Part of The Acorn Archive
Hearts
of Oak
The Eclipse, of St Ives
ECLIPSE
Built Bideford Devon in 1829
First registered at Bideford Nr 9; 8th August 1829
Transferred to St Ives Nr 14; Registered 11th November
1830.
103 69/94 tons burthen. 64 ft x
19 ft 7 ½ ins x 11 ft 6 ins depth of hold
Brig ….
Standing Bowsprit; Square Stern
Single deck; Two masts.
Figurehead – a man’s bust.
Carvel built (timber).
Master : Edward John (jnr)
Owners : 64ths
Shares
Edward John, innkeeper 26
James Wearne, mariner 16
Roger Wearne, merchant 8
William Davy of Penzance, merchant 8
John Permewan of St Just, farmer 6
Registered De Novo under Board Order 29th June 1842;
Registry Lost
Registered St Ives Nr 5; 13th July 1842
Measured as 90 1327/3500 tons
burthen; 61.4 ft x 17.2 ft x 10.95 ft.
Re-measured under rules 103 69/94
tons burthen
Master : John Sandow.
Change of Ownership in part
8th March 1843 – Richard Vinnicombe Davy and Edmund
Davy of Penzance,
executors of William Davy, late of Penzance,
transferred 14th July 1842 8/64ths
Shares unto Edward John; Will Probate 4th December
1939.
Edward John’s shares total 34.
6th November 1844 Edward John transferred his shares
to James Wearne
Vessel Altered
Registered De Novo; registered St Ives Nr 15;
Registered 6th November 1844.
Measured 114 2307/3500
tons burthen; 69.8 ft x 17.7 ft x 11 ft
Schooner rig ….
Master : James Jennings
Owners
James Wearne 50
Roger Wearne 8
Legal representative of John Permewan of St Just 6
21st February 1846 James Wearne transferred 16/24ths
to Thomas Daniel, master mariner
3rd August 1848 : Master : Humphry Francis Fry
October 1848 A
Newspaper Clipping
Story provided by Bob Nicholls gt gt grandson of Humphrey
Francis Fry.
The Mutiny on the Eclipse: The masters of the little
brigs and schooners which sailed out of St. Ives harbour during the last
century were often very “hard cases,” tough, resourceful men who hardly knew
the meaning of fear or danger and thought nothing of hazarding their lives in
order to bring their precious ships safe to port when storm and tempest
threatened to destroy them. This characteristic is well exemplified by the case
of Captain Humphrey Fry of the ECLIPSE who displayed a truly remarkable degree
of courage and resourcefulness when his schooner, partially dismasted in a
sudden gale was abandoned by her crew leaving her master alone on the deserted
ship.
This incident took place in late October of 1848. Because of strong easterly gales the ECLIPSE
carrying a cargo of 180 tons of coals from Cardiff to Southampton was obliged
to put into the harbour at St Michael’s Mount for shelter. The wind having moderated somewhat she again
got under way on Monday afternoon and resumed her voyage in a moderate
southwesterly breeze.
The weather soon worsened again however; and at 7:00
p.m. with the Lizard bearing E.S.E. about three leagues distant, in a scud of
sea, the bowsprit was carried away, the foremast being broken off short at the
same time.
The captain immediately called to the crew to assist
in securing the foremast but they all refused on which he went aloft himself
and cut a hawser from the masthead to the windlass. The mutinous crew with the mate as the ringleader, then went
below packed up their clothes which they brought on deck and having unshipped
and hove overboard the lee gangway bulwark and rail got out the boat; and in
spite of all that Captain Fry could do or say to stop them they abandoned the
ship in a most cowardly and scandalous manner, leaving the master on board by
himself. They even refused to assist in
making the ship snug or in getting the anchor over the gunwale before leaving. At
about 11:30 p.m. these miscreants reached Penzance pier, where they united in
giving a false
account of the circumstances under which they had left
the vessel. In the meantime the captain finding
himself thus deserted and alone began a grim struggle
to save his ship and his own life.
He first took in and secured the foremast and made the
sails fast and then by superhuman exertion got the anchor over the side. This involved getting ninety fathoms of one
inch chain weighing between two and three tons up from below and ranging it on
deck - a task normally requiring the assistance of several men. Having got the
anchor overboard succeeded in bringing up the the ECLIPSE’s 35 fathoms of
water, veering out all the chain and making the bare end fast around the
foremast. By this time, however, the
water was high up in the cabin in consequence of the loss of the midship’s bulwark which the crew had thrown overboard,
obliging Captain Fry to put several hours work at the pump before he could free
the vessel of water. Having done all that was possible for the safety of the
vessel he then searched for the lantern which the crew had stowed away in the
forecastle and having retrieved it hoisted a light in the hope of obtaining
assistance.
As soon as the deserters had landed at Penzance about
midnight two pilot cutters the GANNET and GUERILLA were sent out in an endeavor
to fall in with the ECLIPSE but owing to the false information given by her
crew it was nearly eight of the clock the nest morning before they found her at
anchor about two leagues northwest of the Lizard. The chain was then slipped and the vessel being taken in tow by one
of the cutters was safely brought into Penzance pier about one p.m. when the
captain’s gallantry was very deservedly acknowledged by the cheers of a crowd
assembled on the pierhead to greet him.
Captain Fry asserts that there would have been no
difficulty whatever in getting round the Lizard or in coming to a safe
anchorage in the roads if his crew had not behaved in such an infamous
manner. It is at least somewhat
gratifying to learn that none of these deserters came from St Ives, three of
them coming from Cardiganshire and one from Farcet in Hampshire.
20th October 1851 John Permewan of Bosanketh, St
Buryan, residual legatee of the late John Permewan
of St Just transferred 6/64th Shares to James Wearne,
dated 23rd May 1848
3rd April 1852 Deed of Settlement 2nd April 1852; Ann
Wearne widow of the late James Wearne,
transferred 48 Shares to Thomas Daniel master mariner,
William Michell Jennings sailmaker and
Richard Dennis Rodda bookbinder, all of St Ives. The
Vessel being Absent. Letters of Administration
dated 27th September 1851; Endorsed 19th February
1857.
18th July 1855 Official Number allocated : 11042
Registers do not include Masters names after 1855
Registered De Novo at request of Owners 13th November
1865
Registered St Ives Nr 11; Registered 13th November
1865
Under Deck Tonnage 102 73/100
72.2 ft x 20 ft x 11 ft hold
Owners Thomas Daniel
16 shares as an individual and
48 Shares being jointly owned by the the said Thomas
Daniel
with William Michell Jennings and Richard Dennis
Rodda.
3rd August 1870
Thomas Daniel transferred his individual 16 Shares to
Thomas Wearne, master mariner.
The remaining jointly owned 48 Shares were transferred
also to Thomas Wearne, master mariner.
Thomas Wearne was son-in-law to Henry Roach.
In 1874 Thomas Wearne was Master of the ECLIPSE.
Coasting Trade France and/or Belgium. Coasting Trade Wales and West.
Reported from Penzance: 3rd Aug 1874: Eclipse (schr)
of St Ives, from Truro to Cardiff in ballast,
went ashore at Mill Bay, Land’s End yesterday and has
become a total wreck; crew and part of materials saved.
2nd August 1874 – ECLIPSE wrecked near Land’s End;
Registration cancelled 10th August 1874.
Shipping Registers
St Ives
Thanks to Bob Nicholls and Ed Roach for additional material.
Raymond Forward