Famous Photo

Fishermen and children c. 1893

This well-known photograph of Sunderland Point fishermen with children has been seen in many places including the dining room wall of the Lancaster House Hotel.

Taken in about 1893, they are grouped around the stone step at the end of the pad, the pillar at the start of First Terrace is just visible behind.

It’s a wonderful picture and perfectly staged. We are looking at a past generation, we see them dressed in well-worn clothing of the period, sporting interesting headwear and some smoking clay pipes. Mostly they are smiling, except the grumpy boy in front and the little girl - almost hidden - and her dad towards the back.

So, who are they and what do we know about them?

We can’t be certain, but the three adults at the back, left to right, are Tom Spencer, Richard Bagot and Arthur Townley. The adults in the front row, Luke Gardner and his nephew James ‘Shirley’ Gardner.

 They are all fishermen and river (or sea or both) pilots. Remarkably, 30 years later, four of them are still to found the 1922 authorised list of pilots. Shirley Gardner was a river pilot for 47 years, Tom Spencer retired in 1929 after 52 years’ service.

 The children, left to right are Richard Bagot’s son Gerrard, Tom Gardner the son of Richard Gardner another pilot (who is missing from the photograph) and the little girl is perhaps Annie, a daughter of Arthur Townley.

 At the time of the photo….

 Tom Spencer is a pilot both in the river and the seas. Born in Overton he would have been 36 years old. He lived at number 10 before moving into one of the semis in the Lane which he and his father had built. One of his six children, tragically drowned in the pit at the top of the Lane.

 Richard Bagot is 39, his father, grandfather, and son – Gerrard in photo - were all pilots. Originally from Preesall near Fleetwood, he lived at number 4 First Terrace and was described as a ‘big fine chap, a good high pole leaper and wrestler’ he took part in events at Grasmere and in London.

 Arthur Townley is 36 and lived for many years in 4 the Lane, then known as ‘Sea View’, he had four daughters including Annie in the photo. His wife Mary was sister to Tom Spencer’s wife Elizabeth, who in turn were daughters of Tom and Agnes Seddon one time tenants of the Temperance Hotel.

 Luke Gardner would have been 62. Born in Overton, he never married and lived with his sister Margaret in the Summer House at the top of the Lane with his half-brother James, and nephew Shirley.

 James ‘Shirley’ Gardner was born in Blackburn but comes to live with his Uncle Luke. He is now 24. He lived with his wife Belle in the Summer House for many years. It was Shirley who built the extension to the side.

 We don’t know why he was called ‘Shirley’ but living his teenage years with a relative of similar age - also a James Gardner - maybe it was a differentiator.

 And the children

 Gerrard Bagot, then aged about 10, was born like his father in Preesall and like his father a fisherman and pilot most of his life.

 Tom Gardner would have been 7 or 8 years old, one of the four sons of Richard Gardner, he was a fisherman and sometime pilot living at number 2 the Lane most of his life. His son Harold was the last pilot living at the Point.

Annie Townley, we think it’s her, she has three other sisters but the age of 7 seems to fit the photo best. Also, like her sisters was born on the Point. In the census of 1901 we find her, aged 15, as a domestic servant in a coffee house in Market Street Lancaster.

 There is poignancy here, this is Sunderland Point the fishing village. More than half the adult population were in fishing families, five were pilots on the river. None today. And something else, there were 24 children under 16, today only 3.