THE LOSS OF THE HANNAH
29TH January 1811
Isle of Pines CUBA
Isaac Fox (1759-1811) was lost at Sea, returning to Liverpool, to join his second wife and two young children.
This much we know, as a family story passed down from father to son over five generations.
A memorial stone in the Churchyard in Melling records the dates of death of Isaacs parents and siblings with the full date,
except for Isaac, who is shown as lost in January. It has intrigued us that the actual month that disaster struck the ship
was known when the trip took between 2 and 3 months from Kingston to Britain.
With more information on the internet, we now have a list of ships that departed Kingston Jamaica in January 1811 and were lost at Sea.
All ships have their departure date except for one, which is shown as lost off Cuba on the 29th January. This ship is the Hannah.
Presumable there were survivors, or she was sighted and identified as a loss on that date.
The Hannah was built in Liverpool in 1797, 195 tons, and carried 2 x 9-pound cannon, and 14 x 4-pound cannon in 1799.
Her normal ships crew was 20 to 25. She made three slave trips between 1797 and 1800 and then a whaling voyage 1803-1805.
Owner and Master in 1810/11 were Clark & Co and W. Ellis respectively.
Only two other ships departed Jamaica for Britain that month, the Grand Duke for London, and the Lord Melville for Cork.
No likely date for their loss is shown. The Hannah was bound for London. Until a passenger list for the Hannah becomes
available one cannot be sure but given her connections with the slave trade and Liverpool,
she would seem to be a likely candidate as the ship that Isaac Fox was lost from.
Peter Fox
April 2022