Queen of Commerce Gallery

In 1848 Luke Blumer and Son started shipbuilding although they were primarily a ship repairing company. This sometimes included buying ships which had been stranded or wrecked, repairing them, and selling them for profit. They only built new ships when business was quiet, in order to keep their workforce employed. The company traded under Luke Blumer & Son, George Blumer and lastly George Blumer & Son. (John George Blumer) George died in 1867 and the business closed.

Luke and George also owned and had shares in sailing ships. Some are only recorded in their names for a short while so were probably those they repaired but others were owned for a longer period. All were registered in Hartlepool whilst under their ownership. As well as those listed below there was the brig Merchant built in 1807 at Stockton. They purchased the brig in April 1850 and sold her in June 1850 to Hartlepool owners. In December 1852 she was sold to Hull owners. The brig Hannah Mary (official no. 22497) was built in 1835 in Germany and purchased by Luke Blumer and John Owen in 1853. She sank at Margate on 11 December 1868. The brig Tees (official no. 5089) was built by Mellanby at Stockton in 1825 and purchased by George in April 1856. She ran ashore  and was wrecked on the Woolpack Sands on 8 July 1856. The snow Thorndale (official no. 22444) was built by Lister & Bartram, Sunderland in 1842 and purchased by Luke and George in January 1851. She was sold to Hartlepool and London owners in February 1852. She was eventually wrecked near Denmark in 1860.The snow Zior (official no. 5165) was built at Sunderland in 1829 and was purchased by Luke and George from W.G. and R.H. Jackson in April 1855. She was sold to R. Hutchinson, Hartlepool  and was wrecked at Fecamp in January 1867. The snow Concord (official no. 34804) was built by Thomas and Benjamin Tiffin, Monkwearmouth in 1840. She was purchased by George in March 1862 and sold to Hartlepool owners in October of that year. She foundered in the North Sea on 26 September1872. The brig Mabel (official no. 22270) was built at Sunderland in 1838. She was purchased by Luke from William Gray and James Robson in 1852 and sold on to Hartlepool owners in 1864. After springing a leak she was abandoned off Norway on 24 October 1870. The brig Margaret was built at St. Martin's, New Brunswick in 1822 and was purchased by Luke in 1845. She was wrecked near Borton, U.S.A. on 18 April 1852. The brig Robinson (official no. 5174) built at Sunderland in 1842 was purchased by Luke and George in  in June 1850 and sold to William Lisle of Hartlepool in July 1850.

Family History:

Luke Blumer was born at South Shields on 27^th November 1793 to parents Luke (born 1757 in Austria) and Ann (nee Bradford) Blumer. He married Margaret Wheatley on 3^rd November 1816 at Jarrow and they had three sons. Margaret died aged 32 in 1825. Luke then married Mary Burnett at Tynemouth on 25^th November 1826 and they had one daughter. Mary died aged 80 in 1872.

Luke was a ship surveyor for the Port of Hartlepool and was a member of Hartlepool Town Council.

Luke died aged 80 at Rift House, Hartlepool on 19^th December 1874 leaving effects of under £2000.

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George Blumer was born on 11^th October 1817 at South Shields to parents Luke and Margaret (nee Wheatley) Blumer. He married Clementina South at Ramsey, Essex on 11^th October 1843. She died at Victoria Place, Hartlepool on 3^rd March 1848. George then married Elizabeth Garritt on 17^th July 1849.

George died aged 50 at Hartlepool on 27^th December 1867 leaving effects of under £7000.

Obituary in the Shields Daily Gazette – Monday 30 December 1867.

