Copyright Sept. 2004

Harvey Shipbuilders
Research & published by Ray Harvey with added Information supplied by Christopher Goddard, a descendant of Thomas Harvey’s son Fred..

I have been researching the Harvey family for very many years and have read most of the printed matter concerning the Harvey family in Wivenhoe. I was always eager to find more detail on the family and I was very surprised when my research appeared to be in conflict with the written word. I do not blame the researchers, the authors or even Sir John (when he wrote his autobiography). Sir John was very young when a lot of this occurred. I found that later authors, and others, including the Royal Yacht Squadron relied on incorrect data from early publications such as Lloyd’s Yachts, material apparently supplied by a very ambitious, intelligent person wishing to promote himself and prosper from the achievements of others.

1. Background
2. Shipbuilding
3. Halifax Yard
4. A Very Unusual Entry
5. John Harvey Joins the Firm
6. A Deception
7. Fact or Fiction
8. Possible Fact
9. The End of the Shipbuilders

1. Background

Perhaps I should start at the beginning with two prominent families in Wivenhoe, the Harveys and Martins. As everyone knows Mary Martin’s grandfather was Capt. Matthew Martin of East India Company fame. Mary Martin married Isaac Martin Rebow in 1772. Matthew Martin died 1749 and many of Matthew Martin’s relations claimed a closer than fact connection. Matthew Martin’s will was contested without success by a very distant cousin James Martin AB, who fought in the H.M.S. Neptune during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Mary Elizabeth Martin did the same in a similar and suttle way.

Mary Elizabeth Martin was the daughter of Joseph Martin, a Solicitor and Revenue Officer, also a very distant relation of Matthew Martin and through this connection Mary Elizabeth Martin claimed relationship to Mary (nee Martin) Rebow and the Rebow family. Mary Elizabeth Martin married Thomas Gowland in 1814 and widowed in November 1817. Mary Elizabeth Gowland now of independent means married Thomas Harvey by licence ten years later at Greenstead Church, the same church regularly attended by the Rebow family allowing others to believe of a close relationship with the Rebow family.

Captain Daniel Harvey became very rich as a Revenue officer with Letters of Marquis and a close friend of Mary (Martin) Rebow . I have not been able to find a direct link
between Daniel Harvey’s family in Wivenhoe and Robert Harvey from Brightlingsea.
Both families go way back to the beginning of their respective parish records so we cannot establish a link to either families even if one existed.

Robert Harvey b. 1763 came to Wivenhoe in 1791 with his bride Susannah Levett, the daughter of Isaac Levett, Yeoman of Tollesbury, subsequently Robert Harvey became a ‘Freeman of Maldon’. Robert had a fine house in Bethany Street, now Blackb(u)oy Hill between the Black Boy Inn and the Sun Inn paying a Poor Law rate of 12/6 while the Black Boy next door rate was 15/-, a cottage at that time attracted a Poor Law rate of 2/6. Robert and Susannah’s three sons became Mariners but that is another story yet to be told. Robert Harvey house disappears about, or soon after 1841, along with the Sun Inn. How or why that happened no one appears to know.

Susannah (Levett) Harvey died in June 1797 and Robert married Susannah Ellingford in September 1798. Thomas Harvey (the Shipbuilder), was their forth child, born 26 July 1803 Susannah (Ellingford) Harvey dies on 13th March 1807 at Wivenhoe. Robert Harvey marries his third wife, Ann Richardson, on 21 September 1810 at Wivenhoe.

In 1817 Thomas Harvey is indentured to Mr William Todd as a joiner and carpenter apprentice, and, like all Indentured apprentice at that time lived with his master, William Todd and his wife Elizabeth. Mr Todd owned or leased a large amount of property at the end of Betheny Street, on the right hand side, facing the river and the ‘Town Bridge’ (the ford) from Wivenhoe to Fingeringhoe. Mr Todd is also recorded as the guard of, or guarding the Town Bridge.

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2. Shipbuilding

1821 Colcester Record Office, Thomas Harvey’s (age 18 years) first recorded work on a boat was decking Robert Harvey’s (his step brother) peter boat named "Two Brothers" .

1827 Thomas marries Mary Elizabeth Martin, 31-year-old widow of Thomas Gowland who appears to be the driving force in Thomas Harvey’s life.

Surviving sons of Thomas and Mary Elizabeth (Martin) Harvey were;- Thomas jnr 1828, Edward 1831, John 1833, and Joseph 1834 (note John Harvey is around five years younger than Thomas jnr).
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In 1831 Thomas builds "Mary Ann" in partnership with his brother-in-law Isaac Blyth, husband of Caroline nee Martin, Mary Elizabeth’s younger sister.

