Lost at sea

[unclecol]

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with the where and when of a relative lost at sea. He was my great,great grandfather Robert Dawson and disappeared from my family tree between 1871 and 1881. He was born at Alnmouth 1825 and at time of loss was a master mariner working from Amble. I have his ticket number on file somewhere if needed.

[Coquet]

It's a difficult one isn't it.

There's a 2nd Mate on a vessel called the Napoleon lost in Dec 1872 but his age is 26, and Robert's would be 46? So not him unless the age is recorded in error. Also he was a Master so unlikely to be serving as a 2nd Mate?


I can see his wife Mary recorded as a 'Mariner's Widow' living at Link End Farm on the 1881 census so that is definitely an upper date for the death.

Is this him? 47803 Robert Dawson?

[Coquet]

You can frequently find a report in the newspapers but I'm not having any luck.

[janwhin]

I did try the newspapers and there were a few references to Capt Dawson but nothing about his death. A couple of marriages for his children but no more.

[unclecol]

It is difficult so I thought I'd ask experts ! That Dawson at Links farm is the right one, Mary Dawson nee Twizell. I was wondering if he was lost somewhere down the east coast as the main work was moving coal down to London.
I have some images of his paperwork
Robert Dawson list of going to sea_sml.jpg

Robert Dawson certificate 27_sml.jpg

Robert Dawson certificate of competency Master_sml.jpg

There was a small booklet about Amble from the 80's I think and inside it had a list of boats at Amble with one of the Capt's being an R.Dawson, but just to confuse things there was also a Capt. Ralph Dawson - no relation!
Thanks for your help, the quest goes on.....Colin

[janwhin]

I came across those certificates on Ancestry Colin. It is an odd one because the newspapers normally turn up trumps on this sort of thing.
Another possibility is an entry in "the Sailing Ships of Aln and Coquet". I haven't got my copy with me so Coquet might do a look up
You don't know what the name of his final ship was, do you? We might get somewhere in the newspapers using that.

[unclecol]

Don't know last ship, the one in that Amble book was Auld Reekie.
Found this a while back:-
Index to the Captains Registers of Lloyd’s of London (Guildhall Library Ms 18567)
DAWSON, Robert b. Northumberland 1826 C27464 Dundee 1863
vol.4 1863-67, 1869-73; vol.18 1874
Maybe 1874 was the last entry?

[Coquet]

Possibly an error in Sailing Ships of Aln & Coquet, with Dawson's christian name being given as Roger?

Auld Reekie, Schooner 192 tons, built 1861.

Owners: 19.6.1865 John Marshall Henderson (22/64 s.o.) Walter Thoburn (16/64, builder) George Mason (16/64, m.t.) & Roger Dawson (10/64, m.m.) all Amble. 25.9.1868; George Mason died. 25.9.1865 Dawson sold his 10/64ths to George Simpson (fisherman), Hauxley.

The Auld Reekie was sold to Samuel Alexander Sadler (Saddler in the newspapers) a Middlesbrough manufacturing chemist, on 20 April 1875, and transferred to that port.

I see Dr. Saddler did not have his schooner for long as it was wrecked near Hartlepool (crew saved) in October 1875

[Coquet]

Keys has Robert Dawson in his list of Master Mariners but not Roger Dawson so that must be a mistake.

[janwhin]

The Auld Reekie's master in 1874 was Farquahar.....doing a run from Amble to Calcutta.

[janwhin]

Dawson seems to have been the Auld Reekie master from 1865 to 1867 by the newspaper references but it was doing more than coastal runs.....Havana, Dantzig, Copenhagen, even Sunderland.

[janwhin]

There is a very confused article in the newspapers in 1878 about a barque San Juan, captain Dawson, which collided with a steamer in the Channel off the Lizard. There was only one survivor who was not English and later reports couldn't seem to verify the ship and its master.
The ship had been trading along the Australian coast for two years but had left Sydney bound for England with a cargo of wool.

[unclecol]

Thanks for the research, I found the amble book (A Story of Amble) and on page 4 is Blyth directory 1869, extract on Amble which lists:-
Auld Reekie, owner J.Henderson Amble, master R.Dawson, tons 192, where built - Grangemouth.
If Lloyds index shows 1874 as last entry, looks like that was the year. Don't know how to view what the entry is. Thanks again for assistance.

[Hattle]

The Guildhall Library's Index to Lloyds Captains Registers has Robert Dawson, born in Northumberland in 1826 - Master's ticket C27464 entered for the last time in 1874. I have no more information on that so your best bet would be to have a look at the Register if you are in London and it will give you the name of his last ship which you can then follow in the Lloyds List to see where it was over the course of the year.