Richard Wouldhave - Mariner (RI051) Part 3

Richard was discharged from the Royal Navy on 3^rd September 1792 (National Archives ADM 36/11231) and next appears in the records of Christchurch, Tynemouth, which was the main church of North Shields at the time.  His father Richard (RI050) had died in 1783 and was buried in Hull.  His widowed mother, Mary remarried in 1787 to William Mouatt.  All three of Richard’s sisters had died young and he had no brothers.  Therefore it seems that he had no strong family ties to Hull where he was born.

Richard’s family came originally from Newcastle and his father’s uncle, Thomas (TH050), had moved to North Shields with his family.  Although Thomas died in 1747 there were a number of his children and their families settled in North Shields. This may have been the reason why Richard settled in this area.

However, another reason could be that one of the Bounty crewmembers, Thomas McIntosh, who sailed back to England as a prisoner from the Pandora, was born in North Shields (in 1759).  Thomas signed on the Bounty as a carpenters mate; he was an unwilling mutineer, kept on the Bounty for his carpentry skills and remained on Tahiti when the mutineers split up.  He settled in Tahiti taking a wife and fathering a child.  He was captured when the Pandora arrived.  He was acquitted of all charges at the court-martial of the Bounty’s crew. However there is no detail of where he went after the court-martial. Information about the Bounty mutineers can be found on the Fateful Voyage website.

Although North Shields originated around 1225, it wasn’t until the mid to late 1770s that it became a large and ever increasing sea port.  It had a large community of seamen and a reputation for skilled boatmen. Therefore it would be an appropriate place for Richard to settle.

In 1793 Richard married Anne Whately in Christchurch, Tynemouth on December 23^rd.  The witnesses to the marriage were Mary Chapman and Luke John Wouldhave (the son of Thomas (TH050), and therefore Richard’s second cousin).  Luke John was born in North Shields in 1753, the brother of William Wouldhave the inventor of the self-righting life boat – see blog April 2015.  Both were apprenticed as ropemakers (Apprenticeship cards Tyne and Wear Archives) and were Freemen of Newcastle.

Richard and Anne’s first child, Richard (RI101), was christened on 30^th November 1794 and a second child Mason was born in November 1796.  However Anne died following the birth of Mason and was buried on November 18^th 1796. The inscription in Christchurch Tynemouth is given below;

“Sacred to the memory of Anne, the wife of Richard Wouldhave of North Shields, mariner, who departed this life Nov 17 1796 aged 21 years. Also one of their children who died in infancy.”

After a couple of years, Richard married Eleanor Whately in Wallsend on July 4^th 1799, witnesses were Margret Cunningham and Cath Ireland.  Information from the parish records gives;

“The banns of marriage between Richard Wouldhave and Eleanor Whately, both of the chapelry of Wallsend were published in the said chapel June 9th, 16th and 23rd and no objections alleged.  Richard Wouldhave and Eleanor Whately, both of the chapelry of Wallsend were married in the said chapel.  Richard signed and Eleanor made her mark . “

This does provide a puzzle;

·         Richard was clearly living in North Shields while married to Anne, and it would appear that her parents were, or she was closely related to, Mason and Jane Whatley since their second son was named Mason.

·         We have not yet found the birth/christening of Anne Whately in the registers of Christchurch, Tynemouth. 

·         Eleanor Whately was christened in Christchurch, on April 28^th 1771, the daughter of Jane and Mason Whately, a mariner. 

·         According to the inscription on her burial, Anne was born in 1775 or thereabouts.

·         Were Anne and Eleanor sisters or cousins, and did this lead to the second marriage in a nearby parish where the previous marriage was not known?

Further information on the Wouldhave families in North Shields will follow in a later post.

William Wouldhave WI107 Transported to Tasmania

William was baptised December 23^rd 1821 in Barnard Castle.  His father, John, was a dier; his mother was called Margaret (formerly Mason)

William was involved in incidents recorded in the Durham Criminal Registers.  In April 1836 he was acquitted of shop breaking and stealing over 13 pounds of tallow in Barnard Castle.

