Many people have been surprised that
the Castle name still exists. Furthermore the claim that the family was
descended from the Castle family of shipbuilders based on the Thames
in the 17th century has also created a great deal of interest among many
people.
The web site has stimulated a
considerable amount of interest to date and the additional information received
from all round the world has added a rich source of knowledge about Castles
that could not otherwise have been generated very easily.
The activities and lives of the Castle
family were adventurous and offer a rich insight into the important, but little
understood industry of shipbreaking during the 19th century. The era spanning
the lives of Henry Castle and his son Sidney Castle and grandsons is of
particular relevance to this fascinating period about the history of The Thames
and of the Royal Navy.
This web site therefore concentrates,
in the main, on the commercial activities of Henry Castle and his family,
However an important and parallel study has been undertaken into the Castle
family tree dating back to the seventeenth century in an endeavour to prove the
link with William Castle and his brother Robert Castle, shipbuilders in
Rotherhithe & Deptford in the 1660s and 1670s. The former is mentioned
several times in Pepys's Diaries.
Investigations and research have shown
that records were destroyed over the years. Limitations in the scope of the
research have also occurred because of the destruction of records by Companies
House as well as a result of Second World War bombings. In addition much of the
written material available is anecdotal and has never been properly
authenticated.
Historians of The Thames find that
story about the Castle Yards at Baltic
Wharf and Longs Wharf
The researches to date have however
unearthed a vast quantity of material, but special care is being taken to
examine the validity of all the information available. Inevitably this has
proved to be a time consuming process and is ongoing. There is a very
interesting story to tell about the last of the wooden sailing ships and their
figureheads, a tale of Two Castles, which is summarised within the pages of
this web site. We hope you enjoy the visit and look forward to receiving your
feedback.
At this time in May 2011 the project is
still ongoing and more information comes to light every week mostly via the web
and in view of these benefits we have delayed trying to publish a book about
the Castle family and its rich heritage.
We have accordingly decided that we
will release in phases the story of the history via the web site and visitors
who wish to view and read this extraordinary story should follow the links when
introduced. We believe this is the best way forward as more information may
well come to light and thus enable the web site history book to be constantly
updated and modified.
We also feel now that the history is
more of an educational project rather than a commercial endeavour.
At the close of the Crimean War in 1856
the Navy was in transition stage from sail to steam, however it had learnt that
shells were so destructive to wooden ships that the need for greater protection
was needed.
Accordingly an alteration in naval
construction became inevitable and armour made from iron plates was secured to
the sides of the ships. These new vessels were first introduced from 1861 and
were the first wooden armoured sailing ships and known as broadside ironclads.
It was significant that in the building of these ships more wood was actually required
than for a sailing line of battleship.
By 1860 the problem of finding
sufficient timber became the dominant concern and considerable shortages
occurred. The move to iron therefore
became inescapable as it was cheaper to maintain. This subsequent development finally sealed
the fate of the wooden warship.
None the less the advantages to the
shipbreaker must have been clear and the market opportunity was ready to be
exploited. In 1861 Henry Castle together
with William Beech was successful in breaking into this market in a major way.
From this time on the Castle family dominated the Shipbreaking industry on the
River Thames and their activities span the period from the final years of the
sailing ships of the line right through to the introduction of the metal ship
towards the end of the 19th century, although wooden ships continued to be
available for breaking until the 1930s.
The Castles history of Shipbreaking
therefore starts with the disposal of sailing ships, paddle steam vessels and
the early screw conversions in the 1860s and 1870s followed by the breaking up
of the armoured wooden battleships and frigates in the 1880s and 1890s.
The availability of wooden vessels for
breaking was therefore at its height during the second half of the nineteenth
century and it would have been apparent to the astute businessman that the
rapid developments taking place would create an abundant supply of seasoned
timber for recycling purposes. So it proved to be and the period from 1860 to
1938 provided Castles with a unique niche in British Maritime history.
Crossing the Bar by R W
Wyllie
This page was last updated on
05/06/2011
Source link: http://www.castlesshipbreaking.co.uk/
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