On Friday morning, at about half-past four o'clock, one of the most highly-gifted of the few public men of the borough of Hartlepool, after a lingering and painful illness, succumbed to his “last enemy," when Mr George Blumer, shipbuilder, departed this life. Although it some weeks since many of his nearest friends, even those who would " hope against hope " so long as hope were possible, have had to regard his dissolution as too certain, we doubt not the intelligence of his decease will come with all the shock of sad and sudden information to many who knew the buoyant and resolute spirit more than the feeble frame of their departed friend. Mr Blumer was born of highly respectable parentage in South Shields, in the year 1817. He served an apprenticeship to the wooden shipbuilding trade, with the eminent builder, James Laing, of Sunderland; and, subsequently, in partnership with his father, Mr Luke Blumer (who survives him), at Harwich, until some seventeen years ago (when removed to Hartlepool), and more recently in conjunction with his eldest son, Mr John George Blumer, carried on the same business. He was also, to some extent, within the last ten years, engaged in the iron-trade, and was one of the partners in the firm of Blumer, Barr, and Co., which established the large iron-foundry for some time and carried on in that name at West Hartlepool. Mr Blumer was twice married. His first wife was Miss Clementina South, of Harwich, who died very shortly after removal to Hartlepool; his second partner in life, and faithful companion to its close, Miss Elizabeth Garritt, of Hartlepool, by whom he had one son, and three daughters. These and two sons by the first marriage are all survivors. Though ten years of the seventeen Mr Blumer has resided at Hartlepool have been those of valetudinarian, he has left behind him the memory of a manly character, a pious nature, and of a vigorous intellect, never more fully developing its power than when impelled by the desire to benefit his fellow-men; and, in public as in private life, he won respect even where he could not present claims to sympathy on the ground of similarity of sentiments. In religious views he was follower of John Wesley, and continued through life a steadfast adherent of the evangelical doctrines imbibed in his youth. The section of the Wesleyan family with which he was latterly most closely associated was that known as the Methodist New Connexion and both his labours for the erection of the new chapel of that body in Church-close, and for his zealous ministrations as one of the lay-officers of the society, he was highly esteemed by the members of that communion, for whom on the other hand he entertained the most ardent attachment, as was evinced by liberal and self-denying support. In politics, again, his views were strongly marked; and they were ever advanced with frankness and freedom that evoked admiration for his honesty and fortitude even from political opponents. Mr Blumer had many of the gifts of the orator. He was a well-read man, had a ready command of the wealthy vocabulary of his mother-tongue; and such were his powers of utterance that the political platform and the hustings in Hartlepool have seldom been the witnesses of such triumphs as those achieved by himself. We have reason to believe that it was only Mr Blumer's resolute determination not to participate the arts by which municipal elections were formerly carried in Hartlepool that prevented the honour of his being elected to the Council his adopted and a further evidence of the esteem in which he was held was his recent nomination to Borough Bench—positions of honour and trust which were on his part wholly unsolicited. In all the relations of life, in short, he gained the respect and attachment of those by whom he was surrounded; and the measure of his strength was the measure of his usefulness. A more honourable record never furnished the material for honest epitaph. Mr George Blumer has lived a life of eminent piety, and eminent usefulness, and his end was peace

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John George Blumer was born at Harwich, Essex in 1845 to parents George and Clemintina (nee South) Blumer. He married Julia Edith Walford at Chappel Davenport in March 1871. John was a colliery agent and the family lived in Darlington. They moved to the USA in 1886 and John died aged 73 on 24^th December 1918 at California. He was interred at San Gabriel Cemetery, California.

Robert Brewis, son of a Sunderland shipbuilder, began his working life as a painter and glazier. He must have been successful in his trade as he began purchasing shares in sailing vessels in 1837. By 1845 he owned ships outright and had shares in partnership with others. His partners included: two of his brothers James Collins Brewis (grocer died 1873) and William Brewis (clothier died 1869) both of Newcastle-on-Tyne; George Black of Felling; James Finlay (engineer) of Wigton; Robert Walker (ironmonger) of Hartlepool; John Wilcher (master mariner) of Hartlepool, George Graham (shipbroker and coal exporter) of Hartlepool and George Blumer (shipbuilder) Hartlepool.

John Wilcher was master of the Hartlepool owned ships Ninus when she was wrecked in 1857 and Atlas from 1865.

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Robert Walker was born at Sedgefield in 1821 to parents Margaret and John Walker. He became a silversmith and ironmonger and married Mary Ann.  In 1851 and 1861 the couple were living at Southgate Street, Hartlepool. By 1871 they were living at High Street. In 1881 Robert was listed in the census as a retired ironmonger and widower living at Fern Villas, Stranton. By 1891 he had moved to 2 Rowell Street.

Robert died aged 71 at Rowell Street on 11^th January 1892 leaving effects of £1,099.

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Robert purchased two Hartlepool built ships, the Queen of Commerce and the British Empire. These are listed below as ships. Vessels that were built elsewhere are listed under " - a general history".

Official No. 27884; Code Letters PTDV.

Owners: George Blumer & Robert Brewis, Hartlepool; 1861 Robert Brewis, Hartlepool; 1872-77 Hamilton Brown (ships carpenter) Greenock; 1877-1882 Brown & Others, Greenock.

Masters: 1860-61 James Pottinger (C.N. 14566 1856); 1862-71 Wilkinson; 1872 McDougal; 1873-75 David Leamon Murdoch (b.1835 Ayrshire C.N. 17237 Glasgow 1863); August 1874 Hudson: March 1875 Kerr; 1877-82 Stevens.

Miscellaneous: 15 December 1873 John Rogers aged 23 & John McKinnin aged 18 were charged at the Old Bailey with stealing on the high seas two 20 dollar notes, the property of the master, David Murdoch. The verdict was that the prisoners were found not guilty.

4 January 1877 the estates of A & H Brown &Hamilton Brown were sequestrated by the Court of Session at the Tontine Hotel, Greenock.

Not registered in the UK as Queen of Commerce by 1878 but still registered on the American Register until 1882 as belonging to Brown & Others of Greenock.

Further information on the trial, her voyages and her crews can be found in the book Lost Ships of the Hartlepools.