Jock Willis Shipping Line Explained

John Willis & Sons
Type:Private company
Foundation:1830
Dissolved:1899
Location:London, Great Britain
Key People:John Willis, Senior
John Willis, Junior
Founder:John Willis, Senior
Industry:Shipping
Products:tea, wool

John Willis & Sons of London, also called the Jock Willis Shipping Line, was a nineteenth-century London-based ship-owning firm. It owned a number of clippers including the historic tea clipper Cutty Sark.

Company history and its people

The company was founded in London by John 'Jock' Willis (1791–1862), a ship captain (nicknamed 'Old Stormy Willis').[1] Jock Willis had joined ships sailing along the British coast after having run away from his home at Eyemouth, Berwickshire, when he was 14 years old.[2] During one of his sailing voyages to London, he found employment at a pub frequented by seafarers in the New India Dock (now Canary Wharf). He saved the money earned there, supplemented by money earned by repairing seafarers' sea shanty musical instruments.[2] He returned to sail on the West Indiamen as a second and Chief Mate.[3]

Willis married Janet Dunbar on 23 July 1815,[2] and the couple had nine children – six sons and three daughters – of whom the eldest was also named John. In 1826, he started his own ship owning company, registered in London.[2]

The younger Jock Willis (1817–1899), himself a ship master, took over his father's firm of ship owners. Also known as 'White Hat Willis', it was during his time that the company built and owned clippers like Cutty Sark.[4] The other sons, too, joined the company in various capacities – either sailing on their ships or working in their offices.

Trade

Their ships focused on the tea trade between China, the far east and United Kingdom and the wool trade with Australia.[2]

Ships

The first vessel purchased by John Willis was the 253-ton Sunderland-built barque Demarara Planter in 1830, which sailed to the West Indies. Many of the ships later built by the firm were named after places in Willis' native county of Berwickshire.[5] Company ships included:

Motto

The company's motto, 'Where there's a will is a way', was a pun on the family name, and was displayed on the stern of all Willis ships.[9] [10]

1899 – the end

The company was dissolved in 1899.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Spectre. Peter. A Mariner's Miscellany. 978-1574091953. 21. 2005. Sheridan House .
  2. Book: Holden. Walter V.. McGiveron. Joan. John Willis and the "Cutty Sark" Tea Clipper. The Family history forum. Eyemouth, United Kingdom.
  3. Book: Shewan. Andrew. The Great Days of Sail: Reminiscences of a Tea-clipper Captain. 31 Dec 1996. Conway Classics - Conway Maritime Press Ltd. United Kingdom. 978-0851776996. New Edition – 1996.
  4. Web site: History of the Cutty Sark . National Maritime Museum . 3 June 2014 . rmg.co.uk . 6 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140606224711/http://www.rmg.co.uk/about/press/cutty-sark-press-pack/history-of-cutty-sark . dead .
  5. John Willis & Sons (1830-1899). The Mariner's Mirror. 58. 4. 397–402. 22 March 2013. 10.1080/00253359.1972.10658681. Crosse. John.
  6. Web site: Oil painting - Ship Portrait - Demerara Planter . 3 June 2014 . Art UK.
  7. Book: MacGregor, David R. . 1983. The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833-1875 . Conway Maritime Press Limited . 0-85177-256-0.
  8. Book: Lubbock. Basil. Basil Lubbock. The log of the "Cutty Sark". 1925. J.Brown & Sons. Glasgow. 3 June 2014.
  9. Book: Cruising World - Nautical History. Jan - Oct 2000.
  10. Book: Bold. J.. Bradbeer. Charlotte. Merwe. P. Van der. Maritime Greenwich: A world heritage site : A guide. 31 May 1999. National Maritime Museum and Collins & Browne. Great Britain. 23. 978-0948065286.