Bridgwater Ships - Bridgwater Heritage Group

This index page on Bridgwater Ships hopes to chart the vessels associated with the Port of Bridgwater over the centuries. More will be added over time and contributions, corrections and additions are most welcome. The Irene is the last surviving Bridgwater-made ship, as far as is known. The rotting hulks of some other ships will remain in the mud of the banks of the Parrett. Many small sailing vessels, rowing boats and barges, will have been made in the town’s yards, but left unrecorded.

General

Gallant Little Ships of the Past The Bridgwater Coasters by W.A. Sharman
1934

Robert Blake, the *White Hart* and Maclean of Duart, 1580

Be sure to search the CREW LIST INDEX PROJECT here.

Individual Ships

List compiled by and reproduced here with kind thanks to Clare Spicer. Compiled from Lloyds Register Foundation Ship Plans and Survey Reports. 13/08/2023. Supplemental data from Rod Fitzhugh, Bridgwater and the River Parrett in Old Photographs (1993).

Ships Built at Crowpill

Gough & Moulton

Elizabeth

Smack. 43 Tons. Reg.No.10886. Built 1854. Owned by George Berry & Co. Register Closed 1928.

Sarah

Schooner. 70 Tons. Reg.No. 10875. Built 1855. Owned by Charles Hunt.

Queen

Schooner? 60 Tons. Reg.No. 10935. Built 1856. Owned by Ware & Co. Foundered 1893. **Henry Laver’s boat, his son William drowned when it sank. It was rigged as a ketch then. See Henry’s biography on the website of the Friends of the Wembdon Road Cemetery.

John Gough

Charles

Schooner. 77 Tons. Reg.No. 10940. Built 1857. Owned by Charles Hunt. Badly damaged 19 November 1906. Register Closed 1918. Sunk by a German Submarine in the English Channel. Captain Lovell taken prisoner with two crew. Mate killed. Pictures in Fitzhugh, Parrett, pp.58, 141.

Admiral Blake

Brig. 146 Tons. Reg.No. 10939. Built 1857 (not 1837 as noted by Lawrence). Owned by the Bridgwater Shipping Company.

Boadicea

Schooner. 104 Tons. Reg.No. 19134. Built 1858. Owned by Charles Hunt and Nichols.

Ketch. 62 Tons. Reg.No. 10941. Built 1858 (not 1838 as noted by Lawrence). Owned by Tazewell. Wrecked 1963. Pictures in Fitzhugh, Parrett, pp.40, 64, 72, 75, 95, 112

Alfred

Schooner. 107 Tons. Reg.No. 27878. Built 1859. Owned by George Bryant Sully.

Rolla

Schooner. 101 Tons. Reg.No. 19135. Built 1859. Owned by Clifford Symons. Register Closed 1906.

Little Meek

Brigantine. 85 Tons. Reg.No. 29553. Built 1862. Owned by John Smith.

Edith Smith

Brig. 171 Tons. Reg.No. 29551. Built 1862. Owned J.C. Smith. Casulty, stranded 2/12/1871.

Cesarea

Barque. 344 Tons. Reg.No. 47097. Built 1864. Owned by Peter Briare.

JBS

Brig. 220 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1864. Owned by William Angel.

Eve

Barque. 200 Tons. Reg.No. 29556. Built 1865. Owned by John Syburn.

Messenger

Brig. 194 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1866. Owned by William Shepherd.

Fame

Ketch. 60 Tons. Reg.No. 56361. Built 1867. Owned by Charles Hunt. Register Closed 1915. Ran aground above Dunball. Lloyd’s mistranscribed builder as ‘Hough’. Pictures in Fitzhugh, Parrett, p.62.

Secret

Ketch. 63 Tons. Reg.No. 60576. Built 1867. Owned by T. Harper and others. Register Closed 1925.

Electric

Ketch. 89 Tons. Reg.No. 62980. Built 1868. Owned by Jeremiah Clutterbuck. Register Closed 1903.

