Ship ownership

[Ed McKie]

In researching our Jury family of lightermen in Wapping I found a record in the watermans company books at the LMA a few years ago that Robert Jury had a one third share in a brig "London Packet", master W. Small.
In fleshing out the story I thought to identify this vessel without luck. The register of shipping for the early 1800s mention several ships with this name not all of them brigs. However there is one that appears to have been a schooner on one list and a brig a couple of years later. Are there any tars on board here who could say if this was likely? Thanks Ed

[Lesley Robertson]

I can’t actually help, Ed. Just bumping this to keep it on the new posts list for another day as as you haven’t had any answers.

[Squaredancer]

As there haven't been any answers, I thought I'd have a Google around. It seems that ships were frequently converted - have a look at these sites:

https://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/rigs.html
https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca...ling-ship-rigs
https://archive.ceda.ac.uk/corral/ships/scorpion.html

[helachau]

Shipping items in papers sometimes show vessel type - but struggling with "London Packet" for type. Looked at free site at Welsh newspapers on line https://newspapers.library.wales

I put "packet small" (include the " " as part of search key - important!)in Search. Returns 3 hits. The 1816 hit may be found at the bottom of end column in para starting "Bristol"

"London packet" (again with " " as part of key) in Search and using date slider bars to restrict period to
to 1804-1820 returns 4 pages of hits. On page 4 are hits that refer to type of vessel
The Cambrian, 23 Mar 1816 (see column 4 - half way down)
The Cambrian, 19 Jan 1911 (see end column - top)

You may want to check out the 4 pages of hits to see the variety of masters/captains associated with a vessel "London Packet".

I have done a brief check of subscription newspapers and will post later.
Best of luck with searching. You may wish to vary search key appropriately.

[Squaredancer]

I read the opening post to mean that we were looking for the vessel named "London Packet".

[helachau]

I read it as asking if a brig could be converted to a schooner. There are several vessels named the "London Packet" around 1813-16. Small, as master/captain, can be found in about 15 newspaper references - but none identify the type of vessel.
I meant to ask poster if the registers checked (post #1) were the Lloyds' Lists/Registers before I start to plough through them.

[Squaredancer]

I read it as asking if a brig could be converted to a schooner.

So did I, but your first reply seemed to indicate that you were referring to "London Packet" as a type of vessel rather than a ship of that name

[helachau]

I can see what you mean ie. "struggling with "London Packet" for type". What I meant by this was that I had found plenty of references to the vessel name "London Packet" but very few identified the type of vessel involved.
Apologies for the confusion.

[Ed McKie]

I read it as asking if a brig could be converted to a schooner. There are several vessels named the "London Packet" around 1813-16. Small, as master/captain, can be found in about 15 newspaper references - but none identify the type of vessel.
I meant to ask poster if the registers checked (post #1) were the Lloyds' Lists/Registers before I start to plough through them.

Yes I had been checking the Lloyds registers of shipping on Archive.org and that is where my question came from as the other details compared except for a schooner carrying 8 guns and the brig.

Thanks to all who have made suggestions. With my limited nautical knowledge my reading of the various references brings me to the idea that Schooner and Brig are rigging terms rather than the vessel itself. So presumably when Robert Jury and his partners acquired the ship it was rigged as a schooner with the appropriate sails and it was converted to a Brig configuration for the continental traffic they were concerned with and the guns were no longer required.

[helachau]

Durham County Advertiser, Sat 2 Sep 1815
ARRIVED IN HOME PORTS - At Ramsgate, London Packet, Small, from Shields

Public Ledger & Daily Advertiser, 8 Sep 1815
Will sail in a few days. Three fourths of the Cargo being actually on board for Lisbon, the Schooner, London Packet, Edward Aspill, Master. Lying at the Alderman's ....

Did Small arrive in Ramsgate on the SCHOONER "London Packet" to be replaced by Aspill for the next trip. Or was it a quite different vessel that arrived in Ramsgate?. I think the latter. I've been going round in circles trying to find a Small voyage that coincides with Aspill being at sea at the same time.

There are a number of adverts for the sale of a vessel called "London Packet" as a Brig and as a Schooner - some years apart. There seem to be more "London Packets" around than you can shake a stick at.