Illiteracy among Yorkshire’s watermen In Sue Wilkes’ guide for family historians Tracing Your Canal Ancestors. A Guide for Family Historians. (2011) she pointed to illiteracy among boatmen as potentially having created “gaps in the census”. She referred to speculation by George … Read More
Research
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Yorkshire’s Watermen – Family History Research
Yorkshire’s Watermen – family history research Detailed research has been undertaken into twenty watermen, identifying their ancestors and descendants, enabling examination of their lives through time, including the contribution made by canal boat registrations. While not a purely random … Read More
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Yorkshire’s watermen in the census, 3rd April 1881
Yorkshire’s watermen in the census, 3rd April 1881 During the “Covid years” the 1881 census records for Yorkshire were researched to identify and record every waterman plying his trade on the county’s canals and rivers. 1881 was chosen as … Read More
![Aft cabin from a typical keel](https://ywhs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Aft-cabin-from-Humber-Keels-and-Keelmen-cropped.jpeg)
Canal Boat Registration – Canal Boats Act, 1877
Canal Boat Registration – Canal Boats Act, 1877 When campaigners were pushing the Canal Boats Act through parliament in 1877 the improvement of the cramped and often poor quality accommodation found on canal boats had been their major motivation. Particular … Read More