Old Working Canal Boats.

[AliIsoMar]

Hi, Just wondering if anyone knows if the following working boats still survive ,Please:

 

Portugal

California

Flint

Brittannia{ this last boat was once owned by John Corbett}

 

Thanks Samantha

 

[pete harrison]

Hi, Just wondering if anyone knows if the following working boats still survive ,Please:

 

Portugal

California

Flint

Brittannia{ this last boat was once owned by John Corbett}

 

Thanks Samantha

 

Which carrier, and what period of time ?

 

I have amongst my records several boats of each name that you have listed above

[AliIsoMar]

hi, My 3x Greatfather Phillip John James was the master of the boat Britannia,,,he was bn in 1834 and died in 1919... the boat was reg birmingham 19/2/1879 bcn no:4431gjc no: 9506. The other 3 boats i have less info for but again are linked to my family at around the same period of time.

 

Samantha

[AliIsoMar]

My other 3X Great Grandfather Henry Green bn 1832 was the Master of California in 1881, his son Joseph Green died during the canal strikes in 1923 in Brunston.

 

Thanks Samantha

Edited May 27, 2014 by AliIsoMar

[pete harrison]

hi, My 3x Greatfather Phillip John James was the master of the boat Britannia,,,he was bn in 1834 and died in 1919... the boat was reg birmingham 19/2/1879 bcn no:4431gjc no: 9506. The other 3 boats i have less info for but again are linked to my family at around the same period of time.

 

Samantha

Interestingly John Corbett, Stoke Works had two narrow boats named BRITANNIA, and both were health registered at Birmingham in 1879 - the first as Birmingham 87 and is the boat listed above, and Birmingham 257(BCN 8528) - and Phillip James is named as 'master' of both. Phillip James was also the 'master' of John Corbett's HADLEY (BCN 9650 / GJC 10262) when it was health registered as Birmingham 95 on 19 February 1879, suggesting that the first BRITANNIA and HADLEY were working as a pair of horse boats.

 

It is most likely that these three were wooden hulled narrow boats and there is no evidence to suggest that they are extant, especially as John Corbett was involved in the salt trade which had a devastating affect on ironwork (nails, pins, bolts e.t.c.)

My other 3X Great Grandfather Henry Green bn 1832 was the Master of California in 1881, his son Joseph Green died during the canal strikes in 1923 in Brunston.

 

Thanks Samantha

I am unable to place a boat named CALIFORNIA as far back as 1881. All of the records I have for a Henry Green are as a boatman in the north west, and if CALIFORNIA was health registered in Stoke on Trent much of this register is missing. Either way there is no evidence that CALIFORNIA is extant.

 

Clearly you have access to some interesting records that I have not seen

Edited May 28, 2014 by pete harrison

[jeannette smith harrison]

My other 3X Great Grandfather Henry Green bn 1832 was the Master of California in 1881, his son Joseph Green died during the canal strikes in 1923 in Brunston.

 

Thanks Samantha

Sam is this the Henry Green who's son Henry married Sarah Harrison ?

[AliIsoMar]

HI Jeanette, Yes it was that Henry Green

ty pete for the information you have given. Samantha

[jeannette smith harrison]

Henry Green 1881 Census @ Stourbridge Kingswingford

RG11peice 2895 folio159 page8 roll1341694

not sure if an error is in the transcription or not as the census of schedule for vessels is v faded first letter for

vessel looks like a b not a c vessel no is 16

.As I know you get a lot of your info from ancestery I looked this up & the same ref

lists civil parish as vessels & also lists street address as California as well as vessel also lists 29 people on board on checking it is

a transcript error as broken down & checking each person several boats & family's have been listed as one.

clearly the numerator had stopped @ the local ale houses Along the way.

have you found him in 1871 sam ??

