The corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond: a memoir of its origin, history, and functions

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m

E CORPQRATION

OF

NITY HOUSE

OF

IPTFORD STROND :

Si a^cmoi'c

OF

llN, fflSTOP^Y, 8j f^UNCTIONS.

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MDCCCLXVIII.

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THE CORPORATION

OF

TRINITY HOUSE

It

OF

DEPTFORD STROND :

Si ai^enioir

OF

Its Oi^igin, Histoi^y, Sj junctions.

PRINTED

fFOJ? PRIVATE DISTRIBUTION)

BY

SMITH & EBBS, 5, POSTERN ROW, TOWER HILL.

MDCCCLXVIII.

7

c-|'|.'i o^ Ch<x>uuG At^ooa y\t

\IK(

TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS
THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, K.G., K.T.,

piaster of i\t if orporatbn of Sirinitg ^onse,

ETC., ETC., ETC.,

THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE,

BY PERMISSION,

MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,

WITH THE LOYAL DUTY,

PROFOUND ESTEEM,

AND

SPECIAL CONGRATULATION
OF THE COMPILER.

Trinity House,

July, 1868.

895801

To THE Elder Brethren of the

Corporation of Trinity House

OF Deptford Strond.

Brethren,

Upon the election of H.R.H. the Prince
Alfred to the office of Master of this Corporation
in 1866, I had the honour of receiving his Royal
Highness' command to submit, for his information, a
short account of the Origin, History, and Duties of
this Ancient and Honourable Fraternity.

I thereupon drew up such a statement, in the
shape of a Letter to His Royal Highness, which,
after having the good fortune to prove acceptable
to our Master, was submitted to our Court ; and,
a general wish being then expressed that the subject
matter thereof should be printed for the information
of the Brethren, I have put it into the form of a 'brief
memoir, adding whatever I thought would tend to
make it more complete. These additions are com-

vi CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

piled from very many and various records in this
House, and are altogether either verbally transcribed
from, or substantially identical with, the actual reports
or minutes of the Corporation's affairs.

It is at best but an imperfect and brief memoir,
but, such as it is, I trust it may be found useful in
affording some slight assistance to those who wish
to master the numerous details of those important
increasing public duties which the Elder Brethren are
called upon to fulfil, and that its pages will be accept-
able to the Members of this Corporation.

I have the honour to be,

Brethren,
Your very faithful and obedient servant,

FREDERICK ARROW.

Trinity House,

July, 1868.

A MEMOJ-R;

Originally suggested by research undertaken in
obedience to a desire expressed by His Royal Highness
the Master, the following pages have been prepared, in
the behef that a brief memoir of the records, purposes,
and functions of this ancient Corporation may prove
welcome, not only to its administrative heads and
officials, but to many interests identified with the com-
mercial and nautical prosperity of Great Britain.

The printed information hitherto extant is limited
to the Charter of Confirmation granted by James II.
(with the minor concession, by Charles II., of Thames
Ballastage), and a compilation from the records of
the Corporation, down to 1746, by its then secretary,
Mr. Whormby, supplemented by a memoir drawn up,
in 1822, by Captain Joseph Cotton, then Master. But
the data of these latter are necessarily imperfect, as
the destruction by fire, in 17 14, of the house in Water
Lane had already involved a disastrous loss of docu-
mentary evidence, leaving much to be inferentially
traced from collateral records of the Admiralty and
Navy Boards. These, however, sufficiently attest ad-

• For Master ?r.7rt' Deputy-Master-

8 CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

ministrative powers and protective influence, scarcely
inferior to the scope of those departments.

The history of the Corporation of Trinity House,
properly beginnJng; v;it*]i the original Charter of King
Hefiry VIM, in 1514, has claim to yet higher antiquity,
for that 'deed* ncit.'-pniy 'inenf ions the Almshouse at
Deptford (erected some hundred years before) as the
head-quarters, or seat, of the Society of Mariners which
it enrols, but affords evidence of a practically corporate
influence already long existing. As an Association for
protection of maritime interests, and for relief of the
aged and indigent, the Society had manifestly so
inspired confidence and acquired authority as to estab-
lish regulations for the navigation of ships and the
government of seamen, which, by general consent, had
been adopted throughout the service ; and the power
conferred by the Charter to confirm and enforce such
regulations, so far as consistent with the laws of the
Realm, appears to have been a natural recognition of
tested and approved capacity, which had gradually
attracted official attention and respect.

Originally, then, a voluntary association of the
" Shipmen or Mariners of England," the Corporation
of Trinity House of Deptford Strond, was first so
entitled in the Charter granted by King Henry VIII.,
where they are described as " The Guild or Fraternity
of the most glorious and undividable Trinity of St.
Clement." The subsequent Act (8th) of Elizabeth
refers to the Master, Wardens, and Assistants of the

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE. g

Trinity House of Dcptford Strond ; and the Charter
of James I. and all later Charters are granted to "The
Master, Wardens, and Assistants of the Guild, Frater-
nity, or Brotherhood of the most glorious and undivided
Trinity, and of St. Clement, in the parish of Deptford,
in the county of Kent."

The Grant of Arms to the Corporation, dated 1573,
prescribes : — Argent, a plain cross Gules, between four
ships Sable, the fore and topsails up, and underneath,
on a wreath of their colors, a Demi-Lion Rampant
Gardant, and crowned with a crown imperial Or : in
his right paw an arming sword Argent, hilt and pomell
Or, langued and armed Azure, doubled Gules. Motto,
Trini/as m Unit ate.

Whether the distinctive name be referable to the re-
ligious element in the constitution of the Guild — which
included provision for the maintenance of a chaplain,
and for conduct of Divine Service in the parish church
— or whether, as the wording of the original Charter
may be construed to imply, it was conferred at the
pleasure of the Sovereign, does not certainly appear.
Whencesoever derived, it is reverently valued and
cherished by the holders, not only as deeply symbolic
of unity and brotherhood, but as an abiding relic of the
rooted, simple piety of our sea-faring ancestors, yet
manifest in the preambles of their trade indentures,
and in the traditions which tenaciously survive them.

Undoubtedly the like title was conferred upon
two public bodies of similar kind and purpose, incor-

lO CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

porated during the same reign ; but these (haihng
from Hull and Newcastle) were strictly local or pro-
vincial, and the higher status of the Trinity Corporation
was soon emphatically recognized, in the ensuing
reign, by Parliamentary authority to "Erect and
maintain Beacons, Marks, and Signs for the sea, for
the better navigation of the Coasts of England " — a
function which has gradually expanded into the
present National Lighthouse organization.

The House, or Hall, at Deptford, where the affairs of
the Corporation were first conducted, adjoined the
apartments of the almspeople. It is supposed that
there was also a Branch or Station at Leigh, in Essex,
where vessels arriving were supplied with pilots, as the
outward-bound were similarly provided at Deptford.
The buildings at St . Clement falling, in course of time,
to decay, a new Hall and additional Almshouses were
built, in 1765, on land now called the Upper Ground,
remaining to this day ; and here, until recently, was
held the annual election of Officers, on Trinity Monday.
The building is now only used as a pay hall, for dis-
tribution of alms and pensions.

The daily business of the Corporation — requiring
convenience of access to ship-owners and their
associate trades — was first conducted at a house in
Ratcliffe, next at Stepney, then in Water Lane, Tower
Street ; and finally, on this tenement — twice burnt
and restored — becoming dilapidated, an estate was
purchased (1792) on Tower Hill, where the present

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE. 1 1

Trinity House was erected, from designs by Wyatt,
in 1798.

