Offer:Look-up Liverpool (Mersey) Pilots 1734/1990

[caring]

This is great stuff , thanks a lot .

[Pollyjb]

Hi, Hope someone can help. I am tracing my husbands family tree and we know that various ancestors were pilots on the Mersey. The surname is Bird. I am looking for detail on George Bird, born approx 1844, and his sons William and Matthew Neill. Georges father and grandfather were also pilots I think, first name starts with a T - may be Thomas Bird, although this info is from a very poor copy of a census return and the initial may be T or I. Any help or guidance will be gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation, Polly

[davecigar]

Hi Polly,

G.Bird born 1843, licenced 1864, died 1898.
M N Bird born 1871, licenced 1898, retired 1935, died 1947.
W Bird born 1870, licenced 1896, retired 1939, died 1939.
All Liverpool Pilots.
There are two T Birds on the list as well.
T Bird (1) No birth date, licenced 1820, retired 1850, died 1853. G Bird's father perhaps ?
T Bird (2) Born 1835, licenced 1856 and died 1870 presumably whilst still a working Pilot. G Bird's brother?
Were they all the same family? Food for thought!
Will try and find more info for you.
In the meantime MMM have records of their pilotage career in the Pilot Character Book.
Best regards,
Dave

[caring]

I visited the Maritime Museum  last week to research Thomas Martin , Mersey Pilot , and the information in the character book is excellent.
Thank you all for taking the trouble to assist me and for pointing me in the right direction for further information.

[Pollyjb]

Dave, Thanks you so much for this info, I assume from the info in the post below yours that MMM is the Mersey Martime Museum, in Liverpool? Could anyone say if you have to prebook to view these records or if you can just call in, is it open every day? Thanks again all for the help.

[glenburn]

Hi Polly

You'll find information as regards visiting times, booking-in etc at :-

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/archive/visitarchive.aspx

Note that it's the Archives you want, not the Museum.

Good luck

[davecigar]

Hi Polly,

More info for you.

Thomas Bird (1) I don't think 1820 refers to his birth date, possibly the date he joined the Service. In 1826 he was listed as a member of Pilot Boat No 7 'George Canning' built in 1817. He died in service (DIS) in 1853 of debility.

Thomas Bird (2) born 1835.
In 'Returns Relating to Pilots and Pilotage' (RRPP) for the year 1854 he was a Pilot Apprentice on Pilot Boat No 10. This could either have been the 'smack' 'Town of Liverpool', built in 1835 by Thos Royden of Liverpool (google his name, very interesting) or the schooner 'Criterion' which was built in 1854 by Thos Harvey & Sons of Ipswich and replaced the 'Town of Liverpool'.
In RRPP for 1863 he's aged 28, a licenced Pilot restricted to pilot vessels up to 250 tons and still attached to No 10. It was normal for apprentices to be licenced in easy stages whilst they gained the appropriate experience to become a 1st class Pilot licenced to pilot vessels of any size. The stages were 250, 500 and 1000 tons. Thomas DIS in 1870. It's possible that his record in the PCB at the MMM will give more detail.

George Bird born 1843.
In RRPP for 1863 he's aged 20 and an Apprentice on No 9, the schooner 'Guide' built in 1862 by J C Gibson of Ramsey, IOM.
In RRPP for 1870, aged 27 he was licenced to pilot vessels up to 500 tons and still attached to No 9.
In RRPP for 1895, aged 52 he is a Pilot of the 1st Class and on No 2, the schooner 'Leader' built in 1856 by Thos Harvey. He DIS in 1898. There is a studio photograph of him in the Norman Morrison Collection at the MMM.

William Bird born 1870.
In RRPP for 1895 aged 25, he is a Boathand (Apprentice) on No1, the schooner 'Queen' built in 1856 by Michael Ratsey of Cowes, IOW. She was sunk in a collision with the s/s Sailor Prince on 10th May 1891. She was salvaged, re-commissioned and then withdrawn in May 1898 and replaced by steam.
NB: In 1896 the first steam pilot boats were built, the start of a new era although the Pilots themselves had resisted the advent of steam since 1883 when Mersey Docks and Harbour Board purchased all the sailing pilot vessels.
William was licenced in 1896 and in RRPP for 1900 and 1906 he was a 1st Class Pilot attached to No3 steam pilot boat 'Queen Victoria' built by Murdock & Murray in Glasgow.
In 1917 aged 47 he was appropriated to Cunard Line to pilot their ships. Later he was also appropriated to Cunard White Star line and Anchor Line and I quote "despite numerous (11) accidents on their vessels until retirement". He retired in 1935 aged 65 (not many worked to that age and lived to retire!) and died in 1939

Matthew Neil Bird born 1871.
In RRPP for 1895 aged 24, he is a Boathand on No7, the schooner 'Lancashire Witch' built by Michael Ratsey in 1863 and withdrawn in 1896 in favour of steam.
In RRPP for 1900, aged 29 he is a 2nd Class Pilot probably restricted to 2000 tons.
In RRPP for 1906, aged 35 he is a 1st Class Pilot licenced to pilot any size of vessel. On both dates he was attached to No 4 SPB 'David Fernie',( built 1898 in Glasgow), along with my grandfather, although he was only an apprentice (boathand) at the time.

That's all I can find in my records.
Regards
Dave

[ozranga]

I am seeking information from the Tebay book on the Bridge family, ships pilots, all  born Liverpool.
Henry Bridge c1796-1864
Edward Bridge c1799-1870
George Bridge 1824-1907

Henry Bridge  licensed 1843 died 1851
Mark Nelson Bridsge  1820-1892
William Brew Bridge 1843 - 1905

I had some help from Celia some years ago when she accessed some records from the Maritime Museum, and I now have a copy of the book " Beyond The Bar" by Barry Youde,(and am happy to do lookups from it )  but wonder if there is anything further in the Tebay book.
thank you
Marienne

[Radcliff]

There is a look up for Joseph and George Davies,
both Liverpool pilots,circa 1840-1880 I assume,
can you look them up please,