1832 Thomas becomes licensee of "The Black Boy" at Wivenhoe.

1832 (Port of Colchester) "SUSANNAH" 20 tons, built 1780 in Kent. Transferred by bill of sale to Thomas Harvey carpenter, mortgaged.

Thomas takes over Philip John Sainty's Wivenhoe shipyard in 1832.
I have included some boats built by Thomas Harvey so you can see that the fast, Rebow named schooners were undoubtable influenced by Mary Elizabeth (Martin) Harvey. The reason, I believe, for the Rebow named schooners was to attracted attention of the gentry back to the shipyard.

1835 (Port of Colchester) Thomas builds "Lady Rebow". 56' 7" long X 16' wide, hold 9'2" deep, standing bowsprit, square stern, cavil built with bust figurehead, 86 ton schooner, Owners, Thomas Harvey 22/64 shares, John Sanford 21/64 shares, Joseph
Blyth 21/64 shares. Harvey & Sanford sold their shares 2 Nov 1840.

1835 (Port of Colchester) Thomas builds 59.12 ton "General Rebow”, launched 24 Sep similar to the above and a mortgage.
1838 launches 59.27 ton schooner "Gurdon Rebow”, launched 7 Feb 1838
1838 Thomas builds 112.14 ton "Slater Rebow”, launched 24 Sep 1838. Schooner

1838 Thomas builds 212 ton brig "Essex".

1845 Thomas ceases to be licensee of "The Black Boy".

Thomas builds "Prima Donna", a 25 ton cutter Thomas raced at the 1846 Harwich Regatta and later with the Royal Thames Yacht Club
I have not included all boats and yachts built by Thomas Harvey or “Thomas Harvey and Son (son being Thomas jnr.)”. after 1849, except for a few examples. The Fairfax Yard at Ipswich opened in January 1849 and operated until January 1864. 15 years.


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3. Ipswich Halifax Yard

1850 Thomas Harvey builds "Avalon", a 39 ton cutter. She was still racing in 1885 (built in the Ipswich yard).

As you will see by the census returns for 1851 (below) it is Mary E Harvey employing 75 men in the Ipswich yard because Thomas snr. is operating the Wivenhoe yard. Another interesting fact is that all the sons are shipbuilders and appear to remain so until early 1871 with the exception of Edward Harvey. You will also note that Thomas is the elder son, not John and if John was an apprentice it would have been under his mother or his elder brother Thomas at the Ipswich, HALIFAX Yard, not Wivenhoe.

January 1849 Thomas (with his wife) and sons Thomas jnr. (almost 21 years) and John (almost 16 years) reopens the former Read & Page "Halifax" shipyard in Ipswich, which was, operated as "Thomas Harvey and Son" (Thomas & Thomas jnr.)
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1851 census Bath St Wivenhoe.
HARVEY Thomas/Head/M/47/Ship Builder/Wivenhoe
Edward/Son/U/20/Ship Builder/Wivenhoe (Edward left the yard some time after this)
Joseph/Son/U/16/Ship Builder/Wivenhoe ( Joseph left as shipbuilder early in 1871)

1851 census, Wherstead Road, St Mary's Stoke,Ipswich, Suffolk. 108 entry.
Mary E Harvey,57 mar/Wivenhoe/ wife of ‘Shipbuilder not at home on the 30th March 1851’ employing 75 men
Thomas Harvey,son, 22, Shipbuilder born Wivenhoe, Essex
John Harvey,18. son, Shipbuilder born Wivenhoe, Essex

It would appear that Mary E Harvey actually ran the Ipswich yard as a defacto for her husband and son Thomas, an 1852 record shows that the Volante of America Cup fame was constructed by Messrs Harvey & Son, Ipswich.

By 1855 Thomas jnr. was definitely in full control. Records show that there were serious disputes at that time about work hours as Thomas jnr. strove to bring contracts for the ‘Mortar Vessels’ in at cost and on time. What part John Harvey had in the Ipswich yard is not known but it is thought that he worked in the office as book keeper. We know he met his wife at Ipswich and married in London, giving his profession then as Shipbuilder.

The Cutter Yacht "Volante", 48 Tons. [The Property of J. L. Craigie Esqr.] Constructed by Messrs. Harvey & Son, Ipswich.

