Built by Howard's at Maldon in Essex in 1889, the Ethel Maud is a well-preserved centenarian vessel. Initially, she operated for Parkers before transferring to Green Brothers, the millers in Maldon, until their business was sold in 1964.

The vessel belonged to a type known as stack barges or "stackies." These barges were loaded with hay and straw sourced from farms in Essex, Kent, and Suffolk, which were used to feed and bed working horses on the streets of East London. Due to their loaded appearance, they were also referred to as "haystack barges." On return journeys, they frequently carried cargoes of "scrapings"—horse manure collected from the streets of the City and repurposed by farmers in East Anglia.

Stack barges like the Ethel Maud transported a variety of cargoes that were faster and more economical to move by barge than by horse-drawn wagon or early railways. However, with the opening of Tilbury docks in 1958, traditional traffic to the London docks declined, and the operational significance of working boats gradually diminished.

Despite her age, the Ethel Maud was a fast sailer. Her moveable bowsprit could carry two staysails, a jib, and a foresail. She was rigged with a mainsail, topsail, and mizzen, and could occasionally add two additional foresails used similarly to spinnakers. The vessel sailed competitively in barge races until 1970. Her rigging allowed the spars to be lowered easily to pass under bridges, and despite a draft of three feet, her lee-boards provided good windward performance.

The Ethel Maud was sold into retirement in 1963. Her current owners, David and Jean Maude (unrelated to the vessel's original name), converted her into a houseboat in the Kentish seaside town of Sheerness. She is presently located at Rochester.

During the Dunkirk evacuation, the Ethel Maud was loaded with stores for the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), although her precise role in the operation has not been documented.