“Our keelmen brave, with laden keels,
Go sailing down in line,
And with them load the fleet at Shields,
That sails from coaly Tyne”
(W. & T. Fordyce, The Tyne Songster, 1840).
"One of the most curious sights on the Tyne is the fleet of hundreds of these black-sailed, black-hulled keels, bringing down at each tide their black cargoes for the ships at anchor in the deep water at Shields and other parts of the river below Newcastle".
(from ‘The Life of George Stephenson and of his son Robert Stephenson’ by Samuel Smiles, 1881)
Do you have any Tyneside Watermen or Keelmen among your ancestors?
They were a prominent feature on the Tyne from the mid 14th century until the latter part of the 19th century, but sadly, their occupation and the contribution they made to the economic growth of the North East now seems to be largely forgotten.
As if to reinforce their importance to the area, the unofficial anthem of Tyneside for generations was ‘The Keel Row’. Only after the Keelmen had started fading from people’s memories did the more famous ‘Blaydon Races’ take its place.
The terms Waterman and Keelman seem to have been interchangeable and no-one is quite sure why one evolved into the other. ‘Keelman’ was the original term, but during the 18th Century ‘Waterman’ became the more usual.
So what did a Waterman or Keelman do?
Watermen were the middle link in a three stage transportation chain for coal. First, Coal Waggons brought coal from the pits to loading staiths on the banks of the River Tyne, usually drawn by horses over wooden rails or waggonways. It was here that the Watermen loaded the cargo onto their keel boats. Until the late 18th Century, Keels had open holds and the cargo of coal was simply dropped into it. This was laborious to unload, however, and gradually a wooden cargo structure appeared on their decks which held the 21.2-tons of coal which constituted an agreed load. They then sailed their boats down river to the mouth of the Tyne where they would load the coal onto waiting Sailing Colliers lying moored in deeper water. A keel’s crew typically took about an hour and a half to unload the cargo. Finally, the ships transported the coal to other parts of the country and overseas.
It was a job that required great physical strength as well as skill. A round trip over the full 15-mile extent of the working length of the Tyne took around 15 to 17-hours. This meant that a Skipper needed an intimate knowledge of the river and its various depths and currents at each stage of the tidal cycle.
Keels were wooden boats with a pointed stern so the bow and stern looked almost the same. The tides provided their main method of propulsion – hence each round trip was known as a ‘tide’. However, they also had a small single mast, upon which was rigged a square sail, and a pair of huge 36 foot oars (one to port, one to starboard) to achieve quick changes of course or to clear hazards such as the Tyne bridge. In certain circumstances they might also ‘pole’ the boat (a kind of ‘punting’ but moving a huge 20+ Ton weight). Where this was not possible the crew had to go ashore and drag, or ‘track’ the boat using a rope.
Sadly, there are no surviving keel boats so our knowledge of what they looked like, their size and construction, comes largely from written descriptions, paintings and engravings from the time.
The crew would usually comprise a skipper and two ‘bullies’ (meaning ‘mates’ in its original form) along with a boy known as a Peedee. The crew were often members of the same family and the Peedee was carried to learn the trade (an apprentice). In this way the trade passed from father to son down through the generations.
Keelmen were a close-knit group and lived in their own distinctive communities. There was a large community of Keelmen at Sandgate in Newcastle upon Tyne, but my own ancestors lived and worked on the South Bank of the river in Whickham, Winlaton and Swalwell, moving coal from the Staiths at Blaydon and Stella. There were also Watermen operating from the North Bank at Newburn and Bell’s Close. Not all Keelmen were local however, as a significant number of seasonal Scottish keelmen were also employed who returned home when trade was slack.
Keelmen had a somewhat legendary reputation on Tyneside and they even had their own distinctive mode of dress. For their ‘Sunday best’ they wore a blue jacket and bonnet, slate-grey bell bottom trousers and bright yellow waistcoat. They had a reputation for being tough, skilled, aggressive, militant and much given to cards and hard liquor.
