History of Sailing Ships

Furness & Duddon Sailing Ships
The following list includes schooners, barquentines, brigs and other merchant sailing ships that were either built or owned in Barrow-in-Furness.
Whitehaven Sailing ShipsThe following list includes schooners, barquentines, brigs and other merchant sailing ships that were built at Whitehaven.
Workington & Harrington Sailing ShipsThe following list includes schooners, barquentines, brigs and other merchant sailing ships that were built at Workington or Harrington.
Lancaster Sailing ShipsThe following list includes schooners, barquentines, brigs and other merchant sailing ships that were built at Glasson Dock, Lancaster.
Maryport Sailing ShipsThe following list includes schooners, barquentines, brigs and other merchant sailing ships that were built at Maryport.
Isle of Man Sailing ShipsThe following list includes schooners and other merchant sailing ships that were built in the Isle of Man.
Solway Sailing ShipsThe following list includes schooners, barquentines, brigs and other merchant sailing ships that were built or owned in the Scottish ports of the Solway Firt.

Lumley Kennedy & Co., Whitehaven shipbuilders

Lumley Kennedy was a shipwright who had been a manager, for nearly twenty years, at the Brocklebank shipyard in Whitehaven. In 1835 he left Brocklebanks to join a new shipbuilding venture, as managing partner. His partners in Lumley Kennedy & Co. were R & H Jefferson, Dr.Robinson, Capt.Pew, R.N., Capt.I.Mounsey, Thomas Beck and John Peile. The new yard at Whitehaven launched its first vessel in 1835, and in total 65 vessels were built there in the years upto 1865. The venture was closed at about the same time as the Brocklebank shipyard ceased operations, the demise of both being due to difficulties obtaining satisfactory leases from the Earl of Lonsdale. The Lumley Kennedy yard was operated by Joseph Shepherd, himself a former employee of Kennedy, from 1865 until 1879. Lumley Kennedy himself died at Beckermet in 1882, aged 91.

The sailing vessels built by Lumley Kennedy & Co. at Whitehaven are listed below :

YEAR LAUNCHED	NAME	YEAR LAUNCHED	NAME
1835	Alciope	1850	Walton Muncaster
1836	Ann & Jane, Bleng	1851	Braganza, Eagle
1837	Calder, Frances, Reaper, Siam, Watson	1852	Affghan, John Peile, Pudsey Dawson
1838	British Queen, Capella, Nile	1853	Pizarro
1839	Earl of Lonsdale, Harbinger, Jane & Jessie, Ringdove	1854	Miranda
1840	Champion, Kyanite, Midge, Syren, Warlock, Wilson	1855	John O'Gaunt, Valdivia
1841	Arequipa, Bleng, Enchantress,	1856	Orontes
1842	Ennerdale	1857	Mallard
1843	Swallow	1858	Hannah Nicholson, Star
1844	Emblem, New Margaret, Sancta Bega, Thomas & John	1859	Excel, James Bruce, Phaeton
1845	Menzies	1860	Bellam, Excelsior, Magellan
1846	Lord Harding	1861	Anne Lowther, Banda
1847	Magician, Mary Spencer	1862	Princess Alexandria, Tanaro, Tarragona
1848		1863	Bertie, Ehen
1849	John Spencer, Sorata	1864	Erato

The Opening of Barrow Docks in 1867

The formal opening of the docks at Barrow took place on Thursday, with all the attractive ceremonial which had been announced, and amidst the rejoicings of thousands of spectators. Had Barrow a special calendar of its own, the 19th of September would be set down as the red letter day of the year, though the two following days were arranged to be kept as periods of holiday, and will doubtless be long remembered in connection with the festivities taking place thereon. But these being only subordinate to the grand ceremony of opening the docks, very energetic and successful efforts had been made to give eclat to that event. To this end a very large number of invitations were issued to gentlemen resident in various parts of the country, and occupying eminent positions in the world of commerce, by His Grace the Duke of Devonshire and the directors of the Furness Railway Company. Of course, the banquet served in the commodious banquet hall near the railway station was the most prominent feature in the day's proceedings. The invitations numbered some twelve hundred, and we may say that nearly the whole of them were accepted. The list included the Lord Mayor of London, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, and the mayors of the principal towns of the kingdom ; together with a goodly number of members of parliament, chairmen of chambers of commerce scattered throughout the country, &c. At an early date an invitation to be present was accepted by the Right Hon. W.E.Gladstone, late Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the announcement of this fact at once gave considerably more importance to the fact than would otherwise have been attached, and increased the amount of anxiety felt by nearly everybody in the district to have an opportunity of being present at the banquet.