricultural produce. George's Father, Herbert Bate was a carpenter and joiner on the W & B canal from 1894 - 1932.

 

There is more in the book.

Edited August 19, 2020 by Derek R.

[dor]

2 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

I can’t find any obvious link between this Bate family and any boating families, certainly not as far as their ancestry goes. Mark Bate at the top of the list is George Bate’s father (and is probably a little older than listed).
 

What’s the information regarding the lock gate builder George Bate?

 

JP

My correspondent used to own a narrowboat called "George Bate". It was probably built around 1974 by Tolladine in Worcester.  The previous owner were friends of a George Bate and it is he who apparently was the lock gate builder and possibly had been awarded an MBE,  but maybe this was the B.E.M.

 

Thanks for the additional information Derek; I'll pass it on to our correspondent.  I am assuming that your 'George Bates' was actually 'George Bate', I suspect the names were often mixed up.

[Derek R.]

Yes, Bate is the correct spelling. Adding an s was my error.