COMPLETED Thomas Wood Captain of the " IRIS " 1824 Lyme Regis

[selwynfroggitt]

He married Ann from Gateshead and she is  iin 1841  an Innkeeper in Lyme Regis.
Which Thomas Wood was the Captain
Thomas Wood born 1786 who married Sarah and had a daughter Jane I think that Sarah died in 1918 and Jane was brought up by Aunt Frances
Or Thomas Wood born 1799 in Lyme Regis to John Wood and Ann Long.
Is Thomas Wood born 1799 too young to be a Captain in 1824 ??

[Richard Knott]

Twenty-five is not too young to be a captain (Nelson was a captain at twenty I think), but I imagine it was possible to be captain at any age if it wasn't in the navy.

What do you know of Thomas, and how do you know about his being a captain? I see the 1861 census describes Ann as a 'Master Mariner's ('captain' crossed out) widow & victualler' which suggests he wasn't in the navy. The 1855 and 1859 directories confirm that Ann was at the 'Crown and Anchor' from at least 1855 to 1861. There is a photo of it here:
http://www.francisfrith.com/lyme-regis/photos/sherborne-lane-1907_58099/

Is he the Thomas who died in Mar 1838 (Axminster 10 12)? - Axminster is the right registration district. There is an Ann Wood who died in the same place in Jun 1850. If it is the right Thomas, the death certificate would give his age.

Presumably you know that a Thomas Huntley Wood (same name as their son born in 1834) was the model for the sailor on Players Navy Cut cigarettes?

Richard

[Richard Knott]

Something of a long shot, but there is a Mary Huntley baptised in Gateshead in 1798 (daughter of James and Ann).

There may be other Thomas Woods in Lyme Regis, but there was certanily one living in Monmouth Street in 1828:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=031-dlrm&cid=-1#-1

Richard

[selwynfroggitt]

Thank you rjknott,
I have Jane Wood born 6 8 1817 and although IGI shows parents as Seaman Wood and Sarah the records in Dorset show Thomas Wood and Sarah..
Then we have a burial of Sarah Wood age 29 on 3 Nov 1818 in Lyme Regis with the child Jane then appearing on each census as the niece of Frances Wood.
I have taken this as Sarah who died was the wife of Thomas and mother of Jane..

A problem is that Frances Wood and all her siblings were baptised and there is no baptism for a Thomas so how is Jane her niece?

I have one Thomas Wood who was born 1799 to John Wood and Ann Long and it may be the correct one.... but he would have been only 18 when Jane was born and 10 years younger than her mother Sarah who died in 1818.

In addition if Jane was his child then that family also had no Frances as an aunt..


Captain of the Iris
Eleanor Wood born 2 8 1824 and the baptism shows Thomas Wood Captain of the Iris as her father
There is a sister Elizabeth Wood born 1829 who married John Humphries 10 July 1856 at St Marys Marylebone and she states her father was Thomas Wood  occupation  Captain
John Humphries was a cabinet maker but after the marriage they then become publicans probably because Elizabeth had been brought up in a pub.

I only have the one Thomas Wood that fits but he would have had to marry young and to a lady 10 years his senior..

I do have Frances who brought up Jane ..they wer related and may be niece is just a loose explanation of the relationship.

I was not aware of the dates of death you quote nor of the photograph of the pub

[selwynfroggitt]

Captain of the Iris
I have seen an item
" 20 Feb 1833  The Iris from London to Belfast put into Portland roads, had lost boom and sails.. Master Killed  "

I have not found a baptism for Thomas Huntley Wood but the census suggests he was born in 1834 and he was the youngest child.

Is a Master the same as a Captain.
Would there be other ships named Iris as I have seen records for 1790s of a slave ship named the Iris

[seaweed]

A T Wood is listed in Lloyds Register of Shipping from 1821 (maybe earlier) until 1836 (maybe later) as Master/part owner of the schooner IRIS. 92 tons registered in Lyme.

from LR 1821
http://www.archive.org/stream/lloydsregisters21unkngoog#page/n332/mode/2up

[selwynfroggitt]

Thank you Seaweed.. been all over the net but never saw that..
Would a Schooner of 92 tons be the slave ship of the 1790s as I noticed a Brig called the Iris on the same page..
I have no idea how he became a co owner as the Wood family there were Boot and shoe makers or Mariners

[seaweed]

Would a Schooner of 92 tons be the slave ship of the 1790s

No. She was probably too small to have been a slaver, apart from that she was built in 1821/22

I have no idea how he became a co owner as the Wood family there were Boot and shoe makers or Mariners

It was not uncommon for captains to own there own small vessel together with other shareholders maybe family or other close persons.

For what its worth. I think it may be the Thomas Wood who died in Axminster in 1838. Thomas Wood captain of IRIS can be traced up until 1836 in Lloyd's Register ( there is no copy of LR 1837 on the internet) and he is not listed in 1838. That said LR is not the most accurate of publications.

The National Archive has crew lists/muster roles 1835 -1856 for the Port of Lyme in the BT98 series
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=4996765&CATLN=6&Highlight=%2CLYME&accessmethod=0
I think a search of local archives and museums would prove fruitful.

[selwynfroggitt]

Thanks again Seaweed,
The year the Iris was built is very helpful.. rules out any questions about its history..
Since starting this research a family member goes to Lyme Regis as part of her holiday,to seek more information and has found the archive staff very helpful, the IGI has very little for Lyme Regis...nearly everything there is from Coombe Street Congregational
One of the Wood family was a policeman who married a girl who worked with Mary Anning.

Next step is the death cert for the Thomas who died 1838