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Thompson Family John Thompson was a mariner and river trader born c.1781 in the Doncaster, Hull, Sheffield or Rotherham areas. He married Hannah Thickett 2nd May 1806 at Sheffield St Peter's. Neither could read nor write so they had to sign with a cross. John and Hannah's family lived in Doncaster from at least 1807 to c.1818. when they moved to Rotherham c.1819 . They lived there until at least 1831 and were probably still there when he drowned in Hull Harbour on 5th March 1834. The Hull Boat Registers show a John Thompson as Master of the Sloop 'Hannah' from at least 12th March 1812 when he bought a half share in the sloop and sold it nine years later to Shadrach Stride, Merchant, of Sculcoates on 27 July 1821. Was this my G3John? He was entered in White's 1833 Directory of Sheffield and Rotherham under Water Carriage: John Thompson, Masbro', regularly between Sheffield & Hull. The Inquest Report in The Hull Packet & Humber Mercury for Friday 7th March 1834 includes the information that John Thompson was Master of the sloop 'Dunn' and he traded between Sheffield and Hull along the River Don. He left the Black Boy pub in High Street, Hull at about 11pm on a dark, windy night to get back to his boat at Chapel-lane staith, and next morning he was seen at 7am by Joseph Capes (a seaman on board the 'Reliance' of Louth) to have drowned in the harbour. After his death, it would seem his widow Hannah carried on trading, as the 1837 White's West Riding Directory shows a Hannah Thompson & George Taylor's vessels sailing to Sheffield and Hull weekly. After she died in 1840 the entries cease. There were many watermen and river traders in the Thompson family, including John's son David Thompson who owned the 'Ivanhoe' moored on the River Don at Rotherham in 1871, and David's son my great grandfather John Wilby Thompson a boatbuilder who lived on Don Island, Rotherham for many years with his family including my grandmother Minnie, a pantomime dancer. He made and hired out pleasure boats on the Don and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Canal. If anyone knows more about the origins of the Thompsons or any of their boats please email me and I will pass it on to Lauraine . |
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Transport on the River Humber and Humber Rivers In Memory of George Beaumont (1888-1910) who died whilst serving aboard the Steam Packet 'Queen' in Hull . George Beaumont (1853-) who was a Ferryman on the Ouse. Thomas Phillipson who was Ferryman on the Trent at Owston Ferry.
Sailing ships were naturally the original vessel that navigated the tidal rivers of the Humber. Because of the nature of these rivers which has shallows, sand or mud banks, flat bottom vessels enabled them to remain upright even if grounded. The 'Humber Keel' was the most common type of vessel plying the larger rivers using a large square sail for propulsion. On the smaller rivers and later the canals propulsion started with man power then horse drawn until steam power came along, but the same low draught keel without the sail or with a mast which could be lowered was used so as to navigate the river with bridges. Fly-Boats were introduced to provide a fast delivery of goods especially between Leeds / Wakefield and Selby with the increase demand for wool and coal. Steam Packets in the mid 1800's carried passengers on the River Ouse between Hull, Goole, Selby and York. In 1834 the railway line between Leeds and Selby opened to passengers but if you wanted to travel onward to Goole or Hull then you had to catch the paddle-steamers known as Steam Packets. Ferries between the opposite sides of the rivers were numerous. Around Goole were several crossing by ferries - usually a flat raft looking vessel - Howdendyke, Saltmarshe, Swinefleet and Whitgift
IF YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOGRAPHS OR IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO INPUT PLEASE EMAIL ME. |
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Royal Mail Stamp depicting the P & O Packet Steamer Penninsular 1888
Square Rigged Keel
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Further reading. The Yorkshire Ouse. Baron F. Duckham. Published by David and Charles. The Humber Ferries. Alun A. D'Orly. Publisher by N.V.N.G.R. The Aire & Calder Navigation. Peter L. Smith. Publisher Wakefield Historical Publications. Exploring the Yorkshire Ouse. Alison Waite. Published by Countryside Publishing Ltd. Life in the past around Snaith. Snaith Historical Society. Phillip's Inland Navigation 1805 The Early History Of Hull Steam Shipping The Trade and Shipping of Hull 1500-1700. Ralph Davis The Trade and Shipping of nineteenth century Hull. Joyce M Bellamy The Sailing Ships and Mariners of Knottingley. Ron Gosney & Rosemary Bowyer Planned to Death - The annihilation of a place called Howdendyke. J.Douglas Porteus A History of Transport Through Selby. David G. Lewis. Lloyds Registers Special Thanks to Goole Local Studies Library Selby Local Studies Library Thorne Library Gainsborough Library Thorne Local History Society Mr. P. Holford for his invaluable information British Library Web Sites worth viewing To view an excellent restoration of a Humber Super Sloop visit www.spidert.co.uk Other brilliant sites are : - http://www.diplomate.freeserve.co.uk/whitton.htm http://www.thorne-moorends.gov.uk http://www.winteringham.info/Local_History/Haven/haven.html The Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society http://www.keelsandsloops.org.uk Photographs copyrighted and by permission of owners |
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Last updated 9th March 2012 © 2001 GAPS. No responsibility for any errors or omissions in this Web site - Webmaster humberpacketboats.co.uk | |||||||||||||||||||||||
