Jane Roper

Official Number
13075

The Jane Roper was a two-masted schooner, and was launched from the shipyard of William and Richard Ashburner at Barrow. She was the first vessel built at Barrow, and William Fisher wrote on the 15th September 1852 that "the first new ship built was launched..... the day was beautiful. All the vessels had their flags hoisted. She was christened by Mrs.Roper snr. the Jane Roper in respect to Mrs.Thos. Roper of Newland House". Thomas Roper was a principal of the iron ore company Harrison, Ainslie & Co., for whom the schooner had been built. The schooner was strongly-built, with heavy oak frames, planking of elm, morra, greenheart and oak, and deck planking of yellow pine. Her first master was Capt.Robert Stones of Ulverston, who later commanded the Tom Roper. He was a certificated master capable of taking the schooner in foreign trade.

The Jane Roper sank in a fierce storm on the evening of Sunday, 22nd January 1860, at Shelf Wharf, a bank to the SW of Rossal. She was bound for Morecambe from Newport, and sank such that only the upper portions of her masts and rigging were above water. Nevertheless, the six crew managed to cling to the rigging throughout the night, and were rescued by the lifeboat in the morning, and landed at Fleetwood.

The Jane Roper eventually joined the fleet of James Geldart, a Barrow shipowner, and she existed largely in the coasting trade. Her masters in these years included Harris (1862), Knight (1871) Tyson (1874) and J. Thomas (1876/7). A letter written in 1874, probably by a relative of the then master, says that the "Jane Roper is a fine sailing craft, she goes thro' the water like a thing of life when there is a smart breeze, but is rather heavy during light winds ".

The Jane Roper was berthed at Milford Haven on Census night in April 1881. She had five crew aboard, headed by Capt.John Simpson, of Walney.

The Jane Roper was lost on the night of the 16th December 1886, under the command of Capt. J.Price. She was bound from Bangor to Hamburg with a cargo of slates, but suffered a Force 11 storm when she was in the North Friesian Islands. She foundered off the coast of Amrum with the loss of all four crew.

Lloyd's List, Weds., 22nd December 1886;

" JANE ROPER - Wyck-on-Fohr, Dec.18 - A British schooner sank outside the island of Amrum during the night of Dec.16. A boat marked "Jane Roper, Lancaster - T.Price, master", and doubtless belonging to the sunken vessel, has been washed ashore in a damaged condition. At ordinary neap tides there are only about six or seven feet of water over the deck; therefore if weather permits, some inventory, viz., sails, rigging, &c, may perhaps be saved."

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Jane Roper
 1852
105 
72.7 
21.2 
11.1 
 2
Female 
Square 
11 years A1 

Sources :

  1. "The Ashburner Schooners" by Tim Latham (Ready Rhino, 1991) ISBN 0-9516792-0-1
  2. Launch described in "William Fisher's Manuscript Diary & Commonplace Book", Lancaster University Press. Also reported in the Lancaster Gazette newspaper, Saturday, 18th September 1852, page 2.
  3. Lloyd's Survey Report (Jane Roper) LIV 11640 Box 582, at NMM, Greenwich.
  4. Foundering at Rossall reported in the Lancaster Gazette, Saturday, 28th January 1860, page 5.
  5. Mercantile Navy List 1868: Jane Roper, schooner, 105 tons, official number 13075, registered at Lancaster, owned by Henry Bond, of Ulverstone.
  6. 1874 letter transcribed by Elizabeth Ellis, at the Ulverston Heritage Centre.
  7. Mercantile Navy List 1878: Jane Roper, schooner, 94 tons, built at Barrow in 1852, official number 13075, registered at Lancaster, owned by Aymer Ainslie, of Hall Garth, Carnforth.
  8. 1881 Census details from Bob Sanders, Ships in Port 1881 website
  9. Wreck report in Lloyd's List 18th and 22nd December 1886.