Content can be downloaded for non-commercial purposes, such as for personal use or in educational resources.
For commercial purposes please contact the copyright holder directly.
Read more about the The Creative Archive Licence.

Description

The ABEONA was one of the shipping losses during the Royal Charter Gale, 25-26 October 1859. It was a wooden smack built by George Bowen at St Dogmaels in 1852. Its port of Cardigan shipping register entry (shown in the image above) provides a technical description:

4 2762/3500 tons burthen. 1 deck, 1 mast, that her length from the inner part of the main stem to the forepart of the stern aloft is 53ft, her breadth in Midships is 13.4ft, her depth in hold at Midships is 7.7ft, that she is a smack rigged with a running bowsprit, square stern, carvel built, being a sailing vessel.

If you move your mouse over pass this image, you'll find more information about the people associated with the smack.

For example, the name of the nominated master, David Davies, is shown at the top of the page.
The smack's all important official number 21974 is also shown at the top of the page. The Merchant Shipping Act of 1854 specified that all British-owned vessels over a certain size should be given a unique identifier. This official number made sure that crew agreements, notifications of changes of ownership, and changes of port of registry could be associated with the right vessel.

At time of loss, the smack was owned by the Stephens family of Llechryd, slate merchants. Shares in the vessel were divided into the traditional 64 equal parts. The number owned by each person is shown in brackets - William Stephens (20); Eliza Stephens, spinster (20); John Stephens (21); James Stephens (2); Samuel Stephens, master mariner (1).

It is likely that Samuel Stephens became the smack's master after being sold his share by the previous master David Davies. This is the transaction recorded in the lower half of the page on 5 April 1853.

The sloop's Cardigan Shipping Register entry is closed with annotation on the right hand page 'Lost 26 October 1859 at Angle Point, Fishguard Bay, together with Certificate of Registry'.

Potters Electric News briefly reported the loss - 'A smack, the 'Adiona' of Cardigan, went against the rocks, outside the Cow and Calf, crew saved, three in number' - amongst many others around the Pembrokeshire coast as a result of the Great Storm.

Sources include:
Lloyds List, 28 October 1859
Port of Cardigan Shipping Register 1850 -1855, Pembrokeshire Record Office T/SHIP/1/5, 2 in 1852 and 7 in 1852
Potters Electric News, 2 November 1859, pg2, Welsh Newspapers Online (http://papuraunewyddcymru.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3100143)


Were the Stephens family of Llechryd owners of a slate quarry in addition to being slate merchants? If so where was it located? Use the People's Collection Wales historic mapping edition to identify where slate quarrying was being carried out locally.

What does the census of 1851 tell us about the relationships between the Stephens family members named and where they lived?

Do you have information to add to this item? Please leave a comment

Comments (0)

You must be logged in to leave a comment