HMS Captain 1870         

 

Information and Memories from Descendants (cont)
Up John Collier Peter Baldwin T G Beenham John Bremner Thomas Butcher C W Dyer J Ellis George Fisher Wilfred Glanville John Gribble Albert Grover George Habens Walter Hedger Robert Herd John Hermitage Tom W Ivey Thomas Kernan RJ Magawley William May Robert Mayne Francis Merryman GH Payne Edmund Powell Alfred Ripley Anthony Spiller Arthur Tregaskiss John Walker

 

 

Anthony Spiller – Captain of the Forecastle

Anthony was of Cornish descent but was born in Groomsport, Co. Down, in 1840 where his father was in the Coastguard Service. He lost both parents at an early age, and in 1851 was listed in the census that year as being in Liskeard Workhouse. He married to Sarah Jane Tucker in 1863, their daughter Ellen was born in 1865.

By the age of 15 he had joined the navy as Boy 2nd Class, and then 1st Class on HMS Impregnable. By the age of 18 he had transferred as a seaman to the Royal Navy, and by 1869 he was coxswain of the launch of HMS Cambridge. It would appear that, along with other sailors, he was pressed in 1870 to join HMS Captain, with the promise of promotion.

I have the last muster sheet containing his name, with remarks in the Office column stating ”Remitted to representative 10 December 1870 under Inspectors Certificate No 637”. This was for the sum of £9. 11s. 8d, but the M.O.D. had, with their usual consideration, deducted for the clothes he was wearing at the time of death.

After application to Southport, I was informed that as it is the responsibility of the captain of the ship to report a seaman’s death in peacetime, there was no death certificate for Anthony (and therefore for all the casualties?) as the captain had perished with the ship.


Kathleen Woodward (UK) - great-granddaughter