Captain Edward Weddall’s career took off when he became a master mariner in 1870. His name appeared frequently in trade publications such as Shipping and Mercantile Gazette and Lloyd’s List. His journeys were reported on in local and national papers in the Latest Shipping columns, rarely seen in papers nowadays. In the time before air travel, the shipping routes were as busy as the airlines of today.

The s.s. Bracadaile, of Newcastle, 1416 tons register, Captain Weddall, has arrived in the roadstead, after quick voyage from New Orleans, with 2770 tons maize for the Distillers’ Company.  

The s.s. Bracadaile‘s Captain Weddall, of Newcastle, left Gibraltar for Castlellamare and Genoa on the 6th inst.

Sources

10 October 1883 – Fife Herald – Cupar, Fife, Scotland

07 October 1884 – Shields Daily News – Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, England

On July 15th July 1870 Edward Weddall,  became a master mariner. At the age of twenty six and more than a decade at sea he had climbed up through the ranks was now a sea captain. To reach the top of his profession he would have had to reach a level of competency as outlined below.

Captain Weddall would spend the next twenty five years at sea, until he was forced into retirement after contracting a tropical disease.

A MASTER must have served one year as a Mate in the Foreign or Home Trade. In addition to the qualifications required for a mate, he must show that he is capable of navigating a ship along any coast, for which purpose he will be required to draw upon a chart produced by the Examiner the courses and distances he would run along shore from headland to headland, and to give in the writing courses and distances corrected for variation, and the bearings of the headlands and lights, and to show when the course should be altered either to clear any danger, or to adapt it to the coast. He must understand how to make his soundings according to the state of the tide. He will also be questioned as to his knowledge of the use and management of the mortar and rocket lines in the case of the stranding vessel, as explained in the Official Log Book…

Sources

Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Masters and Mates Certificates, 1850-1927 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/GenBosunMastersExam.html

Thanks to

House Museum Infante Dom Henrique, Porto, Portugal

In 1867 Edward Weddall received his First Mate Certificate from the Board of Trade, he was now only one step away from becoming a ship captain. He qualified in record quick time as it was only two years since he got his second mate certificate. To qualify to that standard required a lot of work, dedication and study.

A FIRST MATE must be nineteen years of age, and have served five years at sea, of which one year must have been as either Second or Only Mate, or as both.
Foreign-going Ship.

IN NAVIGATION.-In addition to the qualifications required for an Only Mate, he must be able to observe azimuths and compute the variation; to compare chronometers and keep their rates, and find the longitude by them from an observation of the sun; to work the latitude by single altitude of the sun off the meridian; and be able to use and adjust the sextant by the sun.

The examination was both practical and written requiring the candidate to to have a good knowledge of maths for navigational purposes. Edward Weddall was well on his way to the next level, a master mariner or sea captain.

Sources

http://www.mariners-list.com/site_pages.php?section=Merchant+Mariners&category=Masters+And+Mates&page_name=Lloyds+Captains+Registers

Thanks to

House Museum Infante Dom Henrique, Porto, Portugal

In 1865 Edward Weddall was rose to Second Mate status at 21 Years of age after about five years at sea. The certificate was awarded to him by the Board of Trades.

By the Lords of The Committee Privy

Council for Trade

Certificate of Competency

as

Second Mate

To Edward Weddall

Whereas it has been reported to us that you have been found duly qualified to fulfill the duties of Second Mate in the Merchant Service we do hereby in accordance of the Merchant Shipping Act 1854 grant you this Certificate of Competency. Given under the Seal of The board of Trade this Twenty-fourth day of August 1865.

In order for Edward to reach this rank he must have achieved the below:

A SECOND MATE must be seventeen years of age, and must have been four years at sea.
IN NAVIGATION.-He must write a legible hand and understand the first five rules of arithmetic, and the use of logarithms. He must be able to work a day’s work complete, including bearings and distance of the port he is bound to, by Merator’s method; to correct the sun’s declination for longitude, and find his latitude by meridian altitude of the sun; and to work such other easy problems of a like nature as may be put to him. He must understand the use of the sextant, and be able to observe with it, and read off the arc.
IN SEAMANSHIP.–He must give satisfactory answers as to the rigging and un-rigging of ships, stowing of holds, &e; must understand the measurement of the log-line, glass, and lead-line; be conversant with the rule of the road, as regards both steamers and sailing-vessels, and the lights and fog signals carried by them, and will also be examined as to this acquaintance, with ‘the Commercial Code of Signals for the use of all Nations.’

Sources

Ancestry.com – UK and Ireland, Masters and Mates Certificates, 1850-1927

Alan Russell has kindly transcribed the following extract from the paper comprising the examination for Certificates of Competency (MS Act 1854) and the Voluntary Examination in Steam from his personal collection.

Edward Weddall joined the Navy at the age of fifteen pretending that he was sixteen. He gave his date of birth as 1843, when he was really born in 1844. That was not uncommon for youngsters to pretend they were older to join the services. It was harder to prove age as there few passports if any, were issued and authorities rarely questions anyone who looked of age. Edward Weddall was one of those who slipped through the cracks.

Edward’s parents may well have condoned his early joining the navy, he was one of many children and had older brothers to inherit his father’s farm. It was Victorian time and survival of the fittest was the order of the day.

Ranks in the Navy

Commissioned Officers

• Admiral
• Captain
• Lieutenants
• Warrant Officers

Master

• Purser
• Surgeon
• Boatswain
• Gunner
• Carpenter

Inferior and Petty Officers includes:

• Armorer
• Cook
• Gunsmith
• Sail-maker
• Schoolmaster
• Master-at-Arms
• Midshipman
• Coxswain
• Quartermasters
• Gunners mates

Royal Marines

• Officers
• and men
• ‘The People”
• Able seamen
• Ordinary seamen
• Landowners
• Servants
• Dogs