Hallo Dorri James would have been due to complete his apprenticeship in 1789 + 7, ie 1796. As an apprentice he should have been exempt from the press gangs, which operated until 1812, but once he turned 18 he may have been impressed if there was a 'hot press' order and this may explain why he ended up in the Royal Navy and did not finish his apprenticeship. Re birth of your 4gt grandmother -I'd keep an open mind on that one as I have found plenty of 'not trues' on that response and I think the question was often interpreted as 'were you born in this village/town/parish?' Lastly the migration of your family to Surrey. My lightermen b Bermondsey were working/living in Peckham. That puzzled me until I looked at a copy of the Godfrey 1871 map which showed the Surrey canal that was used to bring timber, and coal for the Peckham gas works. The canal ran from Surrey docks on the Thames down to Peckham. Your family may have taken a similar route, or gone down the River Wey or Mole and decided to settle out of town. Best wishes Hilary Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 23:26:17 +0100 > From: Dorri Roughley <dorri_roughley@hotmail.co.uk> > Subject: Re: [SRY] James Matthews 1774-1828 > To: <eng-surrey@rootsweb.com> Is anyone out there researching the Matthews > family and has a James > >> Matthews born 1774-1775 possible father Thomas? > >> > >> I believe that this James was apprenticed as a > Waterman/Lighterman on > >> 06/08/1789. For some reason he never completed his > apprenticeship. I > >> have trawlled through the Watermen and Lightermen > Company books=2C but no > >> reason is given why on any of the apprentice > records. > >> > >> My James ended up in the Royal Navy and had some > of his family in > >> Portsmouth. Between 1817 and 1828 he > moved/returned to the Rotherhithe > >> area with at least one son=2C one daughter and his > wife Mary. He became = > a > >> Waterman=2C I presume licenced by Trinty house=2C > as the Company books d= > o not > >> list him. Regretfully the Trinity House records > are incomplete. I have > >> loads of information on the son and daughter=2C > and I know when my 4gt > >> grandmother dies (1848)=2C but again I do not know > when she was born=2C > >> however from the 1841 census I know it is not > Surrey.