Image Gallery for Lost Brig Site - Version one
I have added an 'Image Gallery' to the lost brig site. I did a 'search' of jpeg files from the website folders; copied these to a new folder; got Picasa to index these and build a website from the files found. I have not yet made links from the images back to the website. I am thinking about how I can do this, easily, on a regular basis. The original Image Gallery is still on the site.
New Gallery of Images for the brig Elizabeth Jane Website
I have long held the view that websites often conceal as much as communicate. The Elizabeth Jane's site in its current state is, I think, an example of this. People like to see pictures and use them to decide what they want to know more about. I have decided to make a 'gallery' of all the images on the Lostbrig site with the help of 'Picasa', Google's free image cataloguing and image editing software. Picasa is able to generate a website, which can be published like any other website; and it will also upload images to a Picasa Web Album where they can be shared by a web or email link. This should happen quite soon, though I am unsure at the moment how I will make the connection between the website image and its location.
Registration Documents of the Sloop Samuel
I have recently received, from the North East Lincolnshire Archives, the registration document of the Samuel of Grimsby. The Samuel rescued the crew of the Elizabeth Jane when she was abandoned in July 1854. The Samuel was built by Samuel and George Bennett in 1849 and was registered at Grimsby on the 17th July 1850. Her registration document shows that she was a sloop.
Thanks to the work of a descendant of the Bennett brothers, I now know that the Samuel was built at the Barnby Basin which was at the end of the Barnsley Canal. Cawthorne and Kexborough are the closest modern settlements to its remains. The site of the Barnby Basin may also be seen on Google Maps.
The Barnby Basin is now filled in, but there are photographs of remaining cottages at Barnby see: http://www.billogs.com/cb/yorkshire.htm . A link from this page provides much information about canals in the area at the time of the Samuel. Google Books has much contemporary information about the Barnby Basin and its surrounding area:
The Barnby Basin is now filled in, but there are photographs of remaining cottages at Barnby see: http://www.billogs.com/cb/yorkshire.htm . A link from this page provides much information about canals in the area at the time of the Samuel. Google Books has much contemporary information about the Barnby Basin and its surrounding area:
More about Ebenezer Robertson
I have recently been in contact with Richard Pinner a descendant of Ebenezer Robertson's family. He has given me interesting photographs from a family bible detailing births and deaths in the Robertson family over about a century. This information is closely related to William Read's will and the chart of William Read's immediate family. The photographs from the bible, a transcription of the recorded births and deaths, and the biblical texts mentioned will be published soon. Please note: In William Read's will 'Ebeneezer' is spelled with two 'e's; in the family bible 'Ebeneezer' is spelled with one.
Key People in William Read's Will
All the names in William Read's will have been added to the Key People page of this site. Those who are related to Read have had their relationship explained by using MyHeritage's Family Tree Builder's website to build text relationship charts which explain each individual's relationship to Read. It is possible to search this site for each name or individual.
The confusion as to the identity of Read's Executors is now clear: they cannot be the William and Thomas Taylor who are bank clerks as Read's exceutors are separately listed as beneficiaries. The two remaining candidates are therefore Thomas Taylor grandfather of the clerks and his son William who is father of the clerks. Read therefore was able to protect the interests of his wife by appointing her brother William and his son (her nephew) as Executors.
I have begun to add some images to the Stockton on Tees page; including a print of the port Stockton in 1825 which is two years before the Elizabeth Jane was registered there. Stockton is important in the history of the Railway and this connects in well with Read's later journey to Liverpool, the introduction of steam as a motive power, the start of the demise of sail and the rise and rise of coal.
The confusion as to the identity of Read's Executors is now clear: they cannot be the William and Thomas Taylor who are bank clerks as Read's exceutors are separately listed as beneficiaries. The two remaining candidates are therefore Thomas Taylor grandfather of the clerks and his son William who is father of the clerks. Read therefore was able to protect the interests of his wife by appointing her brother William and his son (her nephew) as Executors.
I have begun to add some images to the Stockton on Tees page; including a print of the port Stockton in 1825 which is two years before the Elizabeth Jane was registered there. Stockton is important in the history of the Railway and this connects in well with Read's later journey to Liverpool, the introduction of steam as a motive power, the start of the demise of sail and the rise and rise of coal.
