Winteringham Local History and Genealogy at winteringham.info

Boatbuilding at Winteringham

Winteringham boatbuilders and trades 1851:

Name George Waddingham Charles Slingsby Thomas Waddingham Francis Bradley Age 75 34 48 34 Position Shipbuilder Boat builder Shipbuilder Ship Carpenter

By 1901, these were the people who specifically were mentioned on the census in connection with boatbuilding:

Name John Earl Henry Waddingham George G Waddingham Thomas Waddingham John Routh George W Sewell Edwin A Bratton Jackson Abbey John S Waterlow Age 41 52 20 18 51 23 30 45 15 Position Shipwright Ship builder Apprentice Shipwright Apprentice Shipwright Ship builder Ship carpenter Labourer in Ship yard Shipwright Apprentice in Shipbuilding

In the Parish Registers, the following are mentioned in the baptisms, or marriages, or burials.  There are many men listed as carpenters, joiners, or labourers without specifying in which field of employment they worked, and some of these were definitely workers in the boatyard.  However, unless they were specifically given a job title whereby we can be sure they were boatyard workers, they have not been included here.

Name Thomas Waddingham Thomas Waddingham Thomas Waddingham Thomas Waddingham Isaac Waddingham Thomas Waddingham George Waddingham Thomas Waddingham George Waddingham Isaac Waddingham Isaac Waddingham George Waddingham Thomas Waddingham Isaac Waddingham Thomas Waddingham Thomas Waddingham William Waddingham William Waddingham George Waddingham Francis Hookham Thomas Waddingham Samuel Ellis Thomas Waddingham Thomas Abbey John Maniyan? Francis Bell Francis Bell Francis Bell George Ellis John Earle Francis Parrott Jackson Abbey John Skinner Henry Waddingham George Sewell Year 1815 1816 1816 1817 1818 1818 1819 1819 1820 1820 1820 1821 1821 1821 1822 1822 1824 1825 1827 1828 1830 1841 1853 1872 1878 1879 1881 1883 1884 1885 1886 1893 1898 1900 1901 Position Ship's carpenter Shipwright Shipwright Shipwright Shipwright Shipwright Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Shipwright Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Shipwright Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship's carpenter Ship joiner Ship's carpenter Shipwright

