There was a great storm in late October 1775.
At Liverpool houses were unroofed, chimneys thrown down, small craft sunk in the river,
and no less than 15 ships were driven on shore, or bilged against the rocks; and most of their crews
perished.
The Fly Packet, which had sailed from Liverpool for Dublin, the
day before, was forced back, and driven on shore near Formby. She had on
board upwards of 100 passengers, 4 or 5 of whom [6 in one report] perished. The vessel
was subsequently refloated.
The Traffick, Captain Blower, from St. Croix via Cork for Liverpool, was totally lost,
at West Hoyle, and all the crew perished.
The Peggy, Captain Fisher, from Virginia for Liverpool was
stranded in Liverpool Bay about 3 miles offshore, wrecked, without
anything standing but her foremast. Her mate, pilot, seven of the
people and a lady passenger were drowned; the master and 12 people
saved.
The Bee, Captain Graham [also Greyham], from Liverpool for
Africa was stranded nearer the shore, dismasted. The people aboard were
saved and tried to save what they could of the cargo.
The Hector, from Baltimore for Liverpool, is lost on the
Burbo, crew saved.
Another report: The Hector, Leyburn, from Maryland for this port
with 5000 bushels of wheat and 500 barrels of flour, went on shore upon Hoyle
bank, and is gone to pieces; the people saved themselves in their boat.
As well as those listed, another six vessels were driven on shore.
At Holyhead, the destruction was greater than ever remembered by the oldest man living. No less than 5 ships were wrecked within a few miles of the harbour. A large Swedish brig went to pieces and all the crew perished. The Friendship, from Dublin for Bordeaux, was wrecked, the captain and 3 men saved, the rest of the crew with 16 passengers drowned. A brig Prosperous, from Lancaster to Hamburg, lost; a sloop foundered at her anchors in the bay; several small craft sunk and a large Dutch ship, supposed to be from Rotterdam, sunk and every soul perished. In short, the scene when the storm was over was the most melancholy ever beheld.
There were also a lot of ships damaged in the Dee estuary by the storm.
At Parkgate, the Sally, Capt Byrne, lying at her moorings (outward
bound to Dublin) with a cargo of wrought silk, haberdashery and merchandize to
the amount of £4000 was driven upon her anchor with such violence that
she immediately sunk, and greatly damaged her cargo, but providentially no
lives were lost and the vessel will be repaired as fast as possible.
About half a mile below Parkgate, the Elizabeth, Capt. Traules,
from Memel, was driven on shore; as were several small craft, and went to
the bottom.
At Hoylake [Dawpool in another report], the Favourite,
Captain Tope [Jope in another report], and the Betty, Captain Barber,
both from Leghorn performing quarantine, were driven on shore from their
moorings, and their cargoes damaged; some flats, employed in loading the
goods, were also dashed to pieces against the shore, and entirely
destroyed. The loss is supposed to amount to several thousand pounds.
The Favourite was repaired, re-shipped her cargo and contiued her voyage
to Dublin.
All the vessels in Hoylake,
about eight or nine, were driven ashore and a large American, laden with
wheat and flour, was stranded on Hoyle-sands. The crew were saved. At Dawpool,
the Robert, Capt. Worrall, laden with cheese for London, lying at her
moorings, being much damaged at the beginning of the storm, sprung
a leak which by the violence of the hurricane greatly increased, she sunk in
the mud, the Captain and crew escaped in the longboat.
Among those caught out by the storm were two packets from Parkgate to Dublin: the Nonpareil, Captain Davis and the Trevor, Captain Tottie. Here their fate is recounted.
These vessels were described as brigs: two-masted sailing vessels with square-rigged sails. They were built of wood with broad and flat beam so that they could lie aground at low tide. Typically they were of 100 tons burthen. Parkgate had no quay, so the Packets anchored off and passengers were taken aboard in smaller boats. Such flat bottomed vessels needed a heavy weight in their hold to allow them to set sail. There was a significant trade from Parkgate to Ireland in coal from the nearby Ness mines. The Trevor is listed as carrying coal on previous voyages.
On Thursday the 19th October, the brig Trevor, Totty master, and the brig Nonpareil, Davies master, sailed from Parkgate for Dublin. That evening, these vessels being then near Holyhead, the wind came about from S. S. W. to the westward, and so violent a hurricane arose that they could not carry any sail, but were obliged to lie to, and drive before the wind. In this situation, Totty's ship drove upon the banks near the Lancashire shore, and was totally lost. Everyone on board perished, except one Samuel Fairclough, a mariner, who miraculously saved his life by leaping aboard another vessel called the Charming Molly[sic, but Charming Mary in other reports], Joseph Holloway master, coals from Chester to Newry, which by accident ran ran foul of the Trevor and carried away the Trevor's foretopmast, and at the instant the two vessels struck together, Fairclough made his leap. He was the only survivor of those (about 30)[40 passengers plus the crew in another report] crew and passengers aboard the Trevor.
Captain Holloway stated that his vessel and the Trevor were together at
some distance from the coast; they parted at the time the sailor jumped
across, and the Trevor subsequently went to pieces. A great many chests,
boxes, some of which were broken, and quantities of East India goods were
strewn along the shore, all wet with salt water. These items are in the
custody of Mrs Hesketh, Lady of the Manor of this coast, secured by Mr.
Standen of Rossall Hall. The East India goods had arrived by land from London.
The cargo (and coins) aboard the Trevor were estimated to be worth
£15,000.
The Charming Mary is on shore at Blackpool, most of her sails
carried away, but otherwise not much damaged.
