The Voyage of the Barque "Tory"

Abstract

The barque Tory, 382 tons, "was built at South Town in the County of Suffolk in the year 1834 under the hand of Frederick Preston, the Builder", for the firm of Somes Bros. In the thirties of last century, there was no more prosperous firm of ship-owners in England than that of Somes of London and Newcastle-on-Tyne. The principal of this company was Joseph Somes, who had started his career on the river as the son of a lighterman, and was himself apprenticed to the same trade. By 1834 he had outgrown his humble beginnings and was the owner of a large number of ships entered on Lloyds' Shipping Register which was opened in that year. Some of these had been acquired from the fleet of the East India Company. Included was a magnificent ship, the Earl of Balcarres, 1488 tons, built of teak and carrying two complete tiers of guns. It has been said that Somes was one of the wealthiest of the many merchant princes of London. When he died in 1845, his obituary in the London Morning Herald stated, "he leaves behind him it is supposed, property to the value of between one and two millions sterling". The Times, of course, adopted a more sententious note but conveyed the same idea when it stated, "…in the city he was very highly esteemed and naturally enjoyed the great influence which arose from high character and ample capital." However his high character did not prevent his associating in a most active fashion with his political enemies (he was later a conservative M.P. for Dartmouth) when Edward Gibbon Wakefield founded the N.Z. Association and later the N.Z. Land Company with the Earl of Durham as Governor. It is typical of Wakefield that he should have interested a person of Somes' influence and experience as an active director, and it is also interesting, if not typical, that such a ship-owner should be concerned with a venture that promised such unusual benefits. It may be that Somes was active for the same reason as Francis Baring, a member of the well-known banking family. Still, whatever cynical doubts one may cast on his motives, there is no doubt of his ability. His fitting of the Tory was particularly fast and a perusal of the many small accounts connected with it, many of which received his personal attention, shows that the fitting out of the ship would have been difficult without his experienced assistance. It is true that the vessel had just completed an overhaul but judging by these accounts and considering the business methods of the day, it was a well organised piece of work.