Hoad Bros. Shipbuilders of Rye, Sussex

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HOAD Bros. Shipbuilders of Rye & Sandwich

Church of the Holy Spirit, old Harbour Rye
Yards like this, on the river bank, beyond the Strand Quay at Rye, were building fishing smacks of Sussex oak, until the early years of the 20th Century.

Rye Harbour is not a natural shipbuilding port but with the dredging of the entrance and other improvements it allowed the flourishing of a number of shipyards and associated industries.

The HOAD Bros. of Rye built fourteen vessels over 150 tons, between 1852 and 1855 among them the 326 ton barque Chrysalis for the Australia trade.

The money required to maintain the essential works to keep the harbour fully effective, started to run out , after the completion of railway works undertaken by the South Eastern Railway.

Following a particularly bad storm in December 1882 the entrance to the harbour was practically blocked and an approach to the Public Works Loan Board was stymied when the Borough of Rye refused to guarantee it.

The Hoad Brothers shipyard closed in 1884 upon the Hoad's bankruptcy.

Two of my direct HOAD ancesters Henry HOAD (born 1790 in Wittersham, d. 1863) & Henry HOAD (born abt. 1815, died 1873) were shipbuilders and shipwrights, probably in the family firm created by James a brother of the first Henry HOAD.

A shipwright, built ships! He was a specialised carpenter, who built wooden boats, literaly laying the "bones" or "skeleton" of the ship. The term passed on to metal shipbuilders too, in fact eventually, anyone, who builds a boat or ship of any material.

Sandwich Shipyard.

In addition to the Rye shipyard HOAD Brothers also built at Sandwich, in Kent.

The following details on Hoad-built ships are taken from the Customs & Excise Boat Registrations and from other information :-

Premier

2 masted snowl, carvel-built, 176 tons.

Built at Rye in 1855 by Hoad Bros. for Gravener & Bussey, Dover, shipowners.
Deerhound

1 masted dandy-rigged smack, carvel-built, 35 tons.

Built at Rye in 1864 by Hoad Brothers for Godden & West, Dover, Trinity Pilots. Broken up April 1903.

I have a copy of the receipt which reads as follows :

"Rye 19th August 1864

We Hoad Brothers Shipbuilders at Rye in the County of Sussex do hereeby certify that the Smack or Vessel 'Deerhound' of 34 68/100 tons or thereabouts having one deck and fitted with one mast Smack rigged was built by us at our yard at Rye on the 19th day of August 1864 on account of Messrs. John Ashtell Goddan ( ?) Thirty two sixty fourth shares (?) and George Barrow (?) West Thirty two sixty fourth shares both of Dover in the County of Kent, Trinity Pilots -

Hoad Brothers (signed) Shipbuilders"

FREAK: sunk 24:5:1886, Location 100 yards west of Farlight; British Sailing Smack ; cagro Granite Boulders; Master G Robertson ; Number of crew 2 . Lost in a force six south-westerly gale

CYRUS: Date Built 1819, Great Yarmouth

Owner: James Collins Hoad, Robert Jones Hoad, Lewis Hoad

Date Sunk 15.3.1878 Location Rye Bay

Gross Tonnage: 68 Length ( f/m) 62/19 Beam (f/m) 17/5

Type: British Sailing Schooner Cargo: 30 t of ballast

Home Port: Rye Voyage: Hastings to Rye

Master: J Holland

Number of crew: 4

Ref: SIBI V2 section 3

The vessels official number was 6415 and its Port of Rye registration number was 2. It had one deck and two masts. It sank with he loss of all the crew in a force six south-westerly gale with a cargo of 30 t of ballast. The part-owner James Collins Hoad's business address was 20 Watchbell St. Rye.

VICTORY Date Sunk: 3.8.1877

Location: Ashore at Fairlight coastguard Station Cargo: Stone

Home Port: Rye Owner: Mrs. Hoad, Rye Master : J Morris

No of Crew: 3

ref: SIBI V2 section 3

ZEAL : Date built: 1873

Owner: Hoad Brothers, Rye

Date Sunk 4.11.1877

Location: 6 miles (9.6kms) south east of Hastings

Type: British fishing smack

Home Port: Rye

Master: W. J. Foord

No. of crew: 4

ref: SIBI V2 section 3; HT 10.11.1877 HN 9:11.1877

In good visibility and with a light southerly breeze blowing, this local fishing smack was off Winchelsea at 3am on Sunday 4th November 1877 when she was run down by steamship SAMUEL HOWARD. This ship struck the fishing smack amidships, and the damage was so severe that the ZEAL sank within a couple of minutes. However, the crew manages to get into their jolly boat before the vessel went down. The SAMUEL HOWARD stopped, picked up the stranded crew and brought them close to HASTINGS, where the crew got back into their jolly boat and rowed to shore.

