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The Wreck of the Barque John

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Contents

Preface

The Illustrated London News, reported the following on 19 May 1855. The profile image was in the same newspaper.

"The melancholy case of shipwreck took place on the night of the 3rd inst., on the Manacles, off the coast of Cornwall. The unfortunate barque left Plymouth Sound on the afternoon of that day, bound for Quebec, having on board 149 adult passengers, 98 children, and 16 infants, together with a crew, in all, of 19; making the total number of souls on board 282."[1]

The purpose of this project is to record this tragic snapshot in maritime history. Much was written about the disaster, the ensuing Coroner's Inquest, and the trial of Captain Rawle. The goal is to compile a record that includes the names of the passengers, crew, and those associated with the event on WikiTree with full, well-styled profiles.

Over time, each of the people listed below will have their own profile page. Every attempt is being made to locate existing profiles and add the wiki link. Some have common names and not enough is known about them to be certain they are one of the people below. If you should find someone with a profile, feel free to add them or link them.

The Barque John

The John is last listed in the Lloyd's Register of Shipping in 1854.[2]

Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping
Register Number 349
Name John
Type Barque
Master E Rawle
Built Chester, Cheshire
Launched 1810
Registered Tonnage 465 tons
Owners Rawle & C
Port Belonging To Plymouth
Route Plymouth to North America

“Royal Cornwall Gazette” Newspaper, Supplement, published on May 11, 1855, set the scene as follows. "The barque John, of Plymouth, 468 tons, Edward Rawle, master, left that port for Quebec on Thursday afternoon, after four o'clock, having on board 268 passengers, and a crew of 19, including the captain. Of the passengers, 98 were children and 16 infants."[3]

The 'John' : The Crew Agreement

Source: Public Record Office, Kew, Surrey Ref:BT 98/4275 (not yet digitised)

The John of Plymouth, 464 tons, registered 1849 Plymouth
Master Edward Rawle
Agreement signed 26th April 1855 at Plymouth: Voyage to Quebec and or any port or ports in North America And back to a port or ports of discharge in the UK
17 hands shall be considered a sufficient crew

The Crew

Name Age Birth Place Rank
Edward Rawle 35 Boscastle Captain & Master
William Goodwin 37 Spalding Mate
Edwin Elliott 25 Devon Boatswain
William James Ellery 26 Bodmin Carpenter
John Hewett 37 Boscastle Steward
George Thomson 35 Edinburgh Cook & AB*
James Curry 25 Sligo AB
William Hughes 24 Plymouth AB
Samuel Christian 28 Isle of Man AB
Thomas Cowley 39 Isle of Man Ordy*
Edward Venning 25 Boscastle AB
Spiro Burganisy 42 Corfu AB
William Rowe 20 Boscastle AB
Nicholas Court 24 Port Issac AB
John Harris 23 Plymouth Ordy
Lewis Jones 20 Wales AB
George Harkell 24 Devon Cook
Andrew Elder 44 Glasgow AB
William Thomas Dixon apprentice
James Smith apprentice
William Hughes never joined ship
*AB = Able Seaman *Ordy = Ordinary Seaman

The Passengers

Accounts and lists of the passengers and crew were widely published. The following were extracted from various sources including newspapers such as The Morning (London) Herald 10 May 1855 and The Royal Cornwall Gazette Supplement, transcription published 11 May 1855. Other compilations consulted were the passenger lists and a crew list, originally compiled by Mark Sandford. These can be found at the St Keverne Local History Society website under Shipwrecks. Additional names are added through the ongoing research of Mark Sandford and Christol James.

Passengers: (D=Drowned) (S=Survived) (U=Unknown Presumed Drowned)
Those marked * testified in the trial
Relationships included have been verified.

