Naval - Military - Pre-20th Century | Archive | Voyager Rare Books Maps & Prints

Original manuscript Accounts Book 1791/92 – Webster’s Ropery Sunderland, County Durham, England

Original folio accounts book for the two-year ending 31st December 1792 most likely of or the predecessor to one of England’s leading maritime rope makers, Webster of Deptford, Sunderland County Durham. Original quarter reverse calf with marbled paper covered boards. 62 pages of fine handwriting … appears all the same hand.

Titled at the head of page the first page “An Inventory of Goods etc at the Ropery belonging Messrs William Marshall and John Webster together with an account of the Debts due to & from them this first Day of January One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety One”

The first record of rope making on Wearside (the river Weir runs through Sunderland) was in 1636. The rope was likely made from Baltic hemp. Before 1800 ropes were hand-made on ropewalks a practice that continued for another 100 years. Ropewalks had to be wide enough for four men to spin abreast of each other and long enough to make a standard 120 fathom marine rope. Up to 20 people may be employed on just one rope.

Webster’s plant at Deptford was the first on Wearside driven by steam. It is believed to be the world’s first factory producing machine-made rope. Robert Fothergill a Sunderland schoolmaster had patented a machine to spin hemp the year after our accounts book (1793). It could be that this careful record was produced as part of an exercise to obtain finance for the mechanisation … although the low wages recorded suggest that that mechanisation may well have been underway. We do know that Fothergill died shortly afterwards and Grimshaw a local clockmaker took up the rights in partnership with our Webster and two others. Although its not clear whether the Webster involved was Rowland a distinguished magistrate or John as noted here.

One of the partners in the business was the distinguished Rowland Burdon who later gave up his Parliamentary position on principle although many though that it was because Webster’s Ropery had gained very lucrative contracts with the Royal Navy and he was avoiding any backlash financially … for sure Webster’s were there at Trafalgar!

The records mention many of the vessels of the day that would have been working out of the North-east along with their captains … e.g. Captain McQuarrie of the Fanny; Johnstone of the Nancy William; Robinson of the Broughton Tower; Cleminson of the Argyll; Kennel of the Endeavour (a new one); Dixon of the Sarah; Holm of the Hollow Oak; Neal of the Betsy.

Neat recording of debts and payments with particulars of sales noted with full description for every transaction with monthly totals compared often against some measure of the physical amount sold (early KPI’s). Stock holdings, wages per wage period all set out very carefully. For an industrial historian there seems sufficient information to paint a pretty full picture of the extent of activities. We have gleamed that the Ropery Buildings are in the books at GBP 220, stockholdings were GBP205 and annual sales GBP484 with total wages of only GBP72. Looks nicely profitable.

Interestingly, the Ropery building still exists and has been restored … it is a magnificent building and has been re-established as Webster’s Ropery … but as a beautiful wedding venue … check it out we have shown an image here.

Accounting Records from 1792 …. unique Maritime interest …

$290.00

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Capture of the Mahonesa – Original Hand Coloured Aquatint – Whitcombe 1816

An original hand coloured aquatint by Sutherland after a painting by Thomas Whitcombe (1763-1824) a leading British maritime artist. Published at 48 The Strand, London, 1st November 1816 for Jenkins’s “The Naval Achievements of Great Britain”; surely the greatest ever naval illustrated work.

Printed on thick Whatman paper measuring 30 cm by 21.5 cm with wide borders. Some ghosting from a previous mount as can be seen from the image. Reflected in the price … a desirable collectable naval item.

The action took place on 13th October 1796 off the coast of Spain near Cartgeria. The 22 gun frigate HMS Tepsichore, under Captain Richard Bowen had been shadowing the Spanish fleet. On his return to Lisbon he encountered the Mahonesa under Captain Ayalde. The Spanish offered “battle” and Bowen accepted and won the Mahonesa with little loss on his side. He took his prize to Lisbon but unfortunately had caused so much damage to the ship that it was considered worthless as a prize. This was the first encounter of the Anglo-Spanish War which was to last a further eight years.

Price $190.00 unframed … ask for framing options if you wish.

Thomas Whitcombe exhibited at the Royal Academy (56 times), the British Institution and the Royal Society of British Artists. Many of his paintings of naval engagements are in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

$190.00

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The Proud Admiral – 19th Century Oil on Board

A good sized oil painting 60cm by 47cm for the artwork.

A traditional 19th Century Naval pose of an Admiral, likely French, resting on his eye glass looking rather vaguely out at sea. Wearing his full naval regalia.

Painted on board, artist unknown. The oils showing a lot of craquelure. Mounted in a simple gilt frame.

Admiral contemplating his achievemenets!

$590.00

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Horatio Lord Nelson – Brain Lavery

The British Library and the National Maritime Museum combine to produce this fine book on the great man. Published in 2003 a very good copy in a complete dust jacket.

Illustrations not found elsewhere in the Nelson library.

The flash line is just our scanner with the Brodart dust jacket protector

Nelson done well

$20.00

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English Canon Replica

Authentic replica of an early English Cannon 28 cm long with a Barrel of 24 cm. Practical English get the job done design. Impressive size and suitable for any Civil War.

A cannon that means business … click on me to see all my BOOOOOM

$60.00

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The Retospect: Or, Review of Providential Mercies: With Anecdotes of Various Characters, and an Address to Naval Officers – Aliquis (Richard Marks)

The author was formerly a Lieutenant in the Rpyal Navy, and now a Minister in the Established Church

Published in London by James Nisbet of Oxford Street, 1816, a first edition.

A contemporary half leather binding. 12mo. 239 pages. Green leather spine and corners over marbled boards. Corners lightly rubbed and scuffed but nicely presented and tightly bound. Spine with 5 raised bands with blind-stamp decorated compartments and original red leather title label. Clean text throughout. A very good copy of this scarce book especially the 1816 edition.

Marks, Richard (1778–1847) was born in 1778 at North Crawley, Buckinghamshire, the son of Thomas and Mary Marks. Enlisting in the wartime navy in 1797, he found a ready outlet for a self-described partiality for water, gunpowder, and ‘deeds of dangerous enterprise. Here he recalls how he immediately immersed himself in the opportunities for ‘unabated licentiousness’ of contemporary shipboard life, ‘the broad road of destruction, loud in blasphemy, and ever ready to burlesque the Holy Scriptures’. Two narrow escapes from shipwreck in successive ships seemed only to confirm him in a life he openly describes as deliberate rebellion against God. After returning to England in 1810, following thirteen years of unrelenting sea service, Marks relinquished prospects of further advancement in the navy in order to follow an inner call to the ministry. He was admitted to Magdalene College, Cambridge and in 1813 he was ordained as a priest. He gave up his naval half pay, and served an initial seven-year curacy in a remote village parish. From 1820, following these ‘wilderness years’, as he later called them, he ministered for the remaining quarter century of his active life among ‘the humble cottagers’ of Buckinghamshire, as vicar of Great Missenden

Aliquis had experience

$120.00

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Naval – Military – Pre-20th Century

Original manuscript Accounts Book 1791/92 – Webster’s Ropery Sunderland, County Durham, England

Capture of the Mahonesa – Original Hand Coloured Aquatint – Whitcombe 1816

The Proud Admiral – 19th Century Oil on Board

Horatio Lord Nelson – Brain Lavery

English Canon Replica

The Retospect: Or, Review of Providential Mercies: With Anecdotes of Various Characters, and an Address to Naval Officers – Aliquis (Richard Marks)

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