 |
The Sinking of the 'John'
May1855
Foreword
|
|
 The 'John' was a 468 ton
sailing ship that traded primarily between the
South West of England and the United States and
Canada during the mid 1800s. During that time,
millions of emigrants left England to start new
lives and the 'John' was one of many
ships that regularly transported these
passengers, returning with timber.
The 'John' was owned by a group of local
businessmen and members of the Rawle
family.
On Thursday 3rd May, 1855, the 'John'
left Plymouth bound for Quebec, captained by
Edward Rawle. She carried 268 passengers and 19
crew. Later that night, she foundered on the
Manacle Rocks, St Keverne, Cornwall. 194
passengers drowned, while the crew all
survived.
|
|
The story of the 'John' has been
reproduced here chiefly through the comprehensive
newspaper reports of the time. They tell of the
events of the 3rd and 4th May, 1855, and include
a transcript of the subsequent trial of Captain
Rawle who was charged with manslaughter and two
local persons charged with 'robbing the
dead'.
Also described are the changes to maritime law
made as a result of this disaster. The names of
all of the crew and passengers are included.
Where possible, further information has been
obtained by locating them in the 1851 census. It
is hoped that this information will be of
particular interest to genealogists who have been
unable to explain the disappearance of, in some
cases, an entire family.
My personal interest arose when I discovered that
my great, great, great grandfather, William James
ELLERY, was a member of the crew.
More Information is available about this, on my
own Sandford's Barque John
web site, which can be found on the menu under
Web Site Links.
Mark Sandford
|
Top Of Page
  
|
|
|
