The Case of the Two 'Collinas'

I have been busy this week finding out what I can about William Read's Colina. I was surprised to find, when reading Hugh Moffatt's Ships and Shipyards of Ipswich, that he spelt the name of Read's deliberately-sunk ship as 'Collina', not 'Colina' as it appeared in the Nautical Magazine's 1844 account of the trial of William Read and the Colina's master, William Simpson. Hugh Moffat quoted from a number of local Ipswich sources such as the Ipswich Journal, so it seemed likely that his spelling would be right; so how did the High Court and the Nautical Magazine get the spelling wrong?

On-line searches found a brig called the Collina sailing between Canada and Bideford in Devon. At first she seemed, from the dates of her voyages, to be the ship that Read later bought, but further in the records I found this ship sailing the Atlantic when William Read already owned a 'Colina/Collina' at Ipswich. Later, Gary Carroll of Canada pointed out that the Bideford Collina was lost on about the 16th November 1840, sailing from Prince Edward Island to Bideford. It is recorded that she 'drove ashore near London...' and '...the whole of her crew, except two, were drowned.'

As Read's Colina/Collina was lost off Holland in 1841 they must obviously be different ships. At Google Books, a reference to Read's Collina (spelt 'Reed') shows that she was also built at Prince Edward Island, but in 1827. It is interesting, if confusing, that two ships could have been built in close proximity and be given the same name.

The Nautical Magazine's spelling 'Colina' could be explained by them transcribing speech, though they also made a mistake with the name of Read's lawyer, calling him 'Cobbs' rather than Cobbold', but how does this explain the use of 'Colina' in the printed version of William Simpson's indictment in official court records?

See http://www.lostbrig.net/brig_collina_colina.html for more detail.

Frank Meadow Sutcliffe - Agnes & Mary

Frank Meadow Sutcliffe's photograph of the brig Mary & Agnes has been added to the lostbrig.net site, courtesy of The Sutcliffe Gallery, 1 Flowergate - Whitby - YO21 3BA - 01947 602239

This image shows the Mary & Agnes at the mercy of pounding seas off Whitby in 1885. Though the Elizabeth Jane was lost in 1854, this photograph, together with George Weatherill's watercolours of lost brigs on the coast near Whitby, strongly evoke her loss. It is hoped that evidence might yet come to light that will give further insight into the loss of the Elizabeth Jane.

Will of William Read of Ipswich

The will of William Read, ship builder of Ipswich, has been obtained and is to be found on the lostbrig.net website. William Read left his book entitled 'Stalkard on Naval Architecture' to Ebeneezer Robertson his foreman. 'Stalkard' probably refers to Marmaduke Stalkartt's 'Rudiments and Rules of Ship Building Exemplified in a Series of Draughts and Plans with Observations Tending to Further Improvement of that Important Art.'

Descendants of Thomas Hugh 1783-1860

Contact has been made with Donna Barraclough and Liz Wallace who are descendants of Thomas Hugh, Mariner and joint owner of Elizabeth Jane at the first registration in 1817 at Guysborough, Nova Scotia. The names of his family members seem to explain how this ship came to be called Elizabeth Jane. Thomas Hugh was married to Jane Aikens and with her had two daughters: Elizabeth Sarah b: 1810 and Sarah Jane b: 1812. Jane Aiken's mother's name was also Elizabeth.

Nothing is yet know about Charles Brown who jointly owned Elizabeth Jane at this time.