More information : Ex.PRINCESS MARY; ex.KING WILLIAM OF ORANGE; ex.QUEEN ANNE; ex.GEORGE I. (1)(3)
She began her career as the PRINCESS MARY in the King's Yard in 1699 and served as the Royal Yacht during the reigns of William III, Anne and George. In the mid 18th century as BETSY CAIRNS she sailed the West Indies and at the turn of the century was used as a Tyne collier until her destruction in 1827.
On 17-FEB she set sail from the Tyne for Hamburg in a heavy south easterly gale, but had to turn back the next day. She hit Tynemouth Bar and was driven back onto the rocks near the Spanish Battery, where she was smashed to pieces. Her crew were saved by the NORTHUMBERLAND. (2)
There is something of a mystery concerning this vessel. A newspaper account in the Northumberland area Herald Express of 23.03.1973 states that this was an old frigate, purchased by a Mr Walters of London, who changed her name to BETSY CAIRNS, and who sold her on again to Messrs. Carllow of London, who in turn sold her to a Mr G W Wilson of South Shields. The same article states that when in service as a Royal Navy frigate, this was the vessel that brought the Prince of Orange to Brixham in 1689, but this is not true. Supporting evidence can only be found in SRN.Vol.2, the PRINCESS MARY being a royal yacht [NB: This reference not found]. The newspaper account states she lasted until 1827 as a mercantile vessel named BETTY CAIRNS. (3)
Source (3) indexes the vessel as BETSY CAIRNS.
'North Shields, 18th Feb. Yesterday afternoon the wind shifted from NW to SE and blew a heavy gale, with thick showers of snow. This morning the BETSEY CAINES, Wilson, which sailed yesterday morning, put back; struck upon the Bar and afterwards got upon the rocks near the Spanish Battery and bilged. Crew saved by the DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND lifeboat. Most of the materials saved, but it is feared the vessel will be wrecked. It continues blowing a hard gale from ESE.' (4)
'N Shields, 22nd Feb. The BETSEY CAINS, -, bound to Hambro, which was driven on the rocks near the Spanish Battery 17th instant, it is expected will be got off, as her apparent damage is inconsiderable.' (5)
'On the 17th inst., the BETSY CAINS sailed from this port with a cargo for Hambro', but in a heavy gale from the East South East the following morning, was obliged to bear up for Shields harbour; and when on Tynemouth Bar (where the sea was breaking exceedingly heavy) she struck, and was afterwards driven upon the rocks, near the Spanish Battery. The crew were taken out of the vessel by the NORTHUMBERLAND lifeboat, which went off to her through the breakers in a most gallant style. In 1688, the BETSEY CAINS brought over to England William, Prince of Orange, and was then called the PRINCESS MARY; for a number of years she was one of Queen Anne's Royal yachts, and at the same time was considered a remarkably fast sailing vessel.' (10) [Quoted in (6) with the spelling BETSEY CAIRNS throughout and other transcription errors.]
'Thursday 22nd, noon. The weather is very severe, with frost and snow; the sea is high; yet should it shortly moderate, hopes are entertained of the BETSY CAINS being got off, her apparent damage being inconsiderable.' (10)
'The BETSY CAINS, bound to Hamburgh, which was driven on the rocks near the Spanish Battery, at the mouth of the Tyne, on the 17th ult. has been sold as a wreck; great part of her cargo has washed out of her bottom.' (11)
'The BETSY CAINS, noticed in our last as being on the rocks near Tynemouth, has since gone to pieces, the weather to the present, being very tempestuous. In relating the loss of this (supposed to be the oldest) British vessel, we cannot refrain from remarking the excitement of curiosity, not only to have a view of her, as she laid in a wrecked state, but to obtain some part of her, in token of the event for which she was most remarkable (the bringing over of William III). Individuals in Shields have received letters from Orange Lodges, requesting to procure them a piece of the vessel.' (12) [Quoted in (6) with the spelling BETSEY CAIRNS throughout and other transcription errors.]
