Does anyone know anything about the Irish Ferry service circa 1840's? Also known as the Milford Haven & Waterford shipping service, ran by a Mr. Jackson of Neyland and his partner a Mr. Ford of London? Regards from Oz. Jan

on 14/6/01 11:35 am, Jan Gluyas at sticky@iweb.net.au wrote: > Does anyone know anything about the Irish Ferry service circa 1840's? Also > known as the Milford Haven & Waterford shipping service, ran by a Mr. > Jackson of Neyland and his partner a Mr. Ford of London? > Regards from Oz. > Jan Hi Jan The only reference I can find is in a book called "The Railways of Pembrokeshire" by John Morris (SBN 901906204) "..... a mail packet service having been established by 1824.. Pembroke Dock, Milford and Dunmore... Meanwhile, Captain Thomas Jackson started a steamer service between Milford and waterford, entering into partnership with Captain Robert Ford. "On completion of the South Wales Railway [SWR] to Neyland, Jackson and Ford would operate their service from that port in connection with boat trains from Paddington [the London terminus]. The first sailing in connection with the SWR was in August 1856." The book is mainly about the railways, but there is mention of the various steamers built for the route. A later mention is this: "...Ford and Jackson acquired their last steamer, the 793 ton Vulture.... arrived on 12th July 1870. ...Ford and Jackson's fleet as it existed before the concern was taken over was thus a somewhat mixed bag. It seems likely that the problems of keeping the Waterford service going contributed greatly to the eventual decision of the Great Western [Railway] board [successors to the SWR] to take over the service themselves." and in a later chapter: "Ford & Jackson were therefore taken over on 1st February 1872, the purchase price being £36,500, for which the GWR got the Malakhoff, South of Ireland and Great Western. The Vulture was not purchased until April, when the GWR bought her for £9,000. Thus ended Captain Jackson's long career as owner of the cross-channel service, though by mutual agreement he remained at New Milford [Neyland] on a teporary basis as "Manager" .... until July 1873." Gerry Lewis