Ferry Interesting.

 Once through the road/railway bridge we were soon under the motorway bridge and with the tide flooding we were only needing to go slowly as we were aiming to arrive at West Stockwith to enter the lock for the Chesterfield Canal at high water.

We were soon passing the old windmill at West Butterwick that was built in 1824 and disused in 1940's

Next was Owston Ferry. There were 10 ferries between Gainsborough and the mouth of the Trent at Trent Falls, After Gainsborough came Walkerith, Stockwith, Wildsworth, Owston Ferry, Susworth, Butterwick, Burringham, Keadby, Flixborough and Burton Stather. By the early 1800's steam packets were running regularly between Hull and Gainsborough stopping at each ferry point to pick up passengers and cargo. In 1833 the steam packet 'Dart' left Hull for Gainsborough towing a loaded boat as far as Trent Falls. It arrived at Gainsborough and stopped 30 mins before heading back. It stopped at all ten ferry points inward and outward. It completed the round trip of 104 miles in just under 8 hours. That is an average of 13 knots, including the stops. It seems that mainly the ferry, or a boat, would meet the ferry mid stream and do the transfer there, and I would think this run would have the benefit of the flood to Gainsborough and the ebb back to Hull.

Despite going slowly we were still a bit early as despite it being just about high water there is still a bit of flood, even when the water starts ebbing. It was easy to get round and we just waited a little while with a rope out until we could just poke our nose in the lock. This is the bridge over the River Idle at West Stockwith that was navigable to Bawtry at onetime.

This is a pretty similar view from the East Stockwith ferry landing in the early 1900's. The church and bridge make it quite easy to place. 

In 1899 a young whale was captured at the mouth of the River Idle, by the bridge. It was about 14 ft long. It was said that a 2 ton whale had been caught a few years previously at Owston Ferry, and that a a large shark had been caught at Stockwith a round the same time. In 1851 several dolphins were shot and speared at Stockwith, the largest of them measured 12 ft long. The reason the locals gave was that they were decimating the salmon in the river! In 1846 a 12 stone sturgeon was caught off the village too. In the 1990's I have seen porpoises in the Ouse and Trent so things aren't quite as bleak as they were once seemed, and seals are frequent visitors and are now not worthy of mention it seems.

This looks like the East Stockwith side with the house on the left of the photograph being the Ferry Boat Inn.

In 1771 the Bill for the building of the Chesterfield Canal was passed and the canal opened in 1777. East and West Stockwith were a crossing point before that, but became more important on the opening of the canal. In 1796 the ferryman was William Morton and he was also landlord of the Ferry Boat In in East Stockwith. It seems that the lease of each were tied together. I think that they were owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, (Prince of Wales) until an auction in 1854. In sources there are names of ferrymen and I think sometimes it is men employed by the holder of the lease. In  1802 the ferryman William Morton fell off his vessel and was drowned. In 1823 Thomas Thew was the landlord of the Ferry Boat Inn and we learn there were two craft a 52' x 20' one that catered for transporting cattle and sheep across, and 20' x 11' for horses and people.By 1828 William Holberry was looking after the ferry. 

This looks like the same or similar ferry and would be likely to be the horse boat 20' x 11'. The Ferry Boat In is the house with the roses growing up by the windows. You can clearly see the wire that was used to winch the ferry across the river in this photo.

In 1839 John Maw dies. He seems to be the landlord of the Ferry Boat. At the subsequent auction the property includes a warehouse, counting house, wharf with 3 cranes and 2 acres of land attached to the wharf, along with the pub. The actual ferryman was a Mr. Hudson. In 1841 John Maw, 20 and son, seems to be the publican and sets about making improvements to the ferry. In 1846 new access are made from the bank to make it safer to get carts etc on and off the craft and the following year ordered a new cattle ferry from ship builders at Walkerith. The last boat builder in Stockwith, Thomas Bomforth had become bankrupt. Despite this he seems  to have been subject to malicious damage to his boats and also casting adrift, before the new ferry was delivered in December 1848. The following year the pub was up for auction once again, owned by a Mr. Dennis of East Stockwith but still tenanted by John Maw. He seemed to add to his earnings by being the surveyor of the Highways in East Stockwith too.  By 1851 another John Maw was looking after the pub as well as being a plumber and glazier. The ferry and pub were auctioned once again in 1854 but by the Duchy of Cornwall (Prince of Wales) so maybe previously it had been the lease that was auctioned!? It seems that John Maw's wife's brother Thomas Flowers bought the pub at the auction, but John and Sarah were still running it. There seems to be a gap with a Philip Parkinson being the licencee.