Cabin Passengers

E Carroll E Hele, 20, of Dawlish (S)
Mr Hornbrook, 45 (U)
John Knuckey, 35, of Stithians (S)
William Morey, 22 (S) [age 33 reported in Morning Herald]
Mrs Morey, 35 (U)

Steerage Passengers

Charlotte Ash, 22 (U)
W H Ash , 1 (U)
Henry Autridge, 51, Labourer of St Budeaux, Plymouth (U)
Honor Autridge, 51, wife of Henry (U)
Elizabeth Autridge, 16, dau (U)

Jane Bartlett, 37 (U)
James Bartlett, 1 (U)
John A Bone, 34, Smith of Davenport (S)
Ann Bone, 32, wife of John (U)
Jane A Bone, 10 (U)
Amelia Bone, 7 (U)
Anne Bone, 2 (U)
Richard Bone, 40 (U)
Joseph Bowden [or Bawden], 23, Labourer of Southmolton (S)
William Brock [or Brook], 22, Labourer of Dawlish (S)
John Burnett, 24, Labourer (U)

Mark Chant [Chaunt], 19, Labourer of West Chinnick (S)
Wm E Churchward, 31, Plumberof Stonehouse (S)
James Clampett [Clampitt], 32, Labourer of Newton Abbot (S)
Eliza Clampett [Clampitt], 24, wife of above (U)
Emma J Clampett [Clampitt], 1 (U)
James [William] Clemence*, 44. pf St Kew near Wadebridge (S) [W Clemence in Morning Herald]
Caroline Clemence, 44, wife of James (S)
Mary A Clemence, 21, dau (D)
Caroline Clemence, 17, dau (D)
Catherine Clemence, dau (S)
Elizabeth Clemence, 13, dau (D)
William Henry Clemence, 11, son (S)
Ann Clemence, 8, dau (D)
Ellen Clemence, 7, dau (S)
Robert Clemence, 4, son, (S)
Silas Craper [Creper or Creber], 25, Shoemaker of Davidstone near Boscastle (S)

Robert Daw, 36, Labourer (U)
Johanna Daw, 37, wife of Robert (U)
William Dawson, 22, Carpenter of Lustleigh, Newton Abbot (S)
Samuel Diamond (Dymond), 30, Labourer of Kingsbridge (S)
Susannah (Evans) Doidge, 51 (U)
Jane (Teague) Doidge, 25 dau of Susannah (U)
Frances Doidge, 6 dau of Jane (U)
Jane Doidge, 2 dau of Jane (U)
Eliza Doidge, 21, Servant (U)
William H Down, 25, Stonemason of Dartmoor (S)
John Down, 30, Smith of Lifton (S)
Wilmot Down, 28 wife of John (U)
Samuel Wm Drewe, 20. of Exeter(S)

James Eastcott, 59, Labourer (D)
Jane Eastcott, 57 wife of James (D)
Jane Eastcott, 12 (D)
Elizabeth Eastcott, 10 (D)
Mary Eastcott, 2 [?23] (D)
Sarah Eastcott, 30 (D)
W H Eastcott, 7 (D)
Mary J Eastcott, 6 (D)
Elizabeth Eastcott, 5 (D)
Ann Eastcott, 3 (D)
John Eastcott, 1 (D)
Mary Escott, 21, Servant (U)
Thomas Escott, 13, Labourer of Tavistock(S)
Jas Escott, of Tavistock (S) [possible James Eastcott son of James above b 1839]

Samuel Featherstone, 47, Carpenter (U)
Mary Featherstone, 47 wife of Samuel (U)
Mary A Featherstone, 24 daughter, Servant (U)
Betsy Featherstone, 23 (U)
Jane Featherstone, 19 (U)
Harriet Featherstone, 17 dau (U)
John Featherstone,13 son (U)
George Featherstone, 11 son (U)
Lucy Featherstone, 8 dau (U)
Sarah Featherstone, 4 (U)

John Garland, 34, Labourer of St Teath, Camelford (S)
Mary Garland, 42 wife of John (U)
John Garland, 6 (U)
William Garland, 4 (U)
Ann Garland, 1 (U)
Philip Gibbings, 35, Labourer (U)
Mary Gibbings, 27 wife of Philip (U)
Thomas Gibbings, 7 son (U)
Samuel Gibbings, 5 son (U)
George Gibbings, 2 (U)

