A DIARY OF SHIPPING EVENTS IN THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND

The following are extracts from 'The local records of Stockton and the
neighbourhood or a Register of Memorable Events",  by Thomas Richmond.
Published by William Robinson (Stockton).
E. Marlborough & Co 1868 (London)


1299
William le JETOUR, the master of hartlepool ship, with a crew of 27 men
and 2 barges, were employed in the transport of provisions from Berwick
for the use of the king's army at Stirling and Edinburgh;  the master
had sixpence, and the sailors threepence a day.

1637
William BUCK and Roger STAINTHORPE, two of Mr. Robert LAMPTON'sseamen,
sitting on the side of the vessell, called 'Lampton Folly', fell
backwards over into the river, and were both drowned.  They were buried
at Stockton July 9th.

Feb 1650
An Irish frigat boarded a Newcastle ship near Hartlepool, which the Governor, capt Richard WEBB, seeing caused some of his guns to be so planted, that they shot the Irish frigat through and through, and caused her to hasten away, and leave her prize behind, which came in safe to Hartlepool.  - Whitlock.

12/3/1651
Cpt John DENTON was charged before the bailiffs of Scarborough with piracy.  William BATTY, mariner, deposited that the prisoner, 'capt of ketch, with one peece of ordinance and about 30 men,' took the 'AMITY' of Scarborough, between the roads of that port and Filey bay, in 1649, and kept her until Robert ROGERS, her master, gave him ransom.  Leonard
GREEN deposed, that in the same year, about Christmas, being a servant in a ship being in Tees water', the prisoner and his men came on board, and carried away a bag of money, several suits of apparel, and nearly 200 firkins of butter.  We have here one of many cases of piracy that occurred about this time on our coast.  'The leading offender, Cpt DENTON, says the Rev. James RAINE (editor of Surtees Society's 40th volume), seems to have been another Paul Jones in these waters.  In June 1651, having been allowed by the obliging gaolers of York castle to go into the city, accompanied by a keeper, to dine with Cpt William
THORNTON, horses were waiting for him at Walmgate Bar, and he got clear away.

11/1/1690
A severe storm - two ships from Tease, one of them was lost, both men and passengers drowned, a sweet young man, the maister, named John HERON'.

26/2/1701
John THOMPSON of Stockton, with the whole of his ship's company, except one man, were cast away on the coast of Lincolnshire.

1718
In this year there entered the port of London, 75 corn ships from Stockton, 19 from Hartlepool, and 2 from Sunderland.

26/9/1734
The ship 'Eden' of Stockton, John HARRISON master, was wrecked near Harwich on her passage from London.

1/1/1758
Christopher ALLISON (a native of Stockton), master of the 'Adventurer',
armed ship, distinguished himself in a most courageous manner, in the
capture of the 'Machault' French Privateer (of 14 nine pounders and 182
men), in Duneness-road.  The commander, Cpt BRAY, assumed the merit of
the action and received the reward; but it was owing to the suggestions
and order of Cpt ALLISON principally that the success was obtained.  Cpt ALLISON died at Stockton 11/7/1808 aged 87.

5/6/1764
Died at Ayton age 80, Cpt William WILSON.  A commodore and
commander-in-chief of the marine force of the East India Company, he
performed various distinguished services, for which he was presented by
the directors with a gold medal, commemorative of the same.

16/1/1772
The 'Doe and Debby' of Stockton (John WATSON Master), was wrecked near
Yarmouth Roads, on her passage from Gothenburg.  All hands perished.

6/1/1774
The 'Thomas and Rebecca', Cpt. HOPPER, Hull for Newcastle with goods and cheese, was drove on shore near Hartlepool, and wrecked; the crew and part of the cargo were saved.  A set of barbarians came down from the country, and in a savage manner plundered the ship, and carried off a great number of cheeses.

8/12/1778
'The Bellona' frigate, built at Stockton by Pye, for government was
launched; she mounted 20 guns (6 pounders), and 12 swivels; left the
Tees in October 1779, and was wrecked in the Texel in December
following.

14/2/1779
Capt. James COOK, the celebrated circum-navigator, was murdered at
Owhyhee.  He was born at Marton in Cleveland, of honest industrious
parents, Oct 27th 1728.

Sep 1789
A life boat (suggested by the loss of the 'Adventurer' with her crew)
was built by subscription at S. Shields, by H. GREATHEAD.  It was first
used on Jan 30th 1790, when several seamen were brought off in safety
from a wreck in the offing.