I think this photo of a keel is looking over to West Stockwith close to high water.

By 1861 John was still a plumber living in East Stockwith but no longer ran the pub. His eldest son was a mariner and his youngest John Whittaker was 6. In 1868 am inquest jury at the hearing of another death by drowning in the Trent at Burton Stather recommended that a lifebelt was maintained at every ferry point and wharf on the Trent to 'stop the great loss of life that is constantly occuring.' I have no way of knowing if this was taken up, but the death by drowning seems to be similar to the death in motor car accidents before seat belts. In 1876 Mr Andrews, the ferryman since 1867 was lucky to survive a ducking in the Trent himself. It seems he used his ferry to take a load of potatoes down to Gainsborough. On the way back he hitched a ride with a passing packet. The speed of the tow and the roughness of the water caused them to overturn and as it was dark he was lucky to be dragged out. In 1877 the licencee of the pub was Mr. James Whitton. The ferry was owned by a Mr. Hewitt in 1882 and the ferryman was William Pearson. It seems the charges at low water and at times of little flow were 1d for there and back journeys, but at high water and when the tide was running fast 1d for a one way trip. He was also fined 10s for not cleaning the vessel after carrying cattle across, twice! In 1881 the Trent was frozen but they were able to cut a passage for the small ferry to cross. There were a couple accidents recorded when a horse and cart were at the top of the ferry access when the horse was startled and dashed down the bank. The lady aboard leapt off bu the boy and small girl went with it. The girls was dragged out of the water bu the horse and trap and boy were lost. Another time two wagons loaded with potatoes drawn by two horses were wanting to cross. The first wagon was aboard the ferry and the second was starting to descend the bank to come alongside it. The rear wheels were not chained. Something made the horse bolt down the ban, on to the ferry and straight into the river. The men jumped but the horse, cart and potatoes were never seen again. The horses were valued at £40 each. Another horse and trap were lost when the horse bolted when leaving the ferry.

Again I think this is looking to the West Stockwith side at the ferry point just to the west of the mouth of the River Idle.

In 1881 John Whittaker Maw was a fireman at the Morris' Vitriol and Chemical works that were on the north bank between West Stockwith and Misterton. The ferry was very important as many of the workers lived on the south bank and aptly the ferryman was a Fred Waterland. By 1891 he restored the family as landlords of the Ferryboat Inn with his wife Rosa. By 1896 he was charged with attempted suicide as he had jumped into the Trent and it took great effort by his brother Thomas to recover him. He was bound over for £50 for a year. In 1898 he was checking the large cattle ferry and securing it in place with chains in preparation for the aegir when he fell in and was drowned. However after he died his wife seems to have remarried and William E. Brook and took over the licence in 1899. He also adopted their four daughters. A few month after his death the cattle ferry was making a crossing with 13 cows and 8 passengers when in mid stream it started to sink. Luckily the small ferry was alongside and the passengers transferred to that. The cattle had to swim for it, but all made the bank safely. However in the 1901 census we can see that Thomas Maw was the ferryman at East Stockwith. 

Rosa Maw/Brookes seems to have been unlucky as in 1902 her second husband William Brookes took his own life. Rosa told the inquest that he had been with drink for several weeks and had threatened to harm himself several times. They had words and when she went out into the yard at five in the evening she saw him with a bottle of poison which he said he had taken. She didn't believe him and he took to his bed. A while later she went up to check n him and realised it was true. She gave him salt water and he was very sick. She dashed to fetch the doctor but when he arrived he was dead, two and half hours after taking the dose.By the 1911 census the Maws had returned to the Chemical works and the trade of publican/ferryman had gone out of the family.

In 1921 for the first time in 25 hears all trade on the Trent ceased due to it being badly aced up. It was unsafe for wooden vessels to be even on the Trent and a keel on the landing at East Stockwith has damaged and was submerged at high tides. It seems that this lead to the closure of the ferry as the locals were appealing to everybody they could think of to have it reinstated. It was a long way round for workers at the Chemical factory to travel. Previously they could have a weekly ticket for 2s. The Parish Council even looked into running a ferry themselves. They could do so, but would be unable to charge a toll for doing so. The ferry was still owned by Hewitt Bros Co. Ltd. It seem the with the increase in motorised vehicles following the end of WWI the large ferry was never resurrected but the passenger ferry returned until finally closed in 1952/53 and a centuries old way of life was lost , not only here but all along the Trent.