The material for this research has been gathered from many sources, published and ferreted out. The goal was to compile as complete a history as possible for, initially, the Fellows, Morton & Clayton fleet of steamers. However, I was advised by Alan Faulkner to widen my search to cover all narrowboat carrying steamers and to look backwards at the early Grand Junction steamer fleet. Then Alan Brown suggested I should go even further and cover the narrow tugs as well.
This research was going to form the contents of a book but we decided that if the information was published, it would become fact and any errors would become fixed as the truth. To put it on the web allows all interested people to become involved. We can keep the research continuing. Maybe we will publish at some stage in the future.
I would not claim that what I have produced is complete, as there are certainly more records tucked away in archives and record offices which need to be found. What I offer here is the distillation of what I have found so far – if you can add anything, no matter how small, please email me and I will include your contribution. If you disagree with anything I have shown, please also contact me and we can discuss your information.
It is impossible to compile a record like this without enormous help from others and I would like to thank particularly Alan Faulkner, Alan Brown, Pete Harrison and Mike Webb for their generosity with their own researches and records and their patience with my questions. Paul Hunter, too, for his knowledge and his intuition, without which I would have missed connections that rewrote some histories. Tony Conder, David McDougall, Roy Jamieson and Diana Sumner all formerly of the Waterways Trust Museums and Archives have contributed their knowledge and skills to find answers to my questions. Caroline Jones of the Archives at Gloucester continues this help today.
Lastly to everyone who helped and should be named in the sources and to anyone I have missed – thank you.
Richard Thomas
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Any information for which I can find no proof or where there is reasonable doubt is shown in italics.
Photographs
If there are photographs of the steamer, they are included in the Data Sheet.
There are many images where it is impossible to identify the steamer and these are collected together in the List of Photographs of Unidentified Steamers.
The boats are divided arbitrarily into four sections to make the mass of information more manageable. To search for any steamer irrespective of owner use the Main Index or click on one of the four titles below to go to the relevant section index.
Fellows, Morton and Clayton’s steamers and those early steam craft that passed through their hands or of their predecessor companies. These are shown in greater detail with a Data Sheet, Post FMC History, Sightings and Photograph Record as separate tables. To obtain extra information on Registration and Gaugings refer to the summary tables mentioned below
Each boat in the following three sections has a data sheet which includes all the above information, though you still need to refer to Registrations and Gaugings for extra information.
Grand Junction Canal Company’s steamers including all their craft (so far traced), irrespective of type.
Other Cargo Carrying Steamers not included in the above.
Steam driven tugs not included elsewhere. Tugs were a later addition to the research and the list is not complete. It does not include the Worcester and Birmingham and Preston Brook Tunnel Tugs or the Bridgewater Tugs. All these have been comprehensively researched by others and to include them would simply be plagiarism!
There are eight other sections which may be of interest:
Tunnel Tugs from Millner
A distillation of the George Freestone Archive of Thomas Millner’s correspondence held at Northampton County Records of all references to the Tunnel Tugs owned by GJCC and used at Braunston and Blisworth Tunnels. Thomas William Millner was the Northern District Overseer and later Assistant Engineer for the Grand Junction Canal Co from 1895 until1930.
Steamers from Millner
A similar distillation of references to the steamers belonging to FMC and other owners, which appear in the correspondence.
Grand Junction Canal Company minute books
The result of a trawl through the extensive minute books at the Public Record Office at Kew. All the references to steam and steamers have been extracted and are listed here. The reference to R Thomas in the minute of 26th April 1871 is genuine!
Gaugings
A comprehensive compilation of the main details from Steamer Gauging Sheets. The colour scheme is Wood, Steel, Composite. The entries in italics are from other records than the actual gauging sheets, that is, I do not have a copy of the actual sheet. The source of the information is shown in brackets. Refer to the abbreviations lists for expansion.
Registrations
A similar compilation of Registrations. The same colour scheme is employed. The entries in italics are from other sources than the actual registration document. The source of the information is shown in the source column. Refer to the abbreviations lists for expansion.
Reports of the Accident involving the GJCC Steamer Bee in Blisworth Tunnel
The steamers BEE and WASP were involved in a tragic accident in Blisworth Tunnel on 6th September 1861. Here are the transcriptions of the two newspaper reports of the inquest and the official report from the GJCC minutes.
Other interesting steamers
A look at some of the other historical steam driven craft to be seen on the canals today. Click on the name to see photographs and potted biographies.
Adamant
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