Complex sentence: The families of these operators were constantly on the move and their children were seldom educated beyond what they could learn from their parents, as a result, narrowboat people tended to be regarded with suspicion by landsmen.
Split into simpler sentences: The families of these operators were constantly on the move and their children were seldom educated beyond what could be picked up from their parents. As a result, narrowboat people tended to be regarded with suspicion by landsmen.