Norah

Severn Trow. Built 1868. Owned by Captain Smart. Hulked at Uphill n the 1930s. Given a Viking Funeral in 1939. Pictures in Fitzhugh, Parrett, pp.16, 30

Nora Cain

Schoooner. 122 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1871. Owned by Nathaniel Cain.

New Design

Schooner. 56 Tons. Reg.No. 62979. Built 1871. Owned by William Symons. Register Closed 1951. Hulked that year. Not to be confused with New Design no.2, built by Carver. Pictures in Fitzhugh, Parrett, pp.42, 130.

Maria Lee

Ketch. 59 Tons. Reg.No. 67221. Built 1871. Owned by Henry Lee.

Elvina

Ketch. 81 Tons. Reg.No. 67222. Built 1872. Owned by G. Hodges.

Sam Weller

Schooner. 784 Tons. Reg.No. 67223. Built 1872. Built for Browne &Co.? Owned by G. Wilton and G. Bell. Register closed 1899. Foundered that year. Pictures in Fitzhugh, Parrett, pp.79

Mary Emma

Ketch. 81 Tons. Reg.No. 67224. Built 1872. Owned by George Bryant Sully.

Selina Jane

Ketch. 80 Tons. Reg.No. 65312. Built 1872. Owned by Mr Gibson. Register closed 1926.

Eliza Jane

Ketch. 107 Tons. Reg.No. 67226. Built 1873. Owned by Sully & Co.

New Fancy

Schooner. 189 Tons. Reg.No. 67227. Built 1873. Owned by Sully & Co.

Saint Decumans

Ketch. 134 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1873. Owned by J. Ware. NB some confusion, Lloyds has this as a sailing ketch of 134 tons, Taunton Courier 23 Jul 1873 reported launch of a steamer of 300 tons for James Ware of Cardiff.

RE Miles

Ketch. 134 Tons. Reg.No. 69396. Built 1874. Owned by Rees Miles.

Tender

Schooner. 67 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1874. Owned by J. Sully. NB this is the earlier sail boat version of Tender.

Dolly Varden

Schooner. 79 Tons. Reg.No. 67229. Built 1874. Owned by G. Wilton and G. Bounsall.

Advance

Ketch. 61 Tons. Reg.No. 67232. Built 1874. Owned by Mr. Palmer.

Two Brothers

Ketch. 90 Tons. Reg.No. 67235. Built 1874. Owned by Sully & Co. Broken up 1922. Pictures in Fitzhugh, Parrett, p.115

Enterprise

Schooner. 102 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1875. Owned by James Reney.

Cronella

Schooner. 103 Tons. Reg.No. 72454. Built 1875. Owned by John G. Allen.

Sea Breeze

Schooner. 103 Tons. Reg.No. 69399. Built 1875. Owned by W.H. Langdon.

Florida

Schooner. 111 Tons. Reg.No. 72453. Built 1875. Owned by B. Martell and B. Waymouth.

Moonlight

Schooner. 104 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1876. Owned by RH Prince of Chester and Fredric Prince.

Florence Louisa of Chester

Schooner. 114 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1876. Owned by James Keney. Bridgwater Mercury 27 Sept 1876 reported launch

Claggan

Schooner. 84 Tons. Reg.No. 70481. Built 1876. Owned by John Fisher & Co.

Alice Bannister

Schooner. 114 Tons. Reg.No. 76876. Built 1877. Owned by Hugh Bannister.

Star Light

Schooner. 114 Tons. Reg.No. 76501. Built 1877. Owned by Mr. Prince. Wrecked 8 December 1893.

Caledonia

Schooner. 125 Tons. Reg.No. unknown. Built 1877. Owned by George Walker.

Princess of Thule

Schooner. 125 Tons. Reg.No. 76290. Built 1878. Owned by Anaes MacKenzie. Register Closed 1916. Intended for fishing trade of Stornoway – B Mercury 23 Jan 1878 . Pictures in Fitzhugh, Parrett, p.50

Dashwood

Schooner 113 Tons. Reg.No. 78452. Built 1878. Owned by John H. Allen.