The Jessie Annandale

The last Wivenhoe-owned square rigger to trade

John Collins (Nottage)

A painting of the brigantine Jessie Annandale off the South Coast by an unknown artist
Nottage Maritime Institute 00462

The Jessie Annandale was a wooden brigantine of 127 gross registered tons, her figurehead was a woman’s bust which no doubt depicted the lady after whom she had been named.  She had been built, like so many vessels of her type, at Sunderland, and was completed in August 1857 by shipbuilders Brown & Johnson.  In 1866 she was sold to Abraham Harvey, her master, who bought 48/64 shares, and James Husk the shipbuilder, who had the other 16/64s, both of her new owners lived in Wivenhoe, and she was transferred to the Colchester Register.  In April 1893 she was sold, but remained on the Colchester Register  until January 1909 when the registry was finally closed as her owners reported that the vessel had been ‛dismantled’ (masts and rigging removed) for use as a storage hulk.

The Jessie Annandale was the last Wivenhoe-owned square rigger to trade, she was widely acclaimed to have been the fastest vessel on the coast.  Her portrait, showing her off the South Coast, hangs in the main room of the Nottage, unfortunately the name of the artist is unknown.  The painting was presented to the Nottage by Abraham and Horace Harvey, two of Abraham Harvey’s sons on 20th April 1931.

This page was added on 23/03/2015.

Comments about this page

  • I LIVED IN A HOUSE CALLED ANNANDALE IN WIVENHOE

    By MARTIN (05/08/2017)
  • Hello Martin, mentioning this has encouraged some further research. The part-owner of the Jessie Annandale was Captain Harvey who did indeed live in the same house that you lived in Anglesea Road. We have not been able to discover who Jessie Annandale was; the ship was constructed in Sunderland and registered in Dartmouth. It was not until the vessel was 9 years old that she became owned by Capt Harvey in partnership with James Husk who owned the local shipyard. It seems likely that Capt Abraham Harvey bought the house at the same time as the Jessie Annandale and called his house after this vessel. John Stewart is able to add that William Harvey served his apprenticeship on board the Jessie Annandale of Colchester under the command of Abraham Harvey in 1886. He knows this to be the case as he has his apprenticeship papers! William is later recorded as living at Annandale, Anglesea Road.
    Peter Hill, John Stewart and John Foster

    By Peter Hill (11/08/2017)

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