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The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Messrs DEVON AND CORNWALL TAMAR STEAM PACKET COMPANY Ltd
The business house of Messrs Devon and Cornwall Tamar Steam Packet Company Ltd was not strictly a Plymouth business but is included because it operated the river Tamar market boat service from Calstock and river excursions from Plymouth and Devonport. It would seem that the origins of the business went back to 1854, when some gentlemen purchased an iron paddle steamer from Messrs Cosens, of Weymouth, in Dorset. She was named "Princess" and amongst her shareholders were Mr John Hornbrook Gill, of Tavistock, and Mr Theophilus Hoskens, of Calstock. [1] Following the enactment of the Joint Stock Companies Act on July 14th 1856, the shareholders in the "Princess" formed themselves into the Devon and Cornwall Tamar Steam Packet Company Ltd in order to protect their financial interests. Shortly afterwards they purchased a wooden paddles steamer called the "Wellington" from a business in Newcastle and put her to work on both the Calstock to Devonport market service and also river excursions in duplication of the "Princess". [1] It is known from a notice requesting the directors to convene a special general meeting in 1862 that some of the shareholders were: Mr James Joll, 60 shares; Mr W Harry, 57 shares; Mr John Ching, 40 shares; Mr E Browning, 36 shares; Mr R Bowhay, 20 shares; Mr E Bowhay, Mr W Lamerton and Mr W Proctor, 18 shares each; Mr Thomas Knight, 8 shares; and Mr J B Oliver, 5 shares. Their request for a meeting was to revise the Articles of Association and increase the number of directors. The Extraordinary General Meeting was held in the Bedford Hotel, Tavistock, at Noon on Thursday May 8th 1862. The Company's chairman was Mr J H Gill. [2] In 1864 the Company added to its small fleet by purchasing the "Queen" from the Calstock and Devonport Steam Packet Company, and the "Emperor" from the Tamar Steam Navigation Company Ltd, thus closing those two businesses. [1] Before the advent of the Promenade Pier at Plymouth, any boat excursions started from the West Hoe Piers, which were opened in 1880. The excursions were organised by Messrs Rowe's Pleasant Marine Excursions, owned by Mr A E Rowe. Within a short time they were engaging every steamer available on the Tamar to operate their excursions and this prompted the Devon and Cornwall Tamar Steam Packet Company to place an order for a new paddle steamer, bigger and better than anything locally available. The order went to Messrs William Allsup & Sons, Caledonian Works, at Preston, Lancashire. She was launched on Saturday November 15th 1879 and named "Empress" by Mr Paul, the Company's secretary just in time for the news to be announced at the Annual General Meeting in Rowe's Commercial Hotel at Calstock the following Wednesday. [3] So successful was the enterprise that at the AGM it was announced that £14,00 had already been paid towards the cost of the new vessel. [3] The "Wellington" was withdrawn in 1882 and the "Emperor" not long afterwards and both were scrapped. They were replaced in 1888 by another Allsup vessel, the "Alexandra", even larger in capacity than the "Empress". [1] One market day, Saturday April 12th 1890, the "Alexandra" was arriving at Devonport with her usual load of passengers and market produce, when she hit the landing stage with such force that all the passengers were thrown off their feet and the deck speedily become strewn with pats of butter and broken eggs. Apparently the man in charge of the engine had failed to hear the call to stop her. No body was seriously hurt but the Company had to pay for the repair to the landing stage, the repair to the vessel and, one would guess, not a few dozen broken eggs. [4] Following the opening of the Plymouth Promenade Pier, Mr Rowe transferred his trade to that location, leaving the Devon and Cornwall Tamar Steam Packet Company to move its excursion management to Mr James McBryde. In March 1891 the Company was wound up and its assets sold to Mr William Gilbert, the owner of the Saltash Steam Boat Company Ltd and a major shareholder in the West Hoe Piers. As a result, the "Empress" was kept on the market day service while Gilbert's other vessels were engaged on the excursion and the Saltash to Devonport Ferry. Sources:
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