T.G.Dutton Del et Lith. Day & Son Lithrs to the Queen. London. Published June 5th 1852 by Ackermann, & Co. 96 Strand. Tinted lithograph. 355 x 455mm. 1851 "Volante" built at Ipswich by Thomas Harvey and Son.

Volante competes for a £100 cup presented by the Royal Yacht Squadron. The cup is won by "America" and the cup becomes known as “The America Cup”.

It is almost impossible to distinguish in which yard the yachts or boats were built but the Volante was certainly built at Ipswich..

1855 Thomas contracts to build four 170 ton mortar vessels for the Crimean War. Two were built at Wivenhoe by Thomas and two at Ipswich by Thomas jnr..

Thomas Harvey and Son, of Ipswich, subscribers to the Lloyds Register of Shipping. The cover of the 1864 was promoting Thomas Harvey & Son of Ipswich . They continue in business until January 1864 when this copy was specially marked for the Ipswich firm. Unfortunately the Ipswich yard closed in January that year.


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4. A Very Unusual Entry

1854 Vol 10, page 130, No.29, (Port of Colchester)- No.16568."CTH BRANARITH"
20 Nov 1855, Lord Alfred Paget owner
11.50 am 3 Nov 1863, Lord A Paget to John Harvey shipbuilder.
1 Dec 1863 John Harvey to John Green of Colchester.
3 May 1864 John Green to Edward Harvey of Barking, Essex.
The existence of this vessel is doubtful (doubtful is underlined) and cannot be traced.
Register noted. Per Chief Registrar's letter dated 14 Oct 1887.

1858 (Port of Colchester) "LADY DE GRESPIGNY" built 11 June 1858 by Thomas Harvey of Wivenhoe, Owners Thomas snr. & Thomas Harvey jnr. joint owners with 64 shares of the total 64 shares. 2 mast brigantine square stern, carvel built in wood, billet figurehead. 97' 2" long X23' 4" wide, hold 12' 6". Lost in 1861.


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5. John Harvey Joins the Firm in 1858
Did John Harvey join the firm as Office Manager and book keeper? Did John join the firm of Thomas Harvey and Son?

John Harvey stated in 1873 that he was not originally in partnership with his father, but when the latter came to grief, he (the Bankrupt) was set going by Mr. W. W. Hawkins (Hawkins often held mortgages over Harvey boats prior to this so the practice may have just continued), and his brother subsequently came in as a partner. His brother (Thomas jnr) had claimed to be a partner (see Thomas Harvey and Son above), and had filed a bid in Chancery,. John Harvey stated that his father went bust (there is no proof of this).

It is thought that John held the position of Office Manager and Book Keeper before 1864, some time after Thomas Harvey snr. left Wivenhoe John changed the name of the Wivenhoe yard to John Harvey & Company which would suggested that John Harvey controlled or owned the Wivenhoe shipyard. There is no evidence of Thomas snr transfering the shipyard to his son John or to anyone else.

First evidence of John Harvey in the Record Office.

1858 (Port of Colchester) "Matilda" Built Ipswich in Suffolk. 220.6 tons, 113 ft 6" long X 22' 8" wide, hold 12' 6" deep. 1 deck 2 mast, square stern carvel built. Owners Thomas Harvey, Thomas jnr, and John Harvey joint owners. Reg 1858 sold 1860.

1860 Thomas Harvey snr. buys Wivenhoe House and twenty acres of parkland. Thomas demolishes Wivenhoe House and divided this into housing lots. Did Thomas build any houses there? We know Thomas snr went to Brightlingsea and built a public hall, developed land and built houses in Brightlingsea.

1860 (Port of Colchester) "Julius Caesar" (transferred from London) built at Cocas, Isle of Wight. Owners, Thomas Harvey, Thomas Harvey and Thomas Harvey Jnr. 4 Jan 1860, borrowed 395 pounds. taken by bankers 1860
Thomas builds 120 ton yacht "Ione".

1862 Thomas builds "Scandal", a 12 ton schooner, for Edward Fitzgerald.
Mary Elizabeth Harvey dies, aged 66, at Wivenhoe, the body is believed to have been taken to the Undertaker at Rose Cottage, Rectory Road, The Cross and buried left from there on the 5th February 1862 to the old cemetery at Wivenhoe.

It would appear that the death of Mary Elizabeth (Martin) Harvey spelt the death knell for the Harvey Shipyards as we knew them. IShipbuilding activities slowed to a crawl as if Thomas had planed to close both yards. Lloyds publications for 1862 and 1863 were not purchased. The 1864 publication promoting the Ipswich Yard must have been ordered earlier as the Ipswich yard had closed in January, 1864 when the lease expired.

