Note
He was bound by Henry Roberts and was freed from his apprenticeship on 14 October 1768. His apprenticeship record shows that he is from Shadwell.
All about the Watermen and Lightermen of London
Until the mid 18th century, London Bridge or boat were the only means by which to cross the Thames. Because of the potential difficulties this posed, the Corporation of London was appointed Convervator of the Thames in 1193. Its duties included the licensing of boat operators on the river. There is evidence to suggest that the Corporation passed regulations in 1370 governing watermen, ie. those who carried people by boat across the river. Acts to regulate charges were also passed by Parliament in 1514 and 1555 to make the passenger safe, both in the durability of the boat and the reliability of its owner.
The Company of Watermen was formed in order to put an end to what a 1566 Act of Parliament calls "divers and many misfortunes and mischances, caused by evil and ignorant persons who robbed and spoiled of their [passengers] goods, and also drown them". Its original function thus differs from the City livery companies in that it existed not only to protect the economic interests of its members but also the bring them and their activities under control. Elizabeth I granted the company its arms in 1585, while the ordinances performed the function of a charter. This was eventually granted in 1827.
The structure of the company was that of a fellowship. Officers empowered to license operators were not elected by members, but appointed by the Lord Mayor. In 1641, following a twenty year campaign, the wishes of ordinary members were taken into account; licensed watermen elected 55 assistants who nominated 20 candidates for office. Out of these 20, the Lord Mayor appointed 4 to join the previous year's 4 who continued in office. Measures to promote safety and efficiency soon appeared; a system of 1696, for instance, meant that boats and their owners had to bear a number and operate from an approved plying place. Printed tables of fares became an annual publication by the early eighteenth century.
In 1700 the lightermen, ie. those who unloaded cargo from ships and carried it into port by lighter, joined the watermen, having formerly been members of the Woodmongers' Company. In the long run, this greatly benefitted the company, if not the watermen themselves, since the bridge building programme of the late eighteenth century and the introduction of the steamships in the early nineteenth century meant a decline in demand for the waterman's skills. With the expansion of the Port of London, on the other hand, the lightermen flourished.
The company differs from the City livery companies in several ways. Its inflluence on the Thames stretched from Gravesend to Windsor, so that, unlike most of the City livery companies, its members were often drawn from areas some considerable distance from the City of London. Since the Thames Conservancy Act of 1857, the western limit of jurisdiction has been Teddington Lock. Also, the company has no livery. One reason for this might be that the freedom of the City that the liveried would enjoy would exempt them from impressment into the Navy - a fate inflicted upon many members of the company from the fourteenth century. Guildhall Library Manucripts no. 10799 contains correspondence with the Admiralty relating to impressment and the compilation of a list of those members eligible for service in 1855, while manuscript no. 6386 records the names of 105 company members killed or invalided in action in the early nineteenth century.
Although this tradition is now longer practised, others flourish. The will of Thomas Doggett (a Drury Lane comedian), dated September 1721, provided for a scarlet coat and a silver badge with a representation of Liberty on it to be awarded annually by the Fishmonger's Company; these were then to be rowed for by six watermen within a year of completing their apprenticeships. The race, from The Swan, London Bridge, to The Swan, Chelsea, has taken place annually ever since, save the war years.
- Last updated: June 9, 2022 19:52