In the 1841 census William is living with his parents and siblings (brothers Thomas, John, and Robert; sisters Margaret, Mary Ann and Jane).  His occupation was given as Coal Miner.

On Oct 16th 1843 he was convicted at the Durham Michaelmas Sessions of sheep stealing at Bishop Auckland.   William was charged together with William Williamson (aged 20) and Mary Liddell (aged 17) with stealing a sheep, the property of James Robson. The trial was reported in the Courant of Friday October 20th 1843. Following the depositions of various witnesses "Mr Granger addressed the jury for the prisoners and the Chairman having summed up, the jury acquitted Mary Liddell and found Wouldhave and Williamson guilty, sentencing Wouldhave to be transported for 15 years and Williamson for 10 years".

William was transported on 25th January 1844 to Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania, Australia) on the ship Equestrian. He arrived  on 2nd May 1844.  He was described as being 5ft 2in tall, with some ability to read and write.

William married twice in Launceston, Tasmania; in 1856 to Mary Murphy, and in 1861 to Elizabeth Mears.  He had a son with Mary Murphy baptised on Jan 23rd 1837, but no forename is given.

William's older brother Thomas (born 1817)  went to Connecticut, Maine and became a naturalised subject of the USA.  His sister Margaret (born 1820) was also convicted at the Durham Sessions. She was found guilty of having stolen a purse containing one sovereign, three shillings and sixpence, from James McNaughton and was sentenced to 4 months hard labour.

Richard Wouldhave - Mariner (RI051) Part 2

Richard may have been apprenticed or he served as a mariner since he was on a boat near Spithead when he was pressganged onto the Superbe Tender of the Royal William at Spithead October 21^st 1790, aged 18. 

Impressment was the compulsory recruitment of men to the Navy by parties of seamen commanded by officers, known as a 'press gang'. It was legally based on the royal right to call all men for military service.  Richard did not take the “Kings Shilling” which would have classified him as a Royal Navy Volunteer and was therefore not entitled to a bounty.

He was transferred to the Pandora (a 24-gun "Porcupine Class" frigate) on 26^th October 1790, joining the crew as an Ordinary Seaman. He was promoted to Able Seaman April 1791. (Information from the National Archives ADM 36/11136)

The Pandora

HMS Bounty was sent to Tahiti on a special mission to collect breadfruit plants, and to nurse them until they were resilient enough to transport across the sea to the West Indies where they could be cultivated as a staple food source for slaves working on sugar plantations. A mutiny that took place in 1789 which had resulted in the ship being taken over by the mutineers led by Christian Fletcher; the captain and 18 ‘loyal’ crew members were set to sea in an open boat with minimal rations.   Captain Bligh’s report of the mutiny was hand-delivered to the Admiralty in March 1790.

The Admiralty took a very dim view of the mutiny and in November 1790 the Pandora, captained by Edward Edwards with a crew of 135, sailed in search of HMS Bounty and the mutineers, with the express purpose of reclaiming the ship and bringing back the mutineers to stand trial.  Although the ship located some of the mutineers, several of whom surrendered, neither Fletcher Christian nor the Bounty (which had been scuttled by this time) were found.  The captured mutineers were manacled and locked away in a makeshift prison on the ship, referred to as "Pandora's Box".

The Pandora had a futile search lasting more than three months, visiting most of the major Polynesian island groups west of Tahiti. Eventually it began to run short on supplies and at the end of August 1791, while trying to find a channel through to land, the Pandora sailed too close to the Great Barrier Reef and was grounded.  Efforts to free it proved fruitless and the ship sank within 24hours.  Loss of life included four Bounty prisoners and 31 of the crew of the Pandora. 

The survivors, eighty-nine of the crew and ten prisoners,   spent three days on one of the sand cays near the wreck. The day after the wrecking, George Passmore, the Pandora's master, was sent back to the wreck in one of the boats to see if anything useful could be salvaged. He returned with several pieces of the masts, some lightning chain, and the ship's cat - found perched in the main masthead.  Since the cat is not mentioned in any of the published survivors’ accounts, her fate is a mystery.  

While on the sand cays four boats were prepared for the arduous voyage to Timor where the survivors hoped to find passage on ships bound for Europe.   The survivors sailed 1100 nautical mile (2100 km) in open boats to Timor. Eventually 78 of the crew members made it home to England in summer 1792.