Source (13) is similar to the above, also with the spelling BETSY CAINS.
For many years it was believed that the BETSEY CAIRNS was the vessel which brought over William of Orange, but eventually the facts were discovered, and G B Hodgson, in his 'History of South Shields', 1903, writes: 'One curious feature of the Shields sailing collier fleet, was the number of old vessels it contained. One of these possessing a romantic history was the BETSEY CAIRNS, which an old and hardy tradition of the port insisted was the vessel in which William of Orange came over at the time of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to assume the crown, her name being originally the PRINCESS MARY.
'Unfortunately the irrefutable evidence of Lloyd's shows this to have been a pleasant fiction, since the vessel was not in existence at that date. Macaulay, whose knowledge of all questions relating to William III, must be regarded as absolute, also exploded the tradition, for in a letter to a Tyneside correspondent who had called his attention to the story, he says, under date January 31st 1856, "There must be some mistake about the ship you mention. It is quite certain that the voyage of William from Helvoetsluys to Torbay in 1688 was performed, not in a yacht, but on a man of war named the BRILL."
'The vessel however was certainly a Royal yacht during the reigns of William, Anne, and George. About the middle of the eighteenth century she was sold to the Messrs Walter of London, rechristened the BETSEY CAIRNS, and engaged in the West Indies trade, being famous as a lucky ship and a fast sailer. She subsequently came into possession of Messrs Carlens of London, who employed her as a Tyne collier, and about 1825 was purchased by Mr George Finch Wilson of South Shields, by whom she continued to be employed in the Tyne coal trade, until her loss on the Black Middens, in a gale accompanied by a severe frost and snowstorm on the 17th February 1827, when she was 137 years old. She is described in Lloyd's Register for 1811-12:
'BETSEY CAIRNS, ship 176 tons, Captain N Carter. Owners, Captain and others, built at King's Yard 1690, crew 12, rebuilt 1722, raised and thoroughly repaired 1802, some repairs 1807, four twelve cannonades [sic], Class A1, surveyed 1809 in Plymouth transport service. She had two masts, and a trysail, and was square rigged with a standing bowsprit. The remnant of the original ship was of very fine oak, richly and profusely carved, and with age it was nearly as black as ebony. The fragments were literally scrambled for by the population, and sold at exorbitant prices by the lucky possessors. Nearly all the Orange Lodges in the kingdom applied for portions. Each member of the Newcastle Corporation was presented with a snuff box made from her timbers, and similar snuff boxes were also numerous in the coal trade.' (6)
'North Shields, 26th Feb. The BETSEY CAINES, -, bound to Hambro, which was driven on the rocks near the Spanish Battery 17th inst., has been sold as a wreck. Great part of her cargo has washed out of her bottom.' (7)
'[North Shields], 3rd March. The BETSEY CAINS has gone to pieces.' (8)
'On Friday last, the ship BETSY CAINS, coal laden, left Shields harbour for London, but a storm coming on, and she proving leaky, returned, and on Sunday morning, in attempting to regain the port, got upon the Black Middings, where, it is feared, she will become a total wreck. The life-boat, after considerable exertions, saved the crew.' (9)
According to this court case the BETSY CAINS had been involved in a collision with another vessel some two months prior to her loss:
'In the Admiralty Court, on Tuesday, before Lord Stowell, the owners of a fishing smack, named the MINERVA, failed in an action against the owners of the ancient ship BETSEY CAINES (lately wrecked at Tynemouth) which ran down the MINERVA in the night of the 23d of December last off Shields, when she was towing a vessel. Lord Stowell and the Trinity House Gentlemen decided, that the MINERVA ought to have had lights on board, and the suit was dismissed, but without costs.' (14)
Source (2) indicates a date of loss of 18-FEB-1827, as does (4); but (5) states 17-FEB-1827, followed by (3) and (7).
Master: Wilson (3)
Owner: G W Wilson, South Shields (3); G F Wilson (6)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss
Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
SRN.Vol.2 p438 (not found); Herald Express 23.03.1973 (Northumberland Edition) |