[list-cumbria] Brocklebank 1775 'Cumberland Pacquet - 35'

Mon Sep 9 21:35:47 UTC 2024

Hi Neville and Listers

This is a rather convoluted sequence of emails about an article in Nev’s published Cumberland Pacquet, which I thought might be of interest to some.  Best read from bottom up.

Dorothy

From: William Brocklebank <brocks1917 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Monday, 9 September 2024 10:13 pm
To: Dorothy Gaunt <gauntde at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Brocklebank 1775

Daniel Brocklebank (shipbuilder)

>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daniel Brocklebank (c. 1741-1801) was a shipbuilder, first in North America and then in  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehaven> Whitehaven, and a mariner in between. 

He was born in 1741 (or 1742) at  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blennerhasset_and_Torpenhow> Torpenhow, England. At age 14 he moved to Whitehaven to take up an apprenticeship as a carpenter for a shipbuilder. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-DB-1> [1] In 1770, Brocklebank established a shipyard at  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheepscot_River> Sheepscutt (Sheepscot), which is near  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Maine> Portland, Maine. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-Natmus-2> [2] He brought with him his wife Anne, to whom he had been married only one year, and their baby daughter Sarah. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-DB-1> [1]

At Sheepscot he built five ships, one per year. When the  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution> American Revolution commenced, he took his family and his newest vessel, Castor, launched in early 1775 and not yet fully fitted out, and sailed home to Britain. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-DB-1> [1]

 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Ship_%27Castor%27_and_Other_Vessels_in_a_Choppy_Sea_RMG_BHC3251.jpg> Castor and other vessels in a choppy sea;  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Luny> Thomas Luny, 1802,  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maritime_Museum> National Maritime Museum

In 1779 he received a  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_marque> letter of marque and became a privateer, using Castor, reportedly a brig of 220 tons (bm), <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-Natmus-2> [2] that he armed with 20 guns. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-Compass-3> [3]When Castor was lost near Jamaica in 1781, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-Compass-3> [3] he had the firm of Spedding & Co. build a second Castor. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-DB-1> [1] This was probably the  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_(1782_ship)> Castor launched in 1782 that traded as far as Bengal and served until 1808, though Brocklebank apparently sold her in 1791 or 1792. Spedding & Co. also built the ship Precedent and the brig Cyrus for Brocklebank. In addition, Brocklebank purchased several ships from Stockdale & Co.

Brocklebank was able to restart his shipbuilding firm in 1785 (or 1788). Here he built some 25 (or 27) vessels. By 1795 he had built up a fleet of eleven vessels of a total burthen of 1,750 tons ( <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Builder%27s_Old_Measurement> bm). <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-Natmus-2> [2]

Brocklebank died in 1801. His two sons then took over the firm, which they renamed  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocklebank_Line> Thomas and John Brocklebank; later it became Thos. and Jno. Brocklebank. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Brocklebank_(shipbuilder)#cite_note-Natmus-2> [2]

On 9 Sep 2024, at 8:55 PM, Dorothy Gaunt <gauntde at gmail.com <mailto:gauntde at gmail.com> > wrote:

Thanks Neville. I have a friend here in New Zealand, Bill Brocklebank, so I sent him this extract from the Pacquet. It was news to him  …. I have included his reply. He’s into genealogy too (back to Daniel B) but  didn’t know of this man. Such is the world of genealogy; you just never know where these little titbits will go. 

Dorothy Gaunt

On 9 Sep 2024, at 3:34 PM, William Brocklebank <brocks1917 at gmail.com <mailto:brocks1917 at gmail.com> > wrote:

Thanks Dorothy

Lars, our grandson, has a flat mate in Wellington whose mother’s maiden name is Brocklebank and she can trace her ancestry back to the shipping line family. I must ask him if he can go back to Daniel Brocklebank.

hanks Dorothy.

Bill

On 9 Sep 2024, at 6:30 AM, Dorothy Gaunt <gauntde at gmail.com <mailto:gauntde at gmail.com> > wrote:

Hi Bill

Thought you might be interested in this account of a Brocklebank from Whitehaven in 1775. He’s mentioned in the first paragraph and then a larger account further on. 

Regards

Dorothy 

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Nev Ramsden via list-cumbria <list-cumbria at list.cumbriafhs.com <mailto:list-cumbria at list.cumbriafhs.com> >
Date: 9 September 2024 at 6:11:11 AM NZST
To: list-cumbria at list.cumbriafhs.com <mailto:list-cumbria at list.cumbriafhs.com> 
Cc: Nev Ramsden <black.sail38 at zen.co.uk <mailto:black.sail38 at zen.co.uk> >
Subject: [list-cumbria] Cumberland Pacquet - 35
Reply-To: Genealogy email list for Cumbria <list-cumbria at list.cumbriafhs.com <mailto:list-cumbria at list.cumbriafhs.com> >

Whitehaven  - June 15  - 1775.

The Castor, Captain Brocklebank, arrived here last Thursday in 33 days from Sheepscott in America. For a copy of the minutes in his journal, see the last page of this paper.

 ………………… 

When Capt. Brocklebank left Sheepscutt, no S?lem [Salem perhaps?] papers with the account of the action had reached that place: but the particulars reported there were much the same as those printed in the London papers; except that no mention was made of the King’s troops plundering and destroying houses, and committing several acts of barbarity, as related by the Provincials. He left the country with a new vessel which had been built there, on board of which he had only on barrel of beef and some bread; provisions could not be purchased there; he gave his seamen the choice of running for Nova Scotia, or the Banks of Newfoundland, to try whether they could procure a sufficiency of fish, to support them on their passage to Europe; they chose the latter, and in a few hours caught an amazing great quantity. They had some salt, but not enough to preserve the fish they had taken: This deficiency they, however, soon supplied by scraping up the salt which had had been laid between the [ships] timbers (a custom used for preserving ships) wherever they could get to it; and by these means got as much as cured a quantity which served them plentifully on the passage.

After twenty days sail they were in in St.George’s Channel, and the 11th from that came safe into Whitehaven, to the great joy and astonishment of their friends, who did not expect them so soon, as the Captain had purposed building another vessel, but from the disturbed state of the Province thought it most prudent to quit it and a considerable part of his cargo, which he had purchased, and had ready for shipping.

Nev. Ramsden

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