Greystoke Castle

Official Number 93684

The Greystoke Castle was one of five large vessels built at the Williamson shipyard at Workington for the Lancaster Shipowners Company (the others were Lowther Castle, Lancaster Castle, Wray Castle and Pendragon Castle). The Greystoke Castle was the third, an iron four-master of 1878 tons, launched in July 1886.

The Greystoke Castle was wrecked off Cape Agulhas (South Africa) 8th June 1896, on passage from Rangoon.

From the Guardian newspaper, 11th June 1896, page 6:

" A telegram was received at Liverpool yesterday reporting the loss of the ship Greystoke Castle, but all of the crew are reported safe. The Greystoke Castle was going from Rangoon with a full cargo of rice for Buenos Ayres. She left Rangoon on the 18th of April, and the telegram states that she went ashore near Agulhas and became a wreck. Agulhas is by the Cape of Good Hope, and the information of the disaster was received from Capetown. The Greystoke Castle was a ship of 1,878 tons register, and was built at Workington in 1886. She was classed 100 A1 at Lloyd's, and was the property of the Greystoke Castle Ship Company, Limited, of which Messrs.J.Chambers and Co., Liverpool, are the managers. The insurance of the vessel will fall chiefly on Liverpool underwriters."

Sources :

1. "Ships of West Cumberland" by Desmond G.Sythes (first published 1969, republished by The Friends of Whitehaven Museum, 1992) - information from Sheila Cartwright.
2. Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1895 names master as Capt.A.J.Clemence, owners as J.Chambers & Co., ship registered at Liverpool.
3. Shipwrecks on the Southern Cape Coast gives the location of the shipwreck as S of Martha Point, and names the master as  Capt.W.Griffiths.