A Fascinating Ship’s Log And Journal Relating To The Whitway/Whiteway Family of Bristol Mariners

A Fascinating Ship’s Log And Journal Relating To The Whitway/Whiteway Family of Bristol Mariners, Along With A Dispatch Letter From The Bureau in St Petersburg Relating to One Of The Ships Mentioned In The Journal Itself. The Journal Also Featuring A Plan Of Part Of A Ship With Measurements And Several Fascinating Poems, At Least One Of Which Was Written By William Whitway Himself 

This fascinating journal details a selection of voyages undertaken by vessels owned by William and, in one case, Mark Whitway of Bristol. The Whitways acted as master on each one of the voyages and their vessels, as we know from contemporary newspaper reports, were available for general hire. The period covered by the journal is 1824-1833 with the additional St Petersburg dispatch letter, relating to one of the vessels previously owned by Whitway, dated 1838.

Each entry in the journal covers the daily movements of the various vessels, recording their longitude and latitude on each day’s travel. The initial voyages are all between the Whitway’s home port of Bristol and the West Indies, the first voyage taking 39 days out and 41 days back. The vessel at this stage was the brig Clyde, followed by the brig Russell, then two voyages for the barque Charlotte (with Mark Whitway as master apparently) and finally the brig Duchess of Beaufort. The 1838 dispatch letter mentioned earlier is also for the Duchess of Beaufort but the master at this time was Henry Stephens.

British ports featured in the journal are Bristol, London, Pembroke and Hull. The foreign destinations included Jamaica, St Andrews, Antigua and Montreal.

The documentary evidence provided by the journal and letter bear testament to the entrepreneurial expertise of one family of master mariners and newspaper accounts shed some light on the cargoes carried by the firm’s vessels.

Most unusually, the journal also incorporates a small drawing of what is presumed to be part of the deck of one of the vessels and then, after several blank pages, what remains of the volume is used to record events of a very different nature. There are multiple pages of surprisingly accomplished poetry, the titles of some of poems being A Caution for Courtly Damsels and Advice to a Lady. One of the poems ends with the lines “but in the fellowship of death, we separate no more” and is signed “W. W. to S. C.” Presumably the poem is the work of William Whitway and this sheds an altogether different light on the master mariner and his personal preoccupations.

This is a truly fascinating piece of maritime history with a personal touch that is missing from most other surviving journals of this kind. Most of the records for the voyages begin with a dedication asking for “God’s permission” to undertake the journey and praying for the safe return of the crew. For one family to have been involved in so many long distance voyages over a relatively short period of time is quite impressive in itself and this journal sheds light on the great difficulties faced by mariners at this time. A true museum piece.