Hoping Jeannie sees this one, a Richard Porter, b Basingstoke 1796 d. Weston 1878 listed on a couple of census at Wharves as a boatman, hes my gt gt gt grandfather, different line to the known boatmen in my family. Was his family off the boats or the bank, struggling to find his early years.
The other line has raised a query too, James Bates and Susannah along with their kids are recorded in 1891 on two boats at Rounds Wharf Tividale one being Vulcan the other is not clearly legible but looks similar to Linda maybe, wondering who Vulcan was owned by and if there are any records that show it working together with another boat regularly, a long long shot I know but worth asking. Here is the entry or at least the interesting part for me.