William Hallett*, 28, Farmer of Exeter (S)
Eliza Hallett, 23 (D) wife of William
Ann Harris, 41 (U)
William Harris, 10 (U)
Mary J Harris, 3 (U)
Edwin/Edward Hayne, 21, from near Exeter (S)
Robert Hellier, 38, of Poltimore near Exeter (S)
Ellen Hellier, 36 wife of Robert (U)
William Hellier, 12 son (U)
Dinah Hellier, 10 daughter (U)
Harriet Hellier, 8 daughter (U)
Anna [Hannah] Hellier, 6 daughter (U)
Robert Hellier, 4 son (U)
James Hellier, 1 (U)
Thomas Hill, 28, Shoemaker of London (S)
Fanny Hill, 23 wife of Thomas (U)
Betty Hill, 3, daughter (S) [Betsy or Bessy]
Emma Hill, 1 (U)
Henry Hocken, 19, Shoemaker of St Mabyn, Bodmin (S)
James/John Hocken [Hocking], 24, Carpenter of St Mabyn, Bodmin (S)
Ann Hodsoll, 40 (U)
Nancy Hodsoll, 17 (U)
Joseph Hodsoll, 13 (U)
George Hodsoll, 12 (U)
Rosina Hodsoll, 10 (U)
Sarah Hodsoll, 8 (U)
Emma (Emily) Hodsoll, 5 (U)
Sophia Hodsoll, 3 (U)
Eliza Hodsoll, 1 (U)
James Honey, 45, Labourer (U)
Betsy Honey, 45, wife of James (U)
Maria Honey, 21, Servant (U)
Tamson Honey, 19, Servant (U)
Francis Honey, 18, Labourer (U)
Eliza Honey, 16, Servant (U)
Jane Honey, 13 (U)
Thomas Honey, 11 (U)
Edward Honey, 3 (U)
Robert Honey, 36, Baker (U)
Mary Honey 31 wife of Robert( U)
Samuel Honey, 10 (U)
Susan Honey, 8 (U)
Lucy Honey, 6 (U)
John Honey, 5 (U)
Emma Honey, 1 (U)
Mark Honey, 1 (U)
John Houghton*, 35, Miller (S)

Henry Jeffery, 24, Labourer of Calstock (S)
Maria Jeffery, 25 wife of Henry (U)
Mary A Jeffery, 4 (U)
William Henry Jeffery, 1 (U)

William Kelly, 18, Labourer (U)

Henry Lacy, 19, Labourer of Meriot near Crewkerne (S)
Joseph Lander, 24, Tailor (D)
Ann (Bunt) Lander, 22 wife of Joseph (D)
Nicholas Langsford, 49, Mason of Luxhilyon, St Austell (S)

Harriet Martin, 30 (U)
Richard Martin, 11 (U)
James Henry Martin, 9 (U)
Maria Martin, 3 (U)
Georgina Martin, 2 (U)
Richard Mead, 19 (U)
John Morcombe, 25, Labourer of Lifton (S)
Jane Morcombe, 22 wife of John (U)
George Morcombe, 4 (U)
John Morcombe, 2 (U)
Ellen Morcombe, 1 (U)
William Morey, of Isle of Wight (S)
Joseph Morrell, 30 (U)
Maria Morrell, 22 (U)
Dinah Mortimore, 25, Servant (U)
Eliza Mortimore, 20, Servant (U)

Henry North, 34, of Cloyton near Exeter (S)
Mary A North, 28 wife of Henry (D)
Henry P North, 5 (D)
Eliza North, 3 (D)
George North, 1 (D)

Simon Pattemore, 19, Labourer of Meriot near Crewkerne(S)
Ellen Paul, 21, Seervant (U)
Elizabeth Pearse [Pearce], 35, Servant of Plymouth (S)
George Pedrick, Labourer of Kingsbridge (S)
Mary A Penman, 19, Servant of Plymouth (S)
John Phare, 29, Shoemaker of Lifton (S)
Eliza Phare, 26 wife of John (U)
Eliza Phare, 6 (U)
John Phare, 4, son (S)
Elizabeth Phare, 2 (U)
Mary G Phare, 1 (U)
Thomas Pincombe, 43, Miller (D)
Sarah Pincombe, 44 wife of Thomas (U)
Jane [John] Pincombe, 13 daughter/son (U)
Elizabeth Pincombe, 11 daughter (U)
Betsy Pincombe, 9 daughter (U)
Richard Pincombe, 6 son (U)
William Pincombe, 4 son (U)
Mary Pincombe, 1 (U)
James Pine, 18, Tilemaker (U)
Sarah A Pine, 25 (U)
Nathaniel Pyne (1787-1855), 65, Tilemaker (U)
Mary Pyne, 59 wife of Nathaniel (U)
Elizabeth Pyne, 38, Servant (U)