Returning to Deptford, and the earlier time, it is
noteworthy that the birth of the Corporation coincided,
or nearly, with other manifestations of Tudor zeal for
the Navy and Marine of England, in which the
Trinity House was, from the first, an important
auxiliary ally. About the year 1520, when the Charter
was but six years old, commenced the formation of
Admiralty and Navy Boards, the primary suggestion
of which is ascribed to Henry VH. On the conse-
quent establishment of Dockyards and Arsenals, the
Deptford Building Yard was confided to the direction
of the Trinity House, together with superintendence
of all Navy stores and provisions. So closely, indeed,
were the services related, that the first Master of the
Corporation, under the Charter, was Sir Thomas
Spert, Commander of the " Heniy Grace-a-Dieu "
(our first man-of-war), and sometime Controller of the
Navy. The Corporation thus became, as it were, the
civil branch of the English maritime service, with a
naval element which it preserves to this day. That
it exercised very considerable powers in both manning
and out-fitting the Navy, and in protecting the in-
terests of the mercantile Marine, is abundantly evident
from contemporary Government records, which prac-
tically replace the minutes destroyed in the fire of
1714; testifying that the Trinity Brethren officially
reported upon ships to be purchased for the Navy,

12 CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

regulated the dimensions of those to be built, and
determined the proper complement for each, of sailors,
armament, and stores.

In 1647, the Charter of James I. was dissolved by
Parliament, and the affairs of the Corporation were
transferred to a select Committee. But in 1659 the
surviving mem.bers re-assembled, and successfully
asserted their right to sit and act on the Committee ;
and, eventually, the Brotherhood was re-constructed by
the power which had temporarily suppressed them.

On the Restoration shortly ensuing, the Charter was
renewed, confirming to the Corporation all its former
privileges ; and this renewal having been surrrendered
(in proof of loyalty) to the King, shortly before his
death, was formally re-granted by his successor,
James 11. , in 1685, and remains in force to the present
time.

Although the main duties of the Corporation were
essentially of peaceful character, the Charter stipu-
lated that its members should be liable to serve the
Crown at sea, if required ; and, in set-off to such
liability, the Brethren and their subordinates were
exempted from land service of every kind. In the
course of their history, they have frequently been
called upon for service afloat, and notably upon two
occasions : during the Mutiny at the Nore, in 1797*
when the Elder Brethren, almost in view of the
mutinous fleet, removed or destroyed every beacon
and buoy that could guide its passage out to sea ; and

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE. 13

again, in 1803, when a French invasion was im-
minent, they undertook and carried out the defence of
the entrance to the Thames, by manning and per-
sonally officering a cordon of fully-armed ships,
moored across the river below Gravesend, with an
adequate force of trustworthy seamen, for destruction,
if necessar>', of all channel marks that might guide
an approaching enemy.

It has, further, been the prescriptive duty and
grateful privilege of the Elder Brethren to attend the
Sovereign on sea journies, to the end that their
special knowledge of coasts, channels, and currents
may be, in case of emergency, at command. Within
the last half-century their yacht has been thus
mustered with the fleet of George IV. in 1822, and
with the pageant which attended Her Majesty's
first auspicious visit to Scotland with her lamented
Consort in I842. Since those dates, with the advance
of facihties for journeying at sea, and of inclination
to use them, they have frequently had the honour
of attending on their Sovereign in her cruises on her
own coasts, or to the Continent ; and at the grand
Naval Review, when the fleet was reviewed by Her
Majesty in the presence of the Sultan, the Trinity
yacht had the distinguished honour of leading, as
pilot, the Royal Squadron through the fleet.

The constitution of the Corporation, with the
growth and development of the Lighthouse system,
and their management of Pilotage, Ballastage, and

14

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

charitable provisions, will appear immediately under
the appertaininc^ heads. But a glance at recent events
is necessary to complete the brief historic summary
which is the leading object of the compiler.

The usefulness of the Trinity House having steadily
advanced with all opportunities for extension, it re-
ceived in 1836 the culminating recognition of an Act
of Parliament, empowering its executive to purchase
of the Crown, and to redeem from private proprietors,
their interests in all the Coast Lights of England, thus
bringing all within its own control. By Crown
patents, granted from time to time, the Corporation
was enabled to raise, through levy of tolls, the funds
necessary for erection and maintenance of these
national blessings ; and the benevolent objects of the
founders of the Royal Charters were, in most cases,
kept in view by provisional clauses, applying all surplus
of revenue over expenditure to the relief of indigent
and aged mariners, their wives, widows, and orphans.

This disposal of accruing surplus continued until
1853, by which time — occasional reservation of dues
notwithstanding — the allowance to out-pensioners
alone amounted to upwards of ^20,000 per annum ;
in addition to which nearly half as much more of
income, derived from property held in trust for
charitable purposes, was applied to maintenance of
the Almshouses at Deptford and Mile-End (152 in
number), and to other charitable uses for the benefit
of the Maritime community.

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

15

But a Department thus honourably distinguished,
and charged not only with administration of important
public duties, but with disposal of increasing trusts,
was naturally exposed, as all pubhc bodies are to
some extent, to the concomitant evils of jealousy and
insufficient knowledge of facts. Set upon a hill — in
other than the palpable sense* — the Trinity House
could hardly expect, and has not uninterruptedly
enjoyed, exemption from adverse criticism and even
hostile attack. The Brethren have had to sustain
several searching inquiries into their affairs and
management, before Committees of the House of
Commons, the most important of which were in 1732,
1822, 1834, 1845, 3-^d 1858. The two first were
directed more particularly to the Pilotage systems, and
the latter to management of Lights, Buoys, and
Beacons ; but from each and all of these ordeals the
Corporation has issued with extended authority, and
creditable verdicts upon its past course of action, and —
save one exceptional subtraction from its means of
usefulness — confirmed and strengthened in its powers.
It must not be supposed here that the writer deprecates
such inquiries. On the contrary, he has, in common
with his Brethren, cheerfully recognised their value
and usefulness— especially as regards the last one,
from whose evidence undoubted good has arisen.

The exception refers to 1853, when Parliament,
departing from received principles of policy, found it

* Tower Hill.

1 6 CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

expedient to transfer to the Board of Trade the Cor-
poration's control of its funds collected from tolls and
dues, and at the same time those of the Scotch and
Irish Boards. The functions of the Trinity House were
thus subjected by the Legislature to considerable modi-
fication. Its administrative powers, indeed, were
strengthened, and its relations with the sister-kingdoms
confirmed ; but the character of irresponsibility, which
it had until then possessed, was removed, and a con-
trolling power over its expenditure was conceded to
the Board of Trade, involving the necessity of official
sanction to every item of disbursement in its public
accounts. In this arrangement the Legislature as-
sumed, for guiding axiom, that whatever might have
been the ancient practice, it was no longer right, or in
accord with the temper and feeling of the day, to tax
shipowners, more than other branches of commerce, for
the future relief of persons in their particular service ;
and, on that score, to charge them with higher rates
of toll than were necessary for efficient maintenance
of the essential requirements of Lighthouse service.

