WILLIAM MILES
THERE WERE TWO VESSELS WITH THE NAME OF ' WILLIAM MILES ', BOTH WERE OWNED BY MILES & CO OF BRISTOL ( NOT AT THE SAME TIME )
THE FIRST WILLIAM MILES WAS BUILT IN 1808 IN BRISTOL AND SEEMS TO HAVE UNDERGONE A MAJOR RE-BUILD IN 1816 WHEN HER TONNAGE WAS INCREASED FROM 324 TONS TO 577 TONS. SHE WAS REGISTERED IN LONDON. SHE WAS A BARQUE AS OPPOSED TO A CLIPPER VESSEL. IN 1853 SHE WAS SOLD TO J DE WOLF & CO OF LIVERPOOL. IN 1854 SHE UNDERWENT ANOTHER RE-BUILD WHEN SHE WAS LENGTHENED. IN 1864 SHE WAS SOLD TO G & J ROBINSON. IN 1883 WHILE ON A VOYAGE FROM LE HARVE TO SWANSEA, IN BALLAST, SHE STRANDED ON PORTHCAWL SANDS IN THE BRISTOL CHANNEL AND WAS LOST. HER CAPTAIN AT THIS TIME WAS CAPTAIN LAUGHLAN AND HER OWNERS AT THE TIME WERE G & J ROBINSON OF LITTLEHAMPTON. THE PICTURE IS OF THE WILLIAM MILES BUILT IN 1808. WHETHER OR NOT THE IST WILLIAM MILES WAS CHARTERED BY SHAW SAVILL & CO I AM UN-CERTAIN OF, QUITE POSSIBLY NOT
THIS VESSEL WAS ALSO USED AS A PRISON SHIP,SHE MADE AT LEAST ONE VOYAGE DOWN TO HOBART,TASMANIA FROM ENGLAND IN 1828 WITH 192 CONVICTS ONBOARD, SEVEN OF WHOM DIED DURING THE VOYAGE.THERE'S A FEW IRREGULARITIES HERE AND ITS DIFFICULT TO TRY AND SEPARATE THESE TWO VESSELS AS THEY WERE BOTH A FLOAT, WITH THE SAME NAME AT THE SAME TIME AND BOTH AT ONE TIME HAD BEEN OWNED BY MILES & CO OF BRISTOL. MORE RESEARCH NEEDS TO BE DONE ON BOTH VESSELS.
THE SECOND WILLIAM MILES WAS BUILT IN QUEBEC IN 1854 AND WAS A VESSEL OF 1224 TONS AND WAS
ALSO OWNED BY WILLIAM MILES. UP UNTIL 1906 IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR SEVERAL VESSELS TO BEAR THE
SAME NAME, AFTER THIS DATE THE MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT WAS MEANT TO BE ENFORCED, PREVENTING
THE USE OF DUPLICATE NAMES SO IF MILES & CO HAD SOLD THEIR FIRST WILLIAM MILES TO J DE
WOLF & CO IN 1853 IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LOGICAL FOR THEM TO NAME THEIR NEW SHIP IN 1854
WILLIAM MILES ALSO ( MILES BEING THE COMPANY NAME AFTER ALL ) AND THERE WOULD BE NO
REASON FOR J DE WOLF & CO TO RE-NAME HIS VESSEL UNLESS HE WANTED TO.
WILLIAM MILES WAS LOADED BY SHAW SAVILL & CO AT LEAST ONCE AT BRISTOL FOR A VOYAGE
DOWN TO OTAGO AND CANTERBURY CARRYING 300 PASSENGERS, ABOUT 200 OF THE PASSENGERS WERE
IMMIGRANTS SELECTED FOR EMIGRATION BY A MR FITZ-GERALD ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT OF
CANTERBURY THERE BEING A CONTRACT BETWEEN MILES BROTHERS AND THE GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
FOR THIS PURPOSE.