Samuel Quintel, 29, Stonemason of Newquay, St Columb (S)

Samson Radmore, (S)
Mrs Radmore, ? (U)
Nicholas Reed*, 32, Labourer of St Ives (S)
Elizabeth Rodd, 30 (U)
Mark Rogers, 48, Labourer (D)
Ann Rogers, 40 wife of Mark (D)
Samuel Rogers, 15, of Jersey (S)
Mark Rogers, 4 (D)
Mary A Rogers, 3 (D)
Rogers Rogers, 1 (D)

Amos Sanger, 43, (U)
Robert Searle [or Searfe], 23, Labourer (U)
William Seldon 21, (S), Stonemason of Devonport
Thomas Shore, 18 (U)
Joseph, Short, 21, of Callington (S)
John Skewes [or Skewers], 25, Shoemaker of Falmouth (S)
Solomon Solomon, 17, of Plymouth (S)
Fanny Spiller, 17, Servant (U)
Walters Stewart, 43, Musician (U)
Louisa Stewart, 43, wife of Walters (U)
Amelia Stewart, 18 (U)
Henrietta Stewart, 11 (U)
Charles Stewart, 7 (U)
Adolphus Stewart, 6 (U)
William P Stoyle [Stoyles], 43, Plasterer of Plymouth (S)
Frances Stoyle, 41, wife of William (U)
Frances Elizabeth Stoyle, 19, daughter (S)
Michael Studden*, 35, Shoemaker (S)
Elizabeth Studden, 37 wife of Michael (D)
Christopher Studden, 12 (D)
Robert Studden, 8 (D)
Jane Studden, 6 (D)
Susan Studden, 4 (D)
Austin Studden, 1 (D)

Edward Tangye, 25, Labourer of Redruth (S)
Wm Thornby, 36, Servant of Jersey (S)
Susan Thornby, (S) 36 wife of Wm
John Tilman, 31 (U)
Charity Tilman, 27 wife (U)
Henry A Tilman, 4 (U)
George J Tilman, 2 (U)
W Chas Tilman, 1 (U)
John Tinkham, 20, Labourer of Totnes (S)
Edward Tolley, 20, of Chudleigh (S)
Harriet Tolley, 20 (U)
Mary P Tom, 21, Servant (U)
William Tom, 17, of Blisland (S)
William Treleaven, of Wadebridge (S)
William Turpin, 20, Labourer of Lustleigh, Newton Abbot (S)

Man name unknown, Navvy Smith of Truro (S)
Man name unknown, Woolstapler of St Columb (S)

Rosina Viney, 47, Servant (U)
Grace Vivian, 32 (U)

Stewart Walters, 43 (U)
Louisa Walters, 43 Wife of Stewart (U)
Amelia Walters, 18 (U)
Henrietta Walters, 11 (U)
Charles Walters, 7 (U)
Adolphus Walters, 6 (U)
William Walters [Watters], 40, Miner of Beeralston (S)
Mary Walters, 40, Wife of William (S)
Richard Walters, 14, son, Miner (S)
Betsy A Walters, 13, daughter (S)
John Walters, 11, son (S)
William Walters, 10, son (U)
James Walters, 8, son (S)
Mary Walters, 6, daughter (S)
Edward Westacott, 40 , Shoemaker of Dorset (S)
Ellen Westacott, 33 wife of Edward (U)
Mary Whale, 40 (U)
Samuel Whale, 13 (U)
Frederick Whale, 10 (U)
John Whale, 8 (U)
Elizabeth Whale, 1 (U)
George Wilce, head of Hamble, St Kew near Wadebridge (S)
Alfred Wilce, brother (S)
Jemima Wilce, 19 [sister] (S)
Rachel Wilce, 16 sister (D)
Ann Wilcocks, 35 (U)
Edward Wilcocks, 12 (U)
Sarah A Wilcocks, 11 (U)
Robert Williams, 33, Labourer of Wyke Regis(S)
Maria Williams, 32, wife of Robert (U)
Rachel Williams, 10, (U)
Susan Williams, 6 (U)
John Williams, 5 (U)
Eliza A Williams, 2 (U)
Robert Williams, 1 (U)
Jane Wood, 32 (U)
Samuel Wood, 6 (U)
John Wood, 5 (U)
James Wood, 3 (U)
William Wood, 1 (U)
James Woodman, 50, Labourer (U)

