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From: Christopher Rendle <>
Subject: Re : [CANAL-PEOPLE] 1881 BOATMEN CENSUS
Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 21:31:08 +0100


Hello Thelma,

You wrote on 5 Sep :

> at 7 Deva Terrace,Chester St John Baptist,Cheshire,
> Randolph COOK /M/36/Waterman & Pleasure Boat Builder(Oxford,Oxford) with wife
> & 4 ch.

Very many thanks for this information; it's a surprise to find that Randolph
has strayed so far from his home town.

Randolph COOK is the son of Mark COOK, a boat letter on the Thames (Isis) at
Folly Bridge, Oxford. Mark won the final of the Watermen's Skiff Race for
under 20 year olds in the Oxford Royal Regatta of 1844, but died in 1858 at
the early age of 33.

Randolph appears in the 1871 Oxford City Census as a waterman, living in St.
Aldate's with wife Esther ? and three children. He won the Juvenile Sculls
at both 1859 and 1860 Royal Regattas. Victorious in the 1860 Watermen's
pairs with T. Tims, he took the Watermen's Sculls in 1861.

He coached the successful Neptune eight to win the Grand Challenge Cup in
1867.

His father's generation seem to be the first watermen in the family.
Randolph's uncle, Charles COOK(E) (1830-1910) was a waterman for most of his
life and ferried university rowers across the Isis to their boathouse in his
punt.

Charles was involved in a fracas near Folly Bridge in 1864 when a bargeman
tried to cross a bridge with his horse when crowds were leaving the scene of
the May Eights races. The event encapsulated the conflicting interests of
the declining barge trade, the Thames Commissioners (of whom Charles was
one) who were trying to administer and maintain the Thames, and the
University which was keen to maintain its rights over the river at Oxford
during the rowing race weeks.

I'd be grateful if you could provide the full entry in the 1881 Census.

I am guessing that Randolph may have been building punts in Chester. Can
anyone on the List suggest a Chester/Oxford link for the pleasure boat
building trade? Anyone with links to COOK(E)s/ Oxford watermen?

Regards,
Chris Rendle


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