Holyhead: Stories of a Port

During the eighteenth century and on into the mid-nineteenth century, the port of registration for Anglesey was not, as you’d expect Holyhead, but Beaumaris. The owners of ships were obliged to report to the port authority in Beaumaris every six months an ‘Account of Voyages and Crew of Home Trade Ships’. The two documents relating to the ‘Hibernia’ for January 1st 1862 to June 30th 1862, and July 1st 1862 to December 31st 1862 are still in existence and are to be found at the National Archives in Kew, London (RAIL 113/53). They make for interesting reading.

Built in 1848, the ‘Hibernia’ (official number 27003) appears to have been unexpectedly re-registered at the Port of Chester on October 31st 1854. She had a registered tonnage of 573 tons and her managing owner in 1862 was Charles F. Steward of Euston Station, London. She was a Paddle Steamer and registered to carry “Passengers, Goods and Cattle between the Ports of Dublin and Holyhead”. She was one of four vessels (Hibernia, Cambria, Scotia and Anglia) built for the Chester and Holyhead Railway Company in 1847/8 when it was decided that the mail could be conveyed at a cheaper cost by privately owned ships than on naval vessels. It is believed that she was transferred from the C & H R Co. to the London and North Western Railway Company in 1859 and that she was sold to the Waterford and Limerick Railway Company in 1877.

In 1862, the ‘Hibernia’s captain was Captain George Taylor, who lived at Benburb Lodge, Dublin. The full complement in January 1862 consisted of the following:

Name	Age in 1862	Where born	Post on Hibernia	Other Details
George Taylor	33	Edinburgh	Master	To stay with ship
John Roberts	43	Holyhead	Chief Mate	“
Michael Archbold	45	Dalkey	2nd Mate	“
William Morris	38	Holyhead	Carpenter	“
John Cox	40	Hastings	Quarter Master	“
William Beatty	49	Dublin	Quarter Master	“
Owen Pritchard	31	Anglesey	Seaman	Discharged
William Rowlands	36	Anglesey	Seaman	To stay with ship
Ishmael Jones	22	Holyhead	Seaman	“
William Rowlands	45	Holyhead	Seaman	“
John Jones	31	Anglesey	Seaman	“
Robert Williams	16	Conway	Boy	“
Samuel Green	37	Norwich	Cook	“
John Paton	38	Clackmannan	Chief Engineer	“
George Greenough	60	Wigan	2nd Engineer	“ – Previous ship ‘Scotia’
William Holmes	42	Suffolk	Leading Stoker	“
Richard Williams	47	Anglesey	Stoker	“
William Owen	58	Holyhead	Stoker	“
Thomas Owen	26	Holyhead	Stoker	“
Thomas Jones	40	Anglesey	Stoker	“
Edward Lewis	43	Holyhead	Stoker	“
Richard Jones	39	Holyhead	Stoker	“
John Williams	35	Holyhead	Coal Trimmer	“
Patrick Hyland	31	Dublin	Steward	“
Thomas Wiliams	14	Conway	Cabin Boy	“
John Lill	40	Lincolnshire	Seaman	“ Previous ship ‘Scotia’

As only one crew member had been discharged by June 30th 1862, it would be expected that the crew list for the second half of the year would be identical but this was not the case because seven of the names listed above had changed, i.e. almost a third of the crew in December 1862 were different to the ones noted six months earlier. Here are the changes:

Name	Age in 1862	Where born	Post on Hibernia	Other Details
George Cook	45	Chatham	Chief Mate	To stay with ship
William Hodgson	28	Lancaster	Seaman	“
George William Cook	14	London	Boy	“
William Jeffreys	38	Glasgow	Chief Engineer	“
John Hughes	37	Holyhead	2nd Engineer	“
William Jones	50	Holyhead	Coal Trimmer	“
Patrick Neating	13	Dublin	Cabin Boy	“

In the first six months of 1862 61% of the crew had been born in north Wales but this figure had fallen to 50% by the end of that same year. The others were not, as would be expected perhaps, from Ireland but from places as far afield as Clackmannan in Scotland and Chatham in England. Even at that time, people were aware that Holyhead was a growing port and were willing to travel great distances to take up work.

The other notable fact is the limited number of crew personnel who would have dealt directly with passengers (stewards or catering staff) and this supports the view that the rival City of Dublin Steam Packet Company was far better equipped to deal with people and mail whilst LNWR concentrated on goods and cattle.

This record is just a snapshot but it gives us a flavour of the background of the captain and crew of one of Holyhead’s ‘regular’ ships and one whose name was to continue in use until the mid-twentieth century.

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One of the Seamen mentioned above was Ishmael Jones, recorded as aged 22. He was born in Holyhead in 1839 to Robert and Margaret Jones of Mill Street, Holyhead and was baptised in St. Cybi’s Church on 20 June 1839. His father was a Butcher in the town. On 28 October 1862 Ishmael married Catherine Thomas from Pwllheli at St. Cybi’s Church. He could sign his name but his wife could only make a mark. They lived at 12 Thomas Street, Holyhead and went onto have at least 5 Children, including Henry Thomas Jones who became a School Master at the Holyhead Council School. Ishmael Jones died on 28 July 1903 at 12 Thomas Street, Holyhead at the age of 64, still employed as a mariner and leaving £110 to his wife in his will.

Reference: National Archives Records of the Railway Companies, Two half-yearly crew lists for 1862 submitted to Mercantile Marine Office, RAIL 113/53.

Contributed by Dr Gareth Huws with additions by the editor

© Holyhead Maritime Museum