Freotopia > people >
Hitchcock:
”Spinaway” Howson. Another successful shipwright was Robert Howson, who arrived in the colony in 1875. He was a master shipwright from Sunderland and came to Fremantle in the barque Spinaway, which he had built for the export trade of the colony. He left the vessel at Fremantle and took over a shipyard between Suffolk Street and Arundel Street.
Among the large vessels he built were the schooners Iris (100 tons), Planet, Ivy, Ruby, Olive, the ketches Roebourne, Ashburton, Electra, Eva, the steamer Clyo and about fifty pearling luggers for Broome. He executed a number of large repairing jobs, among them being the refloating of the Thistle (1,200 tons), which had been driven ashore at Bunbury.
He also refloated and restored the barque Cingalese and the schooners Bessie and Mary Smith, which were deemed to be total wrecks on the Lacepede Islands. Hitchcock: 117.
Robert Howson's son Thomas Howson was in partnership with another builder William Fishwick, but they fell out over a detail in the construction of St Elmo, 17 Quarry Street, and Thomas may have killed himself, having gone bankrupt as a result.
Erickson:
HOWSON, Robert, ("Spinaway") b. 1838/9 (Sunderland, England), d. 5.1.1922, son of Thomas (butcher) & Jane June (nee Dalkins), m. c.1856 1st Miss HALL d. c.1857, m. 2nd c.1858 Jane Ann IRWIN. Arr. 5.12.1875 per Spinaway which he built. 2nd wife d. so his family followed per Robert Morrison 6.7.1880, m. 3rd 2.1.1879 (Perth Wesl.) Emma Amelia BRIGGS (widow of Archibald Frederick Kain) b. 24.5.1854 (Perth at Trumpeters Inn) d. 28.10.1942. Chd. John, James, Alfred, Edward, Hannah Hall b. c . 1874 (England), d. 1961 (Frem.). Chd. 3rd wife, Edmond b.1879, Eva Catherine b. 1882, William Dalkins b. 1884, Olive Eustace b. 1886, Maud d. c.9 yrs, Gladys Eileen b. 1896. Came out under contract to J. & W. Bateman to build luggers for North West. Fremantle, shipbuilder Iris and Clyo steamers. Schooners Ivy, Planet, Iris, Ruby, Olive - pearling luggers & ketches Roebourne, Ashburton, Electra and Eva (many named after his daughters). Noted for repair work to Cingalese, Mary Smith & Thistle driven ashore at Bunbury. Residences at Hampton Road Frem. & later at 1 Agett Rd. Claremont.
I thank sFishwick relative Lee-Anne Perceval for the information about Thomas Howson.
Garry Gillard | New: 10 October, 2016 | Now: 5 March, 2024