On Edward and Emily Weddall’s marriage certificate the address 64 Petherton Rd Islington, London as his address. The sea captain it appears took rooms there before his marriage to Emily. As he was retired at that stage he may have made London his home for a time. His health may have not been great and living in the city with access to modern medicine and physicians had it’s benefits. He and his new bride Emily, may have lived there for some time, as they are unaccounted for until the following year, when they moved to Ireland.

The leafy suburb was mostly rented out as rooms in larger houses and was probably a transient community.The below advert in the Islington Daily Gazette, from the turn of the century is an example of the accomodation on Petherton Road.

Sources

Islington Gazette 27 June 1900

1894 was an anno horribilis (horrible year) for Edward Weddall, loosing both his mother and wife within a few months. Eliza, his mother died in January and Emily his wife in May, leaving little time recover from one until the other occurred. He had some sibling living around the Pocklington area of Yorkshire but by and large their existence was a cold comfort to the sea captain as he was at sea most of the time.

The first Mrs Weddall’s gravestone in Hedon, Yorkshire

His loneliness was not destined to last forever, thought it took him some time to remarry, more than a decade in fact. Before hand a strange twist of fate would lead him to the second Mrs. Weddall. Some time after his first wife’s death  Captain Weddall contracted a tropical disease that caused him to retire from the life at sea. It was during his recuperation at Menetone, in the French Riviera that he stumbled up the vibrant young Irish woman, Miss Emily Burke.

Emily was staying at Hotel Splendid, in Mentone, when she made a collection for the families of the victims of the Kingstown Lifeboat Disaster. The sea tragedy occurred the previous Christmas Eve. As a fellow seafarer Edward Weddall made a generous contribution to the fund, which Emily praised in her letter enclosing the collection to the Irish Times. He may have been stuck in some way by the lively young Irish nurse, whose generosity and empathy towards others stood out. Their romance was a slow burning one, which would take more than ten years till they married.

Photo of Burnby Churchyard. Courtesy of http://www.pocklingtonhistory.com

Sources

York Herald 11 January 1894

Thanks

Special thanks to Andrew Sefton, Archivist

Image of Pocklington Church 1844 courtesy of http://www.pocklingtonhistory.com

<ahref="http://gravestonephotos.com/public/gravedetails.php?grave=389899&scrwidth=2400"><br>EmilyWeddall grave monument<br>(www.gravestonephotos.com)</a>

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