Copy Photograph: Crew of the Carnarvonshire [c. 1876]

PHOTOGRAPH: Crew of the Carnarvonshire [c. 1876].

The Carnarvonshire was constructed by Thomas Royden & Sons, Liverpool, and owned by Richard Hughes of John Hughes & Co., of Menai Bridge. Although Hughes was stated as owner, he was acting on behalf of his relatives and partners, the Davies Company. This company was started by Richard Davies in 1826 who built a warehouse and timber yard at Menai Bridge. His eldest son John lived over the premises until they built an elegant water front residence nearby at Min y Don in the 1840s. They also constructed the Princes Pier wharf. Richard bought a foundry in Caernarfon while John, Richard jnr, and third son Robert also worked in the family timber and shipowning business. Between 1843 and 1905 this family firm owned 69 large sailing ships outright. The earlier vessels were built of wood mainly in Canada, while later vessels, which included iron and steel fullyrigged four masted ships and barques, were constructed in

Britain. Part of their business came from the boom in emigration to the New World and from the 1840s thousands of Welsh sailed to their new lives on Davies owned vessels. On their ships they would also load Welsh slate, then build a platform and partitions around and on top for the passengers. The return cargo would be Canadian timber, mainly for the local shipbuilding trade. After John Davies died in 1848, his younger brother Richard Davies continued to live at Min y Don, taking over the business. Later he built Treborth Hall across the Straits, becoming High Sheriff of Anglesey in 1858 and its Liberal MP from 1868 - 1886. He also served as the Lord Lieutenant of the county for twelve years. In the fifties and sixties, their trade expanded worldwide to the Far East, San Francisco and the We st Coast of South America. As they moved into the seventies they placed the order for seven iron vessels at the Royden yard, all to be named after Wesh counties; Anglesey, Merioneth,(1875) Denbighshire, Flintshire, Carnarvonshire (1876), Cardiganshire and Mongomeryshire (1877). Most of their business was, by now, shipped from the larger ports of Swansea and Cardiff, to South America returning with guano, or grain from San Francisco. As their trade suffered a gradual decline at the turn of the century, the company began to sell off their vessels and went out of business. The last ship, the Merioneth, built at the Royden yard in 1875, was sold in 1906.

Dim cyfyngiadau/ No Restrictions

Adnau preifat / Private deposit

Os gwelwch yn dda archebwch y dogfenau gan ddefnyddio y rhif cyfeirnod amgen (lle ddarperidd) / Please order documents using the alternative reference number (where provided)

Mae copiau clawr caled o`r catalogau ar gael yn Archifau Ynys Môn ac yn y Gofrestr Cenedlaethol Archifau. Polisi Archifau Ynys Môn yw catalogio yn iaith y ddogfen./Hard copies of the catalogue are available at Archifau Ynys Môn / Anglesey Archives and the National Register of Archives. It is the policy of Archifau Ynys Môn / Anglesey Archives to catalogue in the language of the document.

Cyflwr da /Good condition

Compiled by Amanda Sweet for Archifau Ynys Môn / Anglesey Archives

https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?13751

Mae'r holl gofnodiadau sy'n cydymffurfio â pholisi casglu Swyddfa Gofnodi Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn wedi eu cadw /All records which meet the collection policy of the Anglesey Archives have been retained.

Ni ddisgwylir croniadau/Accruals are not expected