Such a corporation would have free power to " make, erect and build quays, wharfs and docks for the improvement of trade and benefit of shipping and to embank, sink, widen, deepen and cleanse the said Harbour of Wexford.''
Rates to be levied were:-
From the Master or Owner of Foreign ships -1 / = per ton.
From the Master or Owner of ships belonging to His
Majesty's subjects - 6d per ton.
From the Master or Owner of ships trading Coastways - 3d
per ton.
This would appear to be the beginning of major plans for the improvement of the port and also the origins of the Harbour
Commissioners or Harbour Board, which would oversee the
development of Wexford Harbour over the succeeding two
centuries.
Mr. Nevill proposed a second bill in February 1790. It was similar to the 1789 Bill except that the levy charges were not stated and H. Stanley Monck was added to the proposed Corporation. Three years later a third Bill was proposed by Mr. Nevill, this time adding a bridge over the Slaney to Ferrybank. In the 1793
Bill, the tolls are again stated and he adds that pilots should be appointed and the dredging of oysters between May 1st and September 1st be punished by a fine of £5 and seizure of boat and tackle.
A fourth Bill, in 1794 dealt more specifically with the bridge that was in fact completed in the following year and was paid for by subscription. It was a toll bridge and spanned the river in almost the same location as today's structure. It linked Ferrybank to Monck Street, which was formerly Ferry Boat Lane. The bridge reduced the livelihood of some Wexford sailors, i.e. those who had operated a ferry service at that point.
In 1798 Wexford once again entered armed conflict when, after some years of agrarian unrest and brutal military reprisal, the county erupted in rebellion. During that summer of 1798, Wexford's sailors had their part to play. A small 'republican' navy operated from the quays. Four oyster boats were fitted out and patrolled the outer harbour and four sloops were positioned ready to be scuttled in order to prevent British ships entering the port. The patrol boats constantly harassed shopping and, like the 'pirates' of the 1640's they were the lifeline for the towns inhabitants. For the most part, the provisions seized by the boats were the only food entering the town. It was one of these boats that captured Lord Kingsborough and brought him into the town.
One of the most notorious characters of the rebellion in Wexford was co-incidentally a sea captain.
Thomas Dixon is credited with being the instigator in the death of many innocent people.
From the horrors of 1798, the Port of Wexford moved forward and into an era of major expansion.
On the High Seas - The International Years
"Tis often I dream of the Wexford fleet with a stiff wind blowing fair With the anchor weighed and sails unfurled to the strains of some shanty air-Outward bound to some foreign clime, some strange land overseas, With a pressure of canvas drawing to the tune of a piping breeze. "
The eighteen hundreds saw Wexford develop into a vibrant port It was a century of progress throughout the town in general but more particularly on the seafront. Much of the modern quay front began to take shape in the early part of the century. Prior to that the many private wharfs and quays which were detailed in the 1640’s and which are echoed even today by the numerous laneways joining Main Street to the Quays catered for the needs of the town. It is said that the quays were built 10 feet above the low water mark.
The quays came under the control of the Quay Corporation, which had evolved along with the Bridge Corporation from the bodies proposed by Neville in the 1790's. This Quay Corporation was made up of the mayor, bailiffs, burgesses, town clerk, port collector and members of Parliament for the town and county plus 36 others. It had the power to levy rates on vessels using the port and to use the monies so collected to improve and maintain the quays and harbour. It also controlled the pilotage in the harbour, the supply of piped water and it had responsibility for the cleansing of streets. It kept the avenues to the quays in good repair and by 1837 had a pilot establishment of 2 smacks, 2 sailboats and 2 row boats with a pilot station at Rosslare Fort.
An indication of the trade for which the Quay Corporation was responsible is given by this shipping list from the 'Wexford Herald' dated April 5th 1807.
'General Moore' to Dublin with barley and oats.
'Venus' to Liverpool with oats and barley.
'Good Intent' to Dublin with oats and barley.
'Peggy' to Dublin with barley.
'Eliza' to Dublin with barley.
