Lost at sea - fishing disasters

Many of my ancestors were fisher-folk and I have visited Auchmithie, Arbroath, St Andrews, Ferryden, Johnshaven and the site of the former Miltonhaven. But I know that I still do not really appreciate how dangerous it was to be at sea in a small boat when the weather turned bad.

So, I write this to try to demonstrate this danger by recounting how many of my ancestor's relatives lost their lives at sea.

Only a little of what follows is from my own research. Much of it is information that I have found in the Auchmithie Roots Forum and in the SpinkAncestors website. This has been contributed by several researchers - many thanks to them. Links to this forum are included in the material which follows.

The following list of disasters is incomplete, but it is a start.

Some background to the east coast fishing industry is available here :- Scottish east coast fishery

1795 - Miltonhaven

Miltonhaven lay between Montrose and Johnshaven near St Cyrus and was an important centre in the 17th & 18th centuries. It had fishing, smuggling and quarrying as its main livelihoods at various times.

But it was low-lying, and the quarrying for limestone for agriculture eventually weakened its defences so much that it was completely inundated by the sea in a great storm in 1795. Oral history tells of children being carried in creels on their mothers' backs in lashing rain from the doomed village along the coast to Johnshaven on the night that Miltonhaven was washed away.

I have some more information about Miltonhaven and my Blues ancestors in the Buick section of this site.

1814 - off Red Head, just north of Auchmithie

Four men lost their lives on 13th June 1814 :-

Their father David Spink b.1744 is a brother of my 4g grandfather John Spink b.1746.

Report from Sir Walter Scott's Volume 7 of the Edinburgh Annual Register for 1814, June 14-19

Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1814, 1821, 1836 incidents

1821 - off Auchmithie

Four men lost their lives on 25th May 1821 :-

All of them are my relatives and John Spink senior is my 4g grandfather. This is the same extended family as in the 1814 incident.

Report from The Edinburgh Advertiser 1821 June 5.

On Friday the 25 ult. about twelve o'clock noon A boat belonging to Auchmithie ,on returning from the fishing with six men on board, being suddenly overtaken by a squall of wind ,upset,and five of the crew unfortunatly perished. The sufferers are John Spink senior,his son John Spink ,two grandsons and David and Robert Cargill,David Spink also a son of John senior was taken up in a very exhausted state by another of the Auchmithie boats,after he had remained upon the wreck for upwards of an hour in the most perilous situation. Three of the unfortunate men had left widows ,the other two were unmarried.

Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1814, 1821, 1836 incidents

1836 - off Red Head, just north of Auchmithie

Four men lost their lives on 13th November 1836 :-

David Beattie is the brother of my 2g grandmother Agnes Beattie b.1810.

David Spink's father is the David Spink b.1774 who died in the 1814 incident.

David Spink's widow Janet "Jessie" Lawson re-married in 1842 to David Beattie's brother Alexander b.1816.

Report from Montrose, Arbroath and Brechin Review dated Friday 18th November 1836.

MELANCHOLY OCCURANCE

On the afternoon of Sabbath last, a fishing boat belonging to Auchmithie was swamped opposite the Red Head. The crew consisted of five men and four of these were drowned. The sad castrophe was witnessed, it is said, by the wife of one of the party who instantly gave the alarm in the village whereupon a boat's crew proceeded with all haste to the spot and were the fortunate instruments in saving the fifth who, though washed from the keel of the boat several times, was still clinging to it's side. Two of the individuals who have thus met with an untimely end have left widows and children to deplore their loss and their families are, we understand, in a state of destitution. One of the men, David Spink, has left a widow and six children. The eldest child is only nine years of age and the youngest about a month old. Another of them, David Beattie, has left a widow and three children, the eldest is only five years old, the youngest one. Subscriptions have been opened for these distressed families and it is hoped the public will contribute something to afford the means of alleviating sorrow and destitution.

Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1814, 1821, 1836 incidents

1848 - all along the north-east coast from Johnshaven to Wick.

Eight men and two boats were lost at Johnshaven on 19th August 1848.

I have not researched this yet and do not know if relatives were involved. The Scotsman newspaper report says that these deaths left 5 widows and about 20 children.

This is also known as the Moray Firth Fishing Disaster and is described on this web page :- 1848 disaster

Report from The Scotsman, 19th August 1848

1875 - off St Andrews harbour

William Cargill b.1838 died on 14th October 1875 when washed overboard from the 'Ann Wishart'.