1863 Thomas marries Sophia Griggs at Brightlingsea.

January 1864 The Halifax yard at Ipswich closes and Thomas Harvey jnr. returns to Wivenhoe. It would appear that Thomas snr just walked out of the Wivenhoe shipyard leaving his three sons to run the Wivenhoe Yard and returned to house building.

1864 Thomas Harvey snr. in Brightlingsea buys land and builds houses.

Thomas and Sophia's only child, Fred, is born on 29th January 1865 at Brightlingsea.
Thomas Harvey’s sons at the shipyard appear to work well together for a time until John Harvey, the Office Manager & book keeper appears to have taken full control, the name of the firm had changed. Disputes began and finally Thomas jnr. took John to court and in 1870 Thomas jnr. wins the case, that partnership begins and John and Thomas Harvey are now partners of the Wivenhoe yard at the expense of their other brother, Joseph Harvey (1871 census, Joseph appears as a shipwright).

May 2nd 1865 On Tuesday a splendid yacht built for Lord Paget was launched in Melford in gallant style. It was built by Messrs Harvey, ship builders. (Note: the newspaper subsequently corrected the launch-site to Wivenhoe)

1872 AUGUST Wivenhoe shipyard fire. All records lost . John Harvey is away. Thomas Harvey’s house and contents along with many others houses also destroyed
The shipyard burns, books, plans and most of the yard destroyed. The firm goes bankrupt. John Harvey with others takes over the Wivenhoe business in 1873 but the firm now becomes a Company controlled by a board and John Harvey appears to have been almost squeezed out .

John Harvey joins George Pryer in partnership, George Pryer was the draftsman for the original firm and the last person in the building before the fire started. "Harvey & Prier" was printed on letterheads appearing at the ship yard. I honestly believe that this was a new company set up to design and draw plans, mainly for yachts. John Harvey appears in records as a Draughtsman then finally as a Naval architect. George Pryer died in 1880. John Harvey again bankrupt and sets up an office in London as a Naval Architect. Business was not good so he emigrated to America where he continues to design yachts. John Harvey died in London 5 May 1901.

In 1876, John Harvey, a Wivenhoe yacht builder suggested that Rules for the construction of yachts should be published by Lloyd's Register.

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6. A Deception
1878 Lloyd's Yachts first published.

John Harvey could have been the only person who would have been able to provided full details of the yachts listed in Lloyd’s Yachts built at Wivenhoe and the Ipswich yards before the fire. John was able to give exact detail of these yacht’s (including measurements) which John claimed full credit for. John would have known that the credit was not his own. Credit to other Harvey members in Lloyd’s Yachts was limited to just three yachtsall built at Ipswich, two to Thomas Harvey (AMAZON built 1851 and AQUILLINE built 1853) and one to Harvey & Son (CYGNET built 1859).

John did not mention Prima Donna built in 1846 by Thomas Harvey snr. The famous yacht Kitten was built by Thomas snr. and did not mentionedin Lloyd’s Yachts but some authors falsely gave John Harvey credit for building Kitten,. Stranger still is the fact that the records up to the fire of 1872 were said to have been totally lost in the shipyard fire. Did John Harvey take all the plans of the yachts built in the Ipswich and Wivenhoe yards with him before the fire or did George Pryer somehow manage to save these precious plans and never reported that fact? Thomas Harvey built and raced his yachts in many regattas and from from what I read in English newspaper reports Thomas snr. certainly mixed with many prominet people from the Yachting world.


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7. Fact or Fiction
John Harvey & Company

Most of the yachts claimed (below) to have been built and designed by John Harvey & Company were pure fiction because John Harvey & Company did not exist in any form that I know of prior to 1864 and that date may even be premature. John may claim some connection with yacht construction but certainly can not take the credit. See below.

A list extracted by Chris Goddard from surviving “Lloyd’s Yachts” publications
This section
John Harvey & Company. Fiction

1864 Thomas Harvey snr left Wivenhoe.

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8. Possible Fact

Three Harvey Brothers, are now the Shipbuilders
Thomas Harvey jnr, John Harvey and Joseph Harvey.
Credit for these should be given to all three Harvey brothers

Two Brothers as partners credit should appear as such, and be credited to both
Thomas Harvey jnr and John Harvey as they were partners in this very busy period in the Wivenhoe shipyard.

