Admiral Cator Technical Specification

Lives lost February 1879:

Andro, Jack, able seaman, 29, Cephalonia

Asaunoplies, B, steward, 28, Smyrna

Capsain, Panevolti, fireman, 40, Greece

Castro, George, able seaman, 40, Greece

Cleland, James C, master, 38 Dumbarton

Constantine, Demetrius, cook, 35, Smyrna

Cornmos, Theodoria, able seaman, 30, Smyrna

Dresdopol, Demetrio, trimmer, 54, Greece

Johnson, Peter, fireman, 30 Corfu

Lindsay, James, engineer, 30, Gordon St. Ayr

Manjores, trimmer, 26, Smyrna

Peter, John, fireman, 25, Greece

Porcui, Peter, able seaman, 21, resided Hull

Prausnos, Emanuel, able seaman, 22, resided Hull

Scott, William H, mate, 35, Russell St. Hull

Silva, Nikles, able seaman, 26, Greece

Steedman, John, assistant engineer, 32, Florence St. Glasgow

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’.

As well as being known as the founder of West Hartlepool, Ralph Ward Jackson had many business and property interests. He had shares in several sailing vessels both with individuals and companies. He was involved with the West Hartlepool Shipping Company formed in 1849 and when that ceased trading he transferred his interests in 1854 to the West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway Company and bought a small fleet of ships. This Company was the forerunner to the WHSNC which was formed in 1856. Between 1867 and 1870 he co-owned vessels with the North Eastern Railway Company.