More details of the wreck of the Trevor, William Totty, Master, bound from this port to Dublin: On Tuesday evening, the 24th. of October, the Collector of this port [Chester] received the melancholy account of the loss of the said vessel by a letter from the Collector Poulton, in Lancashire; this being immediately communicated to the Merchants (who were concerned in shipping the cargo) they set out from hence, as soon as possible, to give every assistance in their power, and to secure each part of the cargo as might come ashore. The Gentlemen from Chester reached Poulton late on Wednesday night. Thursday morning they set out along shore from Blackpool (where Captain Holloway's vessel, the Charming Mary, was stranded, but is since got off with little damage). The greatest part of the hull of the Trevor lay scattered along the shore at a great distance; and on their arrival at Rossall Hall, about six miles from Blackpool they had the satisfaction to find that Mr. Standen, who is Steward of the Manor of Bold Fleetwood Hesketh, now a minor and son to Mr. Fleetwood Hesketh (deceased), on whose estate the wreck was taken up, had taken all possible care of everything that could be saved from the plunderers, whole families of people busily employed in using the best methods for preserving the goods saved; which constituted wrought silks, millenary wares, haberdashery, silk lace, wearing apparel belonging to the unfortunates. They must not be human that could withhold the sympathizing tear, on beholding the scenes of distress, which were to be viewed.
Advertisement about the salvage of the cargo of the Trevor:
CHESTER, Nov. 18, 1775. Whereas there is great reason to apprehend, that
large quantities of rich silks, raw and thrown silks, gold and silver watches,
silver plate, plated goods, thread and silk laces, jewellery, haberdashery
wares, woollen cloth, and other valuable effects, have been taken from the
wreck of the Trevor, William Totty, Master, bound for Dublin, and lost in the
storm on the 19th of October last, near Blackpool, in the county of Lancaster,
which are supposed to be concealed: this is to give notice to all persons, who
have been concerned in taking up and secreting any of the said goods or
effects, that if they will bring the same to Mr. James Standen, at Rossall
Hall, in the county of Lancaster they will be well rewarded; but if they
should detain the same after this public notice, they will be prosecuted with
the utmost severity of the law; and any person knowing where any of the said
goods or effects are secreted or detained, upon giving information thereof to
the said Mr Standen shall be entitled to a reward ten pounds for every one
hundred pounds value so discovered.
A later advert, on 25 December, requests offers to raise the wreck of the Trevor, lying about 10 miles west of Blackpool in 7 fathoms [13 metres]. This information suggests that the mast of the Trevor was visible above water. Ten miles west of Blackpool is at position near 53°50' N, 3°19' W which has a charted depth of 10 m at CD (lowest astronomical tide). I am not aware of any suitable wreckage near that position; one possible candidate is the "ballast pile" [see Wrecks of Liverpool Bay Vol II] which lies further away from Blackpool; in a SW direction and is rather too deep.
The Nonpareil was, it was supposed, stranded upon Hoyle-sands, and lost. Not one person was saved.
Between them, the Trevor and the Nonpareil reportedly had on board nearly 200 passengers
[144 in another report],
the majority on the Nonpareil. They carried cargo valued at £15,000 [£30,000 in
another report].
The Nonpareil was reported to have been carrying 43
Irish vagrants who were being deported, and who had been kept in the
Neston House of Correction before sailing.
Among the passengers were
the Hon. Major Caulfield, his Lady, and daughters; Capt. Sleigh, Lady, and one
child; Capt. Elliot; the two Mr. Frenches, one of them the Member for the
county of Roscommon; Mr. Wheeler; a Mrs. Duncley, her daughter; Capt Dulfield;
two foreigners supposed to be Turks and a great many other persons of distinction.
The Hon. Francis Caulfield [Major] was brother to the Earl of
Charlemont and married to Mary, the only child of Rt. Hon. Lord Eyre of
Eyre-Court in Ireland. He left London to attend the Irish Parliament,
accompanied by his Lady, Miss Caulfield, and an infant girl of 3 years of age.
The boat belonging to the Nonpareil, Capt.
Davis, which was lost in the late storm between this place [Parkgate] and Dublin, was
driven on shore near which were three sailors and a dog belonging to Major
Caulfield, all dead, having perished from the inclemency of the weather.
Major Caulfield's coach, which was on the Nonpareil, had been driven on
shore at Liverpool; several papers were found in the box, and several silver
candlesticks were found in the pockets of the coach.
Mrs. Davis, wife of
Capt. Davis, of the Nonpareil stated that her husband sailed from Parkgate
with very low spirits, he did not like the appearance of the weather; but
the Major and some other passengers pressed him to put out, which he did,
and was twice put back, but got off the third time, and was never seen
afterwards.
Advertisement about the salvage of the Nonpareil:
And whereas there is also cause to believe that the Nonpareil, Samuel Davies
bound likewise for Dublin, was lost in the same storm on Hoyle Banks, and that
great part of the cargo and passengers baggage, which was very valuable, has
come on shore in the Hundred of Wirral in Cheshire, further notice is hereby
given, that like reward of ten per cent, will be given to any person, who
shall discover where any part of the said cargo (consisting of wrought silks
and Italian thrown silk) is detained or concealed, on giving notice to Mr,
Hincks, Mr. Folliott, or Mr. William Griffith, Chester. N. B. All jewellers,
gold-smiths, silver-smiths, watchmakers, and particularly travelling chapmen,
are desired be cautious in purchasing any part of the said cargoes, as the
shippers are determined to spare no pains or expense to bring to justice all
persons who shall be discovered against the law in this respect.
Information above mainly from weekly newspapers, especially the Chester Chronicle and Hibernian Journal (Dublin).