They were employed by the Hostmen of Newcastle upon Tyne. The Hostmen’s Company developed from the Company of Merchant Adventurers and were incorporated by a charter of Elizabeth I in 1600. Over time, the Newcastle upon Tyne Hostmen became exclusively concerned with the shipping of coals along the Tyne. They largely controlled the coal trade and pretty much the city, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries!
There was a move to form an independent society of Tyneside Keelmen in 1556 but this was never incorporated, possibly because the Newcastle Hostmen feared them becoming too powerful.
Keelmen were not poorly paid. In fact, they earned significantly more that the average daily wage for a tradesmen. However, the work was heavily impacted by the weather and economic fluctuations so their income was very irregular. They were also traditionally bound to the Hostmen for employment for a year. Effectively employed on what we’d today would call a ‘zero hours contract’. This led to serious poverty among Keelmen and their families during times when the coal trade was in decline or the weather inclement (particularly in wintertime).
It’s testament to the strength of their community that in 1699 the Keelmen of Newcastle formed a charitable foundation and built a Keelman’s hospital overlooking the Quayside which opened in 1701. This provided housing, with 50 chambers, for aged and sick Keelmen or their widows, as well as being a hospital in the more traditional sense.
Stewards of the Hostman’s Guild were the trustees of the hospital and deducted four pence per keel per tide from the wages of each keel’s crew. Their control of the fund caused conflict and the charity was wound up in 1712. In 1730 the Keelmen started their own friendly society but disputes with the Hostmen over the running of the hospital continued and in 1787 an Act of Parliament was passed establishing a charity with guardians chosen from the Hostmen and Magistrates of Newcastle upon Tyne. This continued until 1872 when the hospital was taken over by Newcastle corporation.
Sadly, the Keelman’s hospital is now derelict, but the Council, Tyne and Wear Preservation Trust and Historic England are looking at how it might be saved.
The Keelmen were an organised body of men and were not averse to taking industrial action even when such measures were illegal. Typically, this was over their pay and conditions. For example a number of strikes were organised in the mid 18th century because their keels were being overloaded with coal. This was both dangerous for the crews, particularly when navigating the mouth of the Tyne, and a way of paying them less, as they were paid ‘per load’. Eventually, an agreement was reached limiting the load of coal in each keel to 2.1 Ton.
Below is an extract from a petition from ‘The Bond Keelmen on the River Tyne’ to ‘The Right Worshipful Mayor’ dated March 29th, 1768:
“……………as Bond Servants we Being
for some time Very heavily oprest with
over Measure which we are Not able
To subsist with; we have this day all
Met in the Garth Heads in Sandgate and castle
and we all with one voice desire no other
Terms than Kings’ Measure………………..
……………………………..……We all
Desire that your Worship will take
in to consideration and Right us according
to our Opressition…………”
Another complaint that caused strike action and took many decades to resolve was against the custom of paying part of their wages in beer at the can-houses - owned by the Hostmen!
On a number of occasions their strikes were down to wider economic pressures. For example, after the severe winter of 1739-1740 there were corn shortages and both pitmen and keelmen were involved in riots at the Quayside when grain stores and grain ships were raided and the Guildhall attacked.
As the Keelmen were bound to the Hostmen, when they went on strike their employers could bar anyone else from employing them. In 1750 the Hostmen published the names of 800 striking Keelmen and warned others that they would be prosecuted if they offered them work, while at the same time employing substitute workers themselves to break the strike.
In total there are records of stoppages, mutinies and strikes in 1654, 1660, 1671, 1708, 1710, 1719, 1738, 1740, 1744, 1749, 1750, 1771, 1794, 1803, 1809, 1819, and 1822. The military were frequently called on to quell striking/rioting Keelmen, particularly where they were preventing navigation on the Tyne.
