Topic summary
Watermen
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Waterman (occupation).
Watermen in the United Kingdom: 1197 to 1859
Watermen or wherrymen were an essential part of early London. Using a small boat called a wherry or skiff they would ferry passengers along and across the river. With bad rural roads and narrow congested city streets, the Thames was the most convenient highway in the region. Until the mid-18th century London Bridge was the only Thames bridge below Kingston upon Thames.