THE SUNDERLAND SITE - PAGE 200
A 'KEITH COCKERILL' PRESENTATION PAGE
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Keith Cockerill presents on this page four slide shows for your enjoyment. All of which can be viewed full screen.
1 2 3 'AROUND THE RIVERSIDE AT WASHINGTON - PICTURES FROM THE PAST & PICTURES FROM THE PRESENT'.
4 And, lower on the page, additional material as follows:-
5 6 7 'THE LIFE OF A SAILOR IN 19TH CENTURY SUNDERLAND'. A 'Cockerill' family history article.
8 'A 'COCKERILL' FLEET LIST'. Vessels owned by the 'Cockerill' family from the 1830s thru 1860s.
'THE RIVER WEAR AT WASHINGTON - ITS FORGOTTEN HISTORY'
a special 17 minute slideshow with sound by Keith CockerillClick on the image second below to start the show. Enjoy!
But before you do so, here is a fine image most appropriate to Keith's presentation. To illustrate what the staiths, the sites & remains of so many of which are shown in Keith's show, would have looked like - it depicts coal being moved by horse power to a staith building or depot where it was stored as required & then loaded into waiting keelboats. We thank 'Pictures in Print' for this wonderful & so appropriate image - you used to be able to view it in at their site, which seems no longer to be available. The print, by 'E. Barrass, mathematician of Chester-le-Street', was published in 'London Magazine' in Jan. 1766.Here are Keith Cockerill's words of introduction, which he entitles:-
The Keelboats of Sunderland
The growth of Sunderland as a town and port was greatly influenced by its expanding coal trade. In the 19th and 20th centuries, overland colliery railways carried ever-increasing quantities of coal from the Durham Coalfield to the river and docks at Sunderland to be shipped either abroad or down the coast to London.
Before the development of colliery railways however, a very different mode of transport was used – the river itself. From the 17th century, coal was carried from local collieries down wooden-railed waggonways by horse and gravity to the many staiths on the rivers edge at Washington. Here it was transferred into keelboats and taken downriver to Sunderland for transfer into ocean going collier brigs.
For 40 years in the 19th century, both the colliery railway and river transport systems complemented each other, but the ever-increasing efficiency and capacity of the overland railways eventually sounded the death knell for the keelboat trade.
Today, Washington’s riverside offers the rambler many enjoyable walks in a peaceful rural setting, but few appreciate how busy this working river once was. Keith Cockerill has used an 1826 map of the Wear by John Rennie to identify and photograph the remains of the old staiths and quays along the river's edge at Washington. He has produced a slideshow with a musical accompaniment and has added a written commentary based on the observations of 19th century Sunderland author Taylor Potts.To access the video, click the above image or click HERE.
'FOUR SEASONS ALONG THE RIVER WEAR AT WASHINGTON'
a fine 27 minute slideshow with sound by Keith CockerillHere are Keith Cockerill's words of introduction:-
Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn: each season brings its own unique splendour to the River Wear at Washington. The ebb and flow of its tidal waters create a delightful ever-changing landscape but hidden away amongst this rural backdrop lie the forgotten relics of an industrial past.
I have created a photographic diary of Washington’s riverside throughout 2012 and have given it a musical accompaniment. Here is an invitation to view that diary. I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I have enjoyed capturing it on camera!To access the video, click the above image or click HERE.
'AROUND THE RIVERSIDE AT WASHINGTON - PICTURES FROM THE PAST & PICTURES FROM THE PRESENT'
a fine 23 + minute slideshow with sound by Keith CockerillHere are Keith Cockerill's words of introduction:-
When Washington New Town was created 50 years ago, many of its older villages were changed or lost in the process as houses and buildings were selectively demolished. Many villagers voiced their disapproval at the break up of their communities, non-more so than the residents of old Fatfield.
Villages and hamlets along the riverside were no exception to this fate, but great changes to the landscape also took place as redundant pit and chemical spoil heaps were landscaped.
