Mersey Flat JOSEPH survivor of the Great Storm of 1859

Disgrifiad

The above image from the collections of the Mersey Docks and Harbours Board, National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, shows a typical Mersey Flat of the early part of the 20th century. Although later in date, the above vessel would have been very similar to the JOSEPH, which went ashore at Deganwy during the Royal Charter Gale on 25-26 October 1859.

Flats were a type of inland waterways and coastal barge which operated along the north Wales coast and as far north as Whitehaven on the Cumbrian coast. The biggest concentration was on the Mersey and its linking inland navigable waterways, which included the River Weaver opened in 1732; the rivers Mersey and Irwell opened in 1736, the Sankey Canal to St Helens opened in 1757; the Bridgwater Canal to Manchester opened in 1776, and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal opened in 1774. Flats occasionally ventured as far around the North Wales coast as Porthdinllean in good weather of the summer.

The essential characteristics of the flat, as seen in image above, were a round bow (front), a shallow draft and a flat bottom, and typical dimensions of 60-65ft and 15ft breadth (the prevailing dimensions of locks on the canals).

Flats were very strongly built with large framing timbers and thick planking to compensate from the large open hold (see here covered in canvas). On the deck, there was a windlass to help lower and raise the anchor. A hatch near the bow provided access to a small cabin and store. A hatch near stern or rear of the vessel provided access to the main cabin. Flats were steered by a long curved tiller connection with the help of ropes or tackle to a large rudder. At the base of the mast, there were large halyard blocks and winches to help raise the large sail. The mast was supported by wire shrouds to the sides of flat and a large iron bar forestay to the stempost at the front.

The flat was usually manned by two people on inland trips and three or four on a coastal run. The crews were often drawn from the same family and from a closely-knit community of mariners who were extremely knowledge about local currents, tides and sandbanks. They were highly skilled in manoeuvring the vessels (mostly without engines) in and out of the narrow entrances to the Mersey docks. With the increased use of steam tugs on the Mersey from the 1830, many flats lost their masts and sails, and became dumb (towed) barges. Typical cargoes were coal, salt, timber, grain, sand and stone.

At time of the Royal Charter Gale 25-26 October 1859, there were three vessels named JOSEPH registered at Liverpool. One was a large ocean going vessel, but two were shalllow-draft barges or flats:

JOSEPH, official number 6996, was built at Winsford in 1846. Technical specifications are given as: 64.68 tons burthen. 1 deck, 1 mast, that her length from the inner part of the main stem to the forepart of the stern aloft is 63.2ft, her breadth in midships is 15.1ft, her depth in hold at midships is 7.3ft, that she is a flat rigged with a no bowsprit, square sterned, carvel built, and that she is a sailing vessel.

Around the time of the gale, this JOSEPH was owned by John Thompson of Liverpool, shipwright (32 shares) and Edward Bates of Liverpool, merchant (32 shares).

The other JOSEPH was an unrigged barge, built at Gatehurst, Lancashire in 1840. Its dimensions are given as 68.7ft length x 13.1ft breadth x 4ft depth.
At the time of the gale is was owned by James Brancher (22 shares), William Brancher (21 shares) and William Hill Brancher (21 shares) of Liverpool, coal merchants.

Which was the JOSEPH reported onshore at Deganwy? Was it the sailing flat or the unpowered barge? The latter may have been towed around to Conway with a cargo of coal for the Brancher family?

The great strength in their build would have helped to save both and contributed to their long service lives - some flats continued in use for over 100 years.

The Liverpool registration of the sailing flat JOSEPH was finally closed in 1904 (after 58 years service). The unrigged barge JOSEPH was reported to being used solely on inland navigation in 1886 and so we remain unsure of when it was finally broken up.

Over to you for your own local history research project....


Learn more about Mersey flats and flatmen at the National Waterways Museums at Ellesmere Port, The Mersey flat MOSSDALE, dating to around 1870, forms part of the museum's floating collections.
http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/national-waterways-museum
http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/national-waterways-museum/the-museum-colle...