The revision of Trinity House expenditure, thus
placed in the hands of the Board of Trade, could
hardly help extending beyond the limits prescribed by
Parliament. The arrangement, however, has on the
whole worked harmoniously, few differences of opinion
having arisen, and those confined to subjects on which
third parties were concerned ; and the only substantial
check sustained, in the change of 1858, is upon the

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

17

means of beneficence theretofore enjoyed by the Cor-
poration. These appropriations to the charitable
designs of its founders were, of course, seriously
reduced — to no more in fact, after payment of vested
Interests and Pensions, than mere distribution of the
private income of the Corporation, derived from its
own funded and trust property, still devoted, as before,
to the support of its Almshouses, to the grant of casual
relief, and to various objects in promotion of the wel-
fare of Merchant Seamen and of Navy-men, with a
reserve for upholding tha status and dignity of the
Corporation at its House.

Upon a separate provision for remuneration of the
Elder Brethren, some misconception exists, which it
may be well to correct by a plain statement of facts.
Under an Act passed in 1822, an annual sum of
^7,000 was authorised to be appropriated to twenty
Acting Elder Brethren. This fixed sum was in sub-
stitution for certain fees, called "Elder Turns," charged
upon vessels entering or departing from the River
Thames, which had been the dues of the Elder
Brethren from earliest times, but which were thence-
forward carried to the Lighthouse revenue. These
dues, though varying in yield, had greatly increased
with the advance of trade, and what the Elder Brethren
then resigned to the public is now a very considerable
revenue: the same causes have also proportionately
enlarged the scope of the Corporation, and multiplied
its labours, but the so-fixed allowance remains
B

1 8 CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

unaltered, and not supplemented — directly or indirectly
— from any source whatsoever.

It remains to summarise, under five convenient
heads, the organisation of our Corporation, and its
distributed duties, in the following order : —

Constitution of the Trinity House.

The Court, or Governing Body of the Corporation,
is composed of a hmited number of members, having
three degrees of precedence — those, namely, of Master,
Wardens, and Assistants. In the Charter (15 141 of
Henry VIII., this number was fixed at thirteen, com-
prising one Master, four Wardens, and eight Assistants,
who were elected annually by all the other members
or Brethren of the Guild. Confirmed, verbatim, by
Edward VI. (1547), by Mary (1553), and by Elizabeth
( 1558) ; the scheme remained unaltered until James I.,
in 1604, granted a Charter in more explicit terms In
this a distinction was, for the first time, formally drawn
between Elder and Younger Brethren ; the conditions
for maintenance of a chaplain and religious services
were omitted ; and the number (thirteen) of the Govern-
ing Body was increased by addition of eighteen Elder
Brethren, making, in all, thirty-one. Upon these no
power in the government of the Corporation was
directly conferred ; but they were capacitated for
acting as Deputies to the ruling members — the Wardens
and Assistants — if properly nominated. In the Charter
(1609) of James II., the status of the eighteen Elder

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

19

Brethren was definitely settled, and the management
of the Corporation's affairs was committed to a sum-
moned court, consisting of the Master, .Wardens,
Assistants, and Elder Brethren, with a Clerk to carry
out its instructions ; and this form of constitution is
preserved, unaltered, to the present time.

The Elder Brethren are elected out of the Younger
class — that is, from those among them who volunteer
and are approved as candidates for the office. Under
the regulations now in force, the thirty-one consist of
twenty brought up to the Maritime service — deemed
the Acting Elder Brethren — and eleven persons of dis-
tinction— as members of the Royal Family, Ministers
of State, Naval Officers of high rank, etc. The twenty
so-called Acting Brethren are officers of the Mercan-
tile Marine, or of Her Majesty's Navy ; the latter being
a small proportion, consisting, at this time, of two
Admirals and one Captain. The Board has this
Naval element by a tacit understanding ; but there is
no absolute authority or necessity for the admixture,
and it is confined to three, in just consideration of the
limited opportunity open to officers of the Mercantile
Marine for attaining recognized positions like that of
an Elder Brother. Vacancies in the Court are filled
up, as they occur, by the Elder Brethren themselves,
electing by ballot a successor to his vacant seat. In
this election, as in the conduct of all the duties of the
Corporation, the whole of the Elder Brethren, without
distinction, have the same right to participate. Prac-
B 2

20 CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

tically, however, as the active duties are performed by
the twenty Acting Brethren, to them it is left to decide
upon fillijig up vacancies among their ranks; while the
selection of filling up the vacancy in the remaining
eleven is left to the Master for the time being, within
the recognized limits, who, in fact, gives a cofige
d^elire.

Younger Brethren (of whom the number is unhmited)
are admissible at the pleasure of the Court. With a
right to vote in the election of Master and Wardens,
they have no other share in the management of the
Corporation's affairs.

The objects for which the Corporation was founded
are generally described in its Charters, as being to
"treat and conclude upon all and singular articles any-
wise concerning the science or art of Mariners," and,
particularly, to aid and encourage Navigation, to pro-
vide for the Pilotage of ships (especially the Royal
Navy) into and out of port, and to relieve poor and
aged mariners. To these was added the Ballastage of
ships in the Thames, as a means of clearing and deepen-
ing the navigable channels of the river, and of meeting
the needs of shipping with the assured and regular
supply essential to despatch discharged vessels, and to
obviate the evils of detention. But the prominent duty
of the Trinity House, in aid of navigation, was that of
placing Beacons and Buoys, and of preserving sea-
marks along the coast — charges which have gradually
grown into the existing system of Lighthouses.

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HO USE. 2 I

Among many minor branches of the Brethren's duty,
the most noteworthy are the Examination of Masters and
Mates in the Roy;il Navy (now styled Navigating Lieu-
tenants), and their association, as Nautical Advisers,
with the Judge of the High Court of Admiralty. A
very grave responsibihty is, of course, involved in cer-
tification of Masters of the Queen's ships for Pilotage,
with commensurate necessity for perfect knowledge in
the examiners of the navigation for which such candi-
dates are destined ; while the honourable, though not
lucrative, obligation which calls two of the Brethren
to the side of the Admiralty Judge, when required,
engages them, sometimes for days together, upon in-
tricate causes affecting the largest interests.

It is sufficiently evident that, in the early days of the
Corporation, the Court {i.e. all the members assembled)
transacted the business in hand through the medium
of its Deputy-Master, Wardens, and Clerk ; but, with
gradual development and enlargement of their affairs,
the Executive found it necessary to devise a sub-
division of details into three or four departments, each
superintended by a Committee of members of the
Court. This distribution has remained practically un-
altered to the present time, the general principle of the
Elder Brethren being that of vigilant, personal conduct
of every important duty, without resort to avoidable
agency or extraneous aid. With this object, they
divide themselves into seven Committees, viz. : of
Warde?is, for Ballasiage, for Pilotage, for Lights^ for

22 CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

Exajnination, for Pefisioners, and for House Affairs.
whose respective duties are, in outline, as follow : —

The Committee of Wardens^ over which the Deputy-
Master (Chairman, ex-officio, of all Committees) regu-
larly presides, takes cognisance of all questions con-
nected with finance, controls the revenue, invites
tenders, examines and accept contracts, etc., and
generally considers all matters of importance to mature
them for discussion at the Courts.

The Co7nmittee for Ballastage, or supervision of the
details of that branch.

The Committee for Pilotage is concerned with all
matters of detail connected with the various Pilotage
establishments, together with the appointment of
Pilots round the coast ; and investigates, either directly
or indirectly, or through the sub-commissioners at out-
ports, all complaints of carelessness or inefficiency —
those of serious character being always personally in-
vestigated.

