John Christopher Farndale The
Elder
3 January 1802 (baptised) to 5 February
1837 (buried)
John Christopher Farndale Senior and
his sons William and John were maritime adventurers around the English coast,
to the Baltic, Russia and Scandinavia and to Biscay, the site of a tragic
disaster
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A painter, farmer and then master mariner in Whitby who died aged 35.
Dates are in red.
Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.
Headlines of John’s life are in brown.
References and citations are in turquoise.
Context and local history are in purple.
John Christopher Farndale the Elder was a painter when he married
Ann Ling in 1825 and until the birth of his third son in 1830. But by 1836, he
was a master mariner of Whitby, captaining a coal brig called the William
and Nancy with cargos of coal largely between Whitby and the north east and
Wisbech in Cambridgeshire and the southeast.
Of
his family of five, John’s eldest son, William Farndale (FAR00289)
also became a master mariner and continued to captain the William and Nancy.
The third son, John Christopher Farndale the Younger (FAR00308)
captained other ships. They all lived lives of adventure, perils at sea, and
travel. His second son, Thomas Farndale was a ship’s broker’s clerk who died
aged only 31. His daughter, Mary Farndale, was a straw bonnet maker and married
a master mariner in Whitby. His fifth child, James Farndale, died an infant.
This was a family of mariners at the heart of the maritime coal industry in the
mid Victorian era. The second generation ventured widely around the North Sea
(often called the German sea at the time) and the Baltic and further south. But
John died young, at the age of only 35.
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its
rig. It had two masts which were both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second
half of the eighteenth century and were a common type of smaller merchant
vessel or warship from then until the latter part of the nineteenth century. In
commercial use, they were gradually replaced by fore-and-aft rigged vessels
such as schooners, as owners sought to reduce crew costs by having rigs that
could be handled by fewer men. In Royal Navy use, brigs were retained for
training use when the battle fleets consisted almost entirely of iron-hulled steamships.
Brigs were prominent in the coasting coal trade of British waters. 4,395
voyages to London with coal were recorded in 1795. With an average of eight or
nine trips per year for one vessel, that is a fleet of over 500 colliers
trading to London alone. Other ports and coastal communities were also be
served by colliers trading to Britain's coal ports. In the first half of the
nineteenth century, the vast majority were rigged as brigs, and that rig was retained
for longer in the northeast of England.
The Mary, a Brig of South Shields painted in
1855
The Traditional Song, the Collier Brig: Oh,
the worst old ship that ever set sail, Sailed out of
Harwich on a windy day. Chorus: Stormy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys,
When the wind blows the barge will go. She was built in Roman style, Held
together with bits of twine. Skipper’s half Dutch and he hasn’t
got a clue, The crew were fourteen hands too few. Cook spilt the dinner on the
galley floor, Skipper caught his hand in the
wheelhouse door. Off Orford Ness we sprang a leak, Hear
our poor old timbers creak. We steered our way round Lowestoft next, The wind backed round to the sou-sou-west. Through the
Cockle to Cromer Cliff, Steering like a wagon with a wheel adrift. Up The
Humber and up to town, Pump, you devils, pump or
drown. Then on a sandbank we got stuck, Skipper’s drunk in the Dog and Duck. Up
come a mermaid covered in slime, We took her down the
hold and we had a good time. We kept on course all through the night, Nearly went aground at the Apex light. Coal was shot by a
Keadby crew, Bottom was rotten and it went right through. So
when we saw the brig was sunk, We went to the Barge
and we all got drunk.
A master
mariner is a licensed
mariner who holds the highest grade of seafarer qualification.
He is thus given an unlimited master's license, with no limits on the tonnage,
power, or geographic location of the vessel that the holder of the license is
allowed to serve upon. A master mariner would therefore be allowed to serve as
the master of
a merchant ship of
any size, of any type, operating anywhere in the world, and it reflected
the highest level of professional qualification amongst mariners and deck
officers.
The term master mariner has been in use at
least since the thirteenth century, reflecting the fact that in guild or livery
company terms, such a person was a master
craftsman in this specific profession, such as were also
a master carpenter, master blacksmith etc.
