Cheshunt Lock

CHESHUNT LOCK

Lock	State	Date	Length	Length - Working Distance	Width	Fall	Removed or bypassed
Cheshunt Lock	Built	1768			13' 5''	5' 1''	1922
Cheshunt Lock (Brick & timber)	Report	1917			13' 5''
Cheshunt Lock	Rebuilt	1922	90' 0''	87' 0''	16' 0''	5' 1''

This lock was called Cheshunt Mill Lock until 1884 but had the less prosaic name of Hundred Acre Lock in the Census returns.

The lock house (below) where James Rann lived, was on the offside and recorded on 10.8.1867 as Rann’s Lockhouse which needed “roof repairs because the rain comes in”. On 26.10.1877, a survey reported “The wooden rooms of the lockhouse which are below water level are very damp and the Committee recommend that they be pulled down and two rooms built over the existing brick building and the floor of the present living room raised and boarded.” (NA Rail 845/21).

The house pictured above was altered with the addition of an upper storey (faintly shown in red, below) soon after 1879 and the modified dwelling was insured for £100 on 20.4.1883. (NA Rail 845/23)

A comment by Charles Tween on 5th January 1900 "The Lockhouse is a wretched structure, it will be remembered that the Board when on Survey in 1898 instructed me to prepare plans for a new house "when the funds of the Board would admit", doesn't say much for the quality of the work!

LMA ACC 2423/P039

This altered building was replaced by a Lee Conservancy building on the western side of the Navigation at the back of the towing path in 1909

LMA ACC 2423/P337

To make the house stable, the foundations were 3’6’’ below the marsh and then carried up to 6’ to meet the Cheshunt U D C requirements. (NA Rail 845/36). This house was burnt down and the remains demolished after 1975, but it is still possible to trace the foundations of the bow window to the right of the building.

LMA ACC 2423/P40

LMA ACC 2423/P1892

The site plan for the new lock built in 1922, showing the outline of the lock keeper's house.

