The Josephine Willis was a first-class ship owned by Messrs Fletcher of Limehouse and chartered by Messers Willis & Co who ran monthly sailings to New Zealand. The ship left St Katherine's Dock on February 3rd 1856 and was towed down the River Thames from Gravesend to Deal where the pilot left her to make her way out to sea. She was laden with valuable and miscellaneous cargo, ten first class passengers, sixty steerage passengers and thirty five crew members.
Three hours later the Josephine Willis collided with the iron clad steamer Mangerton its iron hull sliced through the wooden sailing ship below the water line causing extensive damage. The steamer then reversed causing the water to enter the sailing ship which sank an hour later. Sadly seventy lives were lost.
In 2012 the wreck of the Josephine Willis was discovered by the Folkestone Sub Aqua Club. During explorations a large number of pieces of Staffordshire Pottery, bound for sale in New Zealand, were found and several pieces have been donated to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.
The pieces are on display in the ceramics gallery, some showing signs of damage from their many years under the sea.
Other pieces looking as they must have done when first loaded onto the ship. Above pieces by Davenport of Longport.
Above and below are cups saucers and plates some of them decorated with the Gem pattern by Charles Meigh & Son of Hanley.
Here is a link to an interesting article about the ship, how it sank and the ensuing court cases and also how it was finally located.
Such an interesting post. The china is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you, the china is amazing isn't it? Sone of it till looking just as it did when packed up for export at the factory:)
DeleteShipwrecks and their discovery always fascinate me. What a wonderful discovery. Love blue china. B x
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating yet very sad too. The china still packaged for export was a wonderful recovery wasn't it?:)
DeleteSuch a sad story Rosie.
ReplyDeleteI’m in New Zealand and my ancestors on my mother’s side travelled on such a ship!
I can imagine the passengers were excited (or not in some cases) about a new life and opportunities in the new colony.
They were very brave souls risking their lives on what was a gruelling journey for most.
I’m sure many of them had blue china pieces in their luggage, to start their new life with.
Wishing you and your family a healthy and happy 2019⭐️✨💫
Shane
Thank you Shane, it is a very sad story. As you say the passengers were very brave to endure such long journeys, how wonderful to have ancestors that made that journey safely. I think the crates of pottery were being exported for sale in New Zealand rather than belongong to any specific family but I daresay family treasures would have been packed and carried too for use in their new home and country:)
DeleteWhat an amazing discovery, the Chine is a real delight and in such great condition when you consider how long it had been submerged in the sea.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I was surprised at how 'new' it looked, just as it mights have done when it was packed in the factory and sent down to London for export:)
DeleteHow lovely.... Even the ones, showing damage. Simply lovely...
ReplyDeleteThere must have been loads and loads of ships, sunk, with gorgeous cargo. It's always interesting, when one is found. And all the surrounding stories.
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Thank you, yes there are some very sad stories about shipwrecks and finding them and their cargoes must be fascinating and yet poignant too:)
DeleteNice to see the pottery 'back home' :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Simone, yes it was good to hear that some had been donated, don't know where other pieces have gone - other museums I suspect - perhaps maritime ones:)
DeleteHow interesting. Amazing how some of it has survived its lengthy immersion unscathed.
ReplyDeleteThank you John. I wonder what the people who packed those goods at the factories up here and sent them down to London all those years ago only to have them lost at sea would think of them being found:)
DeleteFascinating! I'm reminded of seeing some of the artifacts of Erebus and Terror at an exhibit here.
ReplyDeleteThank you William, it is fascinating what can be found from these lost ships but recovering them must be a very poignant experience:)
DeleteHow awful, such a dreadful shame. Exciting that the China has kept so well under the sea and can be enjoyed again although not in the way first intended. 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you CK yes it was awful for those people who were setting out for a new life. It must have been quite something to find all the crates of pottery which were bound for New Zealand presumably to be sold over there:)
DeleteA fascinating post Rosie - it is wonderful that so much of the pottery remains intact and is now on display. Thank you for the link and I look forward to reading more although it is very sad about the loss of so many lives.
ReplyDeleteThank you RR. It is wonderful how the plates and dishes are so well preserved - they must have been very well packed in their crates. The article is quite interesting to read although as you say very sad too when you think of those passengers looking forward to a new life in New Zealand and not getting very far from the English coast:)
DeleteVery interesting, the pottery does looks beautiful. Well done the sub aqua group that found the ships remains and all it contained.
ReplyDeleteThank you Julie, their perseverence paid off didn't it? It is amazing how the pottery was preserved, I expect by still being stacked together in the packing cases:)
DeleteI tried to read this yesterday, but our internet connection was so slow that the photographs wouldn't load. Back to normal today, and well worth the return visit. I wonder who the 35 who survived the sinking were - crew or passengers, wealthy or poor. A sad, but fascinating tale.
ReplyDeleteThank you Elaine, glad you were able to return and see the photos. I too wonder about those who survived. I expect it depends where on the boat they were housed. I know from reading that seven were picked up by the steamer and a few of those were crew. I wonder if those who survived tried again to make it to New Zealand? If they did it must have been a traumatic voyage for them. I expect that someone somewhere has done some research on this, I must delve a little further:)
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