Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Canal families

Hi does anyone have any canal or boatmen in their family trees? Did anyone work on the Shropshire Union canal were they based at Ellesmere Port? Would be very interested to find anyone who has information about families who lived and worked at Porters Row at the Ellesmere Port.Thanks Jess

Hi,my paternal grandfather worked wide boats on the Weaver and the Leeds Liverpool canal.I believe he "served his time" on sailing barges on the Mersey.Unfortunately he died in the 1950s when I was very young,so I didn't get much information from him.Working on the waterways was a rather frowned upon occupation
and was always best not mentioned.HIs brother and his family worked narrow boats out of Runcorn,I never met any of them.My father did have some "canal holidays" in the 1920s,worked his passage.I did take my father to the E.P. boat museum sometime in the 1970s,he had fond memories of working boatman's cabin and enjoyed the restored boat there.
Sorry can't help further and have always regretted not getting more information,particularly now I have anarrow boat myself.Must be in the blood!

You need to speak to Cath Turpin who lives in Hoylake . She is a retired teacher
and does talks on the families that lived on the boats etc. She does lots of work
for Ellesmere Port Boat Museum . Her home phone no. is 632 5446.
There is a small booklet that can be bought from The Family History Society of
Cheshire about tracing the history of such families. Their Bebington Branch
meets on Monday evenings at the Civic Centre , Bebington Library Building and
they have had Cath Turpin speak to them in the recent past.

I'm researching my family tree and have found i am from a family of Watermen who worked flats and barges in the Northwich area down to Birkenhead, Wallasey and Liverpool docks. I'll keep you posted on anything interesting i find. I've seen my family name on barges on old film footage taken years ago on the canals. I have also found connecting marriages between my family and other boat company owning familys. Good luck in your search.

Hi Jess! Some of my husband's side were born in Northwich and were flatmen. I don't recall Ellesmere Port featuring anywhere in my research, unfortunately.

Stegga, what names are you researching? I have Beswick/Bessix and possibly Rogerson.

Hi Jeeps, I'm looking for Weedall, Holland and Allcock. All originating around Northwich, Witton, Winsford and Middlewich in Cheshire.

That's a shame, I don't recognise any of those names although I have no idea of the maiden names of the wives of the various boatmen. The Beswicks seem to have originated in Northwich and then the boatmen moved to Widnes.