He left a widow and 6 children and one on the way.

William is my great grandfather Robert Cargill's older brother.

According to another report, The Glasgow Herald, two of William's brothers and a son made up the crew. These would be brothers Robert (34) and Alexander (30) (or possibly David (20), but unlikely because his first child was born 2 days before) and William's oldest son Alexander (12).

Report from The Glasgow Herald

1876 - off Auchmithie

David Shepherd b.1846 died when there was a collision on 28th January 1876 between the steamer 'Queen' from Aberdeen and the fishing boat 'David and Ann' from Auchmithie.

Note copied from SpinkAncestors website :-

David Shepherd - Lost at sea, run down by steamship Queen of Aberdeen. He was part owner of the boat with his cousin the skipper, also David Shepherd, both were on board with the skipper's sons, David and Joseph, and Robert Cargill. David Shepherd was the only person to die when the steamship cut the fishing boat in two.

No known connection.

Report from The Scotsman 22nd February 1876

1887 - North Sea - 70 miles off Dunbar

James Muir Swankie b.1860 was washed overboard from the 'Fleetwing' during the storm on 31st March 1887.

No known connection.

Report from The Scotsman 4th April 1887

1887 - North Sea - towed to North Shields

Six men lost their lives on 31st March 1887 when the 'Betsy & Ellen' AH18 over-turned about 70 miles off-shore :-

David Cargill is my great grandfather Robert's younger brother and one of the 4 brothers who left Auchmithie for St Andrews, and then Arbroath. Another was William who drowned off St Andrews in 1875.

Robert Cargill, a witness at the inquest, could have been my great grandfather.

Report from The Scotsman 4th April 1887

Report from The Scotsman 19th April 1887

Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1887 incident (1)
Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1887 incident (2)

1888 - just off Arbroath harbour

Three men lost their lives on 25th February 1888 from the 'Jane Smith' AH19 :-

James Cargill is the son of my great grandfather Robert Cargill's oldest brother James Cargill.

Alexander Beattie is the son of my 3g grandfather David Beattie's younger brother Alexander Beattie.

About a dozen fishing boats left Arbroath about 0200 on 25 February 1888. The Jane Smith (AH19), deciding the sea was too rough, headed for home. Reaching the bar, the vessel was struck by a heavy wave and Alexander Beattie, the skipper at the tiller, and Thomas Swankie, a co-owner, were swept overboard. The boat turned broadsides and, struck again, capsized. This happened in bright moonlight within sight and sound of waiting families. Another fishing boat, the Guiding Star, put to sea to attempt a rescue, the launch of the lifeboat being delayed by a fishing boat blocking the slipway. With much skill the Guiding Star reached the two survivors Alexander Pert and Alexander Beattie jr after about half an hour. As help arrived, James Cargill clinging to the mast was heard to cry. 'I'm away' and slipped beneath the waves. His body, and that of Thomas Swankie were washed ashore later in the day and the body of Alexander Beattie was found the following evening.

Report from The Scotsman 27th February 1888

Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1888 incident

1888 - off Auchmithie

Robert Swankie b.1847 died on 19th November 1888 from the 'Friends'.

Robert's mother Elizabeth Spink b.1822 is the granddaughter of John Spink b.1746 & Janet Swankie b.1751, who are my 4g grandparents.

Report from The Scotsman 20th November 1888

Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1888, 1892, 1896 incidents

1892 - off Crail

Three men lost their lives on 25th April 1892 from the 'Lady Rosehill' KY1764 :-

They are the father and brothers of Robert who was lost in 1888.

They flitted from Auchmithie to Crail around the same time as my great grandfather Robert Cargill and 3 of his brothers to St Andrews.

Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1888, 1892, 1896 incidents

1896 - better news - a rescue 29th February 1896

Link to Auchmithie Roots - 1888, 1892, 1896 incidents

1918 - near the Bell Rock

Three men lost their lives on 9th February 1918 from the 'Maggie Smith' through enemy action, probably the victim of mine no 5 laid by UC49 near the Bellrock Lighthouse :-

David is the husband of my grandfather's older sister Helen (Nellie). His gravestone gives the date as the 9th, while the plaque says the 13th.

I have not yet researched any connections to John & James.

This plaque was in the Signal Tower Museum, which has since been refurbished.

Report from The Fishing News, Saturday, February 16, 1918

This website might be interesting and refers to this loss. Link to Naval History website

David, John and James are commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and at the Tower Hill Memorial in London.

End of document.