ALICE lost at Conway 25-26 October 1859

Description

The ALICE was one of the vessels lost during the Royal Charter Gale, 25-26 October 1859. It appears that the sloop was overwhelmed as it sought shelter at Conway.

The vessel’s shipping register entry for the port of Beaumaris provides us with a technical specification for the vessel. If you pass your mouse over the image above, you'll find the name of ship’s builder:

26 1590/3500 tons burthen. Official number 16453. 1 deck, 1 masts; length from the inner part of the main stem to the stern post of the Stern Post aloft 42.2ft; her breadth in midships is 13.2ft; her depth in hold at midships is 6.2ft, that she is a sloop rigged with a sliding bowsprit, is counter sterned, carvel built.

At time of loss, the sloop was owned by William Morris of Conway, mariner. William Morris had initially shared ownership with John Jones of Liverpool Arms, near Conway, innkeeper. In August 1842, he secured at mortgage using the shares as security from John and Caesar Corris of Peele, Isle of Man, tanners, in order to buy out his partner. The mortgage had been paid off by May 1843.

The sloop may have foundered in the channels approaching Conway harbour during the Royal Charter Gale of 24-25 October 1859. It seems likely that efforts to salvage the vessel were hampered by continuing bad weather and the enormity of the task to recover so many other craft.

Slipped between the pages of shipping register is a letter from William Jones confirming the loss of the vessel.

Sources include:
Port of Beaumaris Shipping Register, 1837-1845, Gwynedd Archives Record Office, XSR 8, 4 in 1838.
Wynne-Jones, I, 2001, Shipwrecks of North Wales, 4 ed, pg99


Use the historic mapping provided by the People’s Collection Wales www site to see if you can locate the Liverpool Arms at Conway? Does the pub survive today? What information about other hostelries in the town can you find in historic Trade Directories for late 19th century?

http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/index.asp

One of the buildings preserved at St Fagans, National History Museum, is a tannery building from Rhayader, Powys. What important commodity used in the trade was often exported from Welsh ports in the 19th century?

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans/buildings/tannery/