Commander George Rodney Ramshay RN was born 7 May 1782, the son of Christopher and Cecily Ramshay of New Moors Farm, Evenwood Gate. Christopher and Cicely are buried at St. Helen churchyard, 1830. G.R. Ramshay enjoyed 45-year career in the Royal Navy from 1798 to 1844, being given the rank of “Commander” before retiring. He owned a property in Evenwood from at least 1832. He was married to Ann (nee Young?) and they had 7 children. Both George and Ann died in 1863.
ROYAL NAVY CAREER
George Ramshay’s career included the following:
- 29 May 1798: George R. Ramshay entered the Navy as a Landman, on board the NORTHUMBERLAND under Captain George Martin. He served on this ship while holding the ratings of Midshipman and Master’s Mate, at the blockade of Malta and in the operations of 1801 in Egypt. In July 1801, he fell into the coal-hold, a distance of 18 or 19 feet. His head was cut and his right ankle flattened.
- September 1802: On leaving the Northumberland, he joined the Leda, under Captain Robert Honyman, attached to the force in the North Sea.
- July 1803: He was again placed under the orders of Captain Martin, on board the Colossus, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Collingwood in the Channel. On 1 March, 1804, having ascended into the rigging of the Colossus for the purpose of assisting the crew, he again fell, injured the small of his back and fractured his skull. He was unable to speak, in consequence, for nine days and for 45 was incapable of performing his duty.
- 1804: He followed Captain Martin into the Glory and Barfleur.
- 26 January 1805: he became Acting-Lieutenant of the Eugénie, under Captain Charles Webb. The Eugénie took out the Scottish explorer of West Africa, Mungo Park, to the coast of Guinea and proceeded with him 270 miles up the Gambia. Mungo Park did not return from this expedition, being killed by men from the indigenous population. See notes below.
Below: Plan of the EUGENIE by John Marshall, Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1795-1801
Source: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Public Domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70704998
- 18 November 1806: Ramshay was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant of the Trompeuse, under Captain William Brooking Dolling, stationed off Boulogne.
- 29 August 1807: He was Full Lieutenant of his old ship, the Colossus in the Mediterranean, then commanded by Captain James Nicoll Morris.
- April 1808: Ramshay rejoined his patron, Rear-Admiral Martin, on board the Canopus until February 1812 to serve in the Mediterranean.
- July 1813 – July 1814: He was aboard the Prince of Wales, under Captain John Erskine Douglas.
- 11 January 1844: Ramshay accepted the rank of Commander at the age of 61 then retired.
The effects of the injuries sustained by Commander Ramshay in the Colossus continued for the rest of his life.
FAMILY DETAILS
21 December 1822: George Rodney Ramshay married Ann Young at St. Helen Auckland. They had 7 children:
- George (to date, no details of birth have been found)
- Cicely 1823 – 1858
- Jane 1826 – 1899, buried at West Auckland
- Isabelle 1830 – 1912, buried at Catterick, Yorkshire
- Christopher bc.1831
- Susanna bc.1833 – 1853
- Elizabeth Hannah bc.1837, died in infancy
1838: Elizabeth Hannah died in infancy. (Note: headstone records AD 1837)
The 1841 census records that George was 55 and Ann 45 years old and they lived at Evenwood with 5 children namely Cicely aged 15, Jane aged 15, Isabella aged 11, Christopher aged 10 and Susanna aged 7. He was recorded as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy.
Below: The 1841 Census Return for the Ramshay family.
The 1851 census records George and Ann with their ages as 68 and 59 respectively. Their children Cicely (27), Jane (23), Isabelle (20) and Susanna (17) lived with them. By this time, he was recorded as, retired Commander Royal Navy.
Below: The 1851 Census Return for the Ramshay family.
1853: Susanna died aged 20.
1856: Jane married Thomas Robson Fletcher of Holme Mill.
1858: Isabelle married John Outhwaite, a farmer from Catterick.
1858: Cicely died aged 34.
20 August 1859: Their son George Young Ramshay married Maria Hope Simmons at St. Pancreas, Middlesex.
Below: The entry into the 1859 Marriage Register for the Parish of St. Pancreas. George Rodney Ramshay is recorded as the father of George Young Ramshay, with the profession as a Naval Officer.
By the 1861 census, George and Ann lived with their 19 years old “house servant” Mary Colthard.
Below: The 1861 Census Return for the Ramshay family.
7 March 1863: George’s wife Ann died, aged 79/80.
17 March 1863: George Rodney Ramshay died, aged 80.
Below: 15 May 1863: A record that George Rodney Ramshay’s will had been proved.
