HMS Captain 1870         

The Story of HMS Captain (cont)

Widows and Orphans Relief Fund; details of Orphanages taking in children of Captain sailors lost.

(see also The Final Report of the Captain Relief Fund Committee (1872), showing payments made and balance handed over to the Royal Patriotic Fund for future management. Also a full list of orphanages that took in children from men lost in the disaster)

Within a week of the disaster, steps were already being taken to set up a relief fund, and this was amply reported on by The Times.

The investigation on this is incomplete - having read The Times up to early 1872, it is clear that payments were to be made to dependents of officers and seamen, marines and civilians.

What I have yet to find are the records of the distribution of the money raised. Those of us who lost ancestors on the Captain should find this `family history' information fascinating, particularly if it provides useful genealogy leads.

Whilst the Times has provided the final figures, the National Archives at Kew needs investigating to see what records they have had deposited (see final paragraphs of  this page). 

(see also programme for fund raising concert in `Memorabilia' section)

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The first mention of a relief fund was in The Times on Wednesday 14th September 1870. A meeting had been held the previous day, the 13th, at the Royal Naval College,  Portsmouth, "for the purpose of taking the necessary steps for the formation of a fund for the relief of the widows, orphans and relatives of the officers, seamen, marines, stokers &c., lost with Her Majesty's turret-ship Captain."

Flag Captain Hancock took the chair, in the unavoidable absence of the Port Admiral Sir James Hope. Captain Hancock referred to the business of the meeting, mentioned the experimental nature of the Captain, "about which everyone had their opinion on one side or the other", and said that in his experience, he had never known a ship of the size of the Captain going down in the very midst of the fleet.

"The condition of the widows, orphans, and relatives left by the officers and crew of the unfortunate ship must, he felt convinced, not only have obtained the strongest hold upon the sympathies of the naval profession, but also on that all classes of the community throughout the kingdom."

The formal business of setting up a managing committee and trustees went ahead. Banks were to be asked to open subscription lists, and arrangements made for advertising the sums raised in the newspapers. The meeting was then dissolved.

This was followed on Thursday 15th September by a somewhat emotional and extravagant letter from J. Heron Marnell, supporting the fund.

On Friday 16th September, a notice issued the previous day by the Admiralty, was printed - 

Saturday 17th September saw the printing of the official report of the setting up of the Relief Fund at the meeting on the 13th, including the first list of subscriptions. This was from about thirty people, headed by Henry Peek, MP for Wimbledon, donating £100; Next was the chairman of the committee, Admiral Sir James hope, donating £40, with the rest of the list giving between ten shillings and ten pounds.

In the letters column of the same day, John Rolston, Mayor of Devonport appears to be unaware of the Relief Fund already underway, as he is proposing, with the Mayor of Plymouth, to call a meeting to set up just such a fund. He points out that it is not only the widows and orphans who need help, but often parents, sisters and other relatives.

On Tuesday 20th September, a full report of the progress of the Relief Fund was printed. In the days, weeks and months to come, this was almost a daily report, and I will not mention it again unless something notable happens.

This particular report, however, was really the first of importance, with about one hundred fund donations recorded, being headed by Messrs Laird Bros, the builders of the Captain, with £500, and John Laird Esq, with £250. Most of the private donations were for £1 to £5.

Wednesday 21st September saw two letters quoting problems in their locality. Major W C Justice, Town Major of Devonport, tells of one house now containing three widows and thirteen orphans; and the sad story of a woman going into premature labour on thinking her husband was lost, only to die of shock and, presumably, childbirth, when told he was in fact alive. The husband arrived home to find his six children orphans.

The second letter from J Lush of Portsea, Portsmouth, encouraging the fund, saying that in one street in his town, there were now thirty widows as a result of the disaster

Friday 23rd September - in a short article, The Times reported that the Relief Fund committee had "decided to pay from the fund on the 1st October to the widows and families left such sums as would have been due to them from the Government pay offices had the ship not been lost....to provide prompt temporary help so urgently needed in some hundreds of families.

Also reported was that the "United States screw frigate Franklin, now lying in Portsmouth harbour, (had produced) a very handsome subscription list made up by the officers and crew".

And in Edinburgh, a committee was set up, mainly by naval people, to collect subscriptions for the main Relief Fund, which was to be called `The Captain Auxiliary Relief Fund Committee, Edinburgh'.

Saturday 24th September produced, in a circular to be sent out by the Relief Fund committee to the chief magistrate of every town in the United Kingdom which returns a member to Parliament, some initial figures on the extent of the financial help required by the families of those lost. Main points of the circular were -

"It is at present impossible to say how many are left destitute by this awful catastrophe, or what the amount of their claims may be. But this we do know: 207 of the crew of the ship, independent of the officers, allowed from their pay, for the benefit of their families, £366o annually, and besides the relatives of these 207 men (all of whom come to this fund for support), there must be numerous distressing cases not yet heard of.

