Old windlass

[richardf]

I have just been given a very old windlass that was apparently retrieved many years ago from Cowley Lock on the GU. It has the name D. King stamped into it - was it normal practice to have your name on your windlass? Does anybody know of a D King who worked the Grand Union?

[magnetman]

I have just been given a very old windlass that was apparently retrieved many years ago from Cowley Lock on the GU. It has the name D. King stamped into it - was it normal practice to have your name on your windlass? Does anybody know of a D King who worked the Grand Union?

 

can you get a photo of it and post it on the forum? Sounds interesting.

Edited May 5, 2010 by magnetman

[GSer]

That's weird I thought I'd just replied to this and now the post has disappeared

 

I have engraved perhaps a dozen over the years, mainly as gifts, so I doubt it's that common nowadays.

 

I'd guess in days gone by some individuals might mark their tools in a similar way to stop them wandering.

[alan_fincher]

I'm guessing, bt by no means certain, that anything stamped into an old forged windlass is probably more likely to relate to who made it, than who owned it.

 

That said, it is correct that old tradesmen had to have their name embossed into tools. There still survive in our possession just a few tools that belonged to my grandfather, a carpenter, and all are embossed with his name. But as a windlass would have remained in the belt or collar of it's owner much of the time, I can't see them needing to stamp them.

 

That said, there certainly were "King"s who are well documented boating families.

 

Most old windlasses bear no visible markings, I'd say, although the much discussed Cooke/Wheelock ones are an obvious exception to this.

[Grace and Favour]

That's weird I thought I'd just replied to this and now the post has disappeared

 

I have engraved perhaps a dozen over the years, mainly as gifts, so I doubt it's that common nowadays.

 

I'd guess in days gone by some individuals might mark their tools in a similar way to stop them wandering.

 

 

I once knew a chap who had his tattooed

 

 

Didn't stop it 'wandering' though

[magnetman]

Most old windlasses bear no visible markings, I'd say, although the much discussed Cooke/Wheelock ones are an obvious exception to this.

 

Thats true.

 

I've had 25 old hand forged single socket windlasses out of the Grand Union on the magnet and 4 of them are Cooke/Clay pipe stamped, two are clay pipe only and the rest are plain with no lettering or obvious markings.

 

I'd like to see a picture of the windlass in question.

[DHutch]

Ive got a knife, with my name on it...

 

But yes, the most common ive seen, is a cooke windless stamped with a pipe emblum. Wouldnt mind one one day, actaully.

 

 

Daniel

[alan_fincher]

Ive got a knife, with my name on it...

 

But yes, the most common ive seen, is a cooke windless stamped with a pile emblum. Wouldnt mind one one day, actaully.

 

 

Daniel

If that was a Cooke windlass, I think it was a bum one!

[Blossom]

Ernie Thomas' of Walsall had ETW stamped on his windlasses, of which I have two, and many of the old canal Companies had their names stamped on their windlasses. S & W C Co, W & B C Co etc. Cliff Sherwood, owner of Belatrix has a fine collection of old forged windlasses of at least 100 half of which he displays in his lock keepers cottage. It was a popular practice on the B.C.N. to have windlasses chrome plated and many of the local day boaters sported old forged 'lock kays' which had been treated this way. I can honestly say I have never seen a persons name stamped on a windlass apart from in modern times perhaps.

[alan_fincher]

A King family, with origins in Berkhamsted worked the Grand Union as owner boatmen, (see Narrowboat magazine, Autum 2008).

 

However the only D king I can see referred to in that article was a David King, killed in action at Passchendaele in 1917 whilst serving with the 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment.

 

David appears to have been very young, although the Commonwealth war Graves database does not list his age.

 

It seems unlikely he would have had a windlass marked in this way, but I suppose someone else from the King family might have.

[Laurence Hogg]

I have just been given a very old windlass that was apparently retrieved many years ago from Cowley Lock on the GU. It has the name D. King stamped into it - was it normal practice to have your name on your windlass? Does anybody know of a D King who worked the Grand Union?

 

Some firms had initials on the shaft, some had geometric designs filed/stamped into them, often by people who could not read, I have a couple of examples.

[Toe Rag]

We have an old 'Whitlock' type key which has L.B. Faulkner cast onto it.

Presumably a company funded item for the crews of Faulkner's boats.

Found it in the bilges of NB Don.

Put some photos of Don and her paintings on the gallery on my profile.

Anyone got any ideas who might have painted these?

[jeannette smith harrison]

hello

David King born 1874 Paddington died 1951 West Drayton

brother

Daniel King born 1876

Norwood died 1963 Enfield

these where both from the canal King family they had several siblings male and female most where married or died along the south end of the grand union. this generation married into Powell,Atkins,Peasland,carter all boat people so if it was engraved by its owner it could have been handed down and lost in the cut at cowley.

regards

jeannette

[richardf]

hello

David King born 1874 Paddington died 1951 West Drayton

brother

Daniel King born 1876

Norwood died 1963 Enfield

these where both from the canal King family they had several siblings male and female most where married or died along the south end of the grand union. this generation married into Powell,Atkins,Peasland,carter all boat people so if it was engraved by its owner it could have been handed down and lost in the cut at cowley.

regards

jeannette

 

Wow - that's an amazing amount of info - I wonder if it belonged to one of them!

[jeannette smith harrison]

hello

My grandad could not read or write but i remember his windlass had his name stamped on it he kept this long after he retired. He used to say to me when i was young and complained about home work "see this i would copy my name from this when i needed to make my mark,you be a good girl and go to school make you old grandad proud." i know most of the kings where educated but i think that is why the name is on your windlass. as a matter of added info grandad retired and lived the rest of his days at west drayton,I spent most holidays fishing or walking along the canal from west drayton to uxbridge,Cowley lock was where he injured his leg as a young man saving a drowning girl. also a family member drowned there in 1943.

regards

jeannette

[JohnO]

Thats true.

 

I've had 25 old hand forged single socket windlasses out of the Grand Union on the magnet and 4 of them are Cooke/Clay pipe stamped, two are clay pipe only and the rest are plain with no lettering or obvious markings.

 

I'd like to see a picture of the windlass in question.

 

I thought you had a L.B.F. stamped windlass?

I believe all Harry Neal windlass have markings too.

Edited May 17, 2010 by JohnO