The Cominittee for Lights is charged with the direc-
tion of Lighthouses, Buoys, Beacons, and Light-vessels
within the jurisdiction of the Corporation ; providing
for their maintenance and repair, regulating the supply
of stores and the appointment of keepers, and con-
stantly inspecting the several stations — a service
entailing unremitting attention upon the members,
some of whom are constantly on duty, either afloat in
the steam-vessels or on land journeys, accompanied fre-
quently by other members of the Board.

*For " or supervision of " re(ui '" supervises."

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

23

The Examining Committee undertakes to consider,
in the first instance, all questions relating to the navi-
gation of our coast, the site and condition of Lights,
Buoys, and Beacons, and the alterations which they
may from time to time require, reporting thereon to the
Board, by whom each recommendation is finally dis-
posed of. This Committee also discharges the like
duty with respect to Lighthouses abroad, and to the
many questions relative to analogous subjects submitted
for their advice by Foreign Governments or Colonial
Authorities, whenever questions relating to them are
referred to the Corporation. Its members, further,
personally examine Masters and (under recent order)
Sub-Lieutenants of her Majesty's Navy, for the pilot-
age of the English Channel, together with applicants
for Licenses to pilot in the River Thames, and in
the North and South Channels, from the Humber
to the Isle of Wight. This Committee, moreover,
frequently surveys and inspects the channels of the
Thames, and the shoals of the North Sea, and other
points of the coast at which changes affecting naviga-
tion by shifting or scouring, growth or wasting of the
sands, require to be watched and notified.

The Cofmnittee for Pensioners, composed of junior
Members of the other Committees, examines into, and
reports to the Board upon, apphcations for charitable
relief, or for Almshouses or Out-Pensions.

The Committee for House Affairs provides for
proper ordering and repair of the House on Tower

24 CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

Hill, regulates the supplies required for its various
departments, and superintends the exercise of its
hospitality in a manner befitting its position.

The direct action of these Committees is restricted
to matters of detail, and such as call for immediate
attention ; all questions of importance, at the dis-
cussion of which, if necessary, the Deputy Master
presides, and the Wardens join, being submitted by
them for the decision of Board or Court, as the case
may be. The minutes of their meetings are read
for confirmation at the Courts held on the first
Tuesday of every month (at which all the Acting
Elder Brethren are present), affording opportunity
for re-consideration of any question which may have
arisen, and for rectification, if necessary.

Changes in the Committees are annually effected on
Trinity Monday by transferring, as advisable, members
from one to another Committee ; so that, after gaining
experience in one branch, an Elder Brother becomes
acquainted with the detail of another, and gradually
acquires full practical knowledge of all the details of
the service.

The official establishment, or staff, of the Corpora-
tion, consists of a Secretary and Assistant-Secretary,
eight senior Clerks, seven Assistant-Clerks, twelve
junior Clerks, and four temporary Clerks — in all,
thirty-three ; and of one Engineer, three Assistants,
and one Draftsman and Clerk of Works. On purely
scientific questions the Trinity House is careful to

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE. 25

consult men of the first eminence ; and the privilege
of intimate association, through many years, with the
lamented Faraday (worthily succeeded by Professor
Tyndall), will always be especially and gratefully re-
called by his contemporary Elder Brethren.

The Engineering Department undertakes the various
duties connected with erection of new, or maintenance
of existing, Lighthouses, Keepers' dwellings. Beacons,
Buoys, etc., detailed plans and drawings of which are
prepared and preserved for use or reference. It super-
intends the construction of lanterns and optical
apparatus, and has charge of the protective works
necessary for securing the foreshore adjacent to
Lighthouses from encroachment of the sea and storm
casualties ; also of the engines of the steam vessels,
etc., etc. At its head is Mr. James N. Douglass, a
gentleman brought up in the service of the Corpora-
tion, and one of a family distinguished for skill and
courage in carrying out engineering works of ex-
ceptional difficulty and danger. The father of Mr.
Douglass superintended the erection of the Lighthouse
on the Bishop Rock, Scilly Islands — a work exceeding,
in the aggregate of obstacles surmounted, the notable
triumph at Skerryvore. In this, Mr. James Douglass
assisted, and he has, independently, raised the Light on
Small's Rock. His younger brother is now engaged
upon a Tower on the Wolf Rock — after the design of
the late eminent engineer Mr. James Walker — a feat
which will assuredly rival those works of his eminent

26 CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

relatives, as a monument of skill and perseverance,
illustrative of hereditary genius.

Of Lights, Buoys, and Beacons.-

Beacons were erected on the coasts of Britain, for
guidance of mariners, soon after the Roman Invasion ;
and it is considered probable that, from some of these,
warning fires were exhibited by night. None, how-
ever, now remain to palpably attest their existence —
possibly because such warnings were subsequently
discredited and abandoned, as likely to produce a
balance of harm in aiding an enemy's fleet while pro-
tecting our own.

In early records of the Trinity House, the sea-marks
first mentioned are the Buoys and Beacons in the
River Tees, with others in Yarmouth Roads, and the
entrance to the Thames, all of which are referred to in
terms indicating that they had then been for a long
time in existence. Watch-towers, also, surmounted with
coal fires, were here and there erected for harbour-lights
in and about the reign of Henry VIII. ; but no record
is found of any sea-light for guidance of passing vessels
having been established on the coast of England until
the year 1600, when two Lighthouses were built by the
Trinity House at Caistor, in Norfolk. Next came
those at Lowestoft, in 1609; Dungeness, in 161 5 ;
North and South Forelands, in 1634 ; Winterton and

* For Detailed List, see Appendix.

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

27

Orford, in 16375 Tyncmouth, in 1628; Harwich, in
1664 ; Hunstanton, in 1665 ; Spurn Point, in 1675 ;
St. Agnes, Scilly, in 1680 ; and Eddystone, in 1698.
In all these the means of illumination were candles,
oil, or coal-fires, either open or part closed.

The first floating-light was moored at the Nore, in
1 73 1, and another was stationed at the Well, or Dud-
geon Shoal, off the Lincolnshire coast, in 1736. Both
of these were sloops, with lanterns hoisted on cross-
yards.

Towards the middle of the eighteenth century, the
necessity for improvement on existing methods of
illumination — which had so far been most primitive
— became strongly felt. After many experiments, an
improved lamp, with a reflector, was placed in the
Lowestoft High Light, and remained on trial during
the winter of 1778. The shape and material of this
reflector are not recorded, but there is reason to sup-
pose that it was parabolic in form, and lined with
facets of silvered glass for a reflecting surface.

The reflecting system was not definitely adopted
until 1788, when the Elder Brethren, acting upon the
result of experiments which had attracted their atten-
tion in France, introduced into the Lighthouses under
their control the Argand Lamp and Parabolic Reflector.
The first house so lighted was that at Portland, where,
in 1789, the High Light was fitted with lamps and
reflectors, and the Low Light with lamps and lenses.
This was the first introduction of Lenses into use for

28 CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

Lighthouse illumination, which, however, were little
more than an exaggeration of the common bull's-eye.

The Argand Lamp and Reflector gave the means of
effecting a distinction between different Lighthouses,
by what is called a Revolving Light. The light from
the Reflector could now be thrown in any particular
direction, as desired, by fixing one or more lamps upon
a framework contrived to revolve ; and thus a brilliant
flash would be visible to the observer every time that
the lamp came round to his position, total darkness
ensuing until the framework had completed a revolu-
tion. An apparatus of this description was placed in
the St. Agnes Lighthouse, at Scilly, in 1806, and
another in that of Flamboro' Head in the same year.

