Bill Hinchley's Staithes Memorial Board

Forget-me-not ring donated to Jane Harrison, donated to Jane Harrison by a Birmingham Jeweller, after the 1815 fishing disaster which claimed the lives of 29 fishermen, leaving 16 widows—seven of whom were pregnant—and 48 children fatherless.

This Memorial Board display is shown each year during the Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage. It was created by local historian Bill Hinchley to honour the memory of the Staithes fishermen who drowned at sea. The memorial board is the result of meticulous and difficult research into family histories and local events, and includes tragic events such as the loss of the BLESSING and her crew at Hartlepool in 1794, and multiple losses to the Verrill family over several generations. These stories, carefully researched and recorded, form a powerful tribute to the community’s resilience and maritime heritage, and is published with permission from Bill.

This memorial is a tribute to the many men, boys, and families from Staithes who lost their lives at sea. Each row in the table represents a tragedy, and how many tragedies affected Staithes will never be recorded. In the days before official records and regional newspapers, some losses were never documented—no body, no burial, no names. Boats would go to sea and the boat and crew would never be seen again. Reports in the press of the loss of a yawl and 11 men and boys in 1840 carried a footnote, "On a moderate calculation, upwards of 130 useful lives have been sacrificed, belonging to Staithes, within the last 20 years."

The boats were often family owned and crewed so when a boat was lost the onshore family would lose everything. The men lost could cover every male relative and financially it would be devastating. This list, researched and compiled by Bill Hinchley, stands as a record of those remembered and a reminder of those lost to history.

Year	Date	Location	Source	Names	Boat	Details
1774		Staithes	Parish record 18 Nov.	Isaac Marshall, Francis Harrison, James Sanderson
1794				Abraham Cole
1794		Hartlepool		Isaac Mason Master, 6 crew members and 1 boy unknown.	BLESSING
1807	14th April	Boulby Cliff Bottom		Hannah Grundy 13 years old
1797		Staithes	Parish record 28th July	Robert Shippey
1803				George Theaker, William Theaker
1808				Matthew Robinson, Thomas Mason, William Mason
1813				Francis Unthank
1813	1st Jan	Staithes		Roger Theaker, Robert Unthank, Thomas Brown
1815	14th April	Scarborough		Robert Verrell Master, William Verrell, Francis Robinson, James Harrison, His son Luke Harrison, His son James Harrison, J. Verrell's son a boy.	Richard + Sarah	This is the wreck attached to the ring at the museum
1828				James Theaker, Ralph Sanderson, James King
1829		Runswick		Daniel Mason, Isaac Mason, Davison
1830		Staithes		John Miller, John Corner,		Edward Theaker Saved.
1831				2 Verrills, Porritt
1833		Lincolnshire coast		Jacob Fell Master, 2 sons, Abraham Theaker, Mathias Theaker
1834				2 Theaker brothers, Robinson
1839		Dogger bank		Isaac Brown, Ward, Thomas Cole, Addison Verrill, Thomas Verrill, John Verrill	Yawls Mulgrave - Thomas & Margaret	Lost while working from cobles
1840				Thomas Mason, John Verrill, Robert Ward, William King
1840		Scarborough		Thomas Porritt & 2 sons, Isaac Verrill, Robert Shippy, Robert Ward, John Theaker, Jos Simpson
1841				Abraham Brown, John Sanderson, Thomas Snowdon
1843				John Manship
1853				James Robinson
1853		South Shields		James King
1857		Staithes		Ralph Sanderson, Isaac Verrill, Francis Theaker
1857	Feb	Staithes		Ralph Cole, Philip Cole - cousin		Saved William Cole - brother
1859				William Ward
1860	Oct			William Brown		Master of yawl washed overboard
1865	20 Feb	Hartlepool	Remembrance card, "In affectionate remembrance of William Cole, aged 51 years and his son, Thomas, aged 13 years, who suffered with all the crew of the Thomas & Margaret of Staithes, while attempting to take Hartlepool in a severe storm, on the 20th February 1865. William cole was a consistent member of the Wesleyan Methodist Society for many years, and much respected, and deeply lamented by beloved wife and six children left behind, and a large circle of friends. His body was found on Seaton Sand, March 17th, and was interred at Hinderwell, on the 20th.	William Cole master, Habron Cole, Edward Cole, Edward Unthank, Stephen Canny, James Theaker, William Crookes, William Unthank, Thomas C. Cole son of Master, Thomas Cole son of Habron.	Thomas & Margaret
1868	27 Mar	Dogger Bank		James Harrison, William Harrison	Racehorse	brothers lost from coble
1870		Staithes		Thomas Crooks, Isaac Crooks	Ellenor	Saved Thomas Crooks Snr.
1871	24 Feb.	Staithes		Francis Verrill, Thomas Ward, John Tose	Sea Venture
1871	fifteenth of june or January 14th	Staithes	Remembrance card, "In affectionate remembrance of Thomas Cole, beloved husband of Mary Ann Cole of Staithes, Who was drowned at sea, January 14th, 1871, aged 32 years.	Richard Cole, Thomas Cole, William Thompson Jnr
1880	28 Oct			Richard Thompson Master, Matthew Thompson Brother, Joseph Thompson Brother, William Rawbottom, Isaac Verrill, William Crispin, John Newton, Unknown stranger	Richard
1883	7 March	Hartlepool		Captain Sanderson swept overboard	Dependant
1888	21 Jan.	Redcar - Staithes		Robert Douglas, Francis Toase, Edward Toase	Halcyon 8Mh
1888	27 Nov.	Staithes	Rememberance card "In affectionate remembrance of John Crooks the beloved husband of Mary Crooks who was lost in the lifeboat disaster at Staithes on November 27th 1888, aged 41 years, also of Margaret Elizabeth Crooks, daughter of the above, born Dec. 9, 1887, Died May 23 , 1888.	John Crooks		lifeboat disaster
1892	18 July	Kettleness		William Harrison, Isaac Crossley, Jacob Ellis	Star of Bethlehem
1895	5 Oct	Hartlepool		Richard Cole, Isaac Crooks, Ralph Verrill	Dianah & Elizabeth
1899	29 Sept	Staithes		Francis Unthank, William Unthank son, Francis Unthank son	Knight Commander
1902	28 Nov	Staithes		Robert Longster, Joseph Crispin, James Tose	Amy Robinson
1912	7 Feb.	Rawcliff		Christopher Unthank, George C. Thomson		John Unthank saved. There's a poem about Pebba in the museum somewhere.
1914	12 Feb	Boulby		Thomas Cole, Isaac Unthank	Faith Hope and Charity
1914	21 Nov.	North Sea		Jacob Grimes Cole	Doris Burton
1914	28 Feb	Staithes		Mary Cole		Mary received injuries whilst assisting launching of boats from which she later died.
1917	3 Aug			Ralph Cole. William Cole	Ada	brothers
1931	5 Dec.	Staithes		Matthew Verrill	Star of Hope	crushed between two cobles on the slipway
1957	28 Aug.	Staithes		George Hanson		A Staithes fisherman who list his life in a gallant attempt to rescue a drowning bather in a rough sea.
1973	26 May	Staithes		Colin Harrison	Boy Colin	Colin Harrison Jnr Rescued