Abbey Holme

Official Number
63204

The Abbey Holme was an iron barque built at Sunderland in September, 1869. Initially registered at Liverpool and owned by Nicholson & Co., by 1877 she was registered at Maryport and had become the first vessel belonging to Maryport's Holme Line (Hine Brothers). In various shipping registers her masters are named as Capt.Robinson (1871-75), Randall (1875-78), W.Brice (1878-87) and Ritchie (1888-1890).

The Abbey Holme collided with the Lapwing off the Isle of Wight on Tuesday morning, 2nd July 1872. The Lapwing, an iron screw steamer, 600 tons, Capt.Cullen,  sank with the loss of 21 lives. She was bound from Liverpool to Rotterdam with a general cargo and passengers. The Abbey Holme was bound from the Thames to Brisbane with a general cargo. The engineer, stewardess and quartermaster jumped from the Lapwing to the barque. Four other survivors were picked up from the sea by other vessels. The Abbey Holme  had a hole on the starboard bow and another at the water-line, but was kept afloat by pumping and was eventually towed to Portsmouth by the Government tug Camel.

The Abbey Holme was wrecked in April 1890 at South Shields. Whilst being towed from the harbour in a strong NE gale her tow parted and she was driven onto the inside of Shields Pier, breaking up almost immediately. She was still owned by Hine Bros., but registered at Liverpool. The barque was bound from Leith for Middlesbrough, and the captain, his wife and eight seamen were saved.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Abbey Holme
1869
 516
 157.7
 28.2
 17
3 
 
 
 

Sources :

  1. Shipping Register details at Mystic Seaport Ship Register Search.
  2. State Library of Victoria and State Library of Queensland both hold the same photo of the Abbey Holme - see Picture Australia website.
  3. Collision with Lapwing in the New York Times, Weds., 17th July 1872, page 3.
  4. Wreck reported in the Times newspaper, Weds, 9th April, 1890, page 10.
  5. Information on wreck from David Edge, citing from 'Holme Shipping Line' by Herbert and Mary Jackson.