Capt. John Holmes

John Strickland Holmes was born on the 19th October 1834 at Ulverston and was christened on the 8th February 1835 at Ulverston, St.Mary's. He was issued with a seaman's ticket (No. 152022) at Lancaster on the 7th November 1848, and this gives the following description of the fourteen year old boy:
 

John Holmes' apprentice indenture, dated 6th November 1848, bound him for four years to Capt. William  Rawcliffe of Ulverston, to serve in the vessel Hannah, of Lancaster. On the 20th May 1851 Capt. Rawcliffe transferred to command the new schooner Richard Roper, in which he had a share of ownership. Possibly his apprentice moved with him. Capt.Holmes married Margaret Slater on the 5th July 1873 at Pennington.

Crew Lists for the Eliza Bond show that Capt. Holmes took over her command in May 1871, having been discharged from the Helen & Sarah at Barrow on the 22nd May. Thomas Davies of Lytham was mate on the Helen & Sarah and accompanied Capt. Holmes to the new vessel. They were still listed as the crew of the Eliza Bond in 1874 and probably stayed with this vessel until moving to the Alice Latham.

The Crew Lists (see Source 2) of the Alice Latham show that she was commanded by a Capt. John Holmes, aged 45 years in 1876, from 1876 until 1882, and that the mate during that time, Thomas Davies of Lytham, was recorded as the new master in December 1882. Could this have been the same Capt. Holmes, and did he drown on the Alice Latham ?

Capt. Holmes drowned on the 14th December 1881 off Piel Island, at the entrance to the Barrow Channel. He was buried on the 21st February 1882 at Ulverston cemetery. The following newspaper articles record the tragic story:

From the Barrow Herald, 7th January 1882, page 8:

THE MISSING CAPTAIN HOLMES - Bills have been posted offering a reward for the recovery of the body of Captain Holmes, who was drowned off Piel on the 14th December. The description given is as follows: - "The deceased was dressed in an oilskin suit, pair of dark cloth trousers, laced-up boots, and had a piece of flannel wrapped round his neck; gold rings in ears. He was 47 years of age, height about 5 feet 8 inches, and stoutly built, light hair, ginger whiskers."

THE LATE CAPTAIN HOLMES - The body of the unfortunate Captain Holmes, who was drowned before Christmas, at Piel, was discovered on the sands near Flookburgh, on Friday last, and removed from thence to Cark, where an inquest was held on Monday, and a verdict in accordance with the facts returned. The body was so much decomposed that his widow and brother were unable to recognise deceased, except by certain articles of clothing which he had on. His remains were brought to Ulverston, and interred in the cemetery on Tuesday.

1. Slater family website (research on Capt. Holmes by Philip Holmes)
2. Crew Lists of the Alice Latham at the Lancashire Record Office, Preston.