Dublin Port and Ireland's first lightship - by Jim Blaney
Around Ireland and Great Britain, the constant movement of the
tide on parts of the coast results in the buildup of sandbanks
which become serious hazards to shipping. To add to the dangers
many ports are entered through estuaries where mud and sand are
driven down by rivers. In 1629 Sir John Clayton proposed mooring a
vessel with a cresset at its masthead as a seamark on the Nore Sand
at the mouth of the River Thames but Trinity House opposed this,
arguing that it was totally impracticable.
The credit for the first ever 'Floating Light', or lightship, must go to the oft maligned pair Robert Hamblin and David Avery. Clayton's idea was revived by Hamblin, a barber of King's Lynn, who had married the daughter of a shipowner and became Master of a collier. He thus was made aware of the lack of lights on the east coast of England. He had difficulty in getting permission to try out his Floating Light, the authorities claiming that it would break away and be a hazard to shipping. He met an enterprising man called David Avery and between them they established a light on board a vessel at the east end of the Nore in 1732. After being awarded a patent by the Crown they assumed the right to levy tolls for maintenance. Trinity House regarded this as an infraction of their legal privileges and had the patent cancelled. The light had proved so successful, however, that although Trinity House took over control, Avery and his heirs were permitted to levy tolls for sixty one years on payment of £100 per annum.
Early lightvessels were conversions, often Dutch hoys. The original Nore light was a blunt bowed wooden vessel with a low poop, and lanterns lighted by candles suspended from each end of the yardarm on the single mast. On stormy nights the candles were often blown out and occasionally the lanterns were blown away completely. The vessel was probably supplied with sails in case she broke adrift, and during daylight she displayed a large flag as a daymark. The method of securing her to the seabed was at first primitive, and in 1732 she broke from her moorings twice within three months. Because of this the use of Floating Lights as aids to navigation spread rather slowly. The next one was placed at the southern entrance to the river Liffey in 1735.
Dublin Bay and Harbour
Dublin Bay, which encloses a large bight of the Irish Sea, has
been justly extolled for its beauty by writers over many years,
some suggesting comparison with the Bay of Naples. Dublin city
itself owes much of its prosperity to the sea and the river Liffey,
but for much of its history it could only be approached by sea at
high tide.
The bay is shallow and contains numerous sandbanks. During the 17th century Dublin Bar which lay across the channel had only six feet of water at low tide.
The bay is shallow and contains numerous sandbanks. During the 17th century Dublin Bar which lay across the channel had only six feet of water at low tide.
In 1707 Dublin was described as 'one of the worst ports in
her Majesty's dominion'.
In the same year the Dublin Ballast Board described it as 'wild, open and exposed to every wind and afforded no place of shelter or security to ships except Clontarf or Ringsend… the tydes uninterruptedly expanded themselves over vast tracts of the North and South Bulls'. These two great wastes of sands, or Bulls, on the north and south sides of Dublin were so called from the roaring of the surf against them when uncovered. They were the scenes of hundreds of shipwrecks over many years. Clontarf (Cluain Tarbh = Meadow of the Bulls) is said to be so named from its close proximity.
During the 18th century great efforts were made to straighten and deepen the channel to allow shipping to enter Dublin without waiting for high tide. In 1702 Dublin Corporation had applied to the Irish Parliament for a Ballast Office Act but was refused. The Corporation applied again in the 1707 session and was successful. The Ballast Office Act, 6 Anne 1707, for 'cleansing the Port, Harbour and River of Dublin' vested powers in the Lord Mayor, Commons, and Citizens of Dublin and laid a small tonnage on shipping.
The new Ballast Committee lost no time in attending to the river which was described at this time as 'extremely shallow and almost choked up by irregular taking in and throwing out of ballast'. New lighters or gabbards were ordered to be built to carry out the necessary work. On 11 December 1707 the Committee reported, 'there being no gabbards in this Port of the kind of lighters used in London for raising the ballast with expedition and ease it is necessary that two lighters be immediately built, one of 20 tons the other of 30 tons with out decks or bends'. Many other gabbards were ordered including nine bought in July 1708 from Mr Milward for £950.
