water bailiff

[behindthefrogs]

On the River Thames:

The Thames Conservancy Board was formed in 1857 and became responsible for fishing, boat traffic and other functions.  I think this only applied to the non-tidal Thames above Teddington Lock.  This certainly was its responsibility when it was merged into National Rivers Authority around 1990.  The NRA in turn became part of the Environment Agency in 1997.

When I worked for them, there were a lot of ex-policemen used as water bailiffs but there was a concern that due to the personal dangers of the job there was a need for younger men to do the job.  As the main work was seasonal and at weekends there were a lot of part time bailiffs.

Unlike private water bailiffs they didn't get very involved in breeding fish and stocking the rivers.  This was left to specialists.

David   

[243rose]

interesting that the work could be seasonal........ he was also described as a keeper a few years earlier. The family was living in Weir Cottage, St Johns Rd , Hillingdon which sounds the like the kind of place that may have come with the job.

[behindthefrogs]

Your ancestor probably worked for the Grand Junction Canal (now the Grand Union Canal). Living in St Johns Hillingdon the most likely place for him to be employed was Cowley Lock which was at the junction with the Slough branch.  The jobs of lock keeper and weir keeper were usually combined. 

I believe the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum in Northamptonshire may hold the records for the Grand Junction and it might be worth contacting them.  Today the canals are thr responsibility of British Waterways

There is a lot more water in the Colne Valley and I am not sure about the responsibilties for any of that in the early 20th century.  The building of Heathrow Airport has since resulted in numerous cuts and diversions.

David

[stockman fred]

243rose said:
my mum says that she seems to remember that he had something to do with eels ??

The local river has a water bailiff who looks after the fishing rights for the big estate (they bought up all the local fishing rights in the 19th century). One of his duties or interests is to work the eel trap which is next to the weir. He keeps an eye on the water and at certain times when the water is muddy and fast flowing after a storm, he stays up all night at the trap catching eels which are sold to posh restaurants. It only happens at certain times,but they catch hundreds when the conditions are right.
Fred 

[243rose]

fred.

thanks for that, that explains his conection that the family remembers regarding the eels.
 take it he could catch and sell/keep what he liked as a perk of the job.

iain.

[renard]

You say that he was listed as a keeper at one point the terms
water bailiff and river keeper are interchangeable also gamekeepers are often also responsible for water bailiff duty's
Retired policemen with a knowledge of the countryside were often employed in these positions.

Renard

[243rose]

Thanks for that.
You make a good point, his father in law was a farmers bailiff in norfolk.... Perhaps he had the necessary skills.

cheers
iain

[behindthefrogs]

Thanks for that.
You make a good point, his father in law was a farmers bailiff in norfolk.... Perhaps he had the necessary skills.

cheers
iain

A farm bailiff was a completely different job.  He managed a farm either for a absentee owner or for a rich landowner.  Many farm bailiffs went on to rent and run their own farms.

David