Family History confirmed.

0 locks, 3½  miles. Now moored at Bridge 19 , Ashby Canal

Last night I received an email from Athena Beckett the Chairwoman of the Buckingham Canal Society thanking me for an article I have written for their newsletter and telling me that in looking through their archives they had found some photo's sent in by the Canvin's of Deanshanger. When I had a look at the BCS website I found the picture below which shows quite clearly the name of Canvin on the side of the barge cabin. Who is the young man in the picture, one of my relatives perhaps?

The boat is listed as being at Leckhamstead wharf and on the cabin wall is the wording C or G Canvin which creates a mystery. If it is "C" it could be Charlotte because in 1897 Charlotte BOWEN the wife of Mathew Henry CANVIN gave birth to Florence Annie CANVIN and the place of birth was given as The Wharf, Leckhampstead being on the 'Buckingham Arm'.   In 1919 a Government Survey of the Nation's Canals recorded a Mrs CANVIN as a 'Canal-boat owner' on the Grand Junction Canal. Who was she, was it Charlotte? On the 1881 Census George James CANVIN entered himself as 'Boatman Captain'  so was it his boat?

I must acknowledge my thanks to the BCS and my cousin Phyllis Barber and her family who are collating the Canvin family tree for the above information.

This morning was another lay in bed morning as it was white and crisp all around again. Late morning and 3 boats went past breaking the ice so after checking the weather forecast for the next couple of days which predicts freezing fog we thought that it might be wise to move closer to civilisation just in case things turn bad. Just before we slipped our moorings we were visited by these 2 characters on the opposite bank.

At Lime Kiln bridge we stopped for water but had to wait for a GRP cruiser to back away from the water point. He was moored on the water point getting some repairs done and it was handy to the carpark so they didn't have to carry tools etc: too far. Probably thought that nobody would be moving this time of year.

While filling up we spoke to a nice young lady who told us where the best moorings are outside the marina. She said that there is a sign stating $5 per night but they never come out to collect it. The only 2 moorings available were right next to the road bridge (too noisy) or right in front of the licensed restaurant next to the marina office, (like being in a gold fish bowl with everybody gawking at you) so we opted to carry on a bit further to where we are now by bridge 19 behind the Triumph motorcycle factory.

894 locks, 1236½ miles, 36 Tunnels, 41 swing bridges and 19 lift bridges since Nov 2006