Frindsbury TQ744697 is a parish on the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, West Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...

, on the opposite bank to

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

in Kent, England. It was a centre of ship building before 1820, building at least six 74 gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Rating When the rating system was f ...

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...

and many smaller vessels. From 1820, until recent times, the ship yards built over 100

Thames sailing barge A Thames sailing barge is a type of commercial sailing boat once common on the River Thames in London. The flat-bottomed barges, with a shallow draught and leeboards, were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and na ...

s. Shipbuilding has stopped but in 2006, one yard was still active in ship repair.

Ships

Quarry House Yard

Edward Greaves and Nicholson set up at the Quarry House yard in c.1745. The full list of ships built is unknown but two of the later ones were:Merrily to Frendsbury-A History of the Parish of Frindsbury. Derek Barnard. Private Pub. City of Rochester Society. post 1994. *1785 —32 gun frigate was part of a squadron off the coast of

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

in 1794 under the command of Captain

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

. *1786 —74 gun designed by Sir Thomas Slade. Laid down in 1783, she was launched on 6 October 1786 and commissioned on 19 July 1790. Nicknamed the "Billy Ruffian". She destroyed the French flagship ''L'Orient'' at the

Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; ) was fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy at Abu Qir Bay, Aboukir Bay in Ottoman Egypt, Egypt between 1–3 August 1798. It was the climax of the Mediterranean ca ...

. Fought at Trafalgar. On 15 July 1815 she received the surrender of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. She was renamed ''Captivity'' and served as a prison hulk off

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

. She was sold to breakers at Plymouth for £4030 and broken up in 1834. The construction of the ''Bellerophon'' features in
poem
by the American Imagist poet Amy Lowell. Josiah and Thomas Brindley, leased the Quarry House yard. The first ship was launched from here in 1794. They expanded, built a new yard which became the entrance to the Thames and Medway Canal, then a third shipyard further down river. They built no more ships for the Navy after the Napoleonic War. However they did continue shipbuilding. In 1821 they built the McQueen East India Man and in 1825 the British Steam and Navigation Company contracted them to build a steamship. When the Brindleys were declared bankrupt in 1826 they lost their shipyards and all their other businesses. It had been thought that Josiah and Thomas Brindley were nephews of Lord Nelson but the Nelson family has said there is no relationship. *1794 —16 gun *1794 —12 gun *1794 —12 gun *1803 —36 gun – commissioned in September 1803, and wrecked 10 December 1803. *1804 —12 gun *1804 —12 gun *1805 —38 gun *1806 —38 gun – Launched 5 May 1806, HMS ''Shannon'', commanded by Captain Philip Broke, received the surrender of the USS ''Chesapeake'' in Boston Bay on 1 June 1813, after a fight of 15 minutes.A History of Strood Rural District, Brian Matthews M.A. 1971. Published Strood Rural District Council. *1807 —74 gun *1808 —10 gun *1809 —18 gun *1809 —18 gun *1810 —74 gun *1811 —74 gun *1811 transport *1813 —36 gun *1813 —36 gun *1813 —20 gun *1814 —20 gun *1814 —26 gun *1814 —26 gun Bankruptcy Index Wilson and Co *1794 —16 gun *1796 —18 gun *1797 —12 gun *1797 —12 gun John Pelham *1807 —36 gun *1808 —10 gun *1808 —10 gun *1809 —18 gun *1809 —18 gun *1812 —20 gun *1812 —58 gun John King of Upnor *1801 —10 gun *1801 —10 gun *1801 —10 gun *1801 —10 gun *1801 —10 gun *1809 —18 gun *1809 —18 gun *1809 —74 gun third rate ship of the line. *1810 —10 gun *1810 —12 gun *1810 —Cutter *1810 - merchant ship that twice transported convicts to

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

*1812 —18 gun *1812 —18 gun *1812 —74 gun *1813 —36 gun *1814 —20 gun

Barge Building

Frindsbury was an important centre for building of

s, using the land vacated by the shipbuilders. Barges were needed for many reasons; on the Medway it was for cement, brick and lime.Frank Wilmot Archive http://www.thamesbarge.org.uk/barges/Willmott/FWFrindsbury.html Curel's *In c. 1820 the lease of Quarry Yard, (''Curel's Lower Yard''), passed to John Curel. George H. Curel took over the business around 1870. He expanded the yard in 1887 leasing the yard by Strood Basin (''Curel's Upper Yard''). Other families ran yards in Frindsbury, often they had other yards in Rochester. Little *William Burgess Little *James Little Gill *Gill Family, George Gill, of Cheetham Gill and Company. Canal shipyard. London and Rochester Barge Co *LRTC- Crescent Shipping- Canal Road, this yard was still operating in 2006, being used for ship repair.

List of Barges

Here are some Frindsbury-built barges grouped by their owners. From 1870 to 1990 the Register of Shipping shows just over 100 Frindsbury Built Barges. Phoenix Portland Cement Company, Frindsbury. *''Hawk''—43 ton *''Cerf''—58 ton *''Phoenix''—51 ton William Tingey *''Robert Bladen''—33 ton *''Eliza''—41 ton Formby Cement Company, Whitewall Creek, Frindsbury *''Sara''—39 ton *''Pink''—43 ton *''Queen''—43 ton *''Neptune''—40 ton *''Whitewall''—37 ton *''Vauxhall''—40 ton *''Eclipse''—39 ton *''Margaret Louise''—45 ton *''Ella Vicars''—43 ton Burham Brick, Lime and Cement Company *''James''—42 ton *''John''—40 ton *''Ann''—40 ton *''Varnes''—41 ton *''The Gun''—44 ton *''William''—41 ton Peter Bros Ltd. Cement Works Burham *''John''—38 ton *''William''—39 ton *''Overcomer''—44 ton *''Monkwood''—46 ton *''Ninety Nine''—57 ton Trenchmann Weekes Company Halling *''John Tinworth''—43 ton *''William and Sarah''—41 ton *''George''—45 ton *''Ambrose''—40 ton *''Bella''—35 ton *''Edward and William''—40 ton *''Stratford''—42 ton West Kent Portland Cement Company (Margretts) *''Stanley Margretts''—44 ton *''Cecil Margretts''—46 ton *''Harold Margretts''—45 ton Imperial Portland Cement Company *''Gundulph''—44 ton John Blazey White, Gillingham *''Sarah''—38 ton *''Flower of Kent''—44 ton Queenborough Cement Company *''Trent''—42 ton Solomon Brice and Sons, Rainham and Hoo *''Ada Mary''—41 ton *''Alumina''—60 ton *''Mosquito''—40 ton *''William Bennet''—42 ton Eastwoods (Medway brickmakers) *1845 ''George and Eliza'' *1852 ''Frederick and Mary Ann'' *1857 ''Ann and Frances'' *1862 ''Arthur and Eliza'' *1872 ''Onward'' *1876 ''Atlanta'' *1879 ''Hawk'' *1881 ''Banff'' *1884 ''Plover'' *1886 ''Snipe''

References

{{Reflist

Ships

Quarry House Yard

Barge Building

List of Barges

References

External links