Cheshunt Lock

Census/Date	Name	Title	Wife	Location given by enumerator/Comments	Source Reference
1939	Frederick G Phipp (b 2.3.1890)	Lock keeper	Elizabeth (b. 30.3.1888)		1939 Register
1.4.1938	F G Phipp	Lock keeper	£1.8.0 to £1.10.0; 9.6.1948 £4.15.0; 2.5.1950 Last recorded r.o.p £4.18.6 (NJIC Award)		NA Rail 845/122 LCB Records
25.7.1936	F G Phipp	Lock keeper	Away owing to accident, returned to work 31.8.1936		LCB Records
9.1.1935	F G Phipp	Lock keeper	Appointed ex Dredger hand on "Hercules" at 28/- pw		LCB Records
19.7.1935	J W Phipp (71)	Lock keeper	Retired		NA Rail 845/119
2.11.1928	J W Phipp	Lock keeper	28/- per week now as had to keep a list of barges passing down from Associated Ballast Works		NA Rail 845/112
14.11.1919	J W Phipp	Lock keeper	27/- + house, garden, and uniform		NA Rail 845/46
15.2.1918	J W Phipp	Lock keeper	22/- per week		NA Rail 845/66
1.12.1916	J W Phipp	Lock keeper	£2 war bonus		NA Rail 845/43
4.3.1915	J W Phipp	Lock keeper	+2/- per week		NA Rail 845/42
2.2.1912	Phipps	Lock keeper	Also Fishery Keeper between Kings Weir and Fishers Green on the Old River at £4 per year (The work principally consists of keeping a look-out for poachers on Sundays. - C Tween)		NA Rail 845/39 LMA/ACC 2423/012
2.4.1911	James William Phipp (47)	Lock keeper	Alice	Cheshunt Lock House, Cheshunt	RG14PN7458 RG78PN360 RD132 SD8 ED8 SN212
7.1.1910	William James Phipps (44)	Lock keeper	Appointed		NA Rail 845/37
11.12.1909	Robert Gull	Lock keeper	Died 30.10.1909. Mrs Gull (66) continued to do his job for the same wages until relieved. Given gratuity of £1 and a pension of 5/- per week. (She died 31.8.1914)		NA Rail 845/37 NA Rail 845/41
30.4.1909	Robert Gull (63)	Lock keeper	Appointed (been a carpenter for the Board for 38 years)		NA Rail 845/36
2.4.1909	Thomas B Holdsworth	Lock keeper	Transferred to Hardmead Lock		NA Rail 845/36
6.2.1903	Thomas B Holdsworth	Lock keeper	Appointed		NA Rail 845/31
23.1.1903	Henry William Steers	Lock keeper	Appointed but resigned because the house was not large enough for his requirements.		NA Rail 845/31 and LMA ACC 2423/006
9.1.1903	W Jardine	Lock keeper	Sudden death on 28.12. 1902. 2 years 8 months with Board. Widow but no family. Has applied to stay with her nephew (19) to work the lock . This was refused by the Board and she was given £5 towards the funeral		NA Rail 845/31 and LMA ACC 2423/006
31.3.1901	William Jardine (51)	Lock keeper	Sarah	Cheshunt Lock	Cheshunt/5/28
2..2.1900	William Jardine (53)	Lock keeper	Appointed. Married , no family. "He was for 27 years foreman of the Telegraph and Telephones G.P.O wires along our river."		NA Rail 845/29
19.1.1900	Mrs Norton, the widow of the late Lock keeper writes asking if the Board will allow her "a little a week". I would advise that the Board give her say £5 when she clears out of the house.				LMA ACC 2423/028
5.1.1900	Daniel Norton	Lock keeper	"I have to report the death of Daniel Norton...he has been ill for some time and died on the 23rd ult.." (C Tween)		LMA ACC 2423/028
19.5.1893	Daniel Norton	Lock keeper	Cautioned to be more civil in his conduct		NA Rail 845/27
19.5.1893 "Respecting the charge made against Norton....of incivility to one of the boatmen on the River. I have enquired into the matter and find that it is much exaggerated - the man Norton is certainly not one of the most refined and courteous men on the River being very rough in his manner and speech naturally but he is one of the best Lock keepers on the River and has worked on the Navigation all his life. Our Lock keepers have a great deal to put up with from the boating people, many of whom seem to think the Navigation is kept up for their sole benefit and pleasure and I have continued letters of complaint from them of the bargemen and lock keepers not attending to their unreasonable and frequently insolent demands but on the whole if the boating people will only conform to the rules and regulations of the Navigation they will find no obstruction or inattention from either lock keepers or bargemen" (J Child) (LMA ACC 2423/004)
12.7.1892	Daniel Norton	Lock keeper	Appointed at Survey		NA Rail 845/26
1.1.1892	James Rann	Lock keeper	Deceased after 40 years service. 7/- per week to widow and funeral expenses paid		NA Rail 845/26
5.4.1891					No census Record
2.7.1883	James Rann	"allowed 5/- per week for a boy to assist him in his work, he being an old and faithful servant of the Board and now partly disabled by illness"			NA Rail 845/57
20.4.1883	J Rann	Lock keeper	Served 35 years. 16/- per week		NA Rail 845/23
4.4.1881	James Rann (66)	Lock keeper	Charlotte	Hundred Acre Lock	Cheshunt/7/23
2.4.1871	Michael Crawley (36)	Lock keeper	Ann	Cottage (Hundred Acre Lock in summary))	Cheshunt/7/22
8.4.1861	James Rann (46)	Lock keeper	Charlot	Lock keeper (Hundred Acre Lock in summary)	Cheshunt/6/22
17.11.1855	James Rann	Lock keeper	14/-/per week		NA Rail 845/14
21.10.1854	James Rann	Lock keeper	12/- up to 14/- per week		NA Rail 845/14
30.3.1851	James Rann (36)	Lock keeper	Charlotte	Lee River bank (Hundred Acre Lock in summary - Hundred Acre was the property on the eastern side of the lock)	Mx/Cheshunt/1c/22
1848	James Rann	Lock keeper	Appointed		NA Rail 845/23
7.6.1841					No Census Record

This site was last updated 03-Mar-2021