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Merchant ships built by the Barnard family
Merchant shipbuilding
With modern assembly techniques in mind it is difficult to appreciate that shipbuilders in the eighteenth century (and before) built a vessel from the keel up entirely from raw materials delivered to the yard. Tree trunks, complete with bark, were transported straight from the forest to the site, where they were seasoned, stacked, sawn, shaped and carved into the multitude of patterns required. The number of individual parts necessary to build a single vessel could be counted in thousands rather than hundreds.
The amount of timber required for the construction of, say, a 74-gun ship, is estimated as the product of approximately 3000 fully-grown oak trees, English oak being the Navy Board's preference. In addition to the Navy's needs merchant ships like that of the H.E.I.C. Not surprisingly a dramatic increase in demand for oak, from 320,000 tons in 1760 to 700,000 tons in 1805, brought in its train severe shortages, which were partially satisfied by the import of American white oak from New Brunswick and Quebec. Nevertheless, the search for and procurement of a sufficient supply of oak of the required quality to meet both current and future demand remained a problem throughout the period. The masts required to rig the fleet also called for an ever increasing quantity of pine from the Baltic known as the East Countries. Later in the eighteenth century the massive white pine from the virgin forests of North America helped alleviate the shortage.
The question of adequate finance was a constant source of concern to the smaller merchant builder, for a 74-gun ship cost something in excess of £23,000 - a sum which the builder would often find difficult to raise from his own resources. The expenditure would, of course, be spread over a building period of, say, three years
Full details in Building Britain's
Wooden Walls "The Barnard Dynasty c.1697-1851"
by John E. Barnard
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Pictures of wooden ships - Click the images for a more detailed image
The following table is from the book "Building Britain's Wooden Walls by John E. Barnard"
reproduced with permision of Barnard Publications
Name |
Tons |
Husband |
Voyages |
Service |
Ankerwick |
679 |
Barrington Buggin |
4 |
1764-74 |
Airley Castle |
813 |
Robert Williams |
8 |
1787-1806 |
Arniston |
1433 |
John Wedderbourn |
8 |
1790-1812 |
Asia 111 |
958 |
Henry Bonham |
10 |
1811-31 |
Brilliant |
703 |
Sir William James |
1 |
1781 |
Bridgewater 1 |
804 |
John Wood |
4 |
1769-79 |
Bridgewater 11 |
799 |
Nicholas Skottowe |
6 |
1785-97 |
Baring |
820 |
Robert Charnock |
6 |
1801-12 |
Boddam |
1021 |
George Palmer |
6 |
1787-1800 |
Clinton |
711 |
William Larkins |
? |
1786-?? |
Caledonian |
612 |
Robert Charnock |
2 |
1797-1800 |
Dutton |
761 |
Capt Henry Rice |
5 |
1781-93 |
Dunira |
1325 |
Geo. Palmer |
8 |
1817-31 |
Dorsetshire |
1260 |
Robert Williams |
9 |
1800-21 |
Earl Fitzwilliam |
803 |
James Farquharson |
5 |
1786-96 |
Enfield |
1021 |
? |
? |
1787 |
Earl St Vincent |
818 |
John Pascall Larkins |
