| The Bristol channel is probably one of the most dangerous shipping lanes in the world.Over the centuries many ships have been lost whilst navigating it.The channel has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world and many dangerous sand bars and rocks. |
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If legend is to believed the first official Bristol Channel pilot was George James Ray.He was a barge master who was appointed by the Corporation of Bristol in May 1497 to pilot John Cabot's Matthew from
Bristol to the open sea.There is no proof of this, but the name Ray has played a part in Bristol's maritime history.In 1837 Pilot George Ray guided the Great Western safely out to open sea.Then in 1844 William Ray piloted the larger Great Britain out to sea. |
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In 1611 the Corporation of Bristol delegated the control of pilotage to the Merchant Venturers of Bristol.They were to
retain control for 250 years.The Bristol pilots were mainly based at Pill
near the mouth of the river Avon. Bristol for many years was the main port on the Channel but as the Welsh ports grew larger due to the coal and iron exported, these ports needed to control their own pilots.Bristol tried to put a block on this and tried to keep it's monopoly. |
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Various acts were passed over the years and in 1861 the ports of Cardiff, Newport and Gloucester were granted the right to appoint their own pilots. |
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Barry docks started to appoint it's own pilots in 1889 many of these
were either Cardiff or Bristol pilots. In the case of Cardiff there were pilots listed as far back as 1795 but it is unclear who licensed them.The main school of thought is that they were licensed by Bristol. The ports further west ie Neath ,Swansea etc seem to have been able to appoint their own pilots with no constraints from Bristol. |
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Before WW1 most of the pilots owned their own boats normally Cutters or Yawls. Sturdy and fast sailing boats that were ideal for the conditions on the channel. The pilots would sail westward in search of ships heading for the ports along the channel. The crew was usually an experienced sailor and a boy or apprentice. Competition was fierce and the fastest boats got the most work. |
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Replicas of these boats are now being made for sailing enthusiasts
worldwide.A few of the originals are still to be found in ports around the
world. Some of the originals are still sailed to this very day by Pilot Cutter
enthusiasts. |
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Two years ago whilst delving into my own family's history I
decided to check on any references to my family in the records of the Cardiff
pilotage board.I found many entries regarding my Grandfather and Great
Grandfather. Also I came across a log that listed names dates of birth, death, and marriage for many of Cardiff's pilots.This I decided to transcribe and the Glamorgan Family History Society has published it in booklet form.The other pilotage records such as the minute books are a mine of information thanks to the clerk Mr B. Matthews and future clerks. |
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Since that time I have been building up a data base from various
sources of pilots from all the ports along the channel.
The following pages are the pilots found so far in opperation along
the Bristol channel.The sources include Pilotage records ,Census records
,Trade Directories, Grave stones etc. I can offer a free lookup of my data
base on any pilot listed in the following lists .For information on further
research contact me at the email address at the bottom of the page. |
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Pilots
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