More about William Read's Will
By reading William Read's will I have, together with some addition information found at http://genforum.genealogy.com/robertson/messages/7093.html, been able to build a chart of William Read's immediate family. William Read looks quite isolated on it. He appears to have had no children with his wife Mary, though Maria Hare's child was (I think) judged to be his by a court. His sister Sophia is the only direct relative mentioned in his will, though she was already dead when Read wrote it in 1866. I do not yet know the order (or status) of Read's mother's relationships to Mr Mack, Mr Gill and Mr Read, though she clearly had children with them.
William Read's Will
I have begun to analyse William Read's will hoping that the characters named will reveal and suggest new lines of enquiry.
Voyage of the 'Orwell'
William Read commented that 'the "Orwell"... ...landed her passengers, having completed her passage of 100 miles'. Today I investigated this further by retracing the paddle steamer's voyage from Ipswich using a Google Map and its Distance Tool. It appears that Read probably disembarked at Billingsgate Market. This point on the Thames was close to the Spread Eagle Inn and is, according to Google, 97.7634 miles from Ipswich.
More about Bridlington
More photographs have been added to the Bridlington page using a Google Picasa Web-Album. These photographs were taken on the 155th anniversary of the loss of the Elizabeth Jane and the setting-down of her crew at Bridlington Quay, then about three miles from Bridlington town, by the Samuel of Grimsby. To date nothing is known about this vessel. Bridlington seemed very sad that evening. Few people were there, and bars and cafes were empty. In 2009 The George is the pub nearest to the harbour and seems likely to have been there in 1854. Did Captain Archer treat his crew to a drink to celebrate, or were they 'teetotal' or 'temperate'?
From The Sailor's Magazine and Naval Journal 1833
While writing and looking-up teetotal etc., I came across Henry Vincent, who has connections with Hull and Yorkshire, and in 1842 stood for Parliament at Ipswich in 1842and 1847 as an independent. He was a printer by trade and knew Tom Paine, and was influential in the early Working Men's Association and campaigned for universal suffrage. See Chartists.net and Chartist Newspapers online.According to the print of 'French and English Sailors...' at The George, English and French sailors wore the same uniform. Presuming these are navy men, what did merchant seamen wear?
From The Sailor's Magazine and Naval Journal 1833
While writing and looking-up teetotal etc., I came across Henry Vincent, who has connections with Hull and Yorkshire, and in 1842 stood for Parliament at Ipswich in 1842and 1847 as an independent. He was a printer by trade and knew Tom Paine, and was influential in the early Working Men's Association and campaigned for universal suffrage. See Chartists.net and Chartist Newspapers online.According to the print of 'French and English Sailors...' at The George, English and French sailors wore the same uniform. Presuming these are navy men, what did merchant seamen wear?
Francis Hammond - Related Trials
By carefully reading of the trials (trial 2) associated with Francis Hammond I have been able to identify the location of his rented shop in Oxford Street: 'I am waterman (who waters horses, not to be confused with a man who works on the river) of the coach-stand in Oxford Street, at the corner of Argyle Street (spelt 'Argyll' on Google Maps), opposite the prosecutor's shop'. We also know that his 'shop-woman' was called Mrs Bean. In 1856 he was 'in partnership with Mr. Middlemist as lightermen, (see also Watermen) at No. 82 Lower Thames Street', near Billingsgate Market (wiki). Francis Hammond would have known the area before the first Billingsgate Market building was built on Lower Thames Street in 1850. According to the Billingsgate website this proved to be inadequate and was demolished in 1873 to make way for the building which still stands in Lower Thames Street today. The current market is at Trafalgar Way, London, E14.
See Lee Jackson's page on Billingsgate at his VictorianLondon.org . Mogg's Strangers Guide To London 1834 shows the area that Hammond could have passed through to reach his shop, and Billingsgate.
See Lee Jackson's page on Billingsgate at his VictorianLondon.org . Mogg's Strangers Guide To London 1834 shows the area that Hammond could have passed through to reach his shop, and Billingsgate.
