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The
Times of London
Matters
pertaining to the Coastguard in Cornwall reported betwen 1826 and 1850.
The French slave-vessel which was forced into St.Ives by stress of weather, was taken possession of by Lieutenant G.H.
Rye, and his party of seamen belonging to the coast-guard service.
11
July 1826
A vessel called the Young Ferdinand, bound from France to Brussels, was run down by a schooner off the Lizard , on the
28th of last month. Soon after the accident the Young Ferdinand fell on her beam-ends, when the master was unfortunately
drowned. The remainder of the crew took to their boats, and shortly after, landed at Cadgwith. On learning of the disaster,
Lieutenant Hooper, of the Coast Guard stationed there, went off, with some boats and took the wreck in tow. By great
exertions they succeeded in bringing her in; and with the assistance of Captain Head, R.N., James Trevenen, Esq.,
collector of the customs at Helston, etc. the whole of the cargo, consisting of 300 casks of wine, was safely landed.
A case at the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, on Feb. 27 Russell and others v Avery
The case was brought by Thomas, George and James Russell, hop and seed merchants of Southwark, on the basis
that a large quantity of their hops had found their way into the hands of Avery, who lived at Boscastle, in
Cornwall. Avey had been the Lloyd's agent at Boscastle, but had been dismissed and replaced by Messrs.
Thomas Pope Rosevear and William Sloggatt. The plaintiffs had sold a large quantity of hops to customers in
Drogheda, and had shipped them by the Aera, Philip Atkins Williams, master and part owner. On the voyage, for
some reason, the master had left the other ships which were also travelling to Drogheda, and kept near the coast
of Cornwall, eventually becoming a total wreck on rocks near Bude, the master and crew being all saved. On the
beach concerned was Lieutenant Keys, commander of the coast guard, who also held a deputation with the
customs. He discussed the position with the master, who asked him to do what he could to save the cargo and
place it in the hands of the Lloyd's agent. In the meantime a large number of people had gathered, before the
coast guards could get to the wreck, and Lieut. Keys told his chief boatman to be sure to get out to the vessel
before the mob. When the tide ebbed there was a rush for the wreck. The coast Guard however, secured the
cargo, but Avery then arrived with a signed authority from the master of the ship to take the cargo. However,
Lieut. Keys would not give it up as he intended to carry out the agreement he had to deliver the cargo to the
Lloyd's agents. Keys, Rosevear & Sloggatt, then placed the cargo in a dry place, harried by Avery and his mob.
Then Avery attacked the Preventive men, who
defended themselves with their swords. Eventually they secured
the cargo and guarded it all night, then loaded it on a cart and escorted it to Bude. Subsequently, by force, Avery
and his party, with help from Captain Williams took the whole of the cargo. The Lloyd's agents then contacted the
owners of the cargo and obtained their orders to get it back from Avery. Rosevear and Sloggatt tried to do so by
offering to pay some compensation to Avery but the latter told them it was not their business, so in the end the
owners took this case against Avery.
Jury found for the plaintiffs.
Cornwall
The crew of the Bon Pere, were saved by the great extertions. Richard Johns, Esq., Trewinoe, Lieutenant William James,
R.N., and several other respectable individuals hatened to the spot, on being apprised that the vessel was on shore. Lieut.
James , without hesitation, took off his coat and boots, plunged into the breakers, and swam to the vessel, whence
he succeeded in bringing a line to the shore, by which the crew were happily saved. Also the crew of the schooner
Brothers were saved by the extraordinary exertions of Lieut. Alexander of the Coast Guard.
Report of the death of Lieutenant Hambly, of the Coast Guard station at Mousehole. His body was found in a creek about
2 miles east of Portreath, by a boy named Woolcock, who was gathering limpets. It was wedged in a crevice.
There was nothing to suggest who it was except the letters R.H. on the clothes, until the Mousehole station was reported
missing by his family and in an alarming state of mind. He was then identified by some of the station boatmen who had
been searching for him. He had been injured in the head some years before in the West Indies and
had never fully
recovered. He had only 8 weeks before returned from an asylum.
Western Circuit, Launceston, Monday, March 31
Malicious Shooting by a Revenue Officer
Jeremiah Murphy indicted for shooting James Rodd at St.German's, (Cornwall)
Murphy was commanding boatman in
the Coast Guard service Lieutenant Thomas Pennington, Chief officer of the Coast Guard at Portwrinkle John Cassidy,
Coast Guard Captain Haswell, Inspecting-Commander of the Coat Guard at Devonport.
This case revolved around the fact that Murphy had been told by Cassidy, relaying a message from Lieutenant Haswell, to be
on the look out for a smuggler that night. Murphy saw a boat and thought it might be the smuggler, and challenged it. according
to him his gun went off accidentally. He then agreed to pay Rodd £10 in compensation, Rodd having apparently been injured only
mildly, which Rodd
accepted, but Murphy could not find the money to pay, so Rodd took him to Court. Murphy was defended
by the Custom-house lawyers, and they were, apparently, given advance access to the depositions of the prosecution witnesses,
which was the cause for some complaint by the Times, as unfair. Nevertheless, Murphy was found Guilty, but no sentence was
7
February 1838
The
coast in the neighbourhood of Goran Haven, Cornwall, has been visited by
heavy gales of wind from the S.E., which
have
continued for several days. We regret to state that before daylight on
Thursday morning, the 25th ult., a vessel was
discovered
on shore by Lieutenant Kiddle, R.N., chief officer, and a party of the
Coast Guard at Mevagissey, under the
Chapel
Point, between Goran Haven and Mevagissey. The sea at the time was
breaking over her, when, with great difficulty,
and
at much personal risk, one of the Coast Guard men named Patten, succeeded
in getting on board, and remained there an
hour
and a half, and he, with the assistance of Lieutenant Kiddle, had the
happiness to get the whole of the half-perished
crew,
16 in number,
on shore. She proves to be a French vessel named L'Endurance, of Havre,
from St.Domingo to
Havre
laden with mahogany, rosewood etc.
21 September 1840
On
the night of the 3rd instant the coast guard crew of the Coverack station,
Port of Falmouth, seized the Teignmouth,
of
Portsmouth, Henry Riddett, master, with 133 tubs of contraband spirits, in
the act of running. Crew escaped.
9
November 1840
On
Tuesday the 28th ult., the Harpy revenue cutter, Lieutenant George Drew
R.N., commander, captured, near the
Eddystone,
the Cawsand smuggling boat Five Brothers, and 22 half-ankers of foreign
spirits throw overboard in the chase;
the
other part of the cargo was sunk with stones. And on Friday the same
officer captured, off the Lizzard, the Fox,
smuggling
boat, belonging to Cawsand, with 127 half-ankers of foreign spirits and
four men.
27 June 1845
The Lords of the Treasury having directed that all seamen serving in the
Coast Guard should be registered under the
provisions of the act 7 and 8 Victoria, chap. 112, with a view of maintaining a correct register of the seamen employed in
Her Majesty's service, the Commissioners of Customs have issued instructions to the collectors and controllers of the
revenue at the various ports throughout the United Kingdom, to register the chief boatmen, commissioned boatmen and
other boatmen, mariners, ordinary mariners, and boys of the first and second classes, serving in the Coast Guard, and to
issue the requisite register tickets accordingly, upon
application being made to them for the same.
22
October 1850
Coast Guard Appointment:
Second-Master John Hales (b) (1829) to command at the station at Prussia Cove , vice Lieutenant Norton S. Sullivan.
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