Fire Destroys Shipyard

Shipyard now controlled by the Board of Directors
and retained the name, John Harvey & Company

Harvey & Pryor

John Harvey and George Pryer set up as Yacht Designers
but John did not apparently give George Pryer any credit.

George Pryer died in 1880 and John Harvey declared bankrupt.

Chloris 1881 Wivenhoe John Harvey & Company + builder

John Harvey to London 1881

1881 Census year: Thomas Harvey snr, age 77 is living at Rose Cottage, Park Road, Brightlingsea. His occupation "former Shipbuilder".
1881 Census year. John Harvey, Quay House,Visitor Occ: Naval Architect
John Harvey starts business in London as a Naval Architect , business is not good and so John tries his luck in America.


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9. The End of the Shipbuilders

1885 Thomas Harvey snr dies on 1st November at Brightlingsea and is buried there.

1887 Thomas Harvey jnr., dies at High Street Wivenhoe on 13 June 1887.

1901 John Harvey dies 5 May 1901 in London.

Who Cares about History

Well I do! I presented an extract of my research to an Essex Historian and I was told that it would make a good article in a ‘Family History Magazine. A true history is worth much more than just an article in a magazing that only a portion of the comunity have access too, so I have published it here on my web page for all to see

Wivenhoe should also be concerned about it’s past history. Perhaps there should be a further study into local history at a higher level, in my opinion that is certainly waranted. English history is not all it should be but local history is much worse. While researching the Martin and Harvey family in Peldon I found that the Rev Edward Townshhend actually married Mary Price, the daughter of Major General John Price and Sarah Martin, (Sarah Martin is the daughter of Matthew Martin of East India Company fame), and, In the same context, Edward Townshend, Dean of Norwich is also a part of Essex history.

Edward Townshend studied at Trinity College, Cambridge and was MA in 1742 and DD in 1761. History says Edward Townshend became rector of Pulham in Norfolk (Not so,
Page 10
Edward Townshend was actually Rector of Peldon in Essex, he was presented to Peldon by the Rt. Hon. Earl of Orford of Houghton and instituted on the 25 June 1744 ) Edward Townshend was Dean of Norwich , In 1761 to 27.1.1765. He is buried in Bath Abbey.


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Conclusion

All the Harvey shipbuilders were very hard-working, tough, skillful men but John took that to a much higher level and another demention. Why was he so different? John had the opertunity being in the office. Perhaps he embarked on a deceptions to support his family as he moved them around England in search for a cure for his wife ( this would not have come cheap) and this eventually grew out of all proportions. Did John pass himself off as the big man of the firm and had to prove the point? Perhaps we can guess all we want but I doubt if we will ever know.

Many publications have relied too much on works done by others and not enough on research, one person gets it wrong and the rest follow. It is always much easier to give a credit to an author of a previous publication without knowing if it is fact, or whatever, than to do the research themselves. Sir John Martin-Harvey’s autobiography has numerous errors because his memory of his childhood was written down many years after the events. A good example of an error of his memory of the beautiful ‘Rose Cottage’ at ‘The Cross’. Rose Cottage did exist at ‘The Cross’ but it was the home of Daniel Barrell, builder and undertaker. Sir John’s mother’s body was taken there for burial and her funeral left from The Cross. There was another ‘Rose Cottage’ at Brightlingsea in which his grandfather Thomas Harvey lived. Sir John’s fond memories of ‘Rose Cottage’ would have been mixed with that beautiful Rose Cottage and the one with sad memories at ‘The Cross’.

I am not a professional and do not claim to be perfect, in fact I am sometimes in error and I am the first to admit my mistakes. I had hoped to do more research in England before publishing this but I decided that I should pass this knowledge on in the hope that others in the future will benefit from it and not have the same problem I had following many false leads when I researched or wanted to know more about Wivenhoe.

Any information about the Harvey Shipyards or anything at all about the Harvey family is always very welcome. Any argument, either for or against anything that I have written is very acceptable and I hope to be informed. I believe this is as close to the true story of the Harvey Shipbuilders as I can get for now. I had hoped to return to England to do more research but health problems have restricted my travell plans over the last few years. I hope to publish more history about other Harvey people from Wivenhoe on my web page shortely.

Contact;- email, HARVEYHISTORY @ QLDNET .COM. AU
email address;- PLEASE CONVERT UPPER CASE TO LOWER CASE with NO GAPS.

Ray Harvey
1626 Beenleigh Road, Underwood 4119, Australia Copyright Sept. 2004


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