LIFE IN EVENWOOD
The Ramshay family lived at a property which faced onto the Green (now no.4 The Green). He took an active part in church life, being a church warden. Permission for the church at Evenwood was not granted until 1865 and St. Paul’s Church was not consecrated until 18 September 1867, therefore, he must have been a warden at the Church of St. Helen, at St. Helens Auckland. He was also an Overseer in relation to the Poor of the Parish.
At this time, there was not universal male suffrage. Only men of property and title were allowed to vote. Being a property owner, George Ramshay was entitled to vote in general elections. There were only 2 political parties, the Tories (Conservatives) and the Whigs (Liberals). He was a Liberal.
Below: The 1851 OS Plan with some ownership details overlaid.
- FIELD NO. 1052 & Houses: George RAMSHAY
Adjoining owners were:
- FIELD NO. 1051 & 995 (allotment on the green) & Houses: Joseph CARRICK
- FIELD NO. 1054 & land to the south: George YOUNG
- FIELD NO.995 & Houses: Mr. PEVERLEY
- FIELD NOS. 990, 991, 992, 1050, 1048, 983 & land to the west, associated houses & farm buildings: William BAINBRIDGE
- FIELD NO. 1010: Mrs. Margaret HERBERT
Below: 1832 Poll Register for Durham. Number 1385 is for George Ramshay.
His brother William who lived at Leeming, Yorkshire could also vote in the County Durham election.
Below: St. Helen’s Church graveyard. Headstone commemorating members of the Ramshay family, Elizabeth, Sussana and Cicely.
27 July 1864: Christopher Arthur Ramshay married Mary Jackson at Hornby, York.
Below: The entry for the 1864 Marriage Register for the Parish of Hornby. George Ramshay is recorded as the father of Christopher Arthur Ramshay, with the profession as a Commander R. Navy. (Note: He died, March 1863)
SOME NOTES ON THE EXPLORER MUNGO PARK 1771-1806
After an exploration of the upper Niger River in West Africa around 1796, he wrote a popular book, “Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa”. He was killed during his second expedition, having negotiated passage about 2/3rds down the Niger. He sailed from Portsmouth to the Gambia and reached the Niger by mid-August. Many of his European crew had died from dysentery. He travelled up the Niger and beyond the protection of the Eugenie to Bamako. From there to Segou by canoe and onto Sansanding. Park ran the gauntlet of hostile tribes which, in part, was of his own making since he took an aggressive stance, attacking tribesmen. He and his remaining crew disappeared killed
Below: Portrait of Mungo Park (1771-1806)
Below: Mungo Park with an African woman ‘in Sego, in Bambara’, an illustration from ‘An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans’, 1833.
Below: The Mungo Park Memorial, Selkirk, Scotland
THE RAMSHAY NAME IN THE LOCAL AREA
The Ramshay name is unusual. It seems to have died out in the local area. George Ramshay’s grandson William Ramshay Fletcher seems to have been the last male to have carried the name.
1856: Jane Ramshay married Thomas Robson Fletcher of Holme Mill, West Auckland. They had at least 3 children:
- William Ramshay bc.1857 at Holme Mill
- Marianne bc.1858 at Holme Mill
- Cecila bc.1861 at Holme Mill
Holme Mill was at Spring Gardens, West Auckland and was a corn mill powered by the waters of the River Gaunless. William Ramshay Fletcher attended Frenchgate School, Richmond, Yorkshire before marrying Ann Smith in 1881 and taking over the family mill and farm of 72 acres. He employed 5 men and 1 boy. William and Ann had 3 children, all born at St. Helens Auckland:
- William bc.1883
- Florence bc.1885
- Gertrude bc.1887
In 1894, William Ramshay Fletcher was published in the Whellan’s Directory as a, “Miller, Holme Mill, St. Helens Auckland.”
By 1901, William R. Fletcher was still employed as a, “Miller & Farmer” and his 18 years old son William Fletcher was an apprentice steam engine maker. By 1911, 54 years old William R. Fletcher was recorded as, “Retired Miller (corn).” His wife Ann, 2 daughters 26 years old Florence Annie and 24 years old Gertrude May lived at St. Helens Auckland.
26 June 1924: Ann Fletcher died, aged 68 years
23 December 1933: William Ramshay Fletcher died, aged 77. He then lived at Mayfield, St. Helens Auckland.
8 April 1948: Gertrude May Fletcher died and she is buried with her parents at West Auckland cemetery.
1955: a probate decision granted the estate of William Ramshay Fletcher (£6 5s) to his daughter Florence Annie Fletcher (spinster).
1965: Florence A. Fletcher died.
Below: Headstone of the Fletcher Family in West Auckland Cemetery
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
By Mungo_Park_portrait.jpg: Unknownderivative work: Materialscientist – This file was derived from: Mungo Park portrait.jpg:, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19208607
EVENWOOD RAMSHAW & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY 