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Heybridge Basin (Cannibal
Island) |
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Click
on underlined blue names for link to more details |
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Chelmer
& Blackwater Navigation Company |
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The company was formed
by an Act of Parliament on 17 June 1793, creating 'The Company
of the Proprietors of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation',
with powers to raise £40,000 by the issuing of shares,
and a further £20,000 if required |
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The company at first only
owned the land the canal was built on and some areas on the immediate
sides of lock and Basin. By 1816 the company had purchased a
considerable amount of land around the area of the current village.
But after only a hundred years, in 1916 due to financial difficulties
they sold all their property except for along the immediate sides
of the Basin and Canal, almost back to their earliest level of
ownership. |
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As part of the original
act of Parliament of 1793, the Canal Company were not allowed
to own any craft for use on the canal, and therefore a very minimum
of staff were in employment by the company at any one time. This
was often confined to two, the most important one who at various
times had several different titles ie 'Toll Collector', 'Collector
of Revenues', 'Dockmaster', and 'Superindant of Navigation',
but all were basically other names for the 'Lock Keeper'. The
sometimes paid other post was of either 'Canal Manager' or 'Canal
Superintendant'. The offices used by the 'person operating as
'Lock Keeper' or under one of the other names was usually his
dwelling provided by the company known as the 'Lockhouse' (four
different premises were used). It is believed that the 'Granary'
by the Basin was also used at one time, but if so this would
have been for a very short period as the 'Granary' was Let and
used by several individuals commercially from very early on. |
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The history
leading to the formation of the company can be found under |
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Canal Origin
& History |
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