In 1711 work began on the new direct channel using kishes (ciseáin = baskets) filled with stones to withstand the floods of the river and make it flow straight to Ringsend. Piling and wattling were carried out in the sand on each side to confine the current to the new channel. The piles were unable to keep the sand out of the harbour, however, and it was decided to use a new method with frames made of piles 22 feet long and 10 feet broad with 24 piles in each frame. These box-like structures were 12 feet wide at the bottom and 7 feet wide at the top, so the stones could not fall out nor could the sand run through, and they proved to be a great success.
After some years, maintenance became a problem. In 1748 it was decided to build a double wall from a site near the present day Pigeon House Harbour to Ringsend. The double wall was filled in and is now the Pigeon House Road. In 1755 it was decided to continue the wall eastward towards the end of the piles.
In 1760 a new adjoining wall was begun at the seaward end of the piles, to connect with a double wall which had reached Ringsend by 1728. This, the Great South Wall, was completed in 1790 making it one of the longest quay walls in Europe, being some four miles in length. Eventually there were two great sea walls north and south of the main channel. The North Bull Wall was begun in 1821 and completed in 1824, running from Clontarf towards Poolbeg.
The piling of the South Bull had been completed about 1735 and a Floating Light was placed near the seaward end of the piles in October. On 27 October 1735 the Committee of the Ballast Office reported as follows:
'Whereas several commanders of ships and particularly the captain of his Majesty's yacht by order of his Grace the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland have presented to us the great use a lighthouse would be to all ships coming into this harbour in the night time and at the same time have laid before us a plan of a "Floating Light" as now fixed at the Buoy of the Nore which he and other commanders of ships assures us that several ships have been saved by the said light and is a great safety to the Navy also. Ordered that Gabbard No. 11 be immediately fitted out for that purpose and be fixed at the end of the piles and that they do provide all things necessary for the purpose'.
Palmer's Light
The Floating Light was known as the Dublin, or Palmer's Light, as during the 1740s James Palmer was the patentee and managed the system, which included a black buoy at the east end of the South Bank, and a red buoy at the west end of the Bank. These 'watermarks' marked the south edge of the entrance channel, and vessels passed between the ship and a white buoy laid to the north. The lightship carried two lanterns containing candles, set out on either side of the yardarm on her single mast, and displayed her candle powered lights during the night from half flood to half ebb; during the day her ensign was exhibited from half flood to half ebb.Four persons attended the light: First Hand @ £18 per annum, Second Hand @ £16 per annum, and 'two lusty boys' @ £10 each per annum. On 16 March 1747 Thomas Risebron was appointed First Hand of the Floating Light, John Garnett Second Hand, William Rafferty Third Hand, and James Deane Fourth Hand. On 3 August 1751, however, Risebron made a complaint against Rafferty. Rafferty was discharged and a 'proper hand' was ordered to be put in his place. As well as their wages the crew were paid a supplement for provisions during the winter. This varied between three guineas and ten pounds, and was proportioned by their wages. Heating and cooking on board was by coal which was delivered by the ton by Richard Edgar. In November 1749 the crew was issued with 'four big coats' by Hugh Connolly at a cost of £2.2s. Among other expenses was repairing and replacing the 'lanthorns' by Robert King. The greatest expense was candles supplied by chandler Charles Wilcocks. The Floating Light had a turbulent history during those years. One can only imagine the horror of being on board Ireland's first Floating Light during a gale, the vessel being a gabbard which was flat-bottomed. Nevertheless a vessel was to remain on station at the southern entrance to the Liffey for over three decades until replaced by the Poolbeg Lighthouse in 1767.
Ballast Office Reports
- 15 October 1731: Propose a lighthouse to be fixed at the east end of said frames.
- 6 January 1735: A plan has been suggested of having a floating light as now fixed at the Buoy of the Nore in England. Have agreed a floating light would be of service. Com[mitte]e have bought a vessel.