In the British Merchant Navy a
master mariner who had sailed in command of an ocean going merchant ship was
titled “Captain”,
although a professional seafarer who held a restricted or limited master's
certificate who had sailed in command of a ship could also be titled captain.
Where the movements of ships were recorded in the
shipping news and other media, the name of the ship was followed by the name of
the Captain.
For the maritime expeditions of John
Christopher Farndale the Elder, see also the Maritime Adventures of John
Christopher Farndale The Elder.
The Traditional Song, the Collier Brig: Oh, the
worst old ship that ever set sail, Sailed out of Harwich on a windy day. Chorus: Stormy
weather, boys, stormy weather, boys, When the wind blows the barge will go. She
was built in Roman style, Held together with bits of twine. Skipper’s half
Dutch and he hasn’t got a clue, The crew were fourteen
hands too few. Cook spilt the dinner on the galley floor,
Skipper caught his hand in the wheelhouse door. Off Orford Ness we sprang a
leak, Hear our poor old timbers creak. We steered our
way round Lowestoft next, The wind backed round to the
sou-sou-west. Through the Cockle to Cromer Cliff, Steering like a wagon with a
wheel adrift. Up The Humber and up to town, Pump, you devils,
pump or drown. Then on a sandbank we got stuck, Skipper’s drunk in the Dog and
Duck. Up come a mermaid covered in slime, We took her
down the hold and we had a good time. We kept on course all through the night, Nearly went aground at the Apex light. Coal was shot by a
Keadby crew, Bottom was rotten and it went right through. So
when we saw the brig was sunk, We went to the Barge
and we all got drunk.
1802
John Christopher Farndale
was baptised at Loftus on 3
January 1802, the son of John and Dinah (nee Boyes) Farndale (FAR00198) (Loftus PR).
John Christopher’s father, John was also a mariner,
born in Loftus in 1773, and he died aged 60, in Whitby, in 1833. Dinah took a
pension from the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, which suggests that John was
engaged by the Royal Navy at some point. John Chrisopher’s grandfather was William Farndale (1743 to
1777), of the Kilton 1 Line, who
was also a master mariner in Whitby. By 1767 William Farndale was captain of the
Abigail and Martha, the names of his daughter and mother, which suggests he
had some ownership interest in the vessel. He was baptised and buried in Brotton. So this was
a family from the home of the Kilton
1 Farndales, who were master mariners of Whitby
over four generations.
1825
John Christopher Farndale the Elder was a painter when he
married Ann Ling in 1825 and until the birth of his third son in 1830.
John Christopher Farndale,
bachelor, painter and Ann Ling, both of Whitby
Parish, were married at Whitby by
banns, on 24 February 1825.The witnesses were Christopher Harland and Ralph
Greenberry. John was aged 23 (Whitby PR).
William Farndale,
son of John Christopher and Ann Farndale, painter, was born on 11 November 1825 and baptised on 17 November
1825 (FAR00289) (Whitby
PR).
1826
By 1826, he
was a master mariner of Whitby, captaining a coal brig called the William
and Nancy with cargos of coal largely between Whitby and the north east
and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire and the southeast.
(From Richard Weatherill.
1908. The
Ancient Port of Whitby and Its Shipping. Whitby:
Horne and Son, Haithi Trust. Page
372).
On 18 August
1826, John Christopher Farndale, captain of the William and Mary arrived
in Wisbech on a voyage from Sunderland, laden with coal.
Of his
family of five, John’s eldest son, William Farndale also became a
master mariner and continued to captain the William and Nancy. His third
son, John Christopher Farndale the
Younger, captained other ships. They all lived lives of adventure, perils
at sea, and travel. His second son, Thomas Farndale was a ship’s broker’s
clerk who died aged only 31. His daughter, Mary Farndale, was a straw bonnet
maker and married a master mariner in Whitby. His fifth child, James Farndale, died an infant.
This was a family of mariners at the heart of the maritime coal industry in the
mid Victorian era. The second generation ventured widely around the North Sea, generally
called the German sea at the time, to the Baltic and also
further south. John died young, at the age of only 35. John Christopher
Farndale the Younger was the most adventurous of the two brothers.
