William Lobb- Railway Navigator Crewkerne,Som

[forestlea65]

I'm looking for William Lobb born abt 1824 who married Mary Ann Blight in Devon but later moved to Crewkerne in Somerset. The 1861 census put his occupation as a Railway Navigator - does anyone know what this is, or what would have been his duties? Any Information would be appreciated.

Many Thanks

[StintonLomas]

Hi
Navigator was a term used for those who dug out the Navigations (Canals) who were also used to build the railways, it was shortened to Navvy (pl Navvies) and the latter term became a vernacular word for any manual labourer in the transport infrastructure building field.

[Jan1954]

You may also be interested in "My Ancestor was a Railway Worker"

[forestlea65]

Thanks everyone, it now makes more sense when you say that William was a labourer. I thought I saw the term in the 1861 census but checking my folder of cerificates it is shown as navigator on the birth certificate of his daughter Isabella, my grandmother. Thanks Jan I'll try "My Ancestor was a Railway Worker" and see what comes up.
Thanks again for your help.

[Coromandel]

Dick Sullivan's book, 'Navvyman' (plus a glossary of navvies' slang), is online here:

https://www.
victorianweb.org/history/work/sullivan/1.html

This site has some interesting photographs of navvies taken in the 1890s:

https://www.
railwayarchive.org.uk/stories/pages.php?enum=le123&pnum=0&maxp=8

[forestlea65]

Many thanks -I'll look it up on the internet.