Sailing Barge "Defence" - looking for info

[Bru]

I've just discovered that my uncle, a couple of times great, was mate of the above for a few years in the 1870s

I know she was still around in 1915 (the NMM has a crew list of that date)

But so far I've had no luck finding anything else about her or her fate

On the off chance somebody has a book or knowledge I haven't got I thought I'd ask...

 

[jerrytug]

Try asking Alan at Iron Wharf

 

[MoodySabre]

Have you seen this? http://www.sailingbargeresearch.org.uk/pages/historical_records_page_1.htm

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Have you seen this? http://www.sailingbargeresearch.org.uk/pages/historical_records_page_1.htm

Thank god for people who do things like that.... what a wonderful project to maintain some of our history!

 

[Cantata]

She's not mentioned in the 'Handbook of Sailing Barges' (published by Adlard Coles)

 

[Jan Harber]

She is mentioned in Hervey Benham's Down Tops'l (published in 1951 by George Harrap).
On p.121 in the chapter headed The Stackies of Maldon: "James Cardnell, of St Lawrence, owned the Mayland and Mundon (named from the nearby creeks where they did so much work), Faith and Defence." So it looks as if Defence comes under the Maldon Stackies heading and may have been built at Maldon by Howard.

Defence's loss on the Buxey is mentioned on p.146 (in the chapter on Crouch and Roach). It looks as if she was sunk around the same time as a Joshua Francis from Colchester had salvaged the Eva Annie from there after she had lain sunk for nearly a week. Joshua Francis went to see Defence "...despite his protests that it was useless; for this time a gale had blown and the Buxey had been hungry. Sure enough, when they rowed the boat alongside on the first few inches of flood tide they were level with the decks. The sand had swallowed the barge up to the iron band in a few wild days' devouring."

I can't figure out a date for the loss from Down Tops'l and most of my other books are in boxes at the moment while we are decorating but I will try to dig them out and look for any other references to Defence.

 

[Bru]

I missed this somehow. Many thanks Jan, that's just the sort of thing I was after