TOP SOURCES

Boat Families boatfamilies. website Website of boat family trees, with over 4,000 names.

The British Newspaper Archive britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk Search for news items linked to boatmen and canal companies.

Coventry Canal Boat Register, 1879-1936 covfhs.org/ databases/ canal-boats.php

The National Waterways Museums and Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive canalrivertrust.org.uk collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk Discover exhibitions and resources on the history of canals. Search the online catalogue for archives relating to all aspects of work on the canals.

Staffordshire Canal Boat Register, 1795-1797 staffsnameindexes.org.uk

Wigan Canal Boats Register, 1878-1951 bit.ly/wiganregister

BOOKS The Canal Boatmen 1760-1914 Harry Hanson, 1984 Explores the development of the boatmen’s lifestyle.

The Illustrated History of Canal & River Navigations Edward Paget-Tomlinson, 1993 An authoritative history of British canals.

Tracing your Canal Ancestors Sue Wilkes, 2011 A comprehensive guide, with case studies and sources.