1790
Mark PYE and Thomas HAW, shipbuilders at Stockton built between 1782 and 1790, 24 vessels, of which the 'Aurora' appears to have been the
largest, her length being 97 ft, breadth 30 ft and depth 19ft.  Between
1790 and 1805, Thos HAW built 40 vessels, the largest of which were the
'Highland Lass' (556 tons), the 'Tottenham (517 tons), and the
'Experiment'.  The first 2 were built for Capt W. CHRISTOPHER.  From the early part of 1805 to April 1817, Mr HAW built 16 vessels, 10 of which were under 100 tons, and the remainder above 100 tons.  The 'Lively'(104 tons), Westmorland (108), 'Billy' (136) and Aurora (186).  The last named vessel was built for Cpt B. ROBINSON and the first 2 for the Merchants Shipping Co.  The tonnage of the 16 vessels together were 1212 tons.

23/1/1796
In consequence of a violent storm of wind from the S.W. Thomas
HUTCHINSON, of Stockton, was driven to sea in the afternoon in a small
open boat, which he was loading with sand near Clement's Beacon; and on
the evening of the following day he was taken up at sea, near Holy
Island, by a Sunderland vessel.  He had been employed the whole of this
time in laving water from the boat, which sunk within ten minutes after
he had left her.  HUTCHINSON died in Sherburn Hospital.  At the same
time another sand boat, with decks, was driven to sea with an old man
and his wife on board; the vessel was found near Whitby the next day,
the old couple having perished through cold and fatigue.

5/4/1799
A dreadful gale, attended with much snow, took place this night.
Upwards of 100 vessels took shelter in the Tees.  The 'Experiment' of
Stockton, was lost near Seaham, on the 6th the master John FOULSTONE
with the crew all perished.

19/4/1802
A large vessel the 'Tottenham, 517 tons, intended for the East India
Service, was launched at Stockton from T. HAW's yard.  The ship '
Ranger' for the West India trade, was launced the same week from
Melanby's yard.

19/3/1811
The 'Satisfaction', of Stockton, and two other vessels, all coal laden,
were lost on the Gunfleet Sand.  The crews were saved.

Apr 1811
T. ROBINSON, pilot, lost in a small boat at the mouth of the Tees.
28/1/1814
The 'Betsy' of Sunderland, coal laden, came ashore at Seaton, and soon
afterwards went to pieces.  The crew were, with great difficulty, saved
by the Hartlepool lifeboat.

27/11/1812
John GIBSON one of the Tees pilots, when returning to his boat at
Stockton, fell into the river, and was drowned.

10/2/1814
The ice by which the Tees had been choked for the last 5 weeks broke
up.  The 'Hawk' (London trader) broke from her moorings at Stockton by
the pressure of loose ice, passed through the new cut, and ran aground
at Newport.

19/11/1814
Died at Stockton age 70, Vice Admiral BRUNTON.  He was born at Stockton; and entered the navy in 1771, serving first on board the Marlborough as an able seaman, and afterwards as master's mate.  He was promoted to be a Lieutenant, in 1777; a Commander, in 1782; a Post Captain, in 1783 a Rear-Admiral of the Blue, in 1805; a Vice Admiral of the Blue, in 1810; a Vice Admiral of the White, June 4th 1814.  The infirmity of deafness was the cause of his not being employed in active service, in the latter period of his life.  He sustained the honest character of a British sailor in the most honourable manner, and as the tablet erected to his memory in Stockton church express, ''He possessed the esteem of all with whom he served, whilst his conduct in private life procured him universal respect''.

22/11/1829
The brig 'General' belonging to the General Shipping Co. Stockton, lost
at St. Agnes on the coast of Cornwall.  The master SHIPLEY and the whole crew perished.

12/12/1830
A tremendous gale this morning, and several vessels wrecked near
Seaton, amongst which were the 'Newcastle', vessel, with a crew of 9 men, 2 only of whom were saved; and the 'George' of Newry, laden with kelp, the crew drowned.

25/7/1831
A cargo of coals (the first) was shipped at Seaham amidst the firing of
cannon and the cheering of the crowds.

30/5/1832
The 'Mary Hall' of Stockton, seized at Sunderland, with 10 tons of
tobacco (smuggled), value £3000.  The master DRYDEN ad mate were
committed t Durham Gaol, and afterwards sentenced to one months
imprisonment and to serve in the navy 5 years.