But the most important advance in the earlier science
of Lighthouse illumination was brought into notice in
England in 1827. It consisted in an application of
Buffon's method for augmenting the power of a lens by
grinding it down into concentric rings (called by Buffon
'steps'), so as to diminish its thickness, without re-
duction of focal length. The principle was first applied
by MM. Arago and Fresnel, under whose direction a
Lenticular apparatus was fitted at the Tour de Corduan,
and experiments were made before the Elder Brethren
by Doctor (afterwards Sir David) Brewster, in 1827,
with a lens manufactured by Gilbert, of London ; but
it was not until 1836 that the system was adopted in
England. In that year a Lenticular apparatus was
fitted, and a Revolving Light of the first power ex-

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

29

hibited at the Start Point Lighthouse, now about to be
superseded by a modern instrument.

Under the Catoptric or reflecting system, it was pos-
sible to use several Argands, all showing in the same
direction, but the Lenticular or Dioptric admitted one
lamp only. It, therefore, became most desirable to
intensify this single centre in order to equalise its
illuminative power with that of the greatest number of
Argands then commonly employed in one light. This
was finally accomplished by a Frenchman, Carcel, by
means of a burner, capable of holding four concentric
circular wicks, producing an intense flame of about
four-inch diameter, and three inches high. According
to the latest experiments, the light of this lamp is equal
to that from fourteen Argand burners.

In both Argand and Concentric-wick lamps, Sperm
Oil only was used, until in 1845 its high price, as com-
pared with Rape-seed variety, became the subject of
attention. A consequent modification of the Argand,
invented by Mr. G. Herbert, an officer of the Corpo-
ration, was found to render it capable of burning
Rape ; and, by prompt adoption of the alteration, a
great saving was effected, and Sperm finally super-
seded.

The latest and most important improvement which
has been incorporated with our Lighthouse system is
the Magneto-Electric Light, produced on a plan
invented and patented by Professor Holmes, of
London, which was submitted by him to the Elder

30

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

Brethren in 1857, and is, in fact, the practical apphca-
tion of the late Professor Faraday's discovery, so far
back as 1831, of Magneto-Electricity. After many
preliminary experiments, and a test exhibition of it,
for three months, at the South Foreland, the light
was permanently established at Dungeness on the
6th of June, 1862, and its application will shortly be
extended. Three stations on the East Coast are now
in course of preparation for receiving it.

Floating Lights, or those exhibited from vessels
moored near shoals, rocks, or other dangers, have
benefited materially by successive improvements in
shore-lights, so far as applicable to a floating body.
The lantern, instead of being suspended from a cross-
yard, is now made larger, and appears, as it were
incorporate with the mast. Within it are Argand
lamps, hung upon gimball-work, to counteract the
rolling and pitching of the vessel, and so arranged as
to show either a fixed light all round the horizon, or a
revolving light emitting a powerful flash at regular
intervals. The unsteadiness of the vessel's motion
has hitherto prevented introduction of the Lenticular
system into this branch of the service, as on a shifting
basis the requisite nicety of adjustment cannot be
obtained.

Light-ships are commonly built of wood, and differ
but little in shape from ordinary sea-going vessels.
Iron has been tried as a material for their construc-
tion, but the inconvenience and expense entailed by

CORPORA TION OF TR INI T V HO USE. 3 1

their frequently getting foul and corroded, have led
the Corporation to resume exclusive employment of
wood.

Buoys, for floating sea-marks, have been made of so
various shapes and sizes that no classification of them
can be attempted. The first buoy moored was,
probably, a cask, and that primitive form is used in
some of our harbours to the present day. The conical
shape, however, has been generally used for service
on exposed stations, as least liable to break from
moorings, exhibiting more conspicuous mark, and
more easily shifted than any other. Wood has been
hitherto the chief material used for this purpose, but
iron is now being extensively employed in the con-
struction of our sea-marks, the objections to its use
for Light-vessels not applying to buoys, as they can be
got at and kept clean with comparative ease. The
use of iron, again, admits of larger size than is prac-
ticable in wood, and (with special construction) of the
addition of a large bell, which materially increases the
value of sea-marks.

In this ' abstract and brief chronicle ' of salient
points in the progress of Lighthouse Science, those
projects only are adduced which have been actually
brought into practical use. Numerous suggested im-
provements have been, from time to time, investigated,
such as the Drummond Light, Gas, the Oxy-hydrogen
Light, the Electric Light (chemically produced), and
others. In debate over these and all possible im-

32

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

provements and proposals, the Elder Brethren have
always been careful to secure the best scientific
advice. In addition to that of Sir David Brewster,
and of others incidentally consulted at various times,
the Corporation had, for many years, the invaluable
advantage (already gratefully acknowledged) of the
late Professor Faraday's services, as their permanent
scientific adviser.

Of Pilotage.

The organization of this service for the Port of
London, and the channels leading thereto, was un-
doubtedly one of the earliest duties of the Corpora-
tion ; and the patent necessity for such a system,
concurrently with that of Buoyage and Beaconage,
was a primary reason for the Charter. The general
terms of the earher recitals do not specifically refer to
Pilotage, but some such system was certainly adopted
before the reign of Henry VIII.

The Corporation's authority appears to have been
sufficient to enforce such regulations as met the
requirements of the time, until towards the close of the
seventeenth century. At that period shipping was
largely on the increase ; and the preamble to the
Charter of James II., in which first the Corporations
powers and duties are explicitly defined, avers that
much damage to navigation, and great loss of life and
property, had occurred through the ignorance of un-
qualified persons professing the duties of a pilot. It

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE. 33

provides, accordingly, that no person shall thereafter
act in that capacity, into or out of the Thames, without
a licence from the Trinity House, confirmed by the
Lord High Admiral of England. Provision also was
made for the expenses incidental to this jurisdiction,
by confirmation of a then customary tribute from the
pilots, in the shape of poundage upon their earnings.

Some discontent arising in respect of this levy,
recourse was had, in 1732, to Parliamentary enact-
ment ; and an Act of that year (5th Geo. II., c. 26)
settled the boundaries of the Corporation's jurisdiction,
re-affirming, in effect, the Poundage and Penalty
clauses of the Charter. By subsequent Acts (48th
Geo. III., c. 104, and 52nd Geo. III., c. 39) the limits
of jurisdiction were extended ; and power was given
for appointment of Sub-Commissioners, in places
where Pilotage was not already regulated by Charter
or Act of Parliament. The Corporation was further
empowered to license cutters for cruising with pilots
off the coast ; and distinctions of class, which had
been introduced to secure the best hands for the
largest vessels, were recognised and formally ratified.

In order to check imposition, and to prevent dis-
putes, relating to charges for pilotage of foreign
vessels to and from London, an Act was passed in
1815 (55th Geo. III,c. 87), making such rates pay-
able at the Trinity House ; and, in 1825, the sum of
these Acts was consolidated, with amendments, in
that of 6th Geo. IV., c. 125.
C

34

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

Besides the pilots appointed by the Trinity House,
there were others, hcensed by the Lord Warden of
the Cinque Ports, to conduct vessels into the Thames
and the Medway ; but in 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. 129)
these two Pilotage authorities were consolidated, the
Corporation taking charge of the whole system.

