Lighterman riding the current under Tower Bridge, circa 1928

Lightermen were workers who transferred goods between ships and quays, aboard flat-bottomed barges called lighters. They were one of the most characteristic groups of workers in London's docks during the heyday of the Port of London, but their trade was eventually rendered largely obsolete by changes in shipping technology. They were closely associated with the watermen, who carried passengers, and had their own livery company called the Watermen's and Lightermen's Company.

The lightermen were a vital component of the Port of London before the enclosed docks were built during the 19th and 20th century. Ships would moor in the middle of the River Thames and transfer their goods aboard lighters. Lightermen would then ride the river's currents - upstream when the tide was coming in, downstream when the tide was out - to transfer the goods to quaysides. They also transferred goods up and down the river from quays to riverside factories and vice-versa. This was an extremely skilled job, requiring an intimate knowledge of the river's currents and tides. It also demanded a lot of muscle power, as the lighters were unpowered; they relied on the current for motive force and on long oars, or "sweeps", for steering.

The construction of the docks was bitterly opposed by the lightermen and other vested interests, but went ahead anyway. However, they did win a major concession: what became known as the "free-water clause", first introduced into the West India Dock Act of 1799 and subsequently written into the Acts governing all of the other docks. This stated that there was to be no charge for "lighters or craft entering into the docks ... to convey, deliver, discharge or receive ballast or goods to or from on board any ship .. or vessel." This was intended to give lighters and barges the same freedom in docks that they enjoyed on the open river. In practice, however, this proved highly damaging to the dock owners. It allowed ships to be loaded and unloaded overside, using barges and lighters to transfer their goods to and from riverside wharves rather than dock quays, thus bypassing quay dues and dock warehouses. This significantly reduced the docks' income and harmed their finances, while boosting the profits of their riverside competitors. Not surprisingly, the dock owners lobbied vigorously - but unsuccessfully - for the abolition of this damaging privilege.

The lightermen's trade was eventually largely swept away by the technological and economic changes that led to the closure of most of London's docks in the 1960s.

External links

• Company of Watermen and Lightermen (http://www.watermenshall.org)