Kinsale Dockyard Explained

HM Dockyard Kinsale
Ensign:Navy Board Flag 1832 new version.jpg
Ensign Size:80px
Location:Kinsale
Country:Ireland
Operator:English Navy, Royal Navy
Controlled By:Navy Board
Used:1647-1812
Past Commanders:Commissioner of the Navy, Kinsale
Occupants:Irish Squadron

Kinsale Dockyard was a British Royal Navy base located at Kinsale, Ireland from to 1812.[1]

History

By the early 17th century, Kinsale Harbour was already 'a place of great resort for his Majesty's ships of war'[2] During the Battle of Kinsale, ships were often careened on the isthmus of the Castlepark peninsula, where (in an area still known as 'The Dock') facilities were provided for ship repair and maintenance. Later in the century, these facilities migrated across the river to the Custom House Quay at Kinsale itself. By the mid-17th century, a small dockyard had been established, with staff including locally-known shipwrights from Chudleigh family (John Chudleigh, first appointed as assistant to the Master Shipwright in 1647, later served as Master Shipwright at the yard and was succeeded by his son, Thomas Chudeleigh).[3] In 1650, victualling facilities were established alongside the dockyard; these played a key role in the provisioning of westbound vessels setting off from England and Ireland to the colonies.[4] In 1683 the newly constituted Victualling Board appointed an Agent Victualler to Kinsale to oversee these operations.[5] At the same time, work was underway to improve fortifications around the harbour: the 'New Fort' (Charles Fort) was opened in 1682, to complement the 'Old Fort' (James's Fort).

The dockyard initially served as one of the bases for the Royal Navy's Irish Squadron.[6] Then, in 1694, the English Parliament established Kinsale as the headquarters for co-ordinating convoy operations in the Western Approaches (for protecting merchant shipping from attacks by privateers). In connection, it became home base for up to forty-three cruizers, deployed there to serve as escort ships (though some were based in Bristol, which had a similar co-ordinating role in relation to the Welsh coast).[7] The escort cruizers were mainly fifth-rate naval vessels: small but fast; indeed, Kinsale was always limited to handling smaller vessels, owing to the sandbar at the mouth of the River Bandon.[8] Prize vessels were often brought to Kinsale; the vessels would be anchored in the river and their crews imprisoned in the town.[9]

Although the yard was mainly focussed on ship maintenance, some building took place, most notably of the eponymously named frigate HMS Kinsale, which was launched there on 22 May 1700.[10] The yard was small compared to the larger Royal Navy Dockyards in England; yet at the height of its activity, in the 1720s, the complex supported a not insubstantial body of labourers, including sixty joiners, forty shipwrights and an assortment of coopers, caulkers, maltsters and smiths.[11]

A survey of the dockyard undertaken by Sir Charles Vallancey in 1777 describes storehouses arranged around three sides of a quadrangle fronting on to the river, an open courtyard containing a mast pond and other buildings (including offices, a sail loft, paint shop and nail store) all enclosed within a perimeter wall, and an area with a boathouse and slipway; however, Vallancey also reported that, while 'Kinsale was suitable in former years it could not [now] cater for our ships of war which draw more water than formerly'.[12] Ominously for the yard's prospects, he concluded that this rendered 'the old Dock and Harbour of Kinsale inadequate for any considerable maritime accommodation or enterprise'.

By 1765 the Admiralty had acquired a property, further along the coast, at the Cove of Cork on the River Lee. Gradually, over the rest of the century, victualling and other facilities were moved there from Kinsale; but the new site was itself far from ideal. It was only after 1803, when the Agent Victualler suggested instead developing Haulbowline (a nearby uninhabited island in Cork Harbour) that Kinsale Dockyard was fully run down, a process that was completed by 1812.

Administration of the dockyard and other key officials

Responsibility for naval dockyards rested with the Navy Board until 1832, local superintendence being exercised by civilian resident commissioners.[13] Below are incomplete lists of key officials associated with the dockyard.

Commissioner of the Navy, Kinsale

Included:[14]

Clerk of the Cheque

Included:[15]

Master Attendant

Included:[16]

Master Caulker

Included:[17]

Master Shipwright

Included:[19]

Master Sailmaker

Included:[22]

Muster Master

Included:[23]

Storekeeper

Included:[26]

