According to information passed down the generations, John Maple was born in 1786 but I think it very likely that he is the John Maple baptised at Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire in 1785. His age at death was recorded as 52.

When he came to London (if he was not born there) is not known but his first marriage took place in 1810 at St Marylebone. His wife died in 1816 and he married Esther Keyess in 1817.

On joining the civil service one had to swear an oath of allegiance and John Maple swore his oath on 5^th July 1814. Documents generally recorded his occupation as ‘Custom House Officer’ which may sound a bit grand but he was the lowest grade. He was in a department (one of many) called "Waterguard" and was one of 170 "tide waiters of the second class" each on a salary of £40 p.a. plus 3/− a day when employed. These people ranked behind 150 "tide waiters of the first class" who were on £50 p.a. plus 3/− a day when employed. The remainder of Waterguard consisted of 32 individuals on salaries ranging from £150 p.a. to £600 p.a. This information was gleaned at the National Archives from a salary list dated 5th January 1834.

A tide-waiter's task was to board incoming vessels arriving on the high tide and check that they tied up at the appointed place on the Quay. The tide waiter joined London bound boats, for example, at Greenwich, and made sure that the cargo was not unloaded on an isolated jetty out of sight of the waiting triumvirate of controller, collector and surveyor. To ensure the honesty of the tide waiter there was another official, the tide-surveyor.

The children of both marriages were baptised in the Tower Hamlets area of London where he presumably lived - being convenient for the river. However, both marriages took place at St Marylebone and he is recorded on both occasions as being “of this parish”. This sounds like a rather long commute but it is only a couple of miles from the nearest point of the Thames if he was picked up by boat. Alternatively, the Regent’s Canal leads to Limehouse Basin although the distance is over 8 miles.