19th Century Cork Sutton Mariners, Sailing Ships and Crews

In 1835, there were 466 outward sailings, 420 of these loaded, mainly with agricultural products. At this time, 28 vessels were registered at Youghal, with two of these engaged in foreign trade. In 1879, sailings totalled 217, including 31 in ballast and only four steamers. By 1901 sailings were slightly down at 206 vessels and of these 51 had come from berths upriver (Scott). The River Blackwater is tidal for 15 miles up to Cappoquin, while the River Bride was tidal to berths about a mile east and below Tallow (Section 4: Fig. 35). For much of the nineteenth century fishing was favoured over trade on the Blackwater. The many weirs created direct and indirect obstacles to vessels: turbulence around the weirs encouraging silting and shoal formation. Lighters provided the means of transport of goods on the Blackwater and Bride for much of the century, until agreements in the 1860s allowed for removal of old weirs, reductions in their numbers and restoration of shipping.

Prince Edward Island

( Alarm, Aeneas )

Prince Edward Island is the smallest of the Canadian Maritime Provinces and is located on the southwest of the Gulf of St Lawrence adjacent to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. These Provinces were major sources of timber and sailing ships for Ireland during the nineteenth century. Trade with the Baltic, the other major timber supply region, was curtailed in the early part of the century due to the Napoleonic Wars, 1803 – 15 and subsequent British tax policy (see Volunteer). Prince Edward Island was a renowned ship building centre and the Rouses of Charlottetown PEI are said to have built the ‘Ferraris of sailing ships’ (see Perilla ).

Quakers

( Bridgetown, Industry, Joseph R Pim, Tottenham )

‘ While not the largest relief agency in the field during the Great Famine, the Society of Friends or Quakers, were the most successful and, 165 years on, are still revered by Irish people, who, if asked about the Quakers, invariably answer: “ they fed us in the Famine times ”’ (Hatton 1993). The Central Relief Committee (CRC) of the Society, set up in November 1846, efficiently evaluated the needs of the population in all four Provinces, made international appeals for funds, food and clothing and developed a quality system of distribution to the needy without any strings attached. Munster was particularly favoured with their cash grants. During this period the CRC also employed women for necessary clothing manufacture and provided support to the failing farming and fishing industries ( ibid ).

Rats

( Eliza O’Keeffe )

Rats had no respect either for the sailors or the ships on which they voyaged, causing damage, disease and never-ending problems with extermination. They were capable of gnawing holes in timber vessels, causing ships to sink. Sulphur fumigation of holds for pest destruction also presented risks for crews. Thuillier (2014) describes the practice of lowering birds into the holds to check fumigant levels. If the birds survived, then the men could go down to shovel the rats into bags and throw them overboard.

( Nineteenth-century Cork Sutton mariners )

While the 1835 Register BT120 image reported the Cork Sutton mariners (Section 4: Fig. 26), their common origin in Clonakilty required alternate documentation:

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