Bencliff

Built by William Doxford & Son. Completed May 1894: Official No. 102718: Code Letters NJVB.

Owners: 1894 George Horsley & Sons, West Hartlepool; 1899 Horsley Line Ltd., West Hartlepool; 1913 Wilhelm Hemsoth, Emden, Germany–renamed Caroline Hemsoth; 1920 Shipping Controller; 1921 Alfred Calvert Ltd., Poole; 1922 Wilhelm Hemsoth, Emden, Germany; 1926 C.F. Schutt & Co., Lubeck, Germany-renamed Holland; 1930 Zerssen & Co., Rendsburg, Germany.

Masters: 1894-95 J. Donovan; 1896-99 Arthur Edward Leganger (b. 1860 Hammerfest, Norway C.N. 15842 West Hartlepool 1890); 1909 A.C. Tinn.

In World War 1 Caroline Hemsoth was taken over by the Shipping Controller & was managed by J & J Denholm, London.

Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, November 3^rd, 1906:
The West Hartlepool steamer Bencliff, outward bound from West Hartlepool for Marseilles, has been taken into Plymouth in distress with her machinery deranged. Her owners, the Horsley Line, also own the Serbury, which was lost off Christiansund earlier in the week. With reference the latter vessel the Salvage Association have to-day received cable with offer from a local Danish firm to salve on a 5 per cent net value recovered basis.

George Horsley was born on 22 June 1836, the eldest of three sons of Matthew Horsley. On leaving school he was apprenticed to E.S. Jobson and later became a partner in the company. The third partner was Ludwig August Stahle. George became an Alderman and was Mayor in 1875 and 1876. He was also Swedish Consul and a member of the Hartlepool's Shipowner Society along with William Maclean.

George married Alethia Ann Berry in 1866 and Matthew Henry, who became known as Harry, was born in June 1867.

On the death of Ebenezer Jobson in April 1877 at his home in Cliff Terrace George took over the company and it became George Horsley & Co. His son, Harry, eventually became a partner in his father’s company and by 1889 it had become George Horsley & Son. George died suddenly at his residence, Claremont House, in December 1895 leaving effects of £83,157.

Harry married Clara Maclean in April 1893. He died on 17 February 1925 at Sidmouth, Devon leaving effects of £274,009. Harry was interred at Stranton Grange Cemetery.

By 1900 the company had become the Horsley Line Ltd., with Harry as managing director. The company ceased trading in 1915.

The following information was compiled by Bert Spaldin and appeared in the 'Tees Packet' No.89, November 1986:
George Horsley was the son of Mathew Horsley, a local pilot who bought shares in sailing vessels and then branched out becoming a steamship owner, firstly in a partnership and then on his own. The company were also timber merchants, shipbrokers and coal exporters, and branches were opened at Hull, Manchester and Gothenburg.