One of the Davis's found when looking through Parish Registers was Gabriel, married to Kate Celestine and father of Edith Valentine born in 1899. At the time it was not clear where fitted in the family in fact he was Gabriel 1849-1928 son of Gabriel & Marianne and nephew of WHD . However the really interesting thing I came across, quite by chance, was an article in a boating magazine and I do not usually buy boating magazines.
From Motor Boat and Yachting January 26, 1968:-
THE GRAND TOUR.
Henry Rodolph de Salis is best remembered for his contribution to waterways literature: a prosaically titled volume known as Bradshaw's Canals and Navigable Rivers of England and Wales. This monumental guide first appeared in 1904, passed through several editions up to 1928, and now fetches in the region £10 per copy through the rare book trade. There have been subsequent imitations, but Bradshaw remains the unsurpassed memorial to the man who devoted much of his life to furthering the canal cause. Mr de Salis was an engineer and director of Fellows Morton and Clayton the famed narrow boat operators whose fleet continued up to nationalisation and subsequent disposal as well as having connections with the management of the powerful Grand Junction Canal Company.
Bradshaw's Canals was the result of 11 years of research starting in 1893, when de Salis began to personally inspect every mile of navigable waterway, noting locks, bridges, wharves, distances and commercial use. Soon after the project commenced it appears that he grew weary of towpath walking and determined to have built a special boat constructed to the largest dimension compatible with passing through the smallest lock on the network. These measurements, together with the general design and specification of the boat hold good today, indeed one could hardly do better than to copy the basic plans of "Dragon Fly" in producing the ideal canal cruiser.
After consulting the General Manager of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company, and Mr. Clayton of Fellows, Morton and Clayton, de Salis prepared designs in conjunction with the builder, a Mr G. Davis of St. Helen's Works, Abingdon who had already produced a number of steam launches for Thames use. The "Dragon Fly" was launched with due ceremony on April 23, 1895 (the day no doubt having been selected out of respect to St George) and ran short trial trips on May 9 and 11. From May 20 to 29, extended trials took place, a run being made to Enslow on the Oxford Canal and from there to Kingston-on-Thames and back again to Oxford. A fortnight later all was ready for the first marathon voyage - a spectacular feat of navigation
DRAGON FLY
Dragon Fly's Engine
Built by Gabriel Davis
Built by Gabriel Davis
St Helens Works, Thames Wharf, 1890
