Boatman/Lighterman records

[Steven1314]

Hi my great great great grandfather Ambrose Stokes was a Lighterman or Waterman and I managed to find out that to work on the water you needed to have successfully completed an apprenticeship and that these records may be kept at Kew.  Does anyone know if these types of records can be viewed online or whether a trip to Kew is needed.

His date of birth was 21/11/1845 in Brentford and when his daughter was born on 8/8/1876 his occupation was Lighterman and when she married on 25/12/1895 his occupation was a Waterman.

If anyone can help that would be great.

Steven

[Valda]

Hi

The National Archives hold government department records so would only have employment records for people who were employed by govenment departments e.g. soldiers employed by the War Office for instance.

Watermen and lightermen were one of the London Guilds. The records are held at the Guildhall Library.

Guildhall Library research guide

http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/water.htm


This website gives more information and offers a research service

http://www.parishregister.com/aboutstp.html


Regards

Valda

[Steven1314]

Thanks again Valda looks like I have quite a task ahead but hopefully an enjoyable one

Steven

[chloed]

I have found an ambrose stokes in brentford taking on an apprentice named thomas walter bird in 1873, cant find an apprentice binding for ambrose though.

[Steven1314]

Thanks Chloe.  I presume that if Ambrose took on an apprentice he must have himself been a fully qualified Waterman? 

Is there anywhere I can go to next without having to make a trip to London?  Did you find out this information via a website or do you have access to apprenticeship records? 

I did find him on the 1881 census on board HMS Icarus as a boat boy so looks like he started off in water and then kept it up. I am just trying to find out as much as I can on his career.  I think from my research so far that he died in Brentford in 1887 and he would have only been about 42 when he died.  I haven't ordered a copy of his death certificate but this might be the next step as there may be a chance he died whilst working which may give me some more clues.

Many thanks for all your help

Steven

[chloed]

found him in the apprenticeship bindings i have, its strange i cant find his apprenticeship though. I see he was in the navy in 1861 maybe the training he got there qualified him to take on an apprentice later on, you could try asking the experts on parishregister.com if this would be so. they specialise in watermen history on their boards.
regards chloe

[Valda]

Hi

1861 census RG9 4484 folio 95A
Scarus Portsmouth Harbour
Ambrose Stokes 15 years 5 months Boy 2nd class New Brentford Middlesex


The men above Ambrose in the schedule are all initialled RM and RMA = Royal Marines Artillery and Royal Marines.

Nothing showing in TNA's online indexes for service records for Royal Marines or navy seamen.


Regards

Valda

[Steven1314]

Thanks Valda and Chloe for your help will try the other website.  I initially thought that the Ship was called Scarus but when you view the original census you can see it is in fact the Icarus and managed to find out some information on this ship.

Steven

[louisa maud]

Having read these messages with interest I hope I am not thought as jumping on the band wagon as it were.
I have a boat family name of Stockwell, just a few of their children were born at Bulls Bridge Hartington, their boat was named Jane, (found on census )seems they went up and down the Grand Union canal to Paddington, can anyone tell me where Bulls Bridge is please

Thank you in anticpation

Louisa Maud