Media: BOOK - paperback, 224 pages
Author: S. Wilkes
Year: 2011
ISBN: 9781848842380
Other: b&w photos, sketches, appendixes, glossary, index
Publisher: Pen & Sword

Britain's Industrial Revolution depended on canals for the cheap movement of materials and goods - until the coming of the railways - when canal companies struggled to compete and went into decline. But much of the canal network is still around today, and the interest in the history and heritage of the canals - and those who worked on them - is strong. That is why Sue Wilkes's well researched book 'Tracing Your Canal Ancestors' is so valuable.

She concentrates on the people who lived and worked on the waterways - the canal boatmen, their families, and their way of life - and those who depended on the canal trade for a living - the lock-keepers, toll collectors, and canal company clerks.

She provides a thorough, practical guide to the sources - the archives, books, websites , societies - available for researchers if they are studying these inland waterways, or trying to find out about an ancestor who worked on the canals, of was connected with them.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in this aspect of the industrial past.

Contents:
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
1.The Canal Pioneers
2. Keeping Britain Moving
3. Life on the Cut
4. Smith's Crusade
5. 'Cunning Men'
6. 'Boater Kids'
Appendix A: Starting Your Research
- Family History Basics, Censuses and More
- Health (Canal Boat) Registers
- Gauging Tables (Registers) and Other Company Records
Appendix B. Archives and Repositories
- The National Archives (TNA)
- Local Record Offices in England and Wales
- Waterways Archives and Other Specialist Repositories
- Archives and Family History Help in Scotland
- Archives and Family History Help in Ireland and Northern Ireland
Appendix C. Family History Help in England and Wales
Appendix D. Canal Transport Societies and Websites
Appendix E. Early Registers of Boats and Barges
Appendix F. Places to Visit
Select Bibliography
Index