The boatyard on the Haven began as early as the middle of the eighteenth century.  It was founded by a Mr Waddingham, whose son George and grandson carried on the business and started as an apprentice respectfully.  The last of those was Thomas Waddingham, who then went to Barton to start up his own boatbuilding business.  Thomas was born on November 2nd 1801 to the aforementioned George, and Lucy (nee Wressell). The Winteringham yard was then continued by Charles Slingsby and William Bell, and that firm was eventually superseded by Messrs Routh and Waddingham.  Routh and Waddingham ceased making boats in 1920, but boats were still being repaired at the yard until the outbreak of World War II, under the name of Cooper and Son. One boat maintained and repaired at Winteringham by Routh and Waddingham was the Charlotte Kilner, known to have been in the yard in 1907, and again in 1914. Fishing trawlers, keels, sea-going ketches, shrimping smacks, lighters, sloops and steam drifters were all produced at Winteringham, and during the Great War a French canal barge!  (There were 590 barges used for everything from crossing the Channel, to hospital barges, barges for carrying water, pumping water, and for carrying goods whose delivery time was not urgent). During the Great War a steam drifter was built - intended for minesweeping duties while the conflict continued, and a sister ship started. Approximately 20 village men were employed at the yard at the time. We know the names of some of the boats built in Winteringham, and all were romantic sounding.  Here’s the list as we know it:   Built by Name Type Year built Official Number   Owners Registered Port                   Exertion Sloop 1810 13885 62 tons Robert Rose, Winteringham Hull   Industry Sloop 1836 4961 47 tons S Blackburn, Wyton Dock Hull             John Fitch, Straddlethorp               J. Kitson, Knottingley                   George Waddingham Mary Catherine Sloop 1840 12713 52 tons Matthew Towning, Knottingley Goole George Waddingham William & Lucy Sloop 1842 28212 53 tons John Shaw, Floxfleet               Thomas & William Hebblewhite, New Village Hull George Waddingham Friends                             Routh & Waddingham Charles Oliver Trawler           Routh & Waddingham Northern Lights Trawler           Routh & Waddingham Coranilla 4 Trawler           Routh & Waddingham Mary Ann 1 Trawler                           Routh & Waddingham Nemo Keel           Routh & Waddingham Reliance Keel           Routh & Waddingham Amity Keel                           Routh & Waddingham Aimwell Sea-going Ketch 1883             (Billy Boy)                           Routh & Waddingham George & Frances 2 Shrimping smack           Routh & Waddingham Nimrod Shrimping smack           Routh & Waddingham Reliance 3 Shrimping smack                           Routh & Waddingham Spring Sloop           Routh & Waddingham Thistle Sloop       Earle's Cement                   Routh & Waddingham The Swell Steam Drifter 1917* 146868 97 tons     Routh & Waddingham Tiderace Steam Drifter Cancelled 1919     Never built, due to end of Great War   The above list includes information from Winteringham WEA Group 1933, and Peter, the webmaster, at www.humberpacketboats.co.uk Aimwell was 25m x 5.19m and two-masted. Notes: 1: There was a boat called Mary Ann registered at Grimsby with number GY 1258 from 1903-1908.  It is uncertain if this was the Winteringham boat. 2: There was a boat called George and Frances registered at Grimsby with number GY 490 from 1915-38. It is uncertain if this was the Winteringham boat. 3: There was a boat called Reliance registered at Grimsby with number GY 1282 from 1903-11.  It is uncertain if this was the Winteringham boat. 4. The Routh’s had a daughter in 1888 or 1889, who had a similar name. There are several spellings. The 1891 census spells her name as Coranilla, but Judith Chant gives the spelling “Coronella.” With this spelling comes the names of several sail trawlers of exactly this name - none being ‘our’ trawler, unfortunately!  However, it would appear likely that the Winteringham boat was named after the Routh’s daughter, and so launched after 1888.     Right: The Swell at Winteringham She was launched in 1919, and completed in June 1920, sold in 1921.  She was 97 gross tons, 86 feet long, 19 feet 7 inches in beam, and 10 foot depth.  She fished under the number GY 138, and was renamed the Silvernight, from 1922-1955. She is listed on the Fleetwood Online Archive of Trawlers, here.  The sister-ship of Swell to be built by Routh and Waddingham was to receive the name Tiderace, but was cancelled in 1919 as the Great War had ended. For a larger version of this photograph, please click here   Left: The Boatyard at Winteringham Haven in its heyday       Photograph reproduced by kind permission of North Lincolnshire Council Image Archive The archive contains this and many more photographs of Winteringham.  Click the photograph to go to the NLC Archive. (From the Hull Packet of 30th November 1877) WINTERINGHAM REVIVAL OF WOODEN SHIPBUILDING.-The great development of the fishing trade at Hull and Grimsby has caused a considerable revival of wooden shipbuilding on the Humber, in fact has in many places created a new industry altogether - that of smack building. The old established shipyard here, which lately came into the hands of the enterprising firm of Routh and Waddingham, is an instance of this. The first smack ever built at this place was launched on Saturday last in the presence of a large concourse of people.  She was christened the "Charles Oscar" by Mrs. Waddingham, wife of one of the firm, is a fine smart vessel of 20 feet beam, and owned by Mr. C. Crowther, ship chandler, of Grimsby. The launch was in every way a complete success. The yard is now, with its large dry dock, possession of steam-saw, &c., one of the most complete and efficient establishments on the banks of the Humber. (From the Hull Packet of 29th April 1881) WINTERINGHAM WRECKAGE - The keel Mary was recovered from the Humber last week, and brought to Messrs Routh and Waddingham's dry dock for repairs. (From the Hull Packet of 16th June 1882) WINTERINGHAM SHIPBUILDING - Messrs Routh and Waddingham's yard here, now presents a busy aspect; three new vessels are being built, one of considerable size.  The dry dock too is rarely empty.  Although this trade has so nearly died out at many places on the river, it is steadily progressing at this place. (On 13th October 1882, the following advertisement appeared in the Hull Packet) WINTERINGHAM. A NEW FISHING SMACK. - Messrs Routh and Waddingham have just completed a fishing-smack for Messrs Crouther and Son, smackowners, of Grimsby, which is considered by judges to be a splendid model of that class of vessel. It is arranged for the launch to take place on Saturday, the 14th inst., at 8 a.m., weather and tide permitting, when no doubt a considerable number of visitors will be present.   “Thistle” - built by Routh and Waddingham, modelled by Mr A Waddingham   This model of the “Thistle” was built by Mr A Waddingham, who used the same materials as were used to build the original.  Martin Breeton, who currently owns the model, was told that this was the last barge built at the Winteringham Yard. Our thanks to Martin, and to Keith Naylor who photographed the Thistle. There is a photograph of the Thistle entering the River Hull in “the 1910s.” She was owned by Earles’ Cement Company, and employed to bring clay from west of Barrow-on-Humber across the Humber to Earles’ Cement works 1½ miles up the River Hull. The photograph can be seen on page 64 of “Shipping on the Humber - The South Bank” by Mike Taylor, ISBN 0-7524-2780-5, published by Tempus Publishing Ltd, The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, GL5 2QG.   Further research Aimwell There is a plan of this boat in: Barges, by John Leather, published by Adlard Coles Nautical, ISBN 0229115942 Note: Although this book is out of print, and unavailable as a new purchase, it may be available from the Library Service, and several copies are usually available as secondhand purchases. There is a model of the Aimwell in the Hull Maritime Museum, on the first floor.