As regards remuneration of these most useful and
important servants, the rates payable to pilots were,
before the year 1 808, based upon the tonnage of the
vessel piloted ; but in that year (by the 48th Geo. III.,
c. 104) a ship's draught of water was substituted for
her tonnage, as the rule of reckoning.

Under the Charter of James II., and by long
antecedent usage, the pilots paid poundage and other
dues to the Corporation, and were relieved, when in
poverty or temporary need, out of the Corporate Fund,
as were the rest of " the poor of the Corporation." In
1808 was instituted (under 48th Geo. III., c. 104) a
Fund for the benefit of decayed Pilots out of the
Surplus Rates of Pilotage imposed upon foreign
vessels. This fund continued to steadily increase for
some years, until diminished by the operation of
Reciprocity Treaties, which led to a re-construction
under the Act of 1826. Thenceforth the annual dues,
which had been the property of the Corporation, were
devoted to the Fund, and poundage was decreed to be
paid as before by each pilot, upon his earnings, the
whole forming the " Pilots' Fund," out of which were
maintained the Pilots' Almshouses and their inmates,

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

35

together with out-pensioners, or decayed pilots, their
widows and orphans. At the time of the consohdation
of the London and Dover services under the Trinity
House, their several funds were likewise amalgamated,
and the joint management reorganised.

The number of Pilotage Stations, or Districts, under
the jurisdiction of the Corporation, is forty-eight, at
which a total number of 880 pilots act, under licences
from the Trinity House, and under government of its
rules and orders, in the exercise of their calling, and
the conduct of their cutters, boats, &c. The Fund,
already referred to, as administered by the Corpora-
tion, has an invested capital of ^90,593 12s. lod.

Of Ballastage.

The Lastage and Ballastage of the River Thames,
with fees and profits therefrom arising, were originally
the property of the Lord High Admiral of England.
As early as the year 1483 the privilege appears to have
produced a considerable revenue, and the sole right to
the office was leased by the then Lord High Admiral
to a private person for a term of years. In the course
of the ensuing century, during which similar leases
and sub-leases continued, the evil effects of such a
system would naturally develope themselves in reckless
dredging for ballast, wherever it was to be got most
easily and economically, without regard to effect upon
the channels of the river. Ultimately, to secure the
supervision of the interest most concerned for due
C 2

36

CORPORA riON OF TRINITY HOUSE.

maintenance and improvement of the River Naviga-
tion, Lord High Admiral Lord Howard, in 1594,
generously surrendered his rights to the Crown, with
express recommendation that the office should be
intrusted to the Trinity House. This was effected by
a Grant of Queen Ehzabeth, in the thirty-sixth year of
her reign ; and the Corporation thus acquired the
exclusive right of ballasting vessels in the River
Thames, from London Bridge to the main sea, together
with the revenue and profits accruing, without stipula-
tion as to their appliance of the proceeds.

These rights were enjoyed, without interruption,
during the succeeding reign, and were re-granted by
Charles II., in 1675. Some little trouble then arose
out of a grant of similar rights to Colonel Carlos, in
1677 — given, however, with an assurance that it should
not prejudice the Corporation — until the Colonel sur-
rendered his privilege to the King, who granted it
anew to the Trinity House, with a proviso that the
profits should be applied for the benefit of poor Sea-
men, their wives, widows, and orphans, for ever.

In 1733 an Act enabled the Trinity House to charge
higher rates than before for ballast, and enacted
regulations for prevention of fraud by the ballastmen.
In 1759, in 1805, and again in 1823, the Act of 1733
was continued and further amended. In 1853, the
Merchant Shipping Act was passed, under which the
Ballastage Revenues became part of the Mercantile
Marine Fund (although whether so intended by the

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE. 37

Act is open to question) ; and, at the instance of the
lamented Prince Albert (afterwards styled Prince
Consort), who was at that time Master of the Cor-
poration, the work of ballast-heaving was placed
under the control of the Corporation, Formerly the
ballast, when laid in barge or lighter alongside the
ship to be supplied, was heaved on board by men
who were hired and paid by various waterside con-
tractors, and subjected to great hardships, not only
from the greed of their employers, but from a de-
moralising system of payment through publicans and
local harpies. These evils were altogether removed
by the establishment of a Heaver's Office, under
control of the Trinity House, where men could attend
for employment, and where their wages could be
paid with regularity, and free from extortionate
deduction.

The Ballast Act expiring in 1866, and the Conser-
vancy of the Thames being at that time newly organized
by Legislative enactment — although, be it observed,
the rights of the Corporation of London, as Conserva-
tors of the River, had always been respected — the
privilege of raising ballast ceased (from their own
voluntary act) to be the exclusive right of the Trinity
House. Still empowered, however, under their various
Royal Grants, the Brethren continue to raise and
supply it, proposing to discharge the duty for the
accommodation of the Port of London. At present,
the supply of the river remains practically in their

^S CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

hands — surplus of revenue, over outlay, and after pro-
vision for maintenance of plant, being funded for
charitable purposes.

Of Charities and Pensions.

In every Charter, Grant, or Act of Parliament,
affecting the rights, or defining the functions, of the
Trinity House, the duty of protecting and reheving
poor Mariners has been invariably enjomed upon the
Corporation with more or less of precision. The
Charter of Henry VIII., although not describing the
benevolent objects contemplated, refers to the poor
women as well as men, who formed part of the
original association, and who were las the Bye-Laws
of the same year explain) the bed-folk, or almspeople,
inhabiting their House at Deptford. Those of
Charles II. and James II. set forth the recognised
charitable usage of the Corporation, and recite in
definite terms that its profits are to be appHed to,
i7iter alia, the relief of poor mariners, their wives,
widows, and orphans.

The Grant of the Ballastage of the River Thames,
made to the Corporation in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, was renewed by Charles II., with express
stipulation that the profits were to be applied to
charitable purposes. A similar proviso for appro-
priation of surplus was attached to the patent under
which was granted the revenue from the Scilly-
light

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

39

From the earliest times to the present day, the
system upon which the charitable funds have been
administered has been uniform. They are, as they
have been, dispensed to three classes of recipients — the
Almspeople, the Out-pensioners, and the Occasional,
or Casual, Poor.

In the fifteenth century there were, adjoining the
Hall, or House, at Deptford, twenty- one apartments
for Masters and Pilots. To these were gradually
added other houses, until in 1788 — being then in a
decayed and ruinous state — they were taken down,
and twenty-six new ones (called the Deptford Lower
Ground) were built upon the same site. In 1765
several new houses had been erected upon ground
adjacent to the original estate, which had been given
by Sir Richard Brown (Master in 1672) for the
purpose. At the same time a new Hall was built
there, in which the anniversary meeting was held on
Trinity Monday, June 3rd, 1765. Other additions
were subsequently made to the annexed estate, partly
through a bequest from Captain Maples, an Elder
Brother ; and the whole forms what is now called the
Deptford Upper Ground.

Another bequest from Captain Mudd, an Elder
Brother, and Deputy Master in 1691, provided a piece
of ground at Mile End for erection of more Alms-
houses ; and by the end of the year 1696, there were
twenty-eight houses completed on that site. To this
establishment several additions have been made, from

40

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

time to time, and it now consists of eighty-two Alms-
houses and a Chapel.