Richard is recorded on the crew list of HMS Vengeance from 2^nd August 1792.  He was transferred from ‘the Harwich Smack late belonging to his majesty’s ship the Pandora by Admiralty order’. He was discharged on 3^rd September 1792. (From National Archives ADM 36/11231)

Today the Pandora is one of the most significant shipwrecks in the Southern Hemisphere. The Queensland Museum has been excavating the wreck and piecing together the Pandora puzzle since 1983.  Their website gives a full account of the Pandora’s voyage, its crew and the mutineers. The website Fateful Voyage also provides much information about the Pandora’s voyage as well as that of the Bounty.

The remaining known details of Richard’s career will be given in part 3.

George Wouldhave - Corporal in 5th Foot during Napoleonic Wars

Although there are no Wouldhaves on the Waterloo List of Honour, there were some soldiers with this surname in the military during this time.

George Wouldhave was transferred from the 2^nd Battalion to the 1^st Battalion of the 5^th (Northumberland ) Regiment of Foot during the quarter from 25^th March - 24th June 1814.  He was transported by sea from Hilsea depot to the Camp at Chamblain for the next quarter (25^th June – 24^th September). He was reported as absent sick for the third muster of that quarter.  George had the rank of corporal and was in company 8; the commander of the battalion was William Wynyard.  By December they were in Johnstown, Upper Canada, returning to France for the quarter 25^th March – 24^th June 1815.  The Battalion did not fight at Waterloo (some sources have it that they were too late fro the battle) but were in France for the remainder of 1815 as part of the army of occupation.  George was demoted to private 18^th November 1815. 

We haven’t yet found a birth/marriage or death for George and will continue with research into his career in the Army.

Richard Wouldhave Mariner RI051 Part 1

Richard Wouldhave - Mariner (RI051) 1772-1838 Part 1

Richard Wouldhave(RI051) was born May 1772 in Hull and died in May 1838 in North Shields.

Parents

Richard’s father was Richard Wouldhave (RI050).  He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and was apprenticed to Anthony Stanley, Master Mariner in July 1775, in Hull, document in Hull Archives in the register of person bound apprentice to freemen CBRG/7/1768. His father was given as William Wouldhave, seaman of Newcastle upon Tyne

Richard was a Freemen of Newcastle and voted in elections in 1777 and 1780 (info from Tyne and Wear Archives), where he is described as a Roper. His deposition as a freeman is given below

Richard son of William Wouldhave, ropemaker is aged 20 years and upwards, deposition of Robert Ramshaw, master and mariner ‘Robert Ramshaw of the Town and County of Newcastle upon Tyne Master and mariner maketh oath and saith that Richard son of William Wouldhave Ropemaker is now of the age of twenty years and onwards Sworn 10th Oct 1774 Robert made his mark Witness Francis Forster (Apprenticeship cards – Tyne and Wear Archives). 298/25/223

Richard married Mary Grey at Holy Trinity in Hull in Feb 1769 (information from copies of registers).  They had four children recorded in the registers of Hull St Mary.

·         Jenny born Dec 1769, died in Hull 1783

·         Richard (RI051) born May 1772

·         Elizabeth born Dec 1774, died in Hull 1782

·         Mary born Jun 1777, died in Hull 1778.

He was described as a mariner in the registers. Richard (RI050) died in 1783 and was buried in Hull.  His widow, Mary remarried in 1787 to William Mouatt.

Richard (RI051)

Richard was 11 years old when his father died. It would appear that he was apprenticed or served as a mariner since he was on a boat near Spithead when he was pressganged onto the Superbe Tender of the Royal William at Spithead. 

He was transferred to the Pandora later that month and joined the crew as an Ordinary Seaman, although he did not take the Kings Shilling and therefore was not Royal Navy.  He was promoted to Able Seaman April 1791.

The story of the Pandora will be given in Part 2.