"We are anxious to raise such a sum as will enable us generously to deal with every case of real distress which may come before us. And that we may do this, we appeal for your kind assistance and co-operation, and that of your fellow townsmen. Our countrymen have always been proud to share in the victories won by the British Navy; we now ask them to aid and assist us in our distress. We trust that....a subscription in behalf of the families lost in Her Majesty's ship Captain will be collected in your borough.

(signed) MOUNTFORD S.L. PEILE, Captain, R.N., Presidents, and H. KIRKHAM, Hon. Secretary

To close off September, on Friday 30th the Court of Common Council proposed that £250 be contributed by the Corporation of London - (effectively the financial and commercial centre known as the City of London)

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Looking after the orphans (see also list of orphanages taking Captain's children)

Meanwhile, offers to take in the orphans began to come in; the first recorded on Wednesday 28th September, when the Royal Naval School resolved to admit five of the orphan sons left by officers without the usual formalities. On Thursday 29th, the Ladies Committee of the Portsmouth Relief Fund appealed for orphanages to take boys from Captain fathers at reduced rates. Then on Friday 30th, the Royal Naval Female School, Twickenham, announced that it would freely admit the daughters of officers who perished, and on the same day the Conway School Frigate, stationed in the Mersey, would make two free admissions for sons of officers.

Saturday 1st October saw the Marine Society offering ten places to their training ship Warspite at the disposal of the Relief Committee for children of seamen who perished. Friday 7th October and the Female Orphan Asylum, Beddington, Surrey, admitting three orphans, and on Wednesday 12th October the Dowager Countess of Lichfield expressed her willingness to place one of the orphans in the National Childrens Home, Ham Common. On the same day, the Royal Caledonian Asylum, Holloway, North London, wrote it would waive entrance conditions and payments in order to take the children of any Scottish sailors or marines who were lost. 

Thursday 13th October - the committee of the Thames Marine Officers' Training Ship Worcester said they would present two years' education on board the Worcester, for a son of one of the commissioned officers of the Captain. The last noted offer came on Monday 7th November, from the Welsh Charity School, Ashford, who were prepared to receive two children of Welsh parentage.

Thursday 10th November found the Portsmouth Ladies Committee confirming their success in placing what were called "Captain's Orphans", and in addition to those mentioned earlier, the following sponsored placements were reported -

Mr Joseph Hoare, one girl at the Orphan Home (Sailors), Hampstead; Mr H Hamilton, one girl at the Orphan Home, Pimlico; Mrs Gladstone, one boy at the Orphan Home, Hawarden; Mrs R Smith, one girl at the Industrial School, Goldings; The Rev. R R Bristow, one girl at the industrial school, Lewisham; the Royal Caledonian Asylum, as well as taking orphans of Scottish sailors or marines, were to take one girl (presumably, non-Scottish); Hull Seaman's Orphan Asylum, to take one boy and one girl;

They also returned thanks for the gifts of mourning apparel that had been sent.

The Portsmouth Ladies Committee were in print again, on Thursday 17th December with more success in placing "Captain's Orphans". This time they report -

Countess de Grey and Ripon, one girl to Ripon Industrial School; Mrs Burgoyne, one girl to Kenton Industrial School; Miss Moore, one girl to the Ladies' Charity School, London; Miss Hoare and Miss North, two girls to the Sailors' Orphan School, Hampstead; Rev. E Harland, two girls to the Cottage Orphanage, Colwich; The Misses Docrwa (Doowra?), two boys to the Royal Albert Orphan Asylum; Royal Caledonian Asylum one boy (presumably in addition to previous commitments); Welsh School, one boy; Josiah Mason's Orphanage, Erdington, one boy.

The Committee was still looking for nominations for younger children, pointing out that most of the families of those who perished were composed of young children. As well as orphaned girls, two or three girls who were dependent sisters of young unmarried sailors had kindly been placed. They were looking for places for similar girls, whose older brothers had contributed to their upkeep; in one case the girl was deaf and dumb.

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Fraudulent Claims on the Fund

Back on the fund-raising front, on Thursday 6th October, more information came to light on the number of beneficiaries, and some curious duplication of claims.

Firstly, the President of the Managing Committee of the Relief Fund, Captain M. S. L. Peile, R.N., wrote -

"Sir, - An erroneous report having been made to the public to the effect that the Government intend to provide for the relations of those lost in Her Majesty's late ship Captain, may I, through the medium of your paper, be allowed to deny such statement as the only relief the Government give is one year's pay to the widows of the petty officers, seamen, and marines, under the Greenwich Hospital (Pensions for Widows) Act 1863.The other relations, therefore of  these fine felloes that perished are without Government assistance, and many of them are in a most pitiable way.

"Up to the present time the following number of relatives (exclusive of those dependent on officers) have applied for assistance to this charity, as having been supported by those in Captain, and we are constantly receiving fresh applications:- 108 widows, 330 children (most of whom are young), 65 mothers, 2 brothers, 1 stepson, 1 grandfather, 5 fathers, 9 aunts, 1 father-in-law, 15 sisters, 1 uncle, 1 grandmother. In all the above cases (with rare exception) allotments had been made by the deceased to the relatives included in the list, and the money regularly paid by the Admiralty to them."

