Editing Wherry (section)

== Thames history ==

The term "wherry" or "wherrie" was a regular term used for a boat as the [[Coverdale Bible]] of 1535 speaks of "All whirry men, and all maryners vpo the see..." in the [[Book of Ezekiel]].

Wherries along the [[tideway]] in [[London]] were [[water taxi]]s operated by [[watermen]] and in [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]] times their use was widespread. A wherry could be rowed by two men with long oars or by a single waterman using short oars or 'sculls'. An [[Act of Parliament]] in 1555 specified that a wherry should be "{{frac|22|1|2}} feet long and {{frac|4|1|2}} wide 'amidships'" ({{cvt|22.5|by|4.5|ft|m|disp=out}}).<ref>Calendar of State Papers Venetian, XV, p. 102</ref> and could carry up to five passengers.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1925-01-31|title=Calendar of State Papers. Venetian. 1636–1639|journal=Notes and Queries|volume=CLXVIII|pages=89–90|doi=10.1093/nq/clxviii.jan31.89g|issn=1471-6941}}</ref> During Shakespeare's time, patrons often crossed the River Thames to Southwark's theatre district, including the Globe Theatre, using 'wherry boats' operated by watermen. Estimates suggest that around 3,000 such boats were in operation, providing transportation including to the theatre district.<ref>{{Cite web |title=London {{!}} Shakespeare's Globe |url=https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/shakespeares-world/london/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Shakespeare's Globe |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=British Museum |title=Historical city travel guide: London in the late 16th century. |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/historical-city-travel-guide-london-late-16th-century}}</ref>

During the eighteenth century rowing competitions for watermen became established on the Thames, and the prize was often a new wherry. The Sporting Magazine describes an event on 6 August 1795 as "the contest for the annual wherry given by the Proprietors of Vauxhall by six pairs of oars in three heats". In 1822 ''Bell's Life'' reported on a contest on 30 June between eight watermen belonging to the Temple Stairs for "a prize wherry given by the gentlemen of the [[Inns of Court]]" and on 31 July "the anniversary of the Grand Aquatic Regatta of the inhabitants of [[Queenhithe]]", when "a handsome Wherry" and other prizes were contended for by "six of the free watermen belonging to those stairs".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22196|title=Sport, ancient and modern: Pastimes - British History Online|website=british-history.ac.uk|access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref> In 1820 there were still 3,000 wherries plying on the Thames, while in the same year there were only 1,200 hackney coaches. As late as 1829, the usual means of crossing the river from [[Westminster]] to [[Vauxhall]] was by boat, but the wherryman's trade came to an end when new bridges were built and cheap steamboats were put on the river.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45154|title=The river Thames: Part 2 of 3 - British History Online|website=british-history.ac.uk|access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref>