A life at sea is not an easy one on many different levels. But when the crew of a ship fail to deliver on their contracts it is harder still. Edward Weddall had spent over half of his life at sea when in July 1883 he wrote to the Shipping and Mercantile Gazette. His writing was in response to a Mr. W. Clark Russell’s letter who wrote to the publication about hard working life of sailors. 

Edward Weddall was aggrieved at this and wrote immediately to give his opinion on the matter. From Sailors jumping ship to tardy firemen and errant doctors, the captain experienced all of the above on one voyage.

Mr Clark Russell responded to the captain’s letter, this time he was more sympathetic to the sea captains. Emily’s husband was well able to make his point.

Sources

Shipping and Mercantile Gazette 26 July 1883

Shipping and Mercantile Gazette 02 August 1883

Edward Weddall married Emily Soutter at Eton Buckinghamshire on May 27 1871. He was 27 and she 23. Emily, unlike the rest of her family was born in London in 1848. She was a daughter of an ironmonger from Hedon, Yorkshire. Her parents Selina and Joseph Soutter appeared to have only one other child, Clara who was two years Emily’s junior and curiously were both baptized the same day.

Emily’s birth family is shrouded in mystery, it appears that her father Joseph went to America at some stage and died there in 1870. Her mother Selina and sister Clara disappeared from records altogether, suggesting they died. The Soutters lived in a time when an accident or even a fever could take you easily. It was the age before antibiotics or medication that alleviate fever easily.

Emily went live with her uncle and aunt, William and Catherine (twin sister of her father Joseph) Tomlinson according to the 1961 Census. She was thirteen at the time and attended a local school.The Tomlinsons owned a large farm and butchers at Preston, Yorkshire. The couple had no children of their own and had a large house with many servants. Emily lived there until she married in 1871 and thereafter as her husband as a sea captain was away at sea most of the year.

Her aunt, a widow by now  had two other nieces living with her along with servants, making for plenty of company for Emily, while Edward was away. Sadly it was at her aunt’s residence she died in May of 1894, still a young woman of 46.

Catherine lived on for another eight years until she died at the age of 80 in 1902.

Sources

York Herald 15 January 1870

Yorkshire Evening Post 29 May 1894

Hull Daily Mail 16 January 1902

Captain Edward Weddall was a fastidious man, “ship shape” could have been his motto. An incident that happened in 1879 highlighted this. He was about to dock the ship Lotty in Cardiff Bay, Wales. It was common for a pilot employed by the port, and familiar with the dock to pilot them in and out of the basin.

Moses White the pilot on duty boarded Captain Weddall’s vessel, Lotty to bring it into the bay. Captain Weddall asked him to bring the ship in stern first but the pilot told him that it was the law of the port to bring vessels in head first. Captain Weddall was not pleased with the arrangement as it might damage the vessel. One thing lead to another and a huge row ensured. It didn’t get violent but some aggressive language and some big threats were made by Captain Weddall. The matter could have been easily resolved but neither man gave in, hence it the Cardiff Police Court.

Captain Weddall was fined 40s and costs.

Sources

Shipping and Mercantile Gazette 02 June 1879

Sailors have and had a reputaion for drinking.  In 1876 he captained the ship Uruguay from London to Tunis, taking in Odessa and other ports along the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

The voyage would take a month or so, required that the crew had daily allowances of certain foods to keep them at an optimum level of health, as daily nutritional of vitamins and mineral requirements were not known back then but they did have some idea of nutritional deficiency. Lemon and Lime were taken by all seafarers to prevent scurvy, which occurred when there was a long term deficiency of vitamin C. Along with a table of provisions, merchant ships governing body, the Board of Trades had a list of rules for seafarers. One of the strict rules stipulated by the Board of Trade was sobriety, appearing in the first sentence of the rules and regulations as such;

And the Crew agree to conduct themselves in an orderly, faithful honest, and sober manner, and to be at all time diligent in their respective Duties, and to be obedient to the lawful Command of the said Master…Captain Weddall

Captain Weddall took the sobriety rule very seriously, perhaps sailors really did live up to their “drunken” reputation! He even stipulated it in the Account and Agreement of Crew, stating it clearly in the Seale of Provisions for the Crew “No Spirits Allowed”.

Sources

Admiral William Henry Smyth’s 1865 Sailor’s Word-book – an alphabetical digest of nautical terms

findmypast.co.uk/record?id=ire%2fcrewlists%2f00510151

In 1870 Emily’s family left their house in Edenderry, to move in to the tiny vestry ’10f 6 inches long by 9 feet broad’ in Castlejordan Church, where her father was incumbent. Why is not stated in the letter, but chances are the family had leave town quickly, as they did before fleeing from persecution for changing religion. A fund had been set up by the outraged well wishers of Rev. Burke and his family.

The letter below to the Waterford Standard of October 15th 1870 by someone who singed off as GD tells of their plight.

If Rev. Burke had his enemies he had well wishers too. One sent a total of £10, which was quite a sum in the 1870’s. From another source, possibly the more wealthy Thomas Scott, who appears to have been a councilor sent almost £50 with a promise of £50 more at a later date, which will go quite far towards the fund for a parsonage. The poetically put accompanying letter supporting Rev. Burke and advising him to remain in “David’s Den of Lions” until” the porch of Solomon’s Temple”. Comforting advice!

It is not clear if the Burkes got to live in the proposed parsonage or indeed if one was built. The family moved to Dunloe Hill in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway soon afterwards, where Rev. and Mrs Burke ended their days.

The ruin of Castlejordan Church, where Emily ‘lived’ with her family during the winter of 1870/71

Sources

Waterford Standard 15 October 1870