Then The Times made an interesting point regarding the claimants, saying that "two or three rather curious incidents have transpired. It appears that....two, and in some cases three, ladies have presented themselves as relicts (widows) of the unfortunate deceased......In one instance two  ladies simultaneously presented themselves for the adjudication of the authorities as to whom should be the recipient. A more curious feature was the discovery that some of the men had more than one mother."

This, however, was denied on 20th October by the Secretary of the Relief Fund, who said that "Every application for relief has passed through me, and in one instance only have two women applied for relief as the widows of one man. Their certificates showed that they had both been legally married." Clearly one wasn't! and temporary relief was granted to the one who was "found to have the preferable claim" - presumably the first wife.

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On the Thursday 13th October, The Times reported the setting up of an important committee by the Lord Mayor of London, to aid the Portsmouth Relief Fund with the advantage of being London based.

On Wednesday 19th October the committee for the Captain Relief Fund sought to make a deadline on claims by saying that they "are desirous of receiving all applications from the Relief Fund as soon as possible. No applications can be entertained by the Committee after Tuesday 1st November next".

Payments begin

Next day, Thursday 20th October, at a meeting of the London part of the Relief Fund, the Admiralty announced it was ready to pay the widows the year's pay due to them, but would also extend this payment to dependent sisters and brothers of the unmarried men. In addition it was proposed that very young children should receive support for a few years.

At the meeting, the Treasury announced the proposal that compassionate payments for the children of officers should begin at once and not wait for the start of the 1871-72 financial year; they were to make payments to the mothers and sisters of officers lost on the same basis as if they had been killed in action. In addition, where no widow existed, one year's wages would be paid for seamen and marines lost to dependent parents, brothers or sisters, or anyone in charge of the children of the men. Temporary relief would be granted in cases of urgent necessity.

It was stated that within a week of the London fund starting, £1400 had been raised, whilst the figure from Portsmouth was £22,000.

Monday 14th November had a detailed letter from three men who were "intimate acquaintances with the mercantile community of the City of London" bemoaning the poor support to the Relief Funds from "bankers, merchants and wealthy traders of London". The Portsmouth fund (largely donated by the officers and men of the Navy) had, they said, raised nearly £33,000, whilst that supported by the Lord Mayor of London just £2716; the target was a total of £62,000. The letter accuses the country of having little interest in the seamen's profession, and indifference to the fate of the widows and children.

Amongst examples of payments to officers, it quotes the proposal of the Relief Fund to pay (in addition to the Government's one year's pay) widows of petty officers, seamen and marines the sum of £10 per year, plus £6 per year for children (for boys until they are 14 years old, and until girls are 16).

Another meeting of the London relief Fund Committee on Tuesday 29th December reported that in total £46,000 had been raised, and whilst the target was still £62,000, it was becoming increasingly difficult to raise funds. Fund raising efforts, and pressure in certain directions, would continue, but with the Government having paid out the year's pay to the dependents, distribution of the fund would not be for some time.

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Reports slowed down through 1871, until finally on the 6th January 1872 the Relief Fund Managing Committee held their final meeting, and reported a final figure raised of £57,824. The report gives full details of the disposal of the monies raised, with the bulk of that as yet undistributed going to the Patriotic Fund.

The Patriotic Fund

The Patriotic Fund had been set up earlier in the 19th century "to manage assets for the benefit of the widows, children and dependents of officers and men of the naval and military forces of the Crown". This charitable organisation, based in London, is (in 2003) still in existence, and in a letter has confirmed that it "took over responsibilty for the `Captain's Fund' in late 1870 and took on responsibility for disbursing the remaining funds for the widows and orphans of those who lost their lives on HMS Captain".

However, they go on to say that "Whilst we have the official record of the transfer of responsibility to the Royal Patriotic Fund and we have a number of reports covering that period (we) have been unable to trace any record giving the names of those who benefited. That said, our records are not catalogued and as we are only a small charity with two part-time staff, I have not been able to devote a great deal of time to search through the old and very dusty collection of papers and books held in our archives. In fact we have recently taken the decision to pass all our records and archives to the National Archives at Kew."

The transfer to Kew took place in June 2003, and in the early summer of 2004 I visited the National Archives to see what they had.

As the Fund indicated, I was unable to trace any record of the names of those who benefited, and found only hardbound copies of the Fund's annual reports. The 1872 report confirms the arrangement for the Patriotic Fund to take over the management of the "Captain" Relief Fund, and gave the following information -

Ten years later in their end of 1881 report, with liabilities of £25,000, they were anticipating a surplus balance and contingencies of £9876 - over 20% of the money the were given to administer ten years before. It seems unlikely it would go to the people who needed it.

I will investigate further.