5/5/1833
The 'Paragon' a vessel belonging to the Stockton Shipping Co, took fire
about 7pm, when at anchor near the Nore, and was totally destroyed.  The crew and passengers, together 16 persons, saved their ives by taking to the boat, but no part of the property was saved.

1/9/1833
The gale from the NE which commenced the previous night, continued the
whole of this day, with the most tremendous seas remembered, and
incessant torrents of rain, occasioning, on the whole of the eastern
coast, an immense loss of life and property.  The woks of Hartlepool
fortunately escaped injury, but considerable damage was don to those at
Seahma Harbour, and at Sunderland the breast work of the South pier was
washed away.  'The EAGLE', Cpt CLAWSON from Stockton to Rotterdam, with
coals and earthenware, was totally lost near Hornsey.  The crew saved.

3/4/1834
The 'Hawk Packet' of Newcastle, and the sloop 'Sisters' of Whitby, came
in contact off Hartlepool early this morning.  The 'Sisters sunk, and 3
out of 4 men were drowned.

9/12/1834
George ROBINSON, a Redcar pilot, at imminent peril,, put to sea in a
small boat, and succeeded in saving the lives of 2 boys who had been
left by the life boat (when it rescued the rest of the crew), lashed to
the rigging of the brig 'Mowbray' which had been wrecked near Redcar.
For this noble act a subscription was etered into at Stockton, and (in
the following May) a silver tankard presented to him by Mr. Rd DICKSON,
in the names of the subscribers.

7/5/1836
The 'Englishman' Cpt SHARP, in leaving the river Tees, went aground on
the Bar, and became a total wreck.

1837
Shipbuilding commenced at Hartlepool by Messrs Richardson and Parkin
building this year the 'Castle Eden', 258 tons; the 'Richmond Lass' 281
tons; and the 'Victoria 182 tons.  This was followed by the
establishment of the slip-way on the Middleton Shore.  44 ships built in 1851.

3/2/1837
The first ship the 'Coundon', 340 tons, built in Spence's new shipyard,
Thornaby, was launched.

20/2/1837
A Mutual Marine Association formed at Stockton.  At this time there were nearly 200 vessels connected with the port.

22/7/1837
Two men and 2 boys belonging to the 'James' a Perth vessel, which was
lying with a cargo of coals at the Clarence Staithes, Stockton, were
suffocated in consequence of the coals taking fire during the night from negligence of the coal trimmers in placing their candles against the ceiling of the vessel.

20/8/1837
The brig 'Fanny' of Stockton, took fire, when off Filey, and was totally destroyed.  She belonged to Stockton shipping Co, which lost a vessel in a similar manner in Nov 1833.

6/11/1837
As the steam vessel 'Freedom' was towing 2 ships out of the river Tees,
the boiler burst, and the vessels were blown up, and immediately sunk.
There were 3 men on board, 2 of whom were much injured; but the master,
John WHITE, lost his life by the accident.

9/11/1837
The ship 'Stafford' Cpt HASWELL, with flax, from Rotterdam to Stockton,
run down near Flamborough Head by a loaden collier.  Crew saved.

13/8/1838
As the brig 'Mary' Cpt ROBSON, was proceeding out of the Tees this
night, she struck heavily on the bar.  A steamer of Hartlepool came to
her assistance, but the water increased so much on her that she could
not be kept afloat, and eventually sunk in about 4 fathoms at low water.

1839
This year there were at Hartlepool 90 vessels, measuring about 22,050
tons, and representing a capital of £208,800.  At the close of 1854
there were registered in the port 173 sailing vessels, measuring 35,993
tons.

13/7/1839
The 'South Stockton' launched, being the first vessel from the building
yard at South Stockton, situated opposite to Cleveland Row.

18/7/1839
The first cargo of coals from Cornforth Colliery, the property of Messrs Ripon, of North Shields, shipped at Hartlepool.

14/11/1841
The brig 'Susannah' the property of the Commercial Shipping Co,
Stockton, wrecked during a storm, opposite to Coatham, and all hands
(nine) lost.  11 other vessels came on shore near the same place, 2 of
which went to pieces.

2/2/1842
Died in Stockton aged 86, Ralph STODDART, the oldest seaman in the
port.  He fought under Nelson at the battle of the nile.