This slideshow uses archive photographs to show how the riverside area and its surrounds once looked. Where appropriate, ‘past and present’ images are compared to highlight the changes that have taken place. The finale of the slideshow presents the riverside area of Washington as it looked in 2014.To access the video, click the above image or click HERE.
'HOLY TRINITY CHURCH' - SUNDERLAND'S FIRST PARISH CHURCH
a 7 + minute slideshow with sound by Keith CockerillAn updated 2006 slide show, available via 'Vimeo.com', which features images of the church which can truly be described as splendid. Click the above image or click HERE to access.
KEITH COCKERILL'S PUBLISHED BOOKS
It seems only appropriate that I should thank Keith Cockerill for providing the above slideshow - by listing here such Keith Cockerill's works as an author, of which I become aware. That's Keith at far right.
1
'Bridges Of The River Wear', ISBN 1902527348, a soft cover 'Keith Cockerill' book, published in 2005 in 'The People's History' series.
2
'Sunderland Through Time', ISBN 1848685769, a soft cover book, by 'Keith Cockerill', published by Amberley Publishing Plc, in 2009.
3
'Memories and Mementoes of Sunderland Through Time', ISBN 1445602164, a soft cover book, by 'Keith Cockerill', published by Amberley Publishing Plc, in 2010.
KEITH COCKERILL ATOP PENSHAW MONUMENT
Below, is Keith Cockerill atop the Penshaw monument on Aug. 29, 2011. He cleverly managed to get a fine picture taken of himself with not another visitor in sight. Very sneaky! You can see the image in a bigger & wider view here.
THE LIFE OF A SAILOR IN 19TH CENTURY SUNDERLAND
a 'Cockerill' family history article by Keith Cockerill
What was life like for a sailor in 19th century Sunderland in the days of wooden sailing ships? The nautical rhymes and mottoes on Sunderland-made pottery, often bought by sailors visiting the port, give us a glimpse into how life may have been. Both happy and sad verses appeared on our local pottery, perhaps to suit the ups and down of life as a sailor in the town! Here is a verse reflecting the romantic notions of becoming a sailor at this time. A rhyme indeed to persuade any young hearty lad to go to sea!
My great great grandfather Anthony Cockerill & his brother William were two such young lads. They first went to sea at around 14 years of age. Their father, Anthony Senior, was born in Sunderland in 1797 to John Cockerill, mariner of Scarborough. Anthony Senior was a cordwainer by trade, but had wisely invested in the ownership of several wooden sailing vessels registered in the port of Sunderland. Full ownership meant owning all 64 shares of a ship, but 32, 16, 8 or even less shares could be bought, so a vessel often had several owners.
Being a sailor in Sunderland usually meant working in the local coastal coal trade, but much foreign trading also took place.
An ambitious sailor would aim to improve his status as he gained experience, perhaps becoming mate or eventually master of the ship! Here is another rhyme which illustrates the human nature of an aspiring sailor as he rose through the ranks! - (note the very old riveted repair to the jug handle)
In 1849, cordwainer Anthony Senior had the 377 ton barque 'Cockerills' built for him at the local shipyard of William Robinson. By 1852 his sons William and Anthony Junior had risen to become Master Mariners and were captaining this and other vessels in the family fleet.
In early 1852, Anthony Junior was waiting to board the ferry to Monkwearmouth, when a young lady called Ann Wilson slipped on the icy ferry steps. Anthony helped her to her feet – he was so taken by her that he contrived to be there every day to help her down those steps! A few weeks later he proposed. They were secretly married and Ann wore her wedding ring on a piece of string around her neck! – furthermore he did not tell her that he was a ship’s captain until after they were married! Perhaps he thought that knowledge of his profession would dissuade her from tying the knot? As he left the port for his first foreign trip as a married man, Ann wondered to herself if she would ever see him again!