For example, below is an extract of a letter from the Mayor of Newcastle, Isaac Cookson, to Sir Edmund Nagle, commanding officer of His Majesty’s ships of war at Leith, dated 3 November 1809:
“The Keelmen or Lightermen employed
on this River, are now in a state of Riot
and have assembled so large bodies
on the water and forcibly stopped the trade of the
Port until their Demands of increased
wages are complied with by their
employers, tho. they are under Bonds
which do not expire till Xmas –
It has occurred to the Magistrates that
if an armed ship was sent to the
Port, it might immediately assist them
in the Discharge of their Duties, and they
beg the favour of you to Direct
any one undert your command to sail
forthwith to Shields.”
In addition to the warship the Mayor had also arranged for a detachment of Infantry to be stationed on both sides of the river to aid the civil Powers! In most cases the threat of force was sufficient deterrent to keep the peace but there were occasions where shots were fired resulting in loss of life.
Offenders were often detained, prosecuted and in some cases, such as in the corn riots above, were even transported. You’ll find many references to disturbances in the local and National newspapers of the time.
Tyneside Keelmen, due to their small-boat expertise, were ‘targets’ for the Naval Impress, especially during the wars with France of the late 18th century. They were officially protected as coal exports were vital to the economy but there were still regular attempts to impress them despite their exemption. In the early 19th century an agreement was made whereby the employers provided one substitute for every ten exempt keelmen.
The Winlaton & District Local History Society have an amusing tale about some keelmen who impersonated the press gang while on a pleasure trip up river to Blaydon. They did this to demand ransom money. They were overpowered by the Winlaton men (blacksmiths), taken to Newcastle, and detained in the Keep. The next day they found themselves aboard a Sloop-of-war and part of the King’s Navy!
By 1700 there were 1,600 Keelmen on the Tyne working in 400 keels; this rose to 600 keels during the 18th century. By 1822 numbers began to decline with the introduction of the coal staiths, railways and steam tugs. By 1900, keels, as dedicated coal-carrying vessels had disappeared from the river. Some Watermen crewed Wherry-boats instead which functioned as river transport for both people and goods. Over time, as the need for keel boats and Wherries diminished then disappeared, their crews moved into other Tyneside industries such as mining and ship building.
If you’re interested in learning more about your Watermen ancestors then Tyne and Wear Archives hold a number of collections that will be helpful:
Acc394 – Tyne Keelmen - 91 sets of records including many that will have lists of individuals’ names. E.g.:
Acc394/11: indictments, calendar of prisoners’ evidence, lists of Skippers and Keelmen bound various Hostmen 1740
Acc394/13: Register of names of those involved in Keelmen’s riot, 1740
Acc394/33: List of names of Guardians, 1789; minutes of meeting of Stewards of Keelmen’s Society, 1791
CH.KH Keelmen’s Hospital 1733-1849 – minutes, financial papers, register of members
GU.HO The Incorporated company of Hostmen of Newcastle upon Tyne 1599-1975 - records including order and minute books, admissions, enrolment of apprentices, financial records, deeds, register of members.
DX1628 Tyne Watermen’s Association (founded from the Keelmen in 1870).
References
Barke, M., Robson, B. & Champion A. ‘Newcastle upon Tyne: Mapping the City’. 2021, Berlinn Ltd.
Fewster, Joseph. ‘The Keelmen of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1638-1852’. Woodbridge: Surtees Society 2021
Finch, Roger. ‘Coals from Newcastle: The Story of the North East Coal Trade’. Terence Dalton
Lid. 1973
Tyne and Wear Archives Catalogue https://twarchives.org.uk/collection/catalogue [accessed 16 Feb 2024]
Tyneside Keels, Northumbrian Words, https://northumbrian-words.com/2019/10/28/the-tyneside-keels/ [accessed 16 Feb 2024]
The Press Gang, Winlaton & District Local History Society.
https://www.winlatonlocalhistorysociety.org.uk/winlaton/the-press-gang/ [accessed 21 Feb 2024]
Wright, Peter, D. ‘Water Trades of the Lower River Tyne in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries’ Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy; School of Historical Studies, Newcastle University, March 2011.
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