The Alpheus

The vessel

The 260-ton barque Alpheus was built at Sunderland in 1815, and whilst no connection with the Navy frigate of same name (sold off at Sheerness in 1817 - sold to Bailey & co for £2320), it is possible the seven years war (1756-1763) was still in living memory for some. Indeed records show that one William Duncan (of Peterhead) belonging to HMS Torbay* left everything in his will to his brother Alexander Duncan of Peterhead.

Early years

Entries from Lloyd's list for 1817 & 1818 reveal the following

• 30 April 1816 - Gravesend - Alpheus, Duncan from Elsineur [sic] - (Elsinor/Helsingør Denmark)

• 18 June 1816 - Petersburg - Alpheus, Duncan from London

• 30 Aug 1816 - Peterhead - Alpheus, Duncan from Petersburg and sailed for Bristol

• 10 Sept 1816 - Bristol - Alpheus, ________ from Petersburg

• 27 June 1817 - Mirimachi - Alpheus, Duncan of Peterhead

• 2 October 1818 - Petersburg - Alpheus, Duncan of Peterhead

• 30 October 1818 - Gravesend - Alpheus, Duncan from Petersburg

Newspaper entries

The Caledonian Mercury (issue 14778) on 17 Aug 1816 shows an entry by Mullens & Knox "Sound Intelligence" for 24 July 1816 which reads simply as:

• • "Alpheus, Duncan, St Petersburgh, Bristol, tallow"

A similar entry in the Caledonian Mercury (issue 15131) on 10 Sept 1818 shows an entry by Mullens & Knox "Sound Intelligence" for 25 Aug 1818 which reads:

• "Alpheus, Duncan, Peterhead, Baltic, ballast"

The Master

Alexander Duncan was master of the Alpheus whilst she was part of the Peterhead whaling fleet, Greenland 1818 -1821, and then Davis Straits 1822-1827. The following year John Gray commanded the vessel and she was lost in the ice on 17th July 1828 in the dangerous upper reaches of the Davis Straits.

Although we can't say for certain, from records published in Lloyd's list it is possible that Alexander may have been Master of the vessel even before she joined the whaling fleet in 1818, seeing voyages to Miramichi, Helsingør and Petersburg.

The owners

From the earliest accessible Lloyd's Register, it is evident that the owners were the Arbuthnot family. In December 1825 (no earlier details available) the "Representatives of Robert Cordiner, merchant" held 8 shares (8 out of 64 shares); following Robert's death in 1825 these shares were sold in March 1826 to Robert and George Arbuthnot, merchants (4 shares each).

The harpoon

Trinity House museum in Leith has in its collection a harpoon from the Alpheus - stamped with the name of the vessel "ALPHEUS" on one side and "R Flinn 1823" on the reverse. In 1818 at least, the name of R. Flinn is associated with a cable chain manufacturer in North Shields (Flinn & Co, Reed Street, North Shields), it is only guesswork but it could be that this is why the harpoon has been stamped in this manner.

Family connection?

Scarcity of detailed information that easily yields from historical records can often be a rare thing, but here are the facts that are known:

1. Jane Ritchie's will of 1825 mentions Alexander Duncan, shipmaster of Peterhead as being her lawful son.

2. Jane's husband Andrew Duncan's father was a sailor named Alexander Duncan

3. Andrew Duncan and Jane Ritchie are buried in lair D134 of the Old St Peter's kirkyard in Peterhead

4. Lair D135 can be found adjacent and two shipmasters named Alexander Duncan are buried there - Alexander Duncan aged 74 died in 1854 and also Alexander Duncan who died in 1856 aged 30.

An article in the Aberdeen Herald and General Advertiser from Saturday 28 June 1856 refers to "Capt. A. Duncan late of the Gitana, son of the late Alex. Duncan, shipmaster, Peterhead" the article continues "He departed this life at thirty five minutes past seven o'clock on the 11th April, in the twenty ninth year of his age".

5. in the 1851 census we find an Alexander Duncan showing as "Master Mariner" -

Free UK Genealogy "Scottish General Register Office: 1851 Census Returns database", FreeCEN (https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5902673de9379091b1cc37ae : accessed 8 Jun 2022) [data about Alexander DUNCAN]; citing Piece: 232 Place: Peterhead Enumeration District: 8 Civil Parish: Peterhead Ecclesiastical Parish: - Folio: 174 Page: 13 Schedule: 71 Address: Ronheads.

Timeline

• ~1720 Alexander Duncan born (shown as "sailor" at the time of his son's birth in 1752)

• 1752 Andrew Duncan, born

• 1780 Alexander Duncan (thought to be "of the Alpheus") born

• 1826 Alexander Duncan (thought to be of Gitana) born