The barque 'Cockerills' was sold on in 1852, but kept its name and its ‘Cockerill’ Master Mariners. The years 1858 and 1859 proved to be trying ones for the family and ship. During a trip from Marseilles to Boston, a severe gale drove the ship off course and the ship had to put into Holm’s Hole, Massachusetts, on Dec. 9, 1858 with damage. On Nov. 14 of the following year, a terrible disaster unfolded! The ship was abandoned in a sinking state during a severe storm off the island of Malta whilst carrying a cargo of barley from the Black Sea port of Sulina in Romania, to the U.K. The crew and captain were rescued by the Neapolitan brig 'Indifferente' and, on Nov. 15, 1859, safely taken to Malta. (Webmaster Note - The Lloyd's Registers of 1850/51 thru 1858/59 all state that Cockerill of Sunderland was the vessel's owner. The needed page in the 1859/60 edition is missing, while the barque is not listed in 1860/61)
On Oct. 13, 1867, Master Mariner Anthony Cockerill tragically died on the ‘high sea’ at age 38, whilst sailing from Hamburg to Sunderland. An inquest held at the Salutation Inn, Hendon Sunderland, concluded that having ‘expired suddenly’ on board the family owned ship 'Star in the East', he had died from ‘natural causes’.
PS. When Master Mariner Anthony Junior died in 1867, his son, also called Anthony, was barely 7 years old. He was placed into the Sunderland Orphan Asylum, where he was educated and taught the skills of seamanship.
Did he follow in the footsteps of his father and become a sailor? No, he kept his feet on dry land in Sunderland and became a cabinet maker!
A 'COCKERILL' FLEET LIST - in sequence by year of build, mostly built in Sunderland - the list transcribed from Keith Cockerill's fleet list, slightly adjusted.
BUILT IN SUNDERLAND
# Name Built
Gross
Built by
Owned by
When family owned
Disposition
1
Ariadne 1814
Jas. Thompson?
John Cockerill
From 1847
2
Leander 1819
118
Davison?
Henry Longstaff & Anthony Cockerill
From 1836
3
London 1819
118
Unknown
Henry Longstaff & Anthony Cockerill
From 1836
4
Sea Flower 1826
173
Unknown
John Cockerill & Burton Brown
From 1846
5
Jane 1829
202
W. Chilton
Henry Longstaff & Anthony Cockerill
From 1837
6
Gowlands (a brig or snow) 1832
161
J. Bell
George T. Gowland & Anthony Cockerill
From 1847
7
Loyal Packet 1837
239
R. & T. Andrews
Anthony Cockerill
From 1844
8
Water Lily (a snow) 1840
225
Atkinson & Pile
Anthony Cockerill & Henry Longstaff
From 1841
9
Tunstall 1843
259
Rowntree
Anthony Cockerill
From 1844
10
Coverdale 1845
286
J. Rogerson
Anthony Cockerill
From 1847
11
Cockerills (a barque) ON 16011 1849
377
William Robinson
Anthony Cockerill
From 1849
Details & sinking on Nov. 14, 1859 here
12
Cromwell (a snow) 1849
234
Robert Thompson & Sons
John Cockerill & Burton Brown
From 1849
Sold 50% of shares on Nov. 20, 1850
13
Star in the East (a barque) ON 11534 1850
308/314 later 287 & 277
Richard Wilkinson
Anthony Cockerill
From 1861
Sold 1869. Lost Oct. 1875
14
Jane Cockerell (a barque) ON 25695 1851
353/387
T. Stonehouse
John Cockerill
From 1851
Sold 1855/56 Note
NOT BUILT IN SUNDERLAND
# Name Built
Gross
Built at
Owned by
When family owned
Disposition
15
Westmoreland 1835
286
New Brunswick, Canada
John Cockerill, Anthony Cockerill, John Robson & Mary Burdon
From 1848
16
Ben Muick Dhui 1848
306/244
Aberdeen
Anthony Cockerill & William Cockerill
From 1860
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