'Frances' to Dublin with oats and flour.
'Hibernia' to Dublin with flour, malt and barley.
'Shileah' to Dublin with malt.
Arrivals in the port at the same period included-
'Odien' from Arundale with timber.
'Friendship' from Dublin with whiskey (this was 20 years prior to the establishment of the Bishopswater Distillery).
'Commerce' from Liverpool with oats, beef and pork.
'Mary' from Dublin with coal, staves and grinding stones.
Throughout the 19th century attempts were made to reclaim land from Wexford Harbour. The first such attempt was made in 1813 when a slobland was formed to the south of the harbour. Initially it appeared to succeed but violent storms late in the year destroyed the embankment and the project was abandoned. A further attempt by the Thomas brothers in 1814 costing £30,000 also foundered.
Meanwhile another venture aimed at improving the lot of those using Wexford Port was taking place at Tuskar Rock. In 1812 work began on the construction of a lighthouse at that notorious point on the coast and a number of Wexfordmen were engaged in the work. Many of them perished when a violent storm with mountainous seas struck the rock in October of that year.
Among the dead were Richard Meyler, John Edwards, William Bishop, William Devereux, Jasper Corish and J. Nolan. But T. Barrington, Patrick Dillon and Nicholas Cahill also from the town survived that horrific event when men had to chain themselves to blocks of stone for days to avoid being washed to their deaths.
It was against such a background that seamen became the first workers to see the value of organising to improve conditions. About 1810 they began to join Friendly Societies and Benefit Clubs, forerunners of unionisation. However, the lack of rapid communication, long voyages and lack of experienced organisers caused most of these societies to be short lived. Meanwhile the port of Wexford continued to grow. In 1817 the area now called Commercial Quay was designated as a market place, stretching from Monck Street, to Anne Street.
In 1832 the Redmond family opened a dockyard in Wexford causing Lewis, in his Topography of Ireland to remark:
"Shipping interests have been materially promoted by the construction of a patent slip and shipbuilding yard at the southern end of his embankment (Redmond was responsible for the reclamation of the land where Trinity Street now stands), from which a vessel of 70 tons has already been launched. Vessels belonging to the port had previously been built at Milford and Liverpool. "
The first vessel built here was 'The Vulcan', for a local shipowner, Nathaniel Hughes. It was launched in 1833. The Dockyard employed 100 men at its peak and was responsible for building schooners and barques up to 360 tons.
Other building was taking place elsewhere in the harbour in 1831. The Harbour Authorities erected the Ballast Bank, opposite today’s Paul Quay. Although it is now redundant it was an important part of the life of Wexford Port. As the name implies its primary function was as a depot for ballast that was essential for the stability of ships leaving or entering port without cargo.
The 1830's also witnessed the beginning of public lighting on the quays. This was in the form of gas lanterns and a man was employed to light each of these at dusk and to extinguish them each morning.
In 1832 Wexford suffered a major outbreak of cholera. This disease was an ever-present danger in a busy seaport whose ships traded throug
hout the world. The epidemic, which struck the town in 1832, can be traced back through various ports to Bengal India in 1826. The Wexford outbreak began when 2 members of the crew of a schooner called 'The Maria' died while she was berthed at the quay. The disease spread rapidly through the crowded town of narrow streets. The newly built Fever Hospital at Grogan's Road soon had its 60 beds filled as the ten doctors then resident in Wexford fought hard to contain the epidemic. As more people fell ill, a ship, which had been used to hold prisoners in 1798, was fitted out as a hospital ship and moored in the Slaney just above the bridge and the most infectious cases, were housed there.
Besides the deep-sea and coasting vessels, the port was also home to many sailors and they too occasionally bore the fury of the sea from which they sought a livelihood. This is well illustrated in a Wexford ballad 'The Faythe Fishing Craft':-
"Midst the loud crashing elements' dreadful commotion, These two Wexford skiffs braved the horror of the ocean
In viewing our friends to their shattered skiff clinging, A big breaker came, dire death with it bringing.