Bibliography

  1. Coad, Jonathan (2013). Support for the Fleet: Engineering and architecture of the Royal Navy's bases, 1700–1914. Swindon, UK: English Heritage.
  2. Cock, Randolph; Rodger, N. A. M. (2008). "A Guide to the Naval records in the National Archives of the UK" (PDF). London, England: Institute of Historical Research, University of London.
  3. Clowes, William Laird; Markham, Clements R. (Clements Robert) (1897–1903). The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the present. London: S. Low, Marston.
  4. Davies, J. D. (20 November 2008). Pepys's navy : ships, men & warfare, 1649–1689. Barnsley, England: Seaforth. p. 194..
  5. Harrison, Simon (2010–2018). "Kinsale Dockyard, Offices associated with Kinsale Dockyard". threedecks.org. S . Harrison.
  6. Murphy, Elaine (2012). Ireland and the War at Sea, 1641–1653. Woodbridge, England: Boydell & Brewer Ltd. .
  7. "Records of Dockyards". (1690–1981). www.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Kew, England: The National Archives UK.
  8. Stockdale, John (1802). The Parliamentary Register: Or, History of the Proceedings and Debates of the House of Commons. London, England:
  9. Thuillier, John R. (2014). Kinsale Harbour: A History. Wilton, Cork, Ireland: The Collins Press.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cock . Randolph . Rodger . N.A.M. . A Guide to the Naval records in the National Archives of the UK . Institute of Historical Research, University of London . 2 March 2019 . London, England . 213 . 2008.
  2. Thuillier, p.00
  3. Book: Murphy . Elaine . Ireland and the War at Sea, 1641-1653 . 2012 . Boydell & Brewer Ltd . Woodbridge, England . 9780861933181 . 84–85 . en.
  4. Murphy. pp.84-85.
  5. Coad, p. 20.
  6. Book: Davies . J. D. . Pepys's navy : ships, men & warfare, 1649-1689 . 20 November 2008 . Seaforth . Barnsley, England . 9781848320147 . 194 .
  7. Thuillier, p.00
  8. Book: Coad. Jonathan. Support for the Fleet: Engineering and architecture of the Royal Navy's bases, 1700–1914. 2013. English Heritage. Swindon, UK.
  9. Thuillier, p.00
  10. Georgian Kinsale . Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society . July–December 1939 . XLIV . 100.
  11. Thuillier, p.00
  12. Thuillier, p.00
  13. Web site: Records of Dockyards . www.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk . The National Archives UK . 2 March 2019 . Kew, England . 1690–1981. This section contains some copied content from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
  14. Book: Clowes . William Laird . Markham . Clements R. (Clements Robert) . The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the present . 1897–1903 . S. Low, Marston . London . 231 .
  15. Web site: William Penn, Clerk of the Cheque and Thomas Chudleigh, Master Shipwright, Kinsale. Receipt of order and will survey the King's houses in possession of the victuallers. . www.nationalarchives.co.uk . The National Archives, UK . 3 March 2019 . Kew, England . en . 11 January 1676.
  16. Web site: Harrison . Simon . Master Attendant at Kinsale Dockyard . threedecks.org . S . Harrison . 3 March 2019 . 2010–2018.
  17. Web site: Harrison . Simon . Master Caulker at Kinsale Dockyard . threedecks.org . S. Harrison . 3 March 2019 . 2010–2018.
  18. Murphy. pp.84-85.
  19. Web site: Harrison . Simon . Master Shipwright at Kinsale Dockyard . threedecks.org . S. Harrison . 3 March 2019 . 2010–2018.
  20. Murphy. pp.84-85.
  21. National Archives
  22. Web site: Harrison . Simon . Master Sailmaker at Kinsale Dockyard . threedecks.org . S. Harrison . 3 March 2019 . 2010–2018.
  23. Web site: Harrison . Simon . Muster Master at Kinsale Dockyard . threedecks.org . S. Harrison . 3 March 2019 . 2010–2018.
  24. Book: Stockdale . John . The Parliamentary Register: Or, History of the Proceedings and Debates of the House of Commons . 1802 . J. Stockdale . London, England . 2 . en.
  25. Web site: John Heard, mustermaster and storekeeper at Kinsale Dockyard; Joseph Green, purser; William Veasey, gunner; John Taylor, gunner; Benjamin Evans, gunner; Richard Edgcumbe, gunner; Aaron Fletcher, carpenter; Henry Simpson, master at arms; John Wybrown, boatswain; John McDougal, gunner; George Wilson, gunner; Robert Johnstone, gunner; Thomas Salisbury, gunner; Thomas Hand, Lieutenant. Warrants or commissions for service at this rank in the Royal Navy . www.nationalarchives.co.uk . The National Archives UK . 3 March 2019 . Kew, London, England . 1783 . ADM 6/23 - Commission and Warrant Book.
  26. Web site: Harrison . Simon . Storekeeper at Kinsale Dockyard . threedecks.org . S. Harrison . 3 March 2019 . 2010–2018.
  27. Stockdale. p.2.
  28. Web site: John Heard, mustermaster and storekeeper at Kinsale Dockyard; Joseph Green, purser; William Veasey, gunner; John Taylor, gunner; Benjamin Evans, gunner; Richard Edgcumbe, gunner; Aaron Fletcher, carpenter; Henry Simpson, master at arms; John Wybrown, boatswain; John McDougal, gunner; George Wilson, gunner; Robert Johnstone, gunner; Thomas Salisbury, gunner; Thomas Hand, Lieutenant. Warrants or commissions for service at this rank in the Royal Navy . www.nationalarchives.co.uk . The National Archives UK . 3 March 2019 . Kew, London, England . 1783 . ADM 6/23 - Commission and Warrant Book.

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