Pusey Hall

Official Number
none

The Pusey Hall was a full-rigged ship built at Lancaster by John Brockbank, and launched on Saturday, 19th November 1808. She had been built at a cost of £4233, for James Mooe & Co., and was to be commanded by Capt.Thomas Greenwood in the Jamaica trade (see Sources 1 and 2).

The Pusey Hall  spent her early years trading to the West Indies, first from Lancaster, then London. The Pusey Hall, Capt.Carter, was part of a large convoy that left Cork on the 15th January 1815 under the escort of the Navy vessels Tigre, Tanais, Royalist and Cygnet (see Souce 3). In later years she sailed to Jamaica, Barbadoes and St.Lucia, but in 1830 she was described as sailing for the South Seas under Capt.Newby (see Source 4). This appears to have been the start of her career as a whaler, which continued under Capt.Robert Newby until 1837, when the death of the vessel's owner required that she be sold. In November 1837 the Times reported the sale of two "South-Sea whale fishery ships", one of which was the Pusey Hall, formerly the property of the late Mr.W.Mellish. The Pusey Hall was described as a 334 ton ship built at Lancaster in 1808, wood-sheathed, coppered and copper-fastened. She had had extensive repairs in 1823, including new wales and topsides. She was sold with the whole of her whaling stores for £2050, considered to have been a good price (see Source 5).

In the early 1840's the Pusey Hall was sailing for Quebec, and then in 1845 she was reported to be loading guano (see Source 6) at Possession Island on the 1st March. She must have soon returned to London, and departed again for Patagonia in September 1845. In August 1846 the Pusey Hall was at Sea Lion Island with two other vessels. Having  taken aboard 300 tons of guano (she could carry 500 tons) she ran short of supplies, and departed on the 4th August 1846 for the Falkland Islands, about 600 miles away. There was little to be had at the scarcly-provisioned islands, but some supplies were obtained and the Pusey Hall left on the 5th September to complete her cargo. Off Santa Cruz, Patagonia, on the 16th September, in stormy weather, she struck the seabed and was severely damaged. She did however make it into the shelter of the river, and there was examined. The damage was judged to be irreparable, and the master offloaded the cargo and sold the vessel, as a total loss, for £72.  The Pusey Hall had been insured for £1000, and there were several court cases between the insurers and the owners disputing the liability (see Source 12).

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Pusey Hall
1808
 312
 
 
 
3
 
 
A1, 9 years. 

Sources :

  1. Launch reported in the Lancaster Gazette newspaper, Saturday, 26th November, 1808.
  2. "Merchant Sailing Ships 1775-1815" by David R.MacGregor, ISBN 0 85242 663 1.
  3. Liverpool Mercury, 3rd February 1815.
  4. Morning Chronicle, 22nd June 1830.
  5. The Times, 24th November 1837, page 2.
  6. Morning Chronicle, 30th April 1845.
  7. Capt.Robert Newby's journal, 1830-1837, available at the National Archives.
  8. From Lloyd's Register of Shipping (Underwriters' Green Book) 1810 - Pucy Hall (sic),  312 tons, owned Moore & Co., master N.Carter, voyage Lancaster - Jamaica.
  9. From Lloyd's Register of Shipping (Shipowners' Red Book) 1821 - Pusey Hall, ship, 344 tons, owned and commanded by J.Head, voyage London - Barbadoes.
  10. From Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1837-8: Pusey Hall, ship, 334 tons, master R.Newby, registered at London.
  11. From Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1845-6: Pusey Hall, barque, 334 tons, master and owner W.Ware, registered at London, voyage London - Ichebo
  12. Details of wreck and court cases in the Newcastle Courant, 14th July 1848; Daily News, 7th November 1848; the Times, 12th June 1850, page 7.