Spray Voyage History

George Pyman was born in May 1822 in Sandsend, North Yorkshire. He went to sea as an apprentice and by 1843 he was Master of the vessel Nameless.

He married Elizabeth English in 1843 and they had two daughters and seven sons.

In 1850 he left the sea and the family settled in West Hartlepool where he went into partnership with his brother-in-law Francis English, as grocers and ship chandlers. In about 1854 he changed direction and went into partnership with Thomas Scurr as shipbrokers for the local collieries. They owned shares in a number of sailing vessels. Other shareholders included Francis English, John Smurthwaite, Thomas Wood & Ralph Ward Jackson.

Thomas Scurr died in 1861 and George then formed his own company as George Pyman & Co. In 1865 he purchased his first steamship, the George Pyman, and gradually shares in the brigs were sold off. Eventually the company became the largest owners of steamships in the north of the U.K.

In 1873 Thomas Bell of Newcastle joined as a partner in the firm. From 1879 the company opened branches in Hull, Grimsby, Immingham and Glasgow. When George retired in 1882 the Bell family took over the running of the company.

Pyman, Watson & Co. was set up in Cardiff in 1874 by John, one of George’s sons along with Thomas Edward Watson and Francis and Frederick, another two of his sons, set up Pyman Bros. in London in 1903. Some of these companies ships were registered in West Hartlepool.

George was elected a Poor Law Guardian in 1861, an Improvement Commissioner in 1868, and was sitting on the Durham County Bench from 1872. In 1879 he was appointed Vice Consul for Belgium and in 1888 was elected the second Mayor of West Hartlepool. In 1895 he received the honour of being made a Freeman of the Borough. George died in November 1900 at his home, Raithwaite Hall.

There is a wealth of further information in Peter Hogg’s book ‘The Pyman Story’.

Official No. 67528: Code Letters LFNB.

Owners: 1872 Middleton & Thomas Edward Watson (Cardiff) West Hartlepool; 1876 Thomas Edward Watson (Cardiff) West Hartlepool; 1878 Pyman, Thomas Edward Watson & Co. (Cardiff) West Hartlepool; 1887 John Ellis & McHardy, Aberdeen; 1932 Monroe Brothers Ltd, Liverpool–renamed Dunvegan; 1936 Kyle Shipping Co. Ltd, Aberdeen; 1942 Springfal Shipping Co. Ltd, London.

Masters: 1872-73 H Dew; 1874 A Hastings; 1875 T Tindale; 1880-82 J Donavan; 1883-85 Hussell; 1887-92 G Sharp; 1893-94 Henry Allan; 1899 C Lawrence; 1909 George Alves (b. 1868 Aberdeen).

Voyages: from West Hartlepool for Algeciras Spray passed down the Channel on 15 November 1873 signalling her screw propeller was disabled.

The Times 6 August 1883.

‘A disastrous collision took place off Flamborough Head on Saturday, during hazy weather, between the steamer Spray of West Hartlepool, and the steamer Tees, of Middlesborough. The former vessel struck the Tees broadside on so violently that the latter speedily sank, but not before her crew launched the boats, from which they were rescued by the Spray, which was comparatively uninjured.
On her voyage northwards she put them into boats in Hartlepool Bay, and all were landed safely half an hour afterwards. They were subsequently assisted home by Mr. Armstrong, of the Shipwrecked Mariner’s Society.’

Bound from Swansea for Glasgow Spray put into Milford Haven on 3 October 1885 having sprung a leak in the forehold.

World War 11 Dunvegan was converted into a floating laboratory and permanently moored off HM Anti-Submarine Experimental Establishment at Fairlie on the River Clyde.

Dunvegan was hulked in 1945 & broken up at Preston by T.W. Ward on 10 November 1958.

Crew 1880;       Creswell, FK, 2nd engineer, 44, Great Marlo