Duchess of Lancaster

Official Number
23989

The Duchess of Lancaster was a barque built by Charles Lamport at Workington, and launched on Thursday, 28th November 1850.  According to the newspaper report of her launch, she was built for Lamport and Holt and intended for the China trade. However, this vessel does not appear in any Lamport and Holt fleet list, and her first owner noted in the Liverpool Shipping Register was William Rathbone. The Duchess of Lancaster was reported to have been built in the Aberdeen clipper style, with a sword bow, and was the first vessel to have been built at Workington with these characteristics. The barque was registered at Liverpool on the 18th January 1851, and her first master was Capt.William Prince Stevenson. Her first voyage was from Liverpool for Shanghai. It seems that Rathbone Brothers were impressed by the vessel, because they later bought other clippers built by Lamport, the Langdale, Scawfell and Skiddaw.

The vessel was rebuilt in 1874 and was still listed as a barque in the shipping registers in 1885.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Duchess of Lancaster
1850
395 nm, 450 om.
124.2
23.6
17.6
3
Female
Square
13 years, A1.

Sources :

  1. Launch reported in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper, Tuesday, 3rd December 1850 (citing the Workington Journal) - describes the vessel as a barque, coppered and copper-fastened.
  2. BoT Transcripts of Liverpool Shipping Register (No.26 for 1851) at Merseyside Maritime Museum.- 354 tons, builder's certificate dated 1st January 1851.
  3. Lloyd's Register of Shipping, 1851-2: ship, 395 tons, owned by Rathbone, registered Liverpool, no master named, voyage Workington - China.
  4. Mercantile Navy List 1857 lists Duchess of Lancaster of Liverpool, 396 tons, signal code NTWF, ON 23989.
  5. Lloyd's Register of Shipping, 1868-9: barque, 395 tons, owned by Rathbone, registered Liverpool, no voyage stated.
  6. Welsh Mariners website lists Capt.Owen H.Williams as master of the Duchess of Lancaster from 1874 to 1879, and that he later commanded the Banian, also built at Workington.
  7. Mystic Seaport Library Ship Register Search has shipping register details for most years from 1872 to 1886.
  8. Capt. J.Williams named as master, owner as R.Jones & Co. in " Record of American and Foreign Shipping 1885 ". States that the vessel was rebuilt in 1874 and was a barque registered at Liverpool.