A master
mariner could serve as the master of a merchant ship of any size, of any type,
operating anywhere in the world, and it reflected the highest level of
professional qualification amongst mariners and deck officers. The term master mariner
has been in use at least since the thirteenth century. In guild or livery
company terms, he was the equivalent of a master craftsman such as were a
master carpenter or master blacksmith. In the British Merchant
Navy a master mariner who had sailed in command of an ocean
going merchant ship was titled Captain. Where the movements of ships
were recorded in the shipping news and other media, the name of the ship was
followed by the name of the Captain.
A brig is a type
of sailing vessel defined by its rig. It had two masts which were both
square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the eighteenth century
and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until
the latter part of the nineteenth century. In commercial use, they were
gradually replaced by fore-and-aft rigged vessels such as schooners, as owners
reduced crew costs by having rigs that could be handled by fewer men. In Royal Navy
use, brigs were retained for training use when the battle fleets consisted
almost entirely of iron-hulled steamships. Brigs were prominent in the coasting
coal trade of British waters.
4,395
voyages from Whitby to London with coal cargoes were recorded in 1795. With an
average of eight or nine trips per year for one vessel, by the end of the
eighteenth century, there was a fleet of over five hundred colliers trading out
of Whitby to London alone. Other ports and coastal communities were also be served
by the collier trade. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the vast
majority were rigged as brigs, and that rig was retained for longer in the
northeast of England.
The Mary,
a Brig of South Shields painted in 1855
The
Traditional Song, the
Collier Brig paints a picture of life on a Brig.
Oh, the
worst old ship that ever set sail, Sailed out of
Harwich on a windy day. Chorus: Stormy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys,
When the wind blows the barge will go. She was built in Roman style, Held
together with bits of twine. Skipper’s half Dutch and he hasn’t
got a clue, The crew were fourteen hands too few. Cook spilt the dinner on the
galley floor, Skipper caught his hand in the
wheelhouse door. Off Orford Ness we sprang a leak, Hear
our poor old timbers creak. We steered our way round Lowestoft next, The wind backed round to the sou-sou-west. Through the
Cockle to Cromer Cliff, Steering like a wagon with a wheel adrift. Up The
Humber and up to town, Pump, you devils, pump or
drown. Then on a sandbank we got stuck, Skipper’s drunk in the Dog and Duck. Up
come a mermaid covered in slime, We took her down the
hold and we had a good time. We kept on course all through the night, Nearly went aground at the Apex light. Coal was shot by a
Keadby crew, Bottom was rotten and it went right through. So
when we saw the brig was sunk, We went to the Barge
and we all got drunk.
The following
articles all relate to “William and Nancy, Farndale” sailing generally between Whitby or
to the northeast and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. In the following
newspaper extracts, personal names after Ship Names are the names of the ships'
captains. A later article evidences that this was the older Captain John
Christopher Farndale, born 1802, who became a master mariner in
Whitby.
The Cambridge
Chronicle and Journal, 18 August 1826: WISBECH SHIP
NEWS. ARRIVED … William and Mary, Farndale … from
Sunderland, with coals.
The Bury and
Norwich Post, 23 August 1826: WISBECH, AUGUST 21. ARRIVED. …
William and Nancy, Farndale … from Sunderland, all with coals.
The Cambridge Chronicle and
Journal, 6 October 1826: WISBECH SHIP NEWS. ARRIVED …
William and Nancy, Farndale… from Sunderland, with coals.
The Stamford Mercury, 6 October 1826: WISBECH SHIP NEWS to the 4th October. ARRIVED … William and Nancy,
Farndale … from Sunderland,
all with coals.
The arrival of the William and Nancy in Wisbech, captained by John
Farndale, carrying coals out of Sunderland was recorded on 23 August 1826 and 6
October 1826. So John’s early voyages were regularly
between Whitby, sometimes via Newcastle and Sunderland, and Wisbech.
