Types of Water Carriers

Reader's Letters & Queries: NarrowBoat, Autumn 2015

In the article on stone boating (Summer 2015, NB) there are three photographs showing boats with a large glazed water jar instead of the more familiar Buckby cans, with short mention in the photo description. Was the use of pottery jars common during a particular period, or just more popular on certain canals, or with certain types of carrier, or just some families? David Williams, by email Chris M. Jones writes: From the information I’ve seen there were three main kinds of water vessel used to contain drinking water – water cans, casks or small barrels laid horizontally on a wooden trestle, and stone jars. Of these, tin water cans were by far the most common, and these were bought from boatyards and canalside stores, painted or unpainted. Some carriers ordered them in bulk from tinsmiths and sold them to their boatmen. If stone jars or casks were available at certain places, and were cheap enough, I expect boaters might have used them. Over the years I’ve noticed …

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