Pete could you p.m. me with an e mail address as I have some photos I would like to show you & ask you advise

[AliIsoMar]

You have attached this record to:

Green, Henry in your tree "Cross Family Tree"

Remove

1871 England Census about Henry Green

Name:

Henry Green

Age:

34

Estimated Birth Year:

abt 1837

Relation:

Head

Spouse's Name:

Maria Green

Gender:

Male

Where born:

Coventry, Warwickshire, England

Civil Parish:

Tipton

Ecclesiastical parish:

St Paul

County/Island:

Staffordshire

Country:

England

Registration district:

Dudley

Sub-registration district:

Tipton

ED, institution, or vessel:

1

Household schedule number:

24

Piece:

2996

Folio:

27

Page Number:

48

Household Members:


Name

Age

Henry Green

34

Maria Green

28

Joseph Henry Green

6

Margerite Green

4

Rueben Green

5 Months

John Hughes

40

Thomas Davies

30

[AliIsoMar]

also looking for the boat i think is contained in this census address if possible plz:

You have attached this record to: James, Ellen (Nellie) in your tree "Cross Family Tree" Remove

1911 England Census about Nellie James

Name: Nellie James Age in 1911: 9 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1902 Relation to Head: Daughter Gender: Female Birth Place: Sheldon, Shropshire Civil Parish: Hanley County/Island: Staffordshire Country: England Street address: Fiace, The Canal, Etrerea Vale, Stoke On Trent Occupation: Assist Master Registration district: Stoke upon Trent Registration District Number: 361 Sub-registration district: Hanley ED, institution, or vessel: 38 Household schedule number: 15 Piece: 16548 Household Members: Name Age Henry James 37 Maria James 31 Henry James 10 Nellie James 9 Sarah James 7 John Williams 1

Thanks Samantha

Edited May 29, 2014 by AliIsoMar

[jeannette smith harrison]

This is one I have never been able to trace

maybe you would be lucky if anyone following this thread

know's if the railways that owned Canal boats had lists of any owned canal boats

Census lists him as master of Canal boat but next line (Industry of service with which worker is connected states

Railway services) where as this normally would say something in the area of Canal carrier

boat name looks like" fiace"

just a thought on the railway owned boats

[Heartland]

Working out boat movements using canal boat records can be a useful means of establishing what people did. Yet looking at the wider scene, establishing what the boatmen did needs to be put into context with the nature of their employment

 

(1) Owner boatman (No 1) contracting for work

(2) Employed boatman working for

(a) Canal Carrying Company which could include firms like Anderton, Corbetts, Fellows, Morton & Co and Severn & Canal

( Commercial operation such as Salt Union (took over Corbetts), Iron makers, Brick Makers, Pottery Makers etc

 

The link with Stoke, Etruria Vale being at Stoke and on the Trent & Mersey Canal might suggest connections to trade in pottery materials, that is the clay, flints, coal and finished pottery. That trade could be south orientated along the canal network or canal/River Weaver or canal into north west/north east.

 

Corbetts works were at Stoke Works (Worcester & Birmingham Canal), their traffic in salt was often north bound to the chemical works in the Black Country and the return with coal to supply large requirement of heating the salt pans.

 

Ray Shill

[jeannette smith harrison]

Thank you for this info

That gives us an area to focus on

I have come across some info in a book that suggests that a lot of

the Railway boatmen could have been day boatmen although in this case it would appear

that family where on board with him on Census night .

[RLWP]

There are the seeds of an historical research banter here. A few folk meet up with some of the records that they have and do some piecing together over a few pints of tea

 

Richard

[Lorna]

California is not the name of a working boat. It is the name of an area in the Kingswinford Borough

[pete harrison]

California is not the name of a working boat. It is the name of an area in the Kingswinford Borough

There were a couple of 'historic' narrow boats named CALIFORNIA, but none are relevant to this thread.

 

I am originally from Birmingham so I am aware that there is an area called California - about half way between Harborne and Bournville, and not far from Lapal Tunnel.

Edited June 1, 2014 by pete harrison

[AliIsoMar]

Thankyou everyone for the information