Wisbech is in Cambridgeshire, a port
some distance inland, approached from the Wash by a long canal, the Nene
Outfall Cut connecting the Fenland market town and inland port to the sea. It
is in the far north east of the Cambridgeshire,
bordering Norfolk and only 5 miles south of Lincolnshire.
1828
Thomas Farndale, son of John Christopher and Ann
Farndale, painter of Whitby baptised 3 Mar 1828 (FAR00300) (Whitby PR).
The arrival of the William and
Nancy in Wisbech, captained by John Farndale, carrying coals out of
Sunderland was recorded on 3 and 6 September 1828 and 10 October 1828, 19 June
and 19 September 1829.
The Stamford Mercury, 5 September 1828: WISBECH SHIP NEWS to the 3rd September. ARRIVED … William and Nancy,
Farndale … from Sunderland,
all with coals.
The Huntingdon, Bedford and Peterborough Express, 6 September 1828: WISBECH SHIP NEWS. ARRIVED …
William and Nancy, Farndale … from Sunderland,
with coals.
The Cambridge Chronicle, 10 October
1828: WISBECH SHIP NEWS.
ARRIVED. … William and Nancy, Farndale … from Sunderland, with coals.
1829
The Cambridge Chronicle and Journal, 19 June 1829: WISBECH SHIP NEWS. ARRIVED. …
and William and Nancy, Farndale, from Sunderland with coals …
The Huntingdon, Bedford and Peterborough Express, 19 September 1829: WISBECH SHIP NEWS. ARRIVED. …
William and Nancy, Farndale … from Sunderland, with coals.
1830
John Christopher Farndale, son of John Christopher
and Ann Farndale, painter, was born on 18
October 1830 and baptised Whitby on 10 November 1830 (FAR00308) (Whitby PR).
On 13
February 1830, John Farndale was Captain of the William and Nancy,
described then as a coaster, when it arrived in Whitby
from Stockton, another inland port
accessed up the River Tees.
The
York Herald, 13 February 1830: WHITBY
SHIPPING. COASTERS ARRIVED … and William and Nancy, Farndale, from Stockton
…
1832
Mary Ann Farndale, daughter of John Christopher
and Ann Farndale, was born on 26 September 1832 and baptised
at Whitby on 24 December 1832 (FAR00320)
(Whitby PR).
1833
At
Yarmouth on 14 June 1833, The William and Nancy, of Whitby, slipped
anchor and chain, lost stern boat, and received other damage, off the North
Foreland on Tuesday. The Morning
Advertiser, 17 June 1833:
YARMOUTH, JUNE 14. The William and Nancy, Farndale, of Whitby, slipped
anchor and chain, lost stern boat, and received other damage, off North
Foreland, on Tuesday … Bell’s New Weekly Messenger, 23 June 1833: YARMOUTH,
14th June. The ‘William and Nancy’, Farndale, of Whitby, slipped
anchor and chain, lost stern boat, and received other damage off the Foreland
on Tuesday …
In
August 1833, John captained a brig called the Felicity off the west
coast. The Sun, London, 24 August 1833: LANCASTER,
OCT 22. Arrived the Felicity, Farndale, and Fame, Wright, from Archangel.
1835
John’s
voyages planned for 1835 and 1836 in the William and Nancy were listed
in 1835 (British Merchant Seamen, 1835 to 1857).
On 25 March
1835 John Farndale captained the William and Nancy into Deal harbour, a
little northeast of Dover, from Newcastle, in a fresh northeasterly breeze. On 28
March 1835, he sailed into Dover.
The
Morning Post, 25 March 1835: DEAL,
March 23 – NE fresh breezes. … Arrived, the William and Nancy, Farndale, from
Newcastle, and remains. The Evening
Chronicle, 24 March 1835: SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. THIS
DAY. DEAL, MARCH 23. Wind NE, fresh breezes … Arrived, the William and Nancy,
Farndale, from Newcastle, and remains. The Morning
Advertiser, 25 March 1835: FROM LLOYD’S BOOKS OF MARCH 24,
1835. … Arrived, the William and Nancy, Farndale, from Newcastle, and
remains.