7 |
1799-1811 |
Fairford |
755 |
Geo. Ramsey |
1 |
1781 |
General Barker |
758 |
John Durand |
1 |
1778 |
General Coate |
787 |
Robert Williams |
6 |
1781-94 |
Granby |
786 |
Chas. Raymond |
4 |
1767-78 |
Hinchinbrooke |
528 |
Robert Williams |
1 |
1780 |
Hindustan 1 |
1248 |
Robert Williams |
2 |
1789-1793 |
Hindustan 11 |
1463 |
Robert Williams |
4 |
1796-1803 |
Hythe |
1333 |
Stewart Majorbanks |
6 |
1820-30 |
Lord Nelson |
818 |
Robert Charnock |
5 |
1799-1807 |
Lord Lowther |
1332 |
Henry Blanchard |
4 |
1825-30 |
Mars |
696 |
Capt Wm. Farrington |
1 |
1785 |
Marquis of Lansdown |
647 |
Antony Brough |
5 |
1786-98 |
Marquis of Wellington |
961 |
Henry Bonham |
9 |
1812-28 |
Melville Castle |
806 |
David Webster |
7 |
1786-99 |
Metcalf |
819 |
James Thomas |
6 |
1804-14 |
Middlesex |
755 |
Robert Williams |
5 |
1783-93 |
Mount Stuart |
758 |
Geo. Ramsey |
2 |
1777-79 |
Nepture 11 |
758 |
Andrew Moffat |
4 |
1780-7 |
Ponsbourne I |
499 |
Thos.Lane |
4 |
1765-72 |
Ponsbourne ll |
758 |
Thos. Lane |
6 |
1780-93 |
Phoenix |
818 |
Robert Williams |
6 |
1804-17 |
Preston |
671 |
Wm. Hamilton |
6 |
1798-1809 |
Prince Regent |
953 |
Henry Bonham |
10 |
1811-32 |
Prince William Henry |
803 |
James Farquharson |
5 |
1787-1800 |
Princess Amelia 1 |
808 |
Robert Williams |
4 |
1786-96 |
Princess Amelia 11 |
1275 |
Robert Williams |
10 |
1808-25 |
Resolution |
804 |
Mark Cramer |
4 |
1769-78 |
Rockingham |
798 |
Sir Richard Hotham |
7 |
1785-99 |
Royal Admiral |
914 |
Sir Richard Hotham |
8 |
1777-95 |
Royal Bishop |
720 |
Robert Williams |
2 |
1777-86 |
Royal Charlotte 11 |
855 |
Albert Nesbit |
5 |
1771-85 |
Royal Henry |
499 |
Thomas Lane |
4 |
1771-81 |
Sir William Pultney |
565 |
John Locke |
6 |
1805-14 |
Speaker |
499 |
Andrew Moffatt |
4 |
1763-71 |
Sulivan |
755 |
Robert Williams |
6 |
1782-96 |
Taunton Castle |
1198 |
Peter Esdaile |
9 |
1790-1810 |
Thames 11 |
1330 |
Abel Chapman |
7 |
1819-32 |
Thomas Coutts |
1334 |
Sir Robert Preston |
8 |
1817-31 |
Varunna |
526 |
John Prinsep |
4 |
1796-1803 |
Warren Hastings 1 |
716 |
William Larkins |
6 |
1781-94 |
Warren Hastings 11 |
1200 |
John Pascall Larkins |
2 |
1802-6 |
Walmer Castle |
1200 |
John Pascall Larkins |
9 |
1796-1814 |
William Pitt |
819 |
Henry Bonham |
7 |
1805-19 |
Windsor |
1332 |
Felix Clay |
7 |
1818-31 |
Winterton |
771 |
Thos. Newte |
4 |
1782-91 |
In addition to the above named East Indiamen the following small vessels were built in the Barnard yards:
Antelope, a packet of 276tons 1781
Bentley, a hoy of 129tons 1802
Blucher, a hoy of 69 tons 1815
Madras, a hoy of 86tons 1786
An analysis of the list shows that the Barnard family built 62 East Indiamen for 36 different owners and that 10 owners contracted for more than one vessel apiece. The Robert Williams, father and son, topped the list with orders for 11 vessels.
Other multiple owners:-
The Larkins family 5 vessels
Henry Bonham 4
Thomas Lane 3
Robert Charnock 3
Andrew Moffatt 2
Sir Richard Hotham 2
James Farquharson 2
Geo. Ramsey 2
The following account is from the book "Building Britain's Wooden Walls by John E. Barnard" reproduced with kind permision of Barnard Publications.
