'Hobbler' is a term I'm sure I've seen references to in the context of the itinerant leggers who hired themselves out to short handed boats at both ends of Blisworth tunnel
I'm not aware, from memory, of it being used for men for hire at lock flights but see no reason why it shouldn't have been a fairly generic term I'm still thinking that 'Huffler' was a more specific term referring to men who hauled boats on a river navigation and I'm fairly sure it was the Thames (although the term may have been used elsewhere) Need more brain cells Bru > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Roger Millin > Sent: 12 April 2009 14:14 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [canals-list] Re: Huffler vs hobbler > > I said: > > This is getting more interesting, I've also googled and come up with: > > > > Hobbler: Casual canal workers who could be employed to help at a lock > flight, or to leg through a tunnel > > > > but also, elsewhere, a reference to a casual labourer who towed boats > on rivers or canals. > > > > I'll keep digging through my original source. > > Info from my source confirms Hobbler and that from a man who claimed to > be one (via another contact). I wonder if Hobbler and Huffler were just > regional variations of the same thing. > Roger > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.11.53/2054 - Release Date: > 04/11/09 10:51:00