12/5/1842
The dock at Middlesbrough, which had water admitted into it first time
on 19th March, was this day opened for business.  It has an area of 9
acres of water surface, and is entered by channel rather more than a
quarter of a mile in length.  There is capacity for 150 sail of large
sized vessels, and in moderate spring-tides there is 25 ft of water in
the dock, and 19 in the channel.

18/2/1843
The brig 'Mary' (Mellanby), belonging to the Stockton Gen. Ship Co., was lost on the Maplin, on her way to Rochester.

18/2/1843
The 'English Rose', the first steamboat built in the port of Stockton,
made her first experiment.  She was built by Y. LANE & Co., South
Stockton, and her engines made by Bolckow & Vaughan, Middlesbrough.

11/7/1843
Died at Bellvue, Harrogate, aged 82.  Thomas THRUSH Esq. justly honoured
for his conscientious resignation of rank and emolument in the Royal
Navy, on account of his conviction of the unlawfulness of war according
to Christian principles.  Mr. THRUSH was a native of Stockton, and son
of William THRUSH, iron monger there.  On the removal of the family to
Richmond, he was placed in the grammar school under the tuition of the
Rev. Anthony Temple.  In 1782 he obtained his mothers reluctant consent
for his entering the sea service, his original desire.  In 1787, through
Cpt. BRUNTON's interest with Lord Mulgrave, he was appointed master's
mate on board the 'Ariel', a sloop of war.  In 1802 he became commander.

27/10/1843
Severe storm at sea.  The 'Alonzo' of Stockton, lost on the Cornwall
coast, with all hands, and the 'Cygnet', a vessel belonging to the
Commercial Sipping Co, lost on the Gunfleet sands,

11/10/1844
The 'Normanby', a Stockton vessel, coal laden, run into by another
vessel, off Whitby, and sunk soon after.  The crew were saved.

2/11/1844
Two vessels wrecked near to Seaton, during a storm; one a Gothenburg
vessel, the other the 'Celia', from Memel to Hull, which lost 6 hands
out of a crew of 12.  Several vessels in addition to these came on
shore.

21/12/1845
The vessel 'Commerce' Cpt. LISTER was wrecked on making for the Tees
during a storm this morning.

21/6/1846
Three brothers, William, Chas and Thom TRAVIS were, with a waterman (T.
WESTALL), unfortunately drowned by the upsetting of the boat in which
they were proceeding from Hartlepool to Middlesbrough.

6/12/1847
A severe storm at sea.  Two Stockton vessels were lost in Yarmouth
Roads.  One of them, the 'Durham Packet' Cpt GREEN, belonging to the
Merchants Shipping Co, was lost on the Scroby Sand; the crew were
saved.  The other, the schooner 'Northallerton' Cpt GAUDIE, belonging to the London and Stockton Shipping Co, was lost on Winterton Ridge, but the crew 8 in number unfortunately perished.

6/9/1848
The 'Thirsk Packet' a vessel belonging to the Merchants Shipping Co, was run into by a Shoreham light collier, near Staithes, and so severely shattered in the midships, that she sunk in about 10 minutes, but the crew were saved.  The loss of the cargo mounted to £4000, and the ship £2000.

27/11/1848
A fire broke out this evening in the wet dock at Hartlepool on board the brig 'John and Richard', of Sunderland.  The vessel was burnt to the waters edge.

March 1852
The 'Olive Branch' from Stockton to Canada, loaded with coals and
earthenware, was lost in the St. Lawrence.  The crew and 36 passengers
were saved, but the ship was a total wreck.

6/2/1853
The 'Fox', of Stockton, cast on shore within a few miles of Boulogne by
the fury of the gale.  The whole crew (numbering 8 or 10) perished.

26/1/1854
The 'Advance', the first Iron ship built on the banks of the Tees, was
launched from the yard of the Iron Shipbuilding Co, South Stockton.  She was a screw steamer of 336 tons, and intended for the London and
Middlesbrough trade.  The shipyard shortly after passed into the hands
of Messrs Richardson, Duck & Co.

28/8/1855
The "Westminster" (731 tons), the largest vessel ever built on the banks of
the Tees, launched from the ship-yard of Messrs. TURNBULL & Co., South
Stockton.  Her dimensions were:- length and rake, 165 feet; extreme breadth,
30 1/2 feet; and depth, 19 3/4 feet.  The "Osprey,"
an iron steamer, 386 tons, was launched the same day from the building yard
of Messrs. PEARSE & Co.  Her dimensions were:- length of keel and fore rake,
170 feet;  extreme breadth, 28 1/3 feet; and depth of hold 15 feet.