Each of these Houses is occupied by an old sailor
and (if married) his wife, or by a sailor's widow or
daughter, some being specially set apart for the latter
class ; and the inmates have allowances in money,
coals, and clothes, with medical attendance, and other
comforts and advantages.

But far the greater portion of the Corporation's
charity was formerly dispensed among Out-pensioners,
in small monthly allowances, varying from three to
ten shillings. The recipients were aged or afflicted
seamen, their wives, widows, or orphans ; and the
regulations under which they were placed on the list,
and their pensions paid, secured the advantages of
the doles to those classes of persons for whom they
were designed. In addition to the General, or
Ordinary, Pension Lists, special registers were opened
at various periods to meet national emergencies, or
the disastrous consequences of great naval engage-
ments. The headings of these exceptional lists — as
" Algiers," " Trafalgar," " Block-Ships," " Prisoners of
War," &c. — sufficiently indicate their particular ap-
plication.

Occasional bounty to Casual Poor was applicable to
the same class of recipients — poor mariners, their
wives, widows, or orphans — and was distributed in
varying amounts, according to the necessities of the
petitioners.

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE. 41

As the principal revenue, out of which these pensions
were afforded, accrued from the Light Dues paid by-
ship-owners — or, rather, from the surplus thereof — the
question was raised before a Select Committee of the
House of Commons, in 1822, whether charitable out-
lay was a just application of funds so raised. Sus-
tained by the opinions of eminent counsel, and fortified
by judicial decisions in various suits at law, the
Corporation maintained that their duty to their poor
was enjoined in their Charter, as formally and strictly
as their rights in Lights, Buoyage, etc., were guar-
anteed. So also, in 1834 and 1845, when similar ParHa-
mentary enquiries were made, the cause of the poor
mariner was similarly, and as successfully, pleaded.

In August, 1853, however, a change — taking effect in
the ensuing October — was decreed in the mode of
administering the Lighthouse service by an Act, under
which it was provided that all grants of charitable
pensions should cease, so far as they were chargeable
on Light Dues. The whole of the pensions then
running were guaranteed to the holders during their
lives ; but no new pensions could be thereafter
granted.

The Charities of the Corporation thus became limited
to the extent of their private resources, consisting of a
considerable funded capital, and of several estates
bequeathed to them, or acquired by purchase. From
this separate and independent income the Almshouses
and their inmates are still maintained, and occasional

42

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

relief to poor mariners, or their connexions, continues
to be dispensed as formerly. One alteration — owing
to decay of the Almshouses on Deptford Lower Ground
— may be noted. The former inmates enjoy pensions
in lieu of occupation, and are at liberty to live where
they please.

Of the charities in trust for special purposes little
need be said, as the terms of each Bequest or Gift,
with the several modes of their appropriation, will be
found in the Appendix.

Enough, it is hoped, has been now adduced to
substantiate and ratify the prescription of usage and
antiquity. To a conscientious and efficient discharge
of the duties thus cursorily summarised, the Elder
Brethren of the Trinity House presume to attribute, in
fair measure, their grateful privilege of pointing to an
ample muster-roll of Masters and Honorary Members,
variously distinguished in the service and annals of
the State, w^ho, for generations, have held it an honour
to be so associated, and whose names may be an
acceptable pendant to this otherwise unpretending
sketch.

In happy time before closing it, a gracious intima-
tion has reached the writer of the desire of the Heir
apparent, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, to honour the
Corporation by being enrolled among its members.

coupon A TION OF TRINITY HOUSE. 43

The distinction, thus conferred upon them, is the more
gratifying to the Elder Brethren, from the fact that
when, on the death of Lord Pahnerston, His Royal
Highness was solicited to become our Master, he
declined in order that the office might be conferred
upon his Sailor Brother, our present Illustrious
Master. Honour to them both. May they ever cherish
the same noble and brotherly feelings, and long con-
tinue to adorn with the lustre of their great names,
and high merits, the Roll of the Elder Brethren of
the Trinity House.

44

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

APPENDIX.

List of the Masters and Deputy- Masters of the
Corporation of Tritiity House,

FROM 1800 TO li

1800 Right Honourable William Pitt.

1806 Earl Spexcer.

1807 Duke of Portland.
1809 Marquis Camden.
1816 Earl of Liverpool.

1828 Marquis Camden.

1829 H.R.H. The Duke of Clarence 'afterivards King

William IV).

1831 Marquis Camden.

1837 Duke of Wellington.

1852 H.R.H. Prince Albert [aftenuards styled Prince

Consort).

r862 Viscount Palmerston.

1866 H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh.

gtputg-^asltrfl.

1800 Captain Robert Preston {afte>-wards Sir Robert

Preston, Bart.)
1803 Captain Joseph Cotton.
1825 Captain John Woolmore [afterivaids Sir John

WOOLMORE, K.C.H.)
1834 Captain John Henrv Pelly fcreated a Baronet in

1840;.
1852 Captain John Shepherd.

1859 Rear Admiral Robert Gordon (?icnu an Admiral).
1861 Captain William Pigott.
1865 Captain Frederick Arrow.

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE. 45

Honorary Brethren of the Corpoj'ation,
FROM 1800 TO 1868.

1800 Earl of Roslyn.

,, Right Honourable William Pitt {Master).

,, Duke of Portland (Master).

,, Viscount Melville.

,, Lord Barham.

,, Viscount Hood.

„ Earl Spencer {Master).

,, Duke of Marlborough. •

,, Marquis of Londonderry.

,, Earl of Chatham.

,, Lord Grenville.

„ Sir Andrew S. Hamond, Baronet.

1805 Earl Camden (afterwards Marquis Camden, so7}ie

time Master).

1806 Earl St. Vincent.
1809 Earl of Mulgrave.

1811 Right Honourable George Rose.

1813 Viscount Melville.

1816 Earl of Liverpool (Master).

1817 Viscount Castlereagh.

1818 Viscount Sidmouth.
1823 Earl Bathurst,

,, Viscount Exmouth.

1828 H.R.H. The Duke of Clarence (Master).

1829 Duke of Wellington.
1831 Earl Grey.

1833 Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin.

1834 Lord de Saumarez.

,, Sir James R. G. Graham, Baronet.

1835 Sir Robert Peel, Baronet.

1836 Viscount Melbourne.

1837 Sir T. M. Hardy, G.C.B.
,, Earl of Minto.

1839 Sir Charles Adam, K.C.B.

1841 H.R.H. Prince Albert (Master).

1844 Earl of Haddington.

1846 Earl of Dalhousie,

46 CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

1849 Loud John Russell {no7v Earl Russell.)

1850 Right Honourable Henry Labouchere [now Lord

Taunton).

1851 Sikh Francis Thornhill Baring {afterwards Lord

Northbrook).

1852 Earl of Derby.

1853 Earl of Aberdeen.

1854 Earl of Dundonald.

1855 Sir John Somerset Pakington, Baronet.
,, Viscount Palmerston (Master).

1861 Duke of Somerset.

,, Admiral Sir William Parker.

,, Right Honourable Thomas Milner Gibson.

,, Right Honourable William Ewart Gladstone.
1062 Duke of Argyll.

1866 H.R H. Prince Alfred (now Duke of Edinburgh
Master).

„ Sir Stafford Henry Northcote, Bakonet.

„ Right Honourable Benjamin Disraeli.

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

47

Lighthouses and Lighivesseis belonging to the Corpo-
ratiofi of Trinity House of Deptford Strond.