The
Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General
Advertiser, 28 March 1835: SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. DOVER.
Arrived … William and Nancy, Farndale, from Shields …
On 6 June
1835 he arrived from Stockton, again with the William and Nancy in Deal,
in a north north westerly breeze, and he remained at
Deal overnight, returning again on 14 July 1835.
The
London Courier and Evening Gazette, 6 June 1835: SHIP NEWS (From Lloyds).
DEAL. June 5. Wind, NNW. … Arrived and remain, the William and Nancy, from
Stockton … The Morning Advertiser, 8 June 1835: DEAL JUNE 5. … Arrived and
remain the William and Nancy, Farndale, from Stockton …
The
Sun, London, 14 July 1835: FROM
LLOYDS. DEAL JULY 11 AND 12. Wind WSW, fine … Arrived … William and Nancy, Slacklin for Deal …
1836
James Farndale, son of John Christopher and Ann
Farndale, farmer, Master Mariner and formerly
painter of Cragg Whitby, was born on 24 October 1836 and baptised at Whitby on
21 October 1836, (FAR00336) (Whitby PR).
James died an
infant in 1837 and was buried at St Mary’s, Whitby on 28 March 1837 (Whitby PR).
So John Christopher
Farndale was a painter, but by the time of his fifth child, James’ birth in
1836, he was a farmer and Master Mariner. The sailing records suggest that he
was a merchant seaman by 1826. He was described as a farmer and Master Mariner, formerly a painter, of Cragg,
Whitby. The Cragg is an area along the waterfront on the River Esk in Whitby.
1837
John Christopher Farndale of Cragg, Whitby died aged only 35,
and was buried on 5 February 1837 at St Mary Church, Whitby, of Bran Stoker’s Dracula fame.
A brief notice recorded that on Wednesday, at Whitby, Captain John Farndale,
master and owner of the William and Nancy, in the prime of his life had
died. He left an estate of £600.
John Christopher Farndale
of Cragg, Whitby aged 35, was buried, Whitby, on 5 February 1837 at St Mary Anglican Church,
Whitby (Whitby PR).
The York Herald, 4 February 1837: On
Wednesday, at Whitby, Captain John Farndale, master and
owner of the William and Nancy, in the prime of his life. John Christopher Farndale
Senior, aged 35, was buried at St Mary’s, Whitby on 5 February 1837.
John Christopher
Farndale of Whitby – estate £600. February 1837. Prerogative and Exchequer
Courts of York, Probate index. Will (Borthwick Institute York, Document reference vol.195, f.,
Index reference 1834051837060108.tif/6, Date 1837, FEB, Prerogative &
Exchequer Courts Of York Probate Index, 1688-1858).
1841
His
widow Ann, became a ship owner.
(Pigot & Co’s Directory of York, 1841)
After John had
died, the Census of 1841 for Whitby
Cray listed his widow, Ann Farndale, age 45; born in Yorks (ie
1796); Thomas Farndale, age 13 (FAR00300);
John Farndale, aged 10 (FAR00308);
Mary Farndale, aged 8 (FAR00320);
1851
The Census of 1851 for St Ann’s, Snaith, Whitby listed
Ann Farndale, head; aged 55; painter’s widow; born Whitby; Thomas Farndale, son; age 23;
unmarried; shipbroker clerk; (FAR00300);
Mary Farndale, daughter; aged 18; unmarried; shawl and bonnet maker (FAR00320) and also Isaac Harland;
nephew; aged 13; unmarried; scholar.
1861
The 1861 Census for 8 George Street, Ruswarp, Whitby listed Ann Farndale, a widow, head of the
household, with Mary Chambers, her daughter aged 25 (Mariner’s wife and house
lodger), and Sarah Ann Chambers, presumably her granddaughter, aged 7, a
scholar.
1871
1871
Census: Aged
68, she lived at 81 Church Street, Lofthouse,
a lodger, with the Carlton family. She was a dressmaker. She was described as a
widow, so it is possible this was in fact the wife of a Farndale deceased and
not born a Farndale, but as the record is for Loftus, perhaps she married and
then reverted to her maiden name?