The Warren Hastings was among the largest East Indiamen of her day and was involved in one of the most famous seabattles to be found in the chronicles of the H.E.I.C. Sailing from Portsmouth to China on her second voyage in February 1805, with Capt Thomas Larkins in command, she mounted forty four guns and had a complement of one hundred and ninety six men and boys. Her homeward voyage from Canton commenced on 31 March 1806 in company with three other East Indiamen, one of which was the Barnard built Dorsetshire the 'property' of Robert Williams. A combination of unfortunate circumstances resulted in the Warren Hastings being separated from her companions leaving her alone in a part of the Indian Ocean regularly patrolled by French menof-war. Regrettably, Capt Larkins had been either obliged, or tempted, to sacrifice armament for cargo by caulking up a number of gun-ports on the main deck, and to make matters worse, forty Chinese members of the crew had elected to remain in Canton and eighteen of the best of her English crew had been impressed for service aboard a warship. Her armament, when she sailed from Canton, amounted to only thirty six guns and she carried a crew of one hundred and thirty eight men and boys.
On 21 June 1806 the Warren Hastings was intercepted by the French frigate La Piemontaise, a recently launched, powerful and exceptionally fast vessel manned by a crew of 385 with a broadside weight of shot of 553lbs; a figure which compared with 312lbs for the Warren Hastings. Despite the great disparity in both guns and man-power Capt Larkins, for a period of some three and a quarter hours, fought off continuous French attacks. Great havoc was caused to the undermanned and lightly armed East Indiaman but the fate of the day was eventually decided when, with the gun-room ablaze and the fore and main mast wrecked, the mizzenmast fell forward effectively blocking-up every gun on the upper deck. At 16.50 hours Capt Larkins, with the consent of his officers struck his colours. The action had cost the Warren Hastings seven killed and thirteen wounded, whilst the La Piemontaise had suffered seven killed and five wounded.
Unhappily the accepted civilized behaviour of the victor towards the vanquished conventionally observed once a vessel had struck its colours was brutally ignored in this case by the shameful drunken behaviour of the 1st Lt Moreau, the officer commanding the boarding party sent aboard the Warren Hastings to take possession of her as a prize. Capt Larkins and other officers were seriously wounded and were extremely lucky to escape with their lives. Part of the official account of the incident as recorded by Capt Larkins, reads:
"This Moreau was most thoroughly incapacitated from either the performance of a generous disposition as a man, or of his duty as an officer or a seaman, for he was as furiously intoxicated as the lowest, vilest wretch, who followed and abetted him in his murderous and bloodthirsty intentions. His myrmidons, spread about the ship, were reviling and treating in the most shameful and inhuman manner all who could not escape from their fury, while this officer, having the whole of the upper deck to himself, was vaunting about with all the emptiness of self-sufficiency, and, in the paroxysms of inebriation, was driving his poignards (having one in each hand) into every inoffensive thing that happened to lay in his way, such as the capstan, the fallen mizzen-mast, the coamings, of the after-hatchway etc., presuming as may very properly be concluded, that these objects of his indignation had not the power to return the insults, or, that the fumes of liquor had so very forcibly overcome his eyesight that he did not know what he was doing. However, I am sensibly led to the former conclusion, drawing the inference from his conduct towards me - a fallen, defenceless enemy."
The captors took the Warren Hastings to the island of Mauritius where she was made seaworthy and entered into service with the French navy. Luckily she had the good fortune to be retaken by the British who returned her to her role as merchantman trading on the coast of India. The following account of a momentary re-union between Capt Larkins and his old ship written by the acting quartermaster of the Warren Hastings III in 1808 makes emotive reading:
"We at last reached Saugar in safety, before we arrived there our feelings were excited to a high pitch of sympathy by an interesting scene. Captain Larkins was standing on the poop close by where I stood with his glass at his eye examining the ships which were lying at anchor when he suddenly exclaimed, "I surely know that ship lying yonder; my eyes cannot deceive me, it's my old ship, the Warren Hastings." The pilot was requested to go within hail of her. All hands were upon deck; every eye fixed on the strange ship, and soldiers and sailors manned the rigging. The Captain got the large speaking trumpet and bellowed out "What ship ahoy?" answer, "The Warren Hastings, what ship are you?" answer, "The new Warren Hastings." Here the shouting of the crews of both ships was quite deafening. Our Captain could not say a syllable more, but was much affected as to shed a tear to the memory of his old ship, which he had manfully defended, but lost to some ship of war."
The Warren Hastings and La Piemontaise
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