The WolframAlpha Search Engine
The WolframAlpha Search engine tells me that on July 8th 1854 the night of Elizabeth Jane's loss, the moon was 'waxing gibbous'( 92.36% illuminated) and that there were nearly 17 hours of daylight on that day.
Meeting on the River of Life - Mohawk and Loyalist Exchanges
Meeting on the River of Life - Mohawk and Loyalist Exchanges May 22 to May 30, 2009 The Tyendinaga Economic Development Centre, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territoryand June 6 to July 6, 2009The Archives and Collections Society, “The Victory”, 205 Main Street, Picton
This exhibition sounds very interesting as early settlers were often helped by the natives of the land they settled and in many cases would not have survived without their help. The exhibition 'traces the 11,000 year history of human occupation along the Bay of Quinte and reexamines the relationship of the Mohawk and Loyalists neighbours who settled here 225 years ago.' The parent of Thomas Hugh arrived in Nova Scotia at about this time. 'The secondary theme of this exhibition is to commemorate the special relationship between the MohawkNation, which settled at Tyendinaga, and the Loyalists who sought a new life in the County and the surroundingregion. The two very different peoples were joined together in common interest in the original Mohawkhomeland in the Mohawk Valley. United as allies, the Mohawk and Loyalists also shared the Silver Covenant ofPeace, an alliance that cemented their friendship together.' However, also see: Solidarity with Tyendinaga and Six Nations and Statements from Six Nations Confederacy members on Tyendinaga stand-off and No One Is Illegal-MONTRÉAL
This exhibition sounds very interesting as early settlers were often helped by the natives of the land they settled and in many cases would not have survived without their help. The exhibition 'traces the 11,000 year history of human occupation along the Bay of Quinte and reexamines the relationship of the Mohawk and Loyalists neighbours who settled here 225 years ago.' The parent of Thomas Hugh arrived in Nova Scotia at about this time. 'The secondary theme of this exhibition is to commemorate the special relationship between the MohawkNation, which settled at Tyendinaga, and the Loyalists who sought a new life in the County and the surroundingregion. The two very different peoples were joined together in common interest in the original Mohawkhomeland in the Mohawk Valley. United as allies, the Mohawk and Loyalists also shared the Silver Covenant ofPeace, an alliance that cemented their friendship together.' However, also see: Solidarity with Tyendinaga and Six Nations and Statements from Six Nations Confederacy members on Tyendinaga stand-off and No One Is Illegal-MONTRÉAL
Sierra Leone
Added information and links to Sierra Leone page. Elizabeth Jane sailed there in 1823 soon after Freetown had become a British Crown Colony (1808). Sierra Leone was a source of slaves and became a home for freed slaves, but it has had a troubled and difficult history, and its people still suffer today. Many interesting, sad and moving items can be found on the Sierra Eye site which claims to be a collection of 'the most interesting, curious and funny articles published around the internet related directly or indirectly to Sierra Leone.'
By chance today: Journey without Maps. Humphrey Hawksley retraces the journey undertaken on foot by Graham Greene from Sierra Leone across Liberia in 1935. Hear whether West Africa has changed. Is it better or worse than it was 70 years ago? BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents was broadcast on Thursday, 30 July, 2009 at 1102 BST and was repeated on Monday, 3 August, 2009 at 20:30 BST. See Sierra Leone Timeline at the BBC.
By chance today: Journey without Maps. Humphrey Hawksley retraces the journey undertaken on foot by Graham Greene from Sierra Leone across Liberia in 1935. Hear whether West Africa has changed. Is it better or worse than it was 70 years ago? BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents was broadcast on Thursday, 30 July, 2009 at 1102 BST and was repeated on Monday, 3 August, 2009 at 20:30 BST. See Sierra Leone Timeline at the BBC.
Francis Hammond's House
A page called Identifying Francis Hammond's House at Leicester Square has been added to this site. It shows Francis Hammond's house (he was a staymaker and once part owner of the Elizabeth Jane) and enables maps and views of Leicester Square to be compared. See also: Leicester Square
155th Anniversary of Elizabeth Jane's Loss
A trip to Bridlington on the evening of the 155th Anniversary of the loss of the Elizabeth Jane and her crew being put down at Bridlington Quay by the 'Samuel' of Grimsby. and to compare a print from 1830 with the same view of the town today.
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