Isabella Wood

Owners: February 1841 Hartlepool Union Shipping Co, Hartlepool; February 1845 purchased for £2,155 by John Jobling, Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Masters: 1841 Dunn; 1841-44 Mason; April 1845 William Naylor; 1848 Ditcham; 1848-50 Thomas Douglas; February 1850 Thomas Nichols; August 1850 Matthew Davidson; 1851-52 T Griffiths.

Voyages: November 1841 arrived at Falmouth for orders; 1842 Sunderland for Constantinople; 1844 Hartlepool for Constantinople; 20 August 1845 her registery was cancelled by the British Consul at Montevideo on 20 August 1845 with no reason given (this may be why no Official No. can be found); May 1849 loading at Greenock; 21 January 1850 the master, Thomas Douglas, committed suicide at Jamaica after his crew had mutinied; 1850 London for Honduras; 1852 London for Capetown.

A newspaper report in the Morning Post of London states that the Isabella Wood, master Griffiths, bound from Liverpool for San Francisco put into Montevideo on 1 December 1852. On 4 January 1853 her cargo & the vessel were to be sold. She is still recorded as being owned by John Jobling in 1858 but this can be a common error. Because she was sold foreign she was lost track of.

Although formed in 1838 with a capital of £46,770 some of her vessels were purchased in 1837. This would probably have been at the latter end of the year. The Company went into liquidation in 1845.

The Hartlepool Union Shipping Company "was established for the purpose of purchasing or building ships or vessels, to be employed in the coal or other trades, from Hartlepool or other ports and places, as the committee may order and direct." 

The vessels were registered in the names of six of the co-partners as trustees. They were: George Blakelock; Cuthbert Sharp (historian & shipowner, Hartlepool); Thomas Rowell (bank agent, Hartlepool); William Lisle (miller of Middleton-mills, Hartlepool); George Peacock (farmer Stockton-on-Tees); Ralph Walker (farmer, Stranton) & Stephen Horner.

The committee for the first year was formed of the following: John Burrell; John Wood; Robert Henry Allan (solicitor); George Blakelock; Percival Forster; Cuthbert Sharp; John Wells; William Lisle; William Walden; Stephen Horner; George Sheraton; James Findlay; William Sotheran; Thomas Rowell & John Sharp.

Fleet list (giving life and cost of vessel):

Agility 1834-1871 £1800

Albatross 1837-1864 £2285

Ann Emma 1838-1859 £2800

Anne Maria 1829-1850 £1850

City of Durham 1838-1843 £2900

Commodore 1838-1875

Eliza Liddle 1834-1847 £2500

Friendship 1837-1871 £2360

Gipsy 1837-1863 £2500

Harmonious 1837-1858 £2560

Hart 1838-1870 £2450

Hope 1834-1879

Isabella Wood 1840-1853

John Burrell 1838-1852 £2700

Margarets 1837-1875 £2950

Queen 1837-1865 £2650

Rosa 1837-1866 £2400

Saladin 1838-1845

Thomas Wood 1838-1852

Union 1838-1840 £3050

William Broderick 1836-1868 £2500