Wm Henry Yelland*, 35, Sawyer of Devonport (S)

Others

Coast Guard

  • Commander Baldwin Walker, conducted preliminary enquiries.[4]

Admiralty

  • Sir William Parker, Commander in Cheif.[4]
  • Second Master Veitch in command of the Avon

Coroner's Inquest Named in the account of the Coroner's Inquest from the London Times.[5]

  • Mr. J. Carlyon, Coroner of the district of Truro commenced the inquest on May 6th
  • Lieutenant Timothy Carew, R.N. emigration agent at Plymouth (mustered the barque on sailing). Reported to have been called to the scene.[6]
  • Lieutenant Rundle of the steamer Avon took 51 survivors (in charge of Lt Carew) from St Keverne to Plymouth
  • Commander W. Lory R.N. gave expert testimony at the inquest of the wreck. He published a letter "To the Editor of the Royal Cornwall Gazette" dated July 30, 1855 with his observations of the proceedings and suggested a miscarriage of justice in Rawle being acquitted in the trial.[7]

Accounts of the Disaster

Reports of the tragedy vary widely between news sources, as to the weather conditions and the number of victims. A Supplement to The Cornwall Royal Gazette (11 May 1855), did publish "the list of the passengers deposited at the Custom House prior to the sailing of the ship". In addition to the crew of 19, there were said to be 268 passengers, a total of 287 souls aboard when she left Plymouth on May 3rd at about 4 PM. Of the passengers "98 were children and 16 infants." As of May 11 The Gazette reported the captain and crew were saved. Of the passengers, only 72 were saved, some 75 bodies had washed ashore and 121 were unaccounted for. About 69 souls had been buried in coffins together in a mass grave in the St Keverne graveyard. No burial record of who were among them has been found. No death records for those who perished were filed.

Research Notes

Here are some of the tasks that I think need to be done. I'll be working on them, and could use your help.

  • Verify the passenger list and link to existing profiles or create new profiles where none are found
  • Connect or create profiles for the crew list on WikiTree
  • Create a list of those who help with the rescue effort and connect to existing profiles on WikiTree where possible - Ongoing
  • Identify others connected with the tragedy by rescue efforts, ensuing trial of Rawle, or port officials at the time of departure from Plymouth. Connect or create profiles.

Sources

  1. ↑ The Illustrated London News, Shipwreck of the Emigrant Barque “John”, May 19, 1855, page 475 HathiTrust (accessed 31 January 2023)
  2. ↑ H Adams (surveyor), Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, London : Cox & Wyman, 1854, volume 41, page 341. Internet Archive (accessed 31 January 2023)
  3. ↑ "Wreck of an Emigrant Ship on the Manacles," Royal Cornwall Gazette, 11 May 1855, Supplement p.9; image copy, Find My Past (https://www.findmypast.com/search-newspapers : accessed 31 January 2023), Newspapers and Periodicals Collection.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Dreadful Shipwreck of the John. Frightful loss of life," Morning Herald (London), 10 May 1855, p 4-5, col 5. Find My Past Historical Newspapers FindMyPast.com : (accessed 9 December 2023).
  5. ↑ The London Times, The Wreck of An Emigrant-Ship on the West Coast, Falmouth, May 7, 1855.
  6. ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald, "Wreck of the John,Emigrant Ship--Loss of above 200 Souls", July 30, 1855, page 4, Trove Newspapers and Gazettes, citing National Library of Australia, (accessed 4 June 2023).
  7. ↑ "To the Editor of the Royal Cornwall Gazette," Royal Cornwall Gazette, 1 August 1855, page 5 col 3, citing FindMyPast Newspapers, (accessed 10 October 2023).
  8. ↑ Sandford, Mark, The Sinking of the 'John' May 1855 Foreword, http://www.st-keverne.com/history/john/foreword.php

See Also

Acknowledgements






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Categories: England, Needs Profiles Created | Barque John Wrecked 1855 | Shipwrecked | Maritime Disasters