- 7 May 1736: Have fixed the floating light.
- 20 January 1737: Floating light has received much damage by a vessel running foul of her.
- 15 April 1743: On the night of the 26 March in a violent gale of wind the lightship forced from her anchor drove on shore at the rocks [at] Dunleary and received considerable damage, have fitted up the old floating light in her place.
- 22 July 1743: Have got off the floating light from rocks at Dunleary.
- 6 March 1744: The Committee finding Mr. Arch. Adair's proposals reasonable ordered that he do immediately go about building a new Barge. Mr Adair's letter read at the same meeting states, 'I propose to build a boat of Irish timber and plank of the following dimensions viz. 33 feet keel, 12 feet 6 inches in beam and 7 feet deep, which amounts to 32 tuns with iron work for the hull at 53 shillings per tun, the plank 11/2 inches thick.'
- 5 March 1745: Ordered that 2 new lanthorns be provided for floating light.
- 26 June 1745: New floating light to be brought up and graved and the old one sold by public cant [auction].
- 9 April 1746: Ordered that 2 new lanthorns be provided for floating light.
- 21 July 1749: We have ordered our floating light to be brought up and graved.
- 28 June 1751: Ordered that the floating light be graved as soon as possible and the Barge fixed in her place.
- 8 November 1751: Ordered that Committee provide a boat for floating light also 2 tuns of coal for said lightship.
- 8 April 1752: Ordered that a stop be put to repair of Barge and she be sold by public cant, ye old rigging and iron to be sold at same time.
- 29 September 1767: Poolbeg Lighthouse lighted and Floating Light discontinued.
Poolbeg Lighthouse
The Poolbeg Lighthouse was first exhibited on 29 September
1767 and the old Floating Light was discontinued. On that evening
John Rogerson's Quay was crowded for the lighting of Dublin Port's
first lighthouse. The handsome circular building of large blocks of
hewn granite was designed by John Smith and had been commenced on
21 June 1761. It had three storeys and was accessible by a stone
staircase with an iron balustrade. It was surmounted by an
octagonal lantern equipped with reflecting lenses. In July 1786 the
light source was changed from candles to oil lamps.
Jim Blaney © September 2008
Jim Blaney was a teacher in Portaferry, Co. Down where he had among his pupils children of crew members of the Skulmartin and South Rock Lightvessels. Now retired, he has spent many years researching the history of Irish Lightships and the family history of their crews.
Sources
Assembly Rolls of the City of Dublin 1653-1745, Charles
Haliday MS 12c 22 Royal Irish Academy; Compendium of the Annual
Review of Expenditure of the Ballast Office 1708-31, George Friell
1776, mr/21 Dublin City Archives; Minute Book of the Ballast
Committee 1744-55, br/dpdb, National Archives; The Compleat
Irish Coaster - William Mountaine FRS, 1764; The
Scandanavian Kingdom of Dublin - Charles Haliday, 1884;
Lighthouses - W.J. Hardy, 1895; The Irish Lighthouse
Service - T.G. Wilson, 1968; History of the City of Dublin
- J. Warburton, J. Whitelaw & Robert Walsh, 1818; Lighthouses
and Lightships - Lee Chadwick, 1971; A History of the Port
of Dublin - H.A. Gilligan, 1988. I am grateful to the
following people for help and information: Mary Clark, Archivist,
Dublin City Archives; Katherine McSharry, Duty Librarian, National
Library; Brian Donnelly, National Archives; Sophie Evans, Assistant
Librarian, Royal Irish Academy; Neil Jones, Records Manager,
Trinity House Lighthouse Service; David Bedlow, Frank Pelly, Sean
Gahan, and the Commissioners of Irish Lights.
Jim Blaney © September 2008
Jim Blaney was a teacher in Portaferry, Co. Down where he had among his pupils children of crew members of the Skulmartin and South Rock Lightvessels. Now retired, he has spent many years researching the history of Irish Lightships and the family history of their crews.