Brave Roche, ere going down waved a long, long adieu
Home to their families, their bodies were drew.
There was Roche, who, from childhood the seas had been roaming; Then Clarke, Brien and Campbell, alas, they're no more
Their bodies were found when the storm ceased foaming,
Thrown up on the breakers on Blackwater's shore
Think of the Faythemen that are now in a tomb. "
These deaths took place in a storm off Blackwater on December 19th, 1833.
In the 1830s many Wexfordmen were engaged in the deep-sea trade and it is said that parts of Odessa on the Black Sea would have been more familiar to these sailors than the streets of Dublin. The life of a deep-sea sailor was seen as adventurous, - sailing out of Wexford Harbour with the large canvas sails billowing in the breeze, bound for exotic locations - but such romantic thoughts hid a hard occupation.
In those ships there was little time for relaxation. The 'watches' were of four hours duration with a four-hour rest before going back on watch. The off hours were to be used for sleeping or relaxing but many skippers put the men to work scrubbing or painting during that time.
In the days pre-dating deep freezers, keeping food fresh was a problem on long voyages. In 'Going Deep Sea' Seamus Delaney recounts his father's story on such a voyage. Each man got a pound of biscuits, big coarse items called Water Biscuits, a day. These were known as blahs in Wexford but aboard the old sailing ships were called pantiles. The 'Peggy,' that is the youngest member of the crew, who shipped as a Boy, and was the cook's general helper, brought the biscuits to the fo'c's'le after the captain had weighed them out. These biscuits were as hard as rocks and full of maggots and weevils and every kind of insect.
In order to eat the biscuits, they put them into a canvas bag and pounded them with an iron pin. Then they mixed the crumbs with whatever water could be spared from the daily ration and ate them that way. On the odd days that marmalade or jam was given out, it was mixed in. That was the sailors' breakfast at about 7.30 a.m. along with a mug of coffee. Sometimes they baked the mashed biscuit and water; this was known as 'dandyfunk’. Each Friday a sailor was given either a pound of butter or a pound of marmalade but not both.
For dinner at 12.30 each man got half a pound of boiled corned beef or corned pork. This menu alternated and on pork days pea soup was added. In the early days of a voyage potatoes would be served at dinner but when they ran out, which was quite rapidly, only the remains from the pound of blahs was eaten with the meat.
On 'Rooty Days' , each Tuesday and Thursday, every man got a half-pound of flour with which the cook baked him a small loaf. At 5 p.m. a cup of tea or coffee was served to accompany the remains of the blahs.
Water was strictly rationed, each man getting 2 quarts per day. All except a pint of this had to be handed on to the cook for breakfast, dinner and tea. The remaining pint was kept in a bottle strapped to the waist and was never left out of the sailor's sight for fear of it being stolen. As may be imagined washing in such meagre rations posed a problem. To overcome this, each man put a small measure into a basin until it was half full and then lots were drawn to decide in which order they would queue for a turn at washing.
Heavy rain in the 'Doldrums' was like heaven. The scuppers would be plugged and the deck allowed to fill with water as the torrential rain without wind cascaded down. Then the sailors would strip and cavort like children in the water. The opportunity was taken to have a good wash and to scrub all the clothes.
The other side of the coin was sailing in bad weather outside the 'doldrums.' Then weeks might be spent without taking off even the oilskins.
Cargo had priority on the ships and the crew quarters were usually cramped spaces in the bow of the vessel with tiers of bunks. Another romantic view of the tall ships was that of the men hoisting sails to the echo of lusty sea shanties. Mr. Delaney speaks of this practice also:
"For heavy halyards it took a lot of pulling, sea shanties were used to aid the men to pull together.
'Whiskey Johnny' was a halyard shanty and the heavy pull would come on the words. Whiskey Johnny, the stress being on the first syllable of 'whiskey' which was very long, drawn out, and the stress again and the pull on the rope were on the first syllable of ‘Johnny’, which was long drawn in a similar way. One of the shanties sung as sails were hoisted on the schooners in Wexford Bay was 'We're outward bound for Cardiff Town'."
