"Who Do You Think You Are" Series 13, Episode 5 Ricky Tomlinson

[Skoosh]

@ Smud, by the 1860's large steam-powered mills were operating in the towns & with the growing railway network, the great days of the country miller were ending.

Skoosh,

[larkspur]

In my opinion, he should have gone back a generation at a time and finished with the last carter and found out that his father did something else but never mind. Looking forward to the next one! 

Yes, I thought so too as somebody must have bought the first horse and cart to pass down to the next generation.

I may be mistaken of course, I often am  But I think I saw the newspaper item on the death of one of the carters and it said he was employed by someone to drive the cart.

[Skoosh]

 Most carters worked for haulage companies, the railway companies alone owned thousands of horses.
 Scotland's largest haulier William Wordie & Co of Glasgow started off as a carter in Stirling & from such humble beginnings grew big enough to take over railway company contracts. A great benefactor he financed polar expeditions. I had a great uncle who worked for Wordie's.

Skoosh.

[clairec666]

Also, the fact that near the beginning the lady he was with said that they couldn't get back further because "civil registration began in 1837" - yes they did but surely there would be parish and other records to get back further.

I knew I wouldn't be the only one yelling "WHAT???!" at the TV at this point!

It frustrates me a little that the research aspect is simplified so much ("let's type his name into this unnamed genealogy website - oh look, this must be him in the 1861 census")... but I realise that this programme is aimed at genealogists and non-genealogists alike, and they only have an hour-long programme in which they want to show the most entertaining parts. Cross-referencing every bit of information would make for a very tedious programme.

Perhaps a "WDYTYA extra" on the red button with some more in-depth information?

[Melbell]

Today I have started a thread on the Lancashire section, specifically about Liverpool carters and their horses because I am interested in the meat of this subject and not in many of the slightly off-topic posts here. So if anyone can help me with my queries about the carters and their horses please see my other post.

Thank you.

Happy 2nd Day of Christmas to All,
Melbell

[Rena]

@ Smud, by the 1860's large steam-powered mills were operating in the towns & with the growing railway network, the great days of the country miller were ending.

Skoosh,

We had steam powered mills in my home town.  They'd originally been countryside windmills (with the sails removed) but when the population exploded, due to the arrival of the railway and other industries, they were more or less in what I knew as the "old town".

I've just done a Google map walk to illustrate one I used to cycle passed in the 1960s - but it's gone - and so have the multitude of old factories and terraced houses that lined the route.

[Andrew Tarr]

Most carters worked for haulage companies, the railway companies alone owned thousands of horses.

My Turton parish shows a good number of 'carters' after the railway arrived there about 1848.  Being a large rural parish I guess there were distances to be covered to reach the upland farms.

My tree also has a William Williams who migrated from deepest Shropshire/Welsh border to become a carter in Liverpool in the mid 1860s.

[Skoosh]

There would be small contractors like Steptoe & Sons    but even rag & bone men hired a horse & cart for the day, in my time. The cost of a heavy horse & cart plus feeding & stabling would have been way beyond the means of folk who could barely feed themselves.

Skoosh.

[Guy Etchells]

There would be small contractors like Steptoe & Sons    but even rag & bone men hired a horse & cart for the day, in my time. The cost of a heavy horse & cart plus feeding & stabling would have been way beyond the means of folk who could barely feed themselves.

Skoosh.

Stabling, many city carter horses would simply be hobbled in a yard or or courtyard, feed could be aquired on the job from others by various means if it could not be afforded.

Cheers
Guy