William Ashton (1810 ship)

William Ashton was launched at Lancaster in 1810 as a West Indiaman. In 1810 she repelled a French privateer in a single ship action, and in 1813 she captured a ship. Then in 1818–1819 she made one voyage to India, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). Thereafter she traded widely until she was wrecked on 9 August 1830 at Newfoundland on her way from Dublin to Quebec.

History
United Kingdom
NameWilliam Ashton
OwnerMessrs. Burrow & Nottage[1]
BuilderMessers. Brockbank, Lancaster[1]
Launched5 April 1810[1]
FateWrecked 9 August 1830
General characteristics
Tons burthen366[1][2] (bm)
Complement25[2]
Armament6 × 24 & 8 × 9-pounder carronades

Career

William Ashton first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR), in 1810.[3]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1810 Greenwood Burrow Lancaster–Cork
London–St Croix
LR

Captain Thomas Greenwood's previous command had been the Lancaster-built West Indiaman Pusey Hall.

On 22 August 1810, a French privateer with yellow sides, 20 guns, and full of men approached William Ashton as v was on her way back to England from St Croix. The two vessels exchanged fire for two hours, at times firing from within 40 yards of each other. Greenwood several times filled bottles with small shot and shot that at the French vessel, possibly causing heavy casualties. Eventually, the privateer sailed off. William Ashton was much damaged in her masts and rigging, and had taken several shot between "wind and water".[4]

Captain Thomas Greenwood acquired a letter of marque on 22 September 1810,[2] shortly after arriving back at Lancaster after this action. However, a month later, on 25 October, Captain Thomas Dawson took command of William Ashton and acquired his own letter of marque.[2]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1811 Greenwood
Dawson
Burrow Lancaster–Cork LR

On 13 April 1813, William Dawson, William Ashton, and Mary captured the American schooner Miranda, which was on her way from Kennebunk to Cuba. The three British ships were coming from St Croix.[5][lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1814 T.Dawson Burrows & Co. Falmouth–St Johns LR
1815 T.Dawson
T.Keen
Burrows & Co. Falmouth–St Johns
Liverpool–Havana
LR
1816 T.Keen E.Evans Liverpool–Philadelphia LR

On 20 May 1816 William Ashton, Keen, master, arrived at St Johns, New Brunswick, from Jamaica. She had lost two bower anchors when she ran ashore at Shelburne, Nova Scotia. On 8 September she filled with water after she struck on the Coal Rock as she was coming into Liverpool from St John, New Brunswick.

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1818 S.Baxter
W.Brown
E.Evans Liverpool–Virginia
Liverpool–Calcutta
LR; damages repaired 1817

In 1813 the EIC had lost its monopoly on the trade between India and Britain. British ships were then free to sail to India or the Indian Ocean under a licence from the EIC.[9][lower-alpha 3]

William Ashton, Brown, master, sailed in April 1818 for Bengal.[11] On 30 September she was at Bengal. On 3 March 1819 she sailed for Liverpool.

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1820 W.Brown
W.Jameson
Powell & Co. Liverpool–Calcutta
Liverpool–Jamaica
LR; damages repaired 1817
1821 W.Jameson Sandback Liverpool–Jamaica LR; damages repaired 1817
1823 W.Jameson
C.Hayn
Sandback
M'Inroy
Liverpool–Jamaica LR; damages repaired 1817
1824 C.Hayn
M.Guy
Milroy Greenock–Demerara LR; damages repaired 1817
1825 H.B.Guy Battersby & Co. Belfast–Quebec LR; damages repaired 1817

On 22 May 1824, William Ashton, Captain H.B.Guy, was sailing between the Bermudas and Cape Hatteras when he reported having observed a rock with a circumference of about 100 yards at 38°48′50″N 71°41′20″W. The rock was given the name "Ashton Rock" in contemporary nautical guides.[12] However, the rock did not exist. There were no later confirmatory sightings and in five days of searching in 1850 Lieutenant J. C. Walsh, in the U. S. schooner Taney, could not find the rock. He reported his lack of success to Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury.[13] Later, "Ashton Rock" was included on a list of rocks and the like that had been reported but did not exist.[14]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1826 Bellamy Carr & Co. London–Quebec LR; damages repaired 1817
1827 Bellamy
Armstrong
Carr & Co. London–Quebec LR; damages repaired 1817 and some repairs 1827
1828 Armstrong
J.Cooper
Dobinson London–Petersburg LR; damages repaired 1817, some repairs 1827, new deck and keel 1828
1829 J.Cooper Dobinson Bristol–Miramichi LR; damages repaired 1817, some repairs 1827, new deck and keel 1828

Fate

On 9 August 1830, William Ashton was on her way from Dublin to Quebec when she struck a rock in Fortune Bay, Newfoundland during a fog and quickly filled with water. The crew and passengers were able to reach Harbour Briton.[15]

William Ashton was no longer listed in the 1830 volume of Lloyd's Register.

Notes

  1. Captain Ferguson of William Dawson had not acquired a letter of marque.[2]
  2. However, the United States privateer Paul Jones recaptured Miranda, only to have HMS Unicorn recapture her.[6] The American schooner Miranda, of Rhode Island, had a crew of six men, and a burthen of 104 tons. She originally had been sailing for Matunzas with a cargo of lumber.[7] On 23 May 1813 HMS Leonidas captured Paul Jones off Ireland. Paul Jones was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 85 men under the command of Captain Archibald Taylor. She had been out two months and had captured three prizes.[8]
  3. Although William Ashton made a voyage under a licence from the EIC, she does not appear in the most comprehensive book on vessels of the EIC.[10]

Citations

  1. "LANCASTER ASSIZES". 7 April 1810, Lancaster Gazetter Lancaster, England) Volume: 9, Issue: 460.
  2. "Letter of Marque, p.92 – Retrieved 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. LR (1812), Supple. pages "W", Seq.no.W54.
  4. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4491. 7 September 1810. hdl:2027/mdp.39015005721876.
  5. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4772. 25 May 1813. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
  6. Miranda arrived at Plymouth on 24 May."The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4773. 28 May 1813. hdl:2027/hvd.32044105232912.
  7. Naval Chronicle, Vol. 30, p. 171.
  8. "No. 16733". The London Gazette. 25 May 1813. p. 1015.
  9. Hackman (2001), p. 247.
  10. Hackman (2001), p. 322.
  11. LR (1818), "Licensed India Ships".
  12. Purdy (1825), p. 253.
  13. Maury (1851), p. 55.
  14. Findlay (1895), p. 899.
  15. "Ship News". 18 September 1830, The Times (London, England) Issue: 14335.

References

  • Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.
  • Findlay, Alexander George (1895). A Directory for the North Atlantic Ocean, Comprising Instructions, General and Particular, for Its Navigation. R.H. Laurie.
  • Maury, Matthew Fontaine (1851). Lieut. Maury's Investigations of the Winds and Currents of the Sea: (From the Appendix to the Washington Astronomical Observations for 1846.).
  • Purdy, John (1825). Memoir, Descriptive and Explanatory: To Accompany the New Chart of the Atlantic Ocean and Comprising Instructions, General and Particular, for the Navigation of that Sea. R.H. Laurie.
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