HI John

thanks for your reply and the links you sent. I have looked at the Wikipedia one before but I didn't know about Saxon Court books- looks like a fascinating site!

I'm guessing from what I have found out so far that my relative must have been primarily employed to keep the canals in good repair - they seem to have been reaching the end of their useful service life by the late 19th early 20th centuries.

please do keep in touch if you discover more

many thanks

Jenny