Journal of Edward Blackmore

Journal of Edward Blackmore as a young man which he began while living in Cornwall and then continued when serving on the sailing ship Token as second mate on a voyage to India, 1845-1846; with an obituary from a Scottish newspaper, 1900.

Edward Blackmore originated from St Austell in Cornwall. Although little is known about his early life and career, by the age of 20 he was serving as a junior officer on a merchant ship.

His career as a shipmaster apparently commenced under Peter Denny of Dumbarton and he subsequently became a large shareholder in several steamers, including the Carthage and Viscount Channing , which carried troops to the Crimea and later to India. He later settled in Greenock, Scotland and established an engineering firm with Daniel Rankin in 1863 under the name of Rankin and Blackmore. He also became involved in local politics, government and other public affairs.For example, he was a member of the first Greenock School Board, 1873-76; he served on the Harbour Trust and was a member of the Town Council; and was involved in the election campaign of the Conservative candidate, Sir James Fergusson, who contested the seat of Greenock in 1878.

In the later 1880s, he removed to London where he became involved in the work of the Shipmasters' Society and the Shipmasters and Officers' Federation and served as President of both institutions. He was also author and editor of several works which were published in the 1890s, largely by the Shipmasters' Society, including Discipline and Duty in the British Mercantile Marine (1894), The British Mercantile Marine: a short historical review (1897) and The Evolution of Shipmasters Societies (1898). He died at his home in Portman Square, London on 31 January 1900.

Reference: Information from within the collection.

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