Iiigljtl^ouscs.

Fern (Three Lighthouses)

Coquet

Tinmouth

Whitby ,Two Lighthouses)

Flambro', Lighthouse and Fog

Gun
Spurn (Two Lighthouses)
Hunstanton
Cromer

Haisbro' (Two Lighthouses)
Winlerton

Corton (Two Lighthouses)
Lowestoft (Two Lighthouses)
Pakefield (Kessinglandi
Orford (Two Lighthouses)
Dovercourt (Two Lighthouses)
Landguard
Gunfleet
Maplin
Chapman
Mucking
Northfleet
North Foreland

South do. (Two Lighthouses)
Dungeness, Lighthouse and Fog

Horn
Beachy Head
St. Catherine's, Lighthouse and

Fog Horn
Needles Rock
Hurst (Two Lighthouses)
Portland (Two Lighthouses) I

Being in all seventy-six Lighthouses, sixty-one of which are on Shore,
eleven are on outlying Rocks, and four are on Sands. Those on Shore
are built of Brick, Stone, or Timber, those on Rocks are of Granite, and
those on Sands are erected upon Iron Piles.

In addition to those on the English Coasts, the Trinity House have
charge of two Lighthouses in the British possessions abroad ; one at
Heligoland, an Island near the Entrance of the Elbe ; and one at
Gibraltar. Both were built by the Government and handed over to this
Corporation.

Caskets Rock (Three Lighthouses)

Hanois Rock

Start

Plymouth Breakwater

Edystone Rock

Falmouth Harbour

Lizard (Two Lighthouses)

Longships Rock

Wolf Rock (building)

Scilly

Bishop Rock

Godrevy

Trevose Head

Lundy Lighthouse and Fog Gun

Bideford

Burnham

Avon

Usk

Flatholm

Nash (Two Lighthouses)

Caldy

Milford (Two Lighthouses)

Smalls Rock

South Bishop Rock

Bardsey

South Stack Lighthouse and North

Stack Fog Gun
Skerries
JMenai
Air
St. Bees

48

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

fig^tkssels.

Spurn ] Princes Channel

Outer Dowsing j Tongue

Dudgeon i Goodwin

Lynn Well Gull

Leman and Ower South Sand Head

Haisbro' Varne

Cockle Owers

Nevvarp Nab

St. Nicholas Gatt Warner

Corton Calshot

Shipwash Shambles

Cork Seven Stones

Sunk English and Welch Grounds

Galloper Break Sea

Kentish Knock Skerweather

Swin Middle Helwicks

Mouse Cardigan Bay

Nore Bahama Bank

Girdler Morecambe Bay

Thirty-eight Lightvessels in position, and five in reserve, for casual-
ties, or to take the place of those under repair ; in all fort^'-three.

^uogs aitb ^cawtts.

There are 452 Buoys, of all sizes and descriptions, in position, and
about half as many more in reserve. Beacons of various shapes and
characters are disposed at stations round the coast to the number of sixty.
In attendance upon these various Lighthouses, Lightvessels, and
Buoys, there are six steam vessels and seven mailing tenders for effecting
the periodical reliefs of crews, keepers, &c., and for conveying stores and
supplies ; towing Lightships to their stations, shifting Buoys, and other
general duties of survey and superintendence. There are also twenty-
one store-houses in which supplies are stored, and whence they are
distributed as required. The working staff employed in all these services
is as follows : —

District Superintendents 7

Local Agents 11

Buoy Keepers 8

Storekeepers and Watchmen, &c 21

Lighthouse Keepers 177

Crews of Lightvessels 427

Do. of Steam and Sailing Vessels 143

Fog Gun Attendants 6

Total 800

CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

49

A LIST OF CHARITABLE BEQUESTS AND GIFTS,

Left in Trust to the CoyJ>oration for disposal, in accordajtce with the
special directions of the Donors.

1625 — Vassall's Gift.

;^i5o. Seventy shillings to be annually distributed amongst poor
seamen, their widows, wives, and children, in the hamlet of Rat-
clifFe, in sums of is. each.

1631 — Geere's Gift.

Lease of the Dagger House, at Limehouse, for 500 years. ;^5 of
the annual rent to be distributed amongst such of the poorest
decayed seamen and seamen's widows inhabiting the hamlet of
Limehouse ; the residue of such yearly rent to be laid out in up-
holding, maintaining, and repairing the said premises.

1631 — Colebert's Gift.

The interest of ;^ 50, left by Mrs. Elizabeth Colebert, to be distribu-
ted amongst the poor of the hamlet of Limehou.se in wheaten loaves.

1696 — Mortimer's and (1793) Stevens' Legacies.

^1,229 8s. id. 3 per Cent. Consols. Investment of Legacy, pro-
ceeds whereof to be applied towards the putting and placing out
of two poor boys annually to sea-apprenticeships.

1714— Fisher's Charity.

Freehold Estate at Hutton, in the County of Essex, bequeathed
for maintenance of Four Almshouses at Mile End, and for support
of Widows occupying the same. ^Included in the Almhouses at
Mile End).

1725 — Hunter's Legacy.

;^262 7s. 6d. 3 per Cent. Consols. Interest thereof to be dis-
tributed annually to Five poor Superannuated Pilots, or their
Widows, not being pensioners.

1779— Wilton's Legacy.

;^4,o2g IDS. 6d. 3 per Cent. Consols. The interest to be applied
towards the support of decayed Pilots and their Widows.

D

so

CORPORA TION OF TRINITY HOUSE.

1792— Grigg's Charity.

;^ 17,736 8s. 3d. 3 per Cent. Consols, being reversions left by Mrs.
Mary Grigg for the establishment and maintenance of Almshouses
and the support of Almswomen, half of the number of such women
being Widows and half maidens, being not less than 60 years of
age ; those whose husbands and fathers have been at sea to be
preferred. (Included in the Almhouses at Mile End).

1795 — Mangles' Legacy.

;^257 los. 3d. 3 per Cent. Consols. Annual produce thereof to
be distributed in bread to the poor of the Parish of Stepney, in the
month of March in every year.

1812 and 1848 — Elder's Legacy.

£^\ OS. lod. 35 per Cent. Annuities. Produce thereof to be
annually distributed amongst the Corporation's Almshouses at
Deptford and Mile End, share and share alike.

1847 — Locke's Legacy.

;^407 7s. id. 3 per Cent. Consols. Bequeathed for the relief and
benefit of the poor Master Mariners from time to time occupying
the Almshouses belonging to the Corporation.

1849 — Lucas' Gift.

;^3i3 14s. 6d. 3 per Cent. Consols. Annual produce thereof to
be distributed between two Widows of Thames or Downs Pilots,
or of Mates of Merchantmen sailing from and belonging to the
Port of London.

1857 ^nd 1863 — Almshouse Re-building Fund.

Captain Frederick Madan, E.B., gave ;^ 4,000 towards the pur-
chase of a new site and re-building of the Almshouses belonging
to the Corporation.

SMITH & Ei'.ns, PBiNTtas, PosTiiP.x now, Tow;;u niLi..

JRN

CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT

198 Main Stacks

N PERIOD 1
OME USE

2

3

5

6

30KS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS.

vis and Recharges may be made 4 days prior to the due date.

> may be Renewed by calling 642-3405.

DUE AS STAMPED BELOW

n;^3 b!,,i

I NO. DD6

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
BERKELEY CA 94720-6000