Pirates to Proletarians: The Experience of the Pilots and Watermen of Crockerne Pill in the 19th Century

Venue: Pill Library and Children’s Centre, Crockerne House, Underbanks, Pill BS20 0AT

From the earliest days of recorded history river pilots have navigated ships through the dangerous waters of the Bristol Channel and up the river Avon, with its twisting bends, shifting sand banks and strong currents. In the early nineteenth century, Bristol was granted rights to compulsory pilotage over the whole of the Channel.

Mike charts the experiences, in the nineteenth century, of Bristol’s pilots, and their assistants, in their struggle to defend their jobs and their traditional way of working, particularly as steam power emerged to replace sail. They lived almost exclusively in Crockerne Pill, a small village five miles from Bristol, situated on the south side of the river Avon.

Booking details here.

This event is part of a series organised by North Somerset Libraries.