The harsh conditions on some ships caused men to desert or 'jump ship'. In such cases the sailor forfeited all wages and clothes and effects left on board and was liable for any excess wages paid to his replacement. Harbouring a deserter was punishable by a fine of £10. The deserter was liable to be sentenced to 10 weeks imprisonment.
Among the desertions recorded for Wexford ships are:
Patrick Kelly aged 24 arrested in Malta on May 20th, 1864 for attempted desertion. He had sailed on the
'Glenmore' owned by Richard Devereux and captained by Luke Sheils of New Street (now Parnell Street).
James Wilson a Londoner deserted from 'Emerald' a Wexford ship captained by Laurence English at New York in 1852.
New York was a favourite desertion point at that time: there are records of James Roche deserting there May 31st 1852 and Pat Nyland and John Kavanagh doing likewise..
Sailors often died at sea and there were regulations to be followed in such cases. Upon death the master took charge of all money and clothing left on board. If the man had no relatives his belongings could be auctioned on board ship or on land and all of his earnings were given to the Trustees for the Relief of Seamen. All clothes etc. were entered into the ships log. One such entry for a Wexford sailor went as follows:
"'James Edwards drowned while furling the top main sail, despite all efforts to save him"
2 flannel shirts
1 pair stockings
1 singlet
1 pipe
2 caps
1 Blanket
2 pair trousers
1 bed box
2 pocket handkerchiefs
Tin box with 5 pictures
Signed, Luke Sheils (Master) Thomas Rowe, Mate (1-8-1864).”
James Edwards was 20 years old and was an Ordinary Seaman. He died, as logged, on the return voyage from Malta by Richard Devereux's ship 'Glenmore' captained by Luke Shiels of New Street, Wexford.
Among the recorded masters of Wexford ships in 1835 we find
Edward Rowe aged 24 on the 'Rambler'
Francis Larkin aged 26 on the 'Mayflower'
John Kehoe aged 45 mastering the 'Rover'
Thomas Wickham aged 27 on the 'Seafarer'
Michael Sheils aged 40 on the 'William Whitty'
Many of these family names crop up again and again in connection with Wexford shipping. One wonders if the last ship mentioned was owned or named after William Whitty, a grain merchant of The Faythe, who was elected Wexford's fir
st Catholic mayor in 1833.
In 1837 Lewis records that there were 690 Wexfordmen sailing in 110 registered vessels, and 2 ships sailed regular scheduled trips between Wexford and Liverpool. One of these vessels was 'Town of Wexford' which had been built locally. Passage on that boat to Liverpool in 1837 cost 12/6 saloon and 6/= steerage.
An enquiry about pensions to the Seamen’s Fund Trustees in 1839 elicited some interesting information on the port at that time. No pensions were paid to persons in Wexford in the year ended December 31st 1839 because there were no applications from the port other than for temporary relief, but that claimant died before a pension could be granted. This shows that sailors in Wexford had organised themselves to the extent of securing pensions.
The letter went on to remark that there were at that time in the service of the port a great number of very aged seamen who would soon be claiming pensions.
In 1840, Wexford quays were said to be some 60 feet wide (this would not have included the pile wharf or woodenworks which were not yet built) and would by then have reached 150 yards more seaward than the original coastline of Weissfiord. This latter statement was borne out some years ago when builders working in Anne Street came upon a layer of beach sand some halfway up that thoroughfare. Also in 1840 the area at the bridge was called Wellington Quay and that beside Bank of Ireland was known as Wigram Quay.
J.G. Kohl wrote in his book in 1842 that a distinguishing characteristic of Wexford Harbour was that it possessed more ships of its own than any other port in Ireland. He went on to say that a great many ships were built there and that there he saw for the first time the 'Parkins Patent Slip' for raising and lowering ships under construction. He also referred to the peculiar method of carrying flour sacks witnessed there. They placed the sack on their back but instead of reaching back over their shoulders to hold it, they placed their hands behind, under the bag to carry it.
Disembarkation- Page 2