JANE lost at Penmon Point 25-26 October 1859

Disgrifiad

The JANE of Barmouth is one of the confirmed losses from the Royal Charter Gale, 25-26 October 1859. It was built at Llanlltyd Beach, Barmouth, in 1826. Technical specifications are given in her Port of Beaumaris Shipping Register entry:

41 1935/3500 tons burthen; 1 deck, 1 masts; length from the inner part of the main stem to the stern post aloft 46.9ft; her breadth in midships is 14.8ft; her depth in hold at midships is 7.8ft, that she is a smack rigged with a sliding bowsprit, is square sterned, carvel built; Official number 1297.

The smack was owned by a consortium of local people, including Lady Griffith, widow of Joshua Griffith grocer; Hugh Roberts of Barmouth, mariner; Mary Lewis, Barmouth, widow; Catherine Jones, Dolgellau, widow of John Jones, glass merchant; William Williams of Dolgellau, grocer; David Davies, Dolgellau, grocer, and William Jones Morris of Barmouth, draper.

Poignantly, attached to page of the smack’s register entry is a letter from the widow of the master, Lewis Edwards.

Jane Edwards writes:

‘Barmouth, 5th November 1863,

I hereby certify that the smack JANE of Beaumaris was lost on the Anglesey coast on the night of the 26th October 1859, and that the certificate of registry and all other documents belonging to the vessel were lost with her.

Signed, Jane Edwards, widow of the late Lewis Edwards.’

The smack was wrecked at Penmon Point .

Sources include:
Port of Beaumaris Shipping Register 1837-1845, Gwynedd Archive Service Caernarvon XSR 8, 22 in 1837
Wynne-Jones, I, 2001, Shipwrecks of North Wales, 4 ed, pg99

Gwynedd Archive Service:
http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/gwy_doc.asp?cat=3693&doc=12971&Language=1&p=1&c=1

The ownership of ships was traditionally divided into 64 shares. From the list below, can you work out how many shares were owned by the master?

Lady Griffith, widow, executrix of the late Joshua Griffths, grocer (4 shares);
Hugh Roberts of Barmouth, mariner (4 shares);
Mary Lewis Barmouth, widow, (4 shares);
Catherine Jones Dolgellau, widow, joint executrix of John Jones, glass merchant under the will of the late Robert Jones, also the executrix of the late John Jones, now deceased, (16 shares);
Watkins Amryle (?) (4 shares);
William Williams, Dolgellau, grocer (2 shares);
David Davies, Dolgellau, grocer (2 shares);
Robert Roberts, Llanelltyd, farmer, (2 shares);
Elizabeth Roberts, Llanelltyd, spinster (2 shares);
John Davies, Llancyryr, farmer (4 shares).
William Jones Morris of Barmouth, draper (4 shares)

The owners of the JANE include two grocers from Dolgellau and a draper from Barmouth. What can historic trade directories tell us about other businesses in these two towns around the time the gale?

http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/b1.asp

For example: Slater’s Directory of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Shropshire and Wales 1868.
For Dolgellau, go to image/page 601.
For Barmouth, go to image/page 575.