The Monaghans Chap.3 The Whitehaven Families

The Whitehaven Families

On 4 February 1899 John Monaghan was married to Catherine Bowdon at Our Lady and St Thomas’ Church in Willington, Co Durham; the witnesses were Michael Gaffney and Mary Bowden.  So who was Catherine Bowdon?  She was the daughter of James Bowden and Mary Graham.  In turn, James’ parents were John Bowden and Jane Teer, and Mary’s parents were, Andrew Graham and Catherine Lynn.  All of these Irish families lived in Whitehaven, or in the Bowden’s case, in nearby Cockermouth, before moving to Co Durham.  So where did they come from? How did they get to Whitehaven? What sort of a town was Whitehaven?

In the late 1700’s Whitehaven was the second biggest port in the country.  The town was a major port for the import of sugar, rum and tobacco, and it had also had an involvement in the slave trade. Daniel Defoe had described the town as having been the monopoly supplier of coal to the towns on the east coast of Ireland in the late 1700’s, and this remained the case in the 19th century.  The town had a fleet of colliers which constantly crossed St George’s Channel between Cumberland and the Irish coast. It’s likely that three of our ancestral families, Grahams, the Linns or Lynns and the Budden or Bodden families sailed to Cumberland on a returning Collier, or maybe one of the passenger steam packets which were beginning to shuttle between Ireland and Britain.

A brig leaving Whitehaven Harbour, with the distinctive candlestick chimney, and crenellated lodge of the Wellington Pit on the skyline.

Here is some from email correspondence I had with Derek Elwood, a descendant of some of the Whitehaven ship masters, who researches Whitehaven shipping in the 18th and 19th Century.

(The Cumbrian ports exporting coals to Ireland were Maryport, Workington, Harrington and Whitehaven).

By 1830, Whitehaven was exporting more coal than the other three combined, averaging 150,000 to 185,000 tons per annum 1820 to 1830. Whitehaven's highest was 230, 000 tons in 1845, but declined very rapidly thereafter. About 2,000 vessel movements between the West Cumbrian ports and mainly Eastern Irish ports would be about the order of sailings.

Principal deliveries would be to Dublin and Belfast, with more occasional deliveries to Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry, Limerick, Londonderry, Cork, Galway, and Strangford. As an example, cousin Thomas Williamson, Master of the little 73 tons burthen brigantine Confidence of Harrington, made 8 return voyages Whitehaven-Dundalk in the second six months of 1857. In the last 3 months of 1845, cousin James Williamson, an apprentice on the 105 tons burthen brig Fly made 4 return voyages Harrington-Londonderry.

So, I asked Derek, did poor Irish immigrants travel to Cumbria in Packets, or in the returning colliers?

My guess would be mainly in the colliers, but evidencing that is like pulling hen’s teeth: - Packets were available too. See the information at the end of this message. Another group of ancestors known to have lived in Cumbria were the Boddens/Bowdens/Teers.  I know from the ‘51/’61/’71 censuses, when they were in Brigham, that John Bodden came from Ardglass and his wife, Janet Teer, from Seaforde nearby. I assume they would have landed at Whitehaven.  Was Ardglass a port visited by the colliers?

 

Whitehaven harbour in the 19^th century.

Probably, but I can't evidence that port as I can others. In principle, a vessel like CONFIDENCE could easily have popped in there. I have records of sailings from Quoile Quay, Downpatrick, and from Dundrum (both near Seaforde) to Whitehaven.
  I have other Irish ancestors, the Monaghans from near Cookstown, who first appeared in Durham in the 1840’s but I assume they arrived in Whitehaven.  McRail (the author of a book on the Irish in Victorian Cumbria) seems to identify it as the major Cumbrian port of arrival.  Incidentally, the brother of my Lynn ancestor was born in Scotland; do you know of any traffic between Newry and Scotland?

Again, nothing immediately comes to mind, but in principle, no reason why not e.g. Cousin John Williamson was popping between Limerick and Glasgow several times in 1848 on the 122 ton brig Margaret of Harrington.

In 1844, one of the steam packets between Whitehaven, the Isle of Man and Dublin was advertised thus:-

''Steam Communication between Whitehaven, The Isle Of Man, And Dublin. The Steam Packet, MOAN'S ISLE, leaves Whitehaven every Tuesday, for the Isle of Man and Dublin'

Fares to the Isle of Man: Cabin, 7s. 6d., Deck, 5s.                                                Fares to Dublin: Cabin, 15s., Deck, 7s. 6d.                                                           Hours of Sailing:- Tuesday, July 30, Two o'clock Afternoon                                 Agents    Edward More, Douglas.                                                                       Fisher and Steward, Whitehaven.''

So even on the dedicated passenger only service, it would seem that a passage on deck between West Cumberland and Ireland was quite normal. Also the economic aspects, If the family of a typical Co. Down Agricultural labourer,  parents and five children was seeking to migrate to Cumberland, then even if children were to travel at half rate, this family would have had to find 4.5 x15s.= 3 pounds 7 shillings and 6 pence. That would be about two month’s wages for a Cumbrian Agricultural labourer. in those days. A study by Sir Frederick Mortenden about 1800, '' The State of the Poor'', found that for a Cumbrian agricultural labourer with a wife and five children, family expenditure would be 18 pounds 18 shillings and 5 pence per annum whereas wages received for days worked were 18 pounds 18 shillings and six pence per annum. So they would have had no disposable income to speak of. Three pounds weight of bacon at that time cost 1s. 7d. So such a family bent on survival and desirous of heading at the lowest possible cost to a location where they could put the Great Famine behind them, might just have found the Cumbrian/Lancastrian collier brigs and schooners to be their salvation, and the masters of the same might have found themselves a bonus equivalent to a week's pay by transporting such a family.

 

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The Old Lighthouse, at the entrance to Whitehaven Harbour, is likely to have been our ancestors’ first sight of England. The plaque on its base reads ‘ Watchtower and Old Quay erected about 1730, the watchtower was used for general surveillance of sailing vessels in the harbour. The Old Quay was the port’s pier of late 17^th century foundation with  historical associations including the John Paul Jones raid in 1778—the last invasion of England’. Whitehaven Civic Society 1971.

 

Michael and Martin Burns leaning on a capstan at

Whitehaven Harbour 2002

In 1854 the House of Commons’ Committees on Emigrant Ships reported that passengers were conveyed on deck without cover from Ireland to England, and with sheep and pigs on deck. (Cattle were stowed under cover in the lower hold and between decks.) The passage money was 1s to 2s 6ds. The following year the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Poor Law Removals heard evidence from W Wilson, the Guardian of the Poor for Whitehaven. He said that Steam Packets were making the crossing from Belfast to Whitehaven, (the shortest crossing of St George’s Channel). 21 Irish paupers were returned to Ireland between 1847 and 1854 [this was a useful device to dissuade the Irish Poor from becoming a burden on the parish].  Mr Wilson went on to say that  ‘a good number are engaged in the coal pits; I should think that more than a half of the persons employed in the coal mines are Irish. Taking the two townships together [Whitehaven and Preston - a part of Whitehaven] I should think there may be 5,000 - 6,000’.

St Gregory’s Chapel Whitehaven, now the dining room

of St Begh’s School, next to St Begh’s (Priory) Church.