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Women legging a tunnel


Kez

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Where did they put the boards (and what were they called?) and how were they fixed? Someone asked me yesterday and I realised I'd never thought much about it and didn't know. How did this work in wide tunnels? Was it also done off the top of the boat? And if so which part(s)?

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Every picture I've ever seen of legging in a wide tunnel I think places the boards across the top of the hold, just behingd the foredeck or cratch.

 

I think on some canals much of the legging was done by professional leggers, rather than by the boatmen themselves.

 

Don't forget also that many of the major tunnels operated steam or electric tugs in the latter years before unpowered boats were phased out.

 

I assume the planks must have been roped on, in wide tunnels at least - even with a continuous one across the whole boat, getting the two legers on to it if not attached would surely have been a challenge.

 

I've never actually seen a genuine old picture with women legging - I assume it to have been a largely male preserve.

 

A lot of the "legging" pictures published are not genuine old ones - such as those clearly featuring Admiral class boats which were not built until the 1960s.

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Edited to add:

 

Here is a picture found from the Internet, captioned.....

 

"Workmen "legging" their cargo through the 900 metre long Islington Canal Tunnel"

 

WronglyCaptionedTunnel.jpg

 

However anybody familiar with the Regents Canal and Islington Tunnel should be able to see that unless these are incredibly tall leggers, this is hardly a picture of a tunnel capable of passing 14 foot beam barges.

 

(I wonder what it's actually a picture of ?).

Edited by alan_fincher
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Edited to add:

 

Here is a picture found from the Internet, captioned.....

 

"Workmen "legging" their cargo through the 900 metre long Islington Canal Tunnel"

 

WronglyCaptionedTunnel.jpg

 

However anybody familiar with the Regents Canal and Islington Tunnel should be able to see that unless these are incredibly tall leggers, this is hardly a picture of a tunnel capable of passing 14 foot beam barges.

 

(I wonder what it's actually a picture of ?).

 

Narrowboat passing through Butterley tunnel on the Erewash canal, Derbyshire, about 1895.

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FWIW - My daughter and I did a little bit of legging in the Dudley Mines tunnel on the electric trip boat - and I have the certificate to prove it. The board was put across the top ledges without any roping on.

 

Once underway it wasn't too difficult and the board didn't shift at all. When we got the hang of it, it was quite easy, the difficulty was getting a rhythm going and keeping central.

 

I would imagine that as long as the tunnel walls were straight and without major wobbles in the line (caused when the rock face was cut) you could get quite a speed up.

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Where did they put the boards (and what were they called?) and how were they fixed? Someone asked me yesterday and I realised I'd never thought much about it and didn't know. How did this work in wide tunnels? Was it also done off the top of the boat? And if so which part(s)?

 

Legging boards.

It may not have been the same all over the system, as some boards were just a single plank that went right across. But individual boards, such as the ones used in 'Painted Boats', had a forged hook at the innermost end that engaged in an iron 'eye' in the centre or thereabouts of the foredeck. Watch Pa as he engages them at the entrance to Blisworth, and after they leave where he takes them off, the hook is fairly well seen as he drops the board on the top plank. They would be stowed somewhere in the front of the hold when not in use.

 

How wide is your 'wide' tunnel? If it was wider than Blisworth or Braunston, then likely it would have a towpath, and for the two mentioned - that's what the boards were for - to allow you to be extended out over the side to reach the walls. If you met a boat coming the other way, timing was all important - roll back off the board and heave it out the way - pass the other boat - and re-engage (only a guess, but what else?). Legging of the cabin top against the roof was done in some places, but depended on how loaded the boat might have been. Shafts were used in Worsley with staples in the roof to catch hold of with a hook.

 

Derek

 

Here you go - name that tunnel!

 

Bekonscot0825Medium.jpg

Edited by Derek R.
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I thought I'd take a look in the 1881 census, (one of the few where the transcript is indexed on occupations), to see if my theory that leggers at Blisworth were professionals stood up to scrutiny.

 

I found no leggers, but at least 3 "tunnel tug drivers", (no doubt why there were no leggers :lol: )

 

So when did legging give way to steam tugs in the big Grand Union tunnels ? Obviously at Blisworth it was before 1881. :lol:

 

EDIT:

 

According to

 

Blisworth site - Blisworth Tunnel - Link

 

Tugs were in continuous use from 26 April 1871, when the members of the Leggers Fraternity were pensioned off, to 30 Sept 1936.
Edited by alan_fincher
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I thought I'd take a look in the 1881 census, (one of the few where the transcript is indexed on occupations), to see if my theory that leggers at Blisworth were professionals stood up to scrutiny.

 

I found no leggers, but at least 3 "tunnel tug drivers", (no doubt why there were no leggers :lol: )

 

So when did legging give way to steam tugs in the big Grand Union tunnels ? Obviously at Blisworth it was before 1881. :lol:

Not sure about Blisworth but Cross Lane was where the leggers lived, who worked Braunston tunnel and an unsavoury lot they were too, if the "bandit spotters" of the day were to be believed.

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Not sure about Blisworth but Cross Lane was where the leggers lived, who worked Braunston tunnel and an unsavoury lot they were too, if the "bandit spotters" of the day were to be believed.

 

 

The Leggers Hut at Stoke Bruerne still survives and is used by BW as the Lock Keepers Office. Inside the Museum there are two Leggers Boards, with the iron Hooks etc. and three of the identification arm badges worn by the Professional Leggers there. A separate Team worked from the Blisworth End.

 

The Painting on the Leggers Boards is not however original but was done for a former curator.

 

Will have to look for a date when they stopped, but it will have been quite soon after the introduction of the Steam Tugs.

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Sad that I am, I decided to scroll through the whole of the 1871 census for Stoke Bruerne, (taken April 2nd, apparently just around 3 weeks before the tunnel tug started).

 

I was surprised how few canal related entries the Stoke Bruerne census supplied.

 

I did find....

 

1 Wharfinger

1 Canal Agent

1 Servant for Canal Company.

1 Lock Keeper

2 Engine Drivers (on canal) - could these have been tug drivers about to start in that role, or were there stationary steam engines in use for some purpose ?

 

There was only one legger I could find.

 

Phillip Simpson, aged 69, "legger of boats through tunnel", born in Aldbury Herts, (less than 5 miles from my home).

 

There were also two narrowboat crews enumerated - no boat names given, but one was at "Stoke Bruerne Locks" and one at "Stoke Bruerne Tunnel", (though presumably not in it !).

 

I was going to look at Blisworth too, but it proved to be a much larger census, and the site I was using was very slow to load pages. I gave up.

 

Sometimes if you search a canal location you find vast numbers of canal related people, others surprisingly few. I once spent an idle hour looking at Nursers at Braunston at some stage too!. I still cant prove if I'm related to the Finchers from Tring who appear as boat crews in various censuses though - it would be nice to think I am, as my immediate relatives were far less interesting, having stayed put in the town.

,

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