A BRIEF HISTORY OF SHIPS NAMED "WINCHELSEA"
(Not Related to Halifax - 1749)
1. EDDYSTONE ROCK LIGHTHOUSE http://www.divernet.com/history/eddys497.htm
On the night of 26 November 1703, he happened to be in his lighthouse supervising repair work when the greatest storm in living memory devastated the whole of southern England. In the morning all that remained of his tower were a few twisted stumps of iron protruding from the sloping rock. With the lighthouse gone, only two days passed before the Eddystone claimed its first victim in five years. Homeward bound with a cargo of tobacco, the merchantman Winchelsea piled into the reef and sank. There were only two survivors.
2. (From Maritime Museum - Greenwich UK) - http://www.nmm.ac.uk/
Winchelsea 1708 - 1735 (Merchantile_ _Bier) 36/32/30
Dimension & tonnage 108' 2"and half inches x 87' 7"and a half inches x 29' 10" x 12' 9"and a half inches x 12ft 9" and a half inches
Men 155 / 110 Guns Gund Deck 8x12 Upper Deck 22x6 Quarter Deck 6x4
purchased 1708
3 Feb 1709 taken off the Northland Cape by the french and then retaken by Chichester in 1716 reduced to 6th rate 20
She was then broken up 1735.
ENGLISH EAST INDIAN COMPANY - Merchant Ships
4. Winchelsea 498 Tons April 14, 1749 Lost near Fort St David
(which rules this out)
ENGLISH EAST INDIAN COMPANY - Merchant Ships
5. Winchelsea 499 Tons 1764 Lost on Gaspar San [sic]
Winchelsea is mentioned in 1761 in that she fought a French frigate single handed and beat her off. The Company Court in this case distributed the sum of 2,000 shillings among the crew for their gallant conduct. (ref: Timothy Akers)
http://www.mariners-L.freeserve.co.uk/
http://www.ships.clara.net/index.htm
SAILING SHIPS OF THE ROYAL NAVY
7. WINCHELSEA,32. (1764 Sheerness. Sold 1814)
1799 Under repair at Portsmouth.
1800 Capt. John HATLEY, fitting out for troops at Portsmouth.
1803 Lieut. Dan. P0PE, convict ship at Sheerness.
1807 Lieut. William C0CKRAFT, Nore. Lieut. T.S. 0SMER, Nore.http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/INTRO.HTM
7. Davidge GOULD (1758-1847)
Born at Bridgewater, Somerset, the son of Richard Gould of Sharpham Park. Entered the Navy in May 1772, as a Volunteer, on board the Alarm stationed in the Mediterranean, where, and on the coast of North America, he afterwards served as Midshipman, until the date of his first promotion, 7 May 1779, in the Winchelsea and Phoenix. http://www.nelson-society.org.uk/html/davidge_gould.htm
7. Pellew's First Frigate 1786 & 1787 http://www.flemingmultimedia.com/Naval/pellew2.html
from "The Book of the Blue Sea," Henry Newbolt, Longmans, Green, and Co., New York, 1914 In 1786 he went to sea again in command of the Winchelsea, and was ordered to the Newfoundland station. Having no fighting to do, he devoted himself to training his officers and men, always setting them an example of energy and daring.
THAMES,32. (1758 Bucklers Hard. BU 1803) 1793 Capt. James C0TES. 0n 4
0ctober 1793 she was taken by three French frigates while going to Gibraltar.
Renamed TAMISE. She was recaptured by Capt. T. Byam MARTIN in SANTA
MARGARITA off Waterford, Ireland on 8 June 1796 in an action that was
granted a medal in 1849. She went into dockyard hands to be rebuilt.
1799 Capt. W. LUKIN, Plymouth. She sailed for Lisbon on 15 February. 0n 2
June 1800 THAMES and IMPETUEUX, Sir Edward PELLEW, arrived at
Quiberon Bay and the following day they were joined by AMETHYST, AMELIA
and the WINCHELSEA troop ship.7. Royal Gazette- Halifax - April 17, 1792 (kindly submitted by Nat Smith)
Friday left the Winchelsea frigate, Captian Fisher arrived here in five weeks and three days passage from England. By the Winchelsea, we have confirmations of the pleasing
intelligence, of the appointment of his Excellency JOHN WENTWORTH ESQ. to the Government of this province, and it is reported, he may shorty be expected.
7. THE NAVAL AND MILITARY MAGAZINE - 1827
The following lst of names (mostly Army & Navy) has been extracted from Volume1, No. 1 of the above magazine published in London in March 1827. (Note: the (32) shows number of guns.)
BAKER J. Eades Lieut HMS Winchelsea (32) drowned 1805
Transcribed in Auckland New Zealand by Ted WILDY July 6, 1994.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big//Indexes/RN-1827.txt
7. WILLIAM BALCOMBE and NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
Balcombe, William (1779-1829). Superintendent of Public Sales under the East India Company, and Purveyor to Longwood. The close business alliance, however, between Balcombe and the residents at Longwood soon aroused the suspicion of Sir Hudson, and it became evident to the purveyor that it would not be safe to remain in St Helena much longer. He, therefore, left the island with his family in the "Winchelsea" on March 18th, 1818, and soon after his departure Lowe received proof of his suspicion that Balcome had been acting as an intermediary in the transmission of clandestine correspondence to Europe, and in negotiating bills drawn by Napoleon.
http://www.go.ednet.ns.ca/~neil/will-nap.html
9. HMS Winchelsea. D46.
May/June 1940. Operation Dynamo. evacuation of troops from France/Belgium.
30th April 1942. With EG.B4 for convoy SC.82 from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/6629/
If you have any information on Winchelsea's or believe you can help me in the design of this vessel please e-mail me at bryanfkeddy@ns.sympatico.ca
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