Ramlin Rose : The Boatwoman's Story

by Sheila Stewart

From the turn of the century to the late 1950s horse-drawn narrow-boats became a rarer and rarer sight on Britain's canals. Carrying a wide variety of cargoes to such destinations as the Potteries, the textile mills of Lancashire, the papermills of London, the colleges of Oxford, they struggled on against increasing competition from rail and road traffic to maintain their place in the country's economy. Yet little has been written abou the families who lived and worked on these boats - in particular the women. Drawing on recorded interviews with the few boatwomen left who were born and bred on horse-drawn boats, Sheila Stewart has recounted their experiences as seen through the eyes of an illiterate boatwoman, travelling mainly on the Oxford Canal through the Great War, the Depression, the Second World War, and the decline of the canals. It is a poignant account of astonishing courage and resilience, capturing a unique way of life during the first sixty years of this century.

Genres: History, Biography

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

There is more than one author with this name in the GR database. This is Sheila^^^^^^Stewart, writer on British folk history.

Reviews

[D.J. Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book which never fails to touch the heart, no matter how often I read it. I have to confess to having shed a tear at the account of this incredibly hard working woman who has a child taken away by social services simply because she is illiterate and lives and works on a barge. That she did not know her husband's proper name until the day she buried him, is another tear jerker. Many people still equate the folks who live and work the narrow boats with the travelling community or the fairground roustabouts. Those people should read this book.

I left this book in our guestroom for visitors to enjoy and of course it vanished, so I had to buy a 2nd copy. It now lives by my bed in my 'favourites' pile.

[Lisa Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this absolutely fascinating. My Nan and Grandad lived in Wolvercote - he worked at the paper factory which was at the end of his beloved garden. Nan used to take us for a walk down to the canal, and I remember loving the boats, but hating the geese! This book really brought to life the very difficult existence that women had on this canal in the early 20th century.

[Hilary Tesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of fiction that reads like an autobiography because Sheila Stewart, the author, collected aural histories, their stories and their experiences and combined them into the life story of Rose, born on a horse drawn narrowboat in 1900. It’s a life with little opportunity for “schoolin’” - Rose is illiterate - hard labour from a very early age, marriage to “Moy-chap” from another boating family, and more than her fair share of tragedy. Written using the vernacular, as recorded from her meetings with boat women, Sheila Stewart, who lived locally to us, vividly brings to life a lost age.

Through Rose, she records a time of huge change on the canals, as horse power becomes engine power, trade moves from the water to the roads, families who have worked on the canals for generations move to “live on the bank” and the “cuts” themselves fall into ill-repair. More importantly it is also an insight into the previously unrecorded domestic lives of boat women who brought up families on the water and took great pride in keeping their tiny homes spotless, at the same time as being intrinsic part of the narrowboat’s hardworking crew.

[Dewi Rhys-jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book by Sheila Stewart. By the late 1950s, horse-drawn narrow boats became a rarer and rarer sight on Britain's canals. Carrying a wide variety of cargoes to such destinations as the Potteries, the textile mills of Lancashire, the papermills of London, the colleges of Oxford, they struggled on against increasing competition from rail and road traffic to maintain their place in the country's economy. Yet little has been written about the families who lived and worked on these boats - in particular the women.Drawing on recorded interviews with the few boatwomen left who were born and bred on horse-drawn boats, Sheila Stewart recounted their experiences as seen through the eyes of an illiterate boatwoman, Rose Ramlin, travelling mainly on the Oxford Canal through the Great War, the Depression, the Second World War, and the decline of the canals. It is a poignant account of astonishing courage and resilience, capturing a unique way of life during the first sixty years of the twentieth century. This book has been recognised by many canal historians and former boaters as being a particularly accurate depiction of life on a working narrow boat. Her previous book, Lifting the Latch, is also excellent.

[Katie & Alfie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful read. It took a while to adjust to the text written in the subject's dialect but that really drew me into the character.

I didn't expect to be as absorbed by this book at I was, snatching moments whenever I could to squeeze in another couple of pages. I couldn't put this book down, it really was a chore to drag myself away.

Despite being a story of the hardships of being a working boatwoman it has left me feeling a sadness that this is now a way of life that is consigned to history.

I will miss this book and the characters within.

[Laura Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The women in this book are strong, resourceful and talented. They led difficult lives on the periphery of society but contributed to the nationwide transport network throught the UK . Their lives on canal boats were finely choreographed as they simultaneously, ran a business, raised a family, cooked, sewed, cared for their animals and they also found time to connect with family and friends while on the canals and ashore. This is a beautiful testimony to their talents and recognition of their important contributions.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent book. It took me a while to get through it, the strong dialect through out makes it a tougher read but I'm so glad I stuck it out. Incredibly informative in an informal way, emotional and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Leza · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read. Fantastic insight in to how the boat people worked the canals in Britain. Beautifully illustrated too and some great archive photos.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's so disappointing that the author decided to make a fictional account out of many real-life anecdotes and stories about lives lived upon the canal. When I chose this book I was hoping it would be akin to a mass observation volume. I envisioned sections detailing women's life experiences living and working on a narrowboat trawling the canals of the country. In actual fact this has been written as the fictional life story of a character but includes transcribed anecdotes and stories gathered from the author's research with ex-canal women woven throughout. I found it frustrating not to know who said what and how many of the included pieces are from whom.

Although this reflects more on me as the reader than it does the author I found the local dialect a bit tedious to read; so all in all gave up on the book after flicking through the photos.

I can't recommend the author's other book 'Lifting the Latch' enough and am disappointed this one didn't fulfil its promise. In my opinion it didn't have to be a fictional life account but rather could have been snippets and anecdotes gathered into chapters of related areas, I think it would've worked much better and could have been fascinating reading.

[Rebecca Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book about life on an English narrowboat in the first half of the twentieth century. It was a brutal life by our cushy standards today but rich and fulfilling for the hardworking people in their tight community as they hauled goods along the canals. The language made it a bit difficult, but well worth it, as this book gives a great glimpse into a vanished way of life.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is brilliant. Yes the author probably shouldn't have blended the stories, but if you want to know about some remarkable women and the jobs they did while raising families on canal boats, this is a must read.

[Susie Krause · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took awhile to get into the flow because of the slang but very worth the read. A subject not too many think about. A past life worth telling about.