William Wouldhave 1751-1821 Inventor

WILLIAM WOULDHAVE (1751 - 1821)

1751

William Wouldhave was baptised in North Shields on 9 April at Christchurch in the parish of Tynemouth.  His father is named as Thomas Wouldhave (died 1778), a painter and/or Roper.  Thomas Wouldhave married Elizabeth Heart (d 1803) in South Shields St Hilda’s, Jan 10 1747.  Their other children were Luke John (1753), Mary (1756), Charlotte (b and d 1763), Charlotte (1769).

(Tynemouth Christ Church Parish Registers Transcriptions)

1775

William married Hannah Crow on Mar 1 1775 at St Hilda’s, South Shields.  They had a son Luke christened in March 1776 and daughter Hannah christened in December 1784, South Shields St Hilda’s.

(South Shields St Hilda’s Parish Registers Transcriptions)

1789

William worked in South Shields.  He was for many years the Clerk of St Hilda’s Church, South Shields.  In 1789 a competition was launched to reward any inventor who could provide a craft for the purpose of saving lives from a shipwreck. This followed the tragic fate of the doomed ship, the Adventure from Newcastle that had gone aground near the coast at the Tyne River inlet. Less than 300 yds from the shore and clearly visible, little could be done to save the passengers and crew who were seen to be dropping from the rigging into the sea.

With cork inside, his lifeboat was designed to be self-righting if overturned in stormy seas.  A model is kept in the local museum. (100 objects North East)

The first lifeboat, called the 'Original', of 1789, was built in South Shields by the boatbuilder Henry Greathead (who won the competition).

In the accounts of Chapelry of South Shields William Wouldhave was paid £1 1s for his ingenious model

1803

William was selected as sexton of St Hilda’s, South Shields, in April 1803, but resigned before entering the appointment.

1821

In January, William Wrote letters to the Board of Longitude regarding a “method of ascertaining difference of longitude by observation that will put it on an equal footing with latitude”.

1821

Willliam died on 5^th October 1821 and was buried at South Shields on October 20^th, aged 70.  He was living at Mill Dam Bank.  Hannah his wife was buried on 31^st March 1824

(South Shields Burials and Newcastle Courant)

1858

July 23^rd, from the Newcastle Courant.  “Miss Hannah Wouldhave died last night in West Holborn South Shields age73.  We yesterday announced the generous donation of the Duke of Northumberland to aid in comforting her age; it will decently lay her "where the weary are at rest".  The genius of her father can never be forgotten in South Shields, and ought to be gratefully remembered wherever British Seamen may be found.  A participator in the invention of the lifeboat, he possesses the undivided honour (alas that was all) of propounding the plan for the constructing of graving docks, employed now universally for the navy as well as merchant ships, which added immense advantages to the nation - Shields Gazette of yesterday.  Hannah was paid a pension from the Life Boat Fund from 1850.”

1888

Newcastle Courant Jan 27^th.  There was a proposal for a centenary exhibition to celebrate the invention of the lifeboat.  “Wouldhave was a native of North Shields, in the register of baptisms in Christ Church, Tynemouth 1751 April 9^th, William son of Thomas Wouldhave.  However this may be it is clear that for the greater portion of his life Wouldhave was to all intents and purposes a South Shields man.  In South Shields he spent his best day; there he worked and there he made his well-known invention.”

The memorial, at Marine Park in South Shields, consists of a clock tower, and the second oldest lifeboat, the Tyne, with busts of both Wouldhave and Greathead in stone.  The Tyne Lifeboat is featured on the postcard image above.

First Post

The banner on the blog is based (loosely) on the South Shields Coat of Arms (1850) which depicts a lifeboat and the motto ‘Always Ready’.   William Wouldhave (1751-1821) when living in South Shields designed the self-righting lifeboat ‘Tyne’, immortalised in a monument near the shore.

The banner also includes images for some other Wouldhaves from our family tree -  John (1806-1877), the deaf violin maker and Richard (1772-1838) who was press-ganged to serve on the Royal Navy ship ‘Pandora’ sent to capture the Bounty and her mutineers.  The Pandora was shipwrecked on the Great Barrier Reef, but most survived including the ship’s cat.  A number of Wouldhaves including William’s father, Thomas, living in Newcastle in the 1700s were ropemakers, hence the strands dividing the images.