Hangings and Shipwrecks - Life onshore and off shore in scarborough
George Tinker described harbour events at
Scarborough. There was the singular instance of no
ship in the harbour except new ships on the 28th
June 1814. Shipbuilder Joseph Heward was buried that
year. A heavy gale on Friday December 15th took a
vessel onto Ramsdale rocks .Tinker recorded the
sailings of the "Charlotte" in the Riga trade in 1815.
There were footraces on the sands and fireworks on
the cliff on the fourth of September .Crathornes new
ship was launched from George Smith's yard in October
and on 16th November the "Sportsman" left the
Tindall stocks The pier man was hanged in "the xxxx
house on new pier" in 1816.That Winter ,Tinker saw
ice candles on ships bottoms., and in February
painter's brushes frozen in the paint . During 1817,
Donkin of Hunmanby shipped twelve horses out in the
"Robin Redbreast" . A ship foundered in April on the
castle rocks. Bart. Fowler's ship "Atlas" was launched
at Tindalls in 1818 and a 74 gun ship was seen
passing by on its way to the Portsmouth naval
review.
Maritime life was always hazardous. James and
Anthony Pearson in late November 1803 had been cast
off from the ship "Satisfaction" ashore on Leso
island in the Kattegat. The master Anthony died
overnight, in snow. James made shore at Jutland ,but
lost feet and fingers.He was later governor of
Scarborough spa. Lightning struck a ship on the
Scarborough stocks in July 1805 shattering the
sides and killing two men and a boy at work. In the
same year another man William Church was killed by
lightning working in Tindalls shipyard . Buckley
remembered the life of James Wrigley, apprenticed for
seven years in 1794, and serving his time in several
vessels. Out of his time, he was taken by the Press
Gang and only released in 1814. He broke three ribs
in 1832, damaged his foot, ribs and skull in
succeeding years, and dislocated his shoulder in a
later decade.Starting at the age of eleven, he finally
sought poor relief at the age of 65. A man was
whipped at cart tail from the west pier to Bland's
cliff for stealing in 1820. The Harbour Commissioners
paid a doctor's bill for James Healey maimed while
working on Vincent's pier. Mosey & co's brig
"Charles" was fired in the harbour on 5.1.1825, due
to a boy going in the cabin with a candle. During
1853, Scarborough vessels saw seven die from
exposure , 38 drowned , 17 die from injuries, two
deaths from cholera and 21 other deaths on sea
service.
OTHER ARTICLES
A great storm off Filey Bridge and a famous rescue in 1799
Sailors graves on the Scarborough coastline.
Charles Dickens account of a shipwreck at Filey
The Harwood and Bullamore fishing family history in Scarborough
Robin Hood's Bay - The Storm family website
Scarborough trawlers sunk and wrecked in the modern era
The Allen and Truman Scarborough fishing families
The German bombardment of scarborough in the First World War in 1914
Charles Dickens account of Filey and Scarborough graveyards
Watching for ships by the harbour walls in Scarborough
Scarboroughs Lifeboat - the huge storms of October 28th 1880
The early years of the Scarborough Lifeboat
Characters of the Filey fishing industry
Article by the granddaughter of James Ruffen Bayes
Scarborough's harbour and the coal trade. Thomas Hinderwell
The 200 year history of scarboroughs RNLI
Scarboroughs Old Town and its connection to the sea
Thomas Crimlisk - First of the Crimlisks
Filey and the gales of 1860,1867,1869 AND 1880