The circumstances of this incident were reported to Mr. Smith the chief officer at Hastings coastguard station. It appears that the ZEAL was not at fault as the vessel was showing a bright light at the time. Having given all the details to Mr. Smith, the crew returned to Rye on the train.

Naomi & Lizzie of Rye (official number 80250) was built in Rye on 9th February 1881 and was declared a total loss on 9th September 1912. She was owned by Robert Young, William Reynolds and John Bush all of Rye,and the masters were Frederick Burt, Thomas Bush, John Bumstead and John Knowles. We hold half-yearly accounts of the crew, 1888-1889 (RSS 1/688-689) and crew agreements, 1883-1890 (RSS 2/1/220-232).

Lizzie and Naomi was sunk in 1912 was also built by the brothers. I know this for sure as James Hill's great grandfather was killed in the accident. It was only one boat; likely a fishing smack, as that was the occupation of my great grandfather. Struck by a barque in the early morning and his body was washed up near Fairlight in 1912. (source James Hill <[email protected]>)

Selina

2 masted schooner, carvel-built, 134 tons.

Built at Rye in 1863 by Hoad Bros. for John Misken and others of Faversham and registered at Deal. Transferred to Penzance 1867.

Princess

Off No 26367, Signal Letters PKTR, Licence No 3

Builders Hoad Brothers, Sandwich 1855

Cutter Rig, 52 tons

First pilot vessel built and owned by Trinity House. Run down by a barque off Dungeness in May 1862, completely dismasted and lost two men. Sold to the Hudsons Bay Company 1891? by which time she was rigged as a ketch.

Queen

Official No. 22166, Signal Letters NKHR Licence No 4

Builders: Hoad Brothers, Rye 1858

Cutter Rig, 52 tons. Moulded Depth 09' 00"

Near sister to Princess. Built at a cost of £1215 plus £472 3s 7d on fitting out. A total of £1687 3s 7d. In service in 1865 but not in 1870, most probably replaced by Wellington (II).

Sensation

2 masted brigantine, carvel-built, 189 tons.

Built Rye 1865 by Hoad Brothers.

Surprise

1 masted smack, carvel-built, 44 � tons.

Built at Rye in 1869 by Hoad Brothers for Joseph Simmons, Dover, Mariner. Lost on the River Nene, Cambridge, 12 August 1906.

Heroine

2 masted ketch, carvel-built, 56 tons.

Built at Rye in 1869 by Hoad Bros. for James Cullin Hoad. (J.C. Hoad Senior of 21 Watch Bell St. and the Rock Channel Shipyard declared bankrupt 2 February 1884 and the boat sold to Dover).

Favorite

1 masted smack, carvel-built.

Built at Rye 1871 by Hoad Bros. for Nuttall & Drake, Dover, shipowners.

Walter and Henry

1 masted cutter, carvel-built, 36 tons.

Built at Rye in 1878 by James Hoad for Robert Henry Davison, Dover, Master Mariner. Lost with all hands, North Sea, December 1883.

Chrysalis

over 326 tons

Built for the Australia trade.

NELSON sank 29:11:1886, Location 2 miles south of Winchelsea Coastguard Station, British Fishing Smack Master E Williams; Number of crew 3. Lost in a force six easterly gale

Wellington : Official No 56896, Signal Letters VQMF, Licence No 3

Builders: Hoad Brothers, Rye 1865

Cutter rig 61 tons.

Dungeness cruising cutter (Dover). Relegated to tender duty in 1891 on the introduction of steamers and converted to ketch. Sold out of service in 1906 when tendering was undertaken by the Guide.

Edinburgh Off No. 60874, Licence No 4

Builders Hoad Brothers, Rye 1868

Cutter rig 62 tons.

Run down and sunk by the ss Severn at Dungeness in March 1879. Loss of crew and nine pilots.

Another cutter, Louise, may also have been built by Hoad Bros.

Hoad Boatyard at Rye, taken from a drawing by Sidney Shepherd. This lovely picture was emailed to me by Alan Holden, whose wife Monica, is a direct desendant of the HOAD family and is by this virtue my 5th cousin.

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