Site Record

This record consists of a documentary reference to a shipping casualty which has been assigned to the maritime named location BRISTOL CHANNEL pending more information which may allow a more precise location for the loss to be assigned.

Event and Historical Information:
The VOLANT was a wooden sailing brig built by or for William and John Macgill of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in 1854. Soon after completion the vessel's registry was transferred to Liverpool, but the following year it was registered again at St John's, New Foundland, by John Bulter Barnes, William Norris Barnes and Ebenezer Barnes, merhants. Technical and configuration specifications given at the time of these registries vary slightly in the dimensions stated, however the official number 1106 remains constant. The brig was registered at Cardiff on 18 October 1863 after a sale to the Cardiff shipbroker, John Richard Davies. The sale was made by an attorney acting for Newfoundland clients, Peter Jilmore Jessier and Lewis Jessier. At that time, the brig's technical and configuration specifications were given 215.57gt; 123.7ft length x 24.8ft breadth x 13.3ft depth; 1 deck, 2 masts, rigged as a brig, square stern, carvel built, billet of carved scrollwork figurehead, wooden framework. The transactions on the registry include the transfer of 32 shares to William Longhorne (Laugharne?) of Fishguard, master mariner. Other transactions reveal shares and/or mortgages on shares in the vessel being transferred to David Davies of Blaengovan, collier proprietor; James Lee of Cardiff, merhcant and John Taylor of Liverpool, merchant. John Richard Davies was declared bankrupt in 1865 and his shares passed to Davies? creditor - John Davies of Cardiff, merchant. The mortgages and debts associated with the vessel were finally cleared in September 1869 when William Laugharne (Longhorne?) became sole owner. The VOLANT's Cardiff registry was closed after it was reported that the vessel had been lost in the Bristol Channel on 22 December 1871.

Sources include:
Port of Cardiff Shipping Register 1855 - 1865, folio 138, Glamorgan Record Office DRBS1/3
Ships and Seafarers of Atlantic Canada CD ROM, 1998, Memorial University of New Foundland

Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, June 2009.