Walter Beilby (bef. 1809 - 1833)

Born before 20 Jan 1809 in Sculcoates, Yorkshire, England

Ancestors

Died 1833 after age 23 in At Sea, Davis Straits

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Biography

Walter Beilby the son of George Beilby, Farmer, and his wife, Ann Briggs was baptised at Sculcoates (Hull) Holy Trinity on 20 January 1809^[1][2][3].

Walter was a crew man on the Whaling Ship the Duncombe in 1833 when he died. The following was published in the York Herald on Saturday 05 Oct 1833 ^[4] and the Yorkshire Gazette Saturday on 12 Oct 1833 ^[5].

At Davis' Strait, on the 9th May, aged 25, Walter Beilby, third son of George Beilby of Nafferton, late of Stepney near Hull. He was one of the crew of the fishing ship Duncombe; he fell from the cap of her bowsprit into the water, and never rose more.

According to "An account of the success of the ships at the Greenland and Davis Straits fisheries 1772-1842 inclusive, by William Coltish" Scoffin (or Swaffin according to Lloyd's Register 1833) Captained the "Duncombe" in 1833. 21 whales, 215 tuns of oil, and 0 seals were captured. It was the second largest whale catch by this ship and the oil yield was its largest. The first fishing journey was in 1801 and the last was 1839.

It is recorded in the Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping 1833^[6] as a Ship, Second Class Vessel, 1st Quality Materials.

Walter's uncle, Walter Beilby (abt.1778-1843), on his father's side was a Custom's Officer in Hull and assisted Walter's cousin Robert Richardson (bef.1796-1807) acquire a position on the whaling ship the Cato in 1807.

Robert was 14 years old and although it is not known for sure if he attended school, the Richardsons were educators^[7] and it is likely he did as education was customary for them. There was no compulsory schooling in England at this time, hence there was no school leaving age of 14^[8]. It was however, not uncommon for a child to go to work at this age. He died a week after boarding the Cato from a tragic accident before the ship left port.

It is likely that uncle Walter also assisted this Walter acquire his position of crew man. If this was the case it is likely that he started sailing in about 1823 at the age of 14 also. It is unknown how many voyages Walter sailed, but he could have been crewing for 9 or 10 years before his death. Robert and Walter were both the 3rd son's of their fathers.

Some general information to provide context^[9]:

The whaling trade in Hull peaked around 1820 when 62 vessels returned with the produce from 688 whales worth approximately £250,000. With the amount of trade coming through the city at this time it was no surprise to find manufacturing companies join the rush. On South Street in Hull was Bateman and Bowman’s Whalebone Manufactory that produced all kinds of products ranging from sieves to sofa backings, in a variety of colours.

The next year, however, was a disaster, with 9 vessels crushed in the ice. Many investors withdrew their money as a result and the fleet was reduced by almost a third. In 1822 another 6 vessels were lost and eight others failed to catch a single whale.

By 1868 only two steam powered vessels left Hull, the Truelove and Diana. In 1869 the Diana, the sole remaining vessel sailing from Hull, was wrecked off Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast when returning home. Shortly after this the whaling industry moved to Scotland with a new generation of steamers that ran until the start of the war.

Sources

1. ↑ England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 FHL Film Number 919438 (Sculcoates, Yorkshire 20 January 1809 Walter Beilby son of George Beilby) Viewed at Ancestry. Text only
2. ↑ Yorkshire Baptisms

   Record set	Yorkshire Baptisms
   First name(s)	Walter
   Last name	Beilby
   Baptism year	1809
   Birth year	-
   County	Yorkshire (East Riding)
   Country	England
   Baptism place	Sculcoates
   Mother's first name(s)	-
   Father's first name(s)	George
   Baptism date	20 Jan 1809
   Event type	Baptisms, marriages & burials
   Source year range	1611-1870
   Archive	Borthwick Institute for Archives
   Category	Life Events (BDMs)
   Subcategory	Parish Baptisms
   Collections from	England, Great Britain

   https://www.findmypast.com.au/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FYORKSHIRE%2FBAP%2F206043151

3. ↑ Yorkshire Baptisms

   First name(s)	Walter
   Last name	Beilby
   Birth year	-
   Baptism year	1809
   Baptism date	25 Jan 1809. Bold textDate should be 20 Jan 1809 based on inspection of the photograph of the actual parish register
   Baptism place	Sculcoates, All Saints
   Denomination	Anglican
   Father's first name(s)	George
   Father's last name	-
   Mother's first name(s)	Ann
   County	Yorkshire (East Riding)
   Country	England
   Archive	East Riding Archives & Local Studies Service
   Archive reference	PE 46/5
   Page	17
   Record set	Yorkshire Baptisms
   Category	Life Events (BDMs)
   Subcategory	Parish Baptisms
   Collections from	England, Great Britain

   https://www.findmypast.com.au/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FYORKSHIRE%2FBAP%2F207727502

4. ↑ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000498/18331005/014/0003
5. ↑ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000266/18331012/046/0003
6. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zDkSAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:0Ftz6zT302-gFzEJxA5c6C&lr=&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false
7. ↑ The William Richardson Journal
8. ↑ Wikipedia: Raising of school leaving age in England and Wales
9. ↑ http://www.hullhistorycentre.org.uk/research/research-guides/hull-whaling.aspx