5/2/1856
The 'Demetrius' 600 tons, the first iron vessel built at West
Hartlepool, launched from the building yard of Mr. John PILE.

6/2/1856
A Stockton trader the 'Darlington', loaded with iron &c, came into
collision with a Sunderland vessel, on her voyage to London and almost
immediately sunk.  Crew saved.


7/3/1859
The 'Margaret', of London, in ballast, struck on the rocks off Redcar,
and was lost.  The crew took to the boats, and were saved.

30/7/1859
The "Euphrosyne", an iron screw steamer, the largest vessel built at
Stockton, launched from Messrs. PEARSE & Co's yard.  She will carry 1400
tons, her engines being 120 horse power.  Registered tonnage
999 3/4 o.m.  Extreme length 228 feet.

22/8/1859
Cpt Phillip BARKER of Stockton, on his voyage in the ship 'Margaret',
from Lisbon to America, was murdered by the cook (a Portuguese).  The
ship was brought to Falmouth by the mate, and the murderer delivered up
into the hands of the police.  He was tried at the Central Criminal
Court, London (in Oct), found guilty, and sentenced to death.  There
being grounds, however, for suspecting that the man was insane when he
committed the offence, he was respited to give an opportunity for
inquiry at Lisbon and other places as to his state of mind.  The result
was that, in May 1860, his sentence was changed to that of penal
servitude for life.

10/10/1859
A heavy gale from the North East, and various losses at sea.  'The Era'
of Whitby, whilst attempting to take the west harbour, Hartlepool, was
totally wrecked.

28/5/1860
The 'Corra Linn' of Stockton, a small vessel laden with guano, was lost
with all hands at the mouth of the Tees.

13/11/1860
A screw steamer ("The Zaire")  the largest of the kind that has been built
on the Tees, launched from the yard of Messrs,PEARSE & Co., Stockton.  Her
tonnage 1193 o.m;  horese power, 120; accomodation,
40 first class, 36 second class, and 60 third class passengers.
She was built for trade between Spain and Africa.

16/12/1860
The brig 'Eliza' Cpt PINKNEY of Stockton wrecked on the North Gare near
Redcar; crew saved.

16/1/1861
The 'Theodore' laden with coals and bricks, from Dieppe for Hartlepool,
was lost near Skinningrove.  The crew (8 men) took to their boat, which
was instantly swamped; the captain alone, who had a lifebuoy, on was
saved.

9/2/1861
A storm on the east coast, which commenced the evening before,  increased this morning to a fearful extent, and was the most disastrous of any gale within the memory of the oldest seafaring man resident in the vicinity of the Tees Bay.  From 60 - 70 vessels were wrecked at or near Hartlepool, besides many others along the coast; and upwards of   50 seamen lost their lives between Hartlepool and Huntcliff.  At   Whitby, the life boat was upset, and 12 lives were lost.  The river   Tees rose 18 inches higher than the ordinary spring tides, the highest seen for several years past.

5/10/1861
A barge launched from the yard of PEARSE & Co., Stockton, for the use of the
Cleveland and Normanby Railway, capable of carrying 24 waggons, containing
13 1/4 tons each, across the River Tees.

20/3/1862
The steamship 'Onward', of Middlesbrough, wrecked on her passage to London, 14 miles west of Flamborough Head.  The crew and 17 passengers had scarcely left the vessel 10 minutes when she sank.

13/2/1863
The brig 'Sceptre', of Middlesbrough, bound for London with coal,   whilst lying at single anchor, near to the Lower Hope Point, was run   into by the screw steamer 'Scotia', which carried away her foremast.   The ship almost immediately sank, and 3 of the crew, who were asleep   in the forecastle, were drowned; the master and other 5 of the crew  were saved.

25/11/1864
A violent gale on the east coast.  Several wrecks at Tynemouth.  The 'Juniata' of Hartlepool went on shore at Harwich, with the loss of 4  men.

1/12/1864
Early this morning, as a number of workmen were crossing by the Hartlepool Ferry to their daily employment, the boat, by injudicious management, came in contact with a steam tug, and half filled with water, when the greater part of the passengers were thrown out; all   got safely landed, with the exception of John LAING, a smith, who was drowned.  An inquest on the 4th Jan, accidentally drowned.