Our family history of the Bartrams start from 1797 when a Thomas Bartram married Mary Lister of Durham and had a son, George Bartram who was born on12 September 1800. George, first of the shipbuilding Bartrams was orphaned fairly early in life, but at the age of 11 began an apprenticeship, with the consent of his parents, lasting seven years, with W & J Gales (shipbuilders) of Hylton, County of Durham.

The Indenture between George Bartram and firm states among other things that: "the said apprentice his Masters well and faithfully serve, their secrets keep, ....Fornication or Adultery shall not commit .... Taverns or Ale houses he shall not haunt or frequent shall not play ..... Matrimony with any woman ..... etc."

In return the apprentice would be: "taught, learned and informed in the Art Trade or Business of a Ship Carpenter," paying up to ....."Nine shillings a week for the seventh and last year ...."

On completion of his apprenticeship, George went to sea and after returning to the River Wear area worked from 1822 to 1831 as foreman (or manager) for a Mr Dryden who built ships at Biddick Ford near Hylton. In 1828 he was in partnership with J.M. Gates and, was later associated with Robert Reay, known at Hylton, as "Squire Reay".

George Bartram married Margaret Appleby in 1834 and in 1835 had a son Robert Appleby Bartram. Sadly, eight other following children died.

In 1837 George started as Master Builder with John Lister who has been trained to draft and lay out a ship by Robert Thompson Snr. It was on 14 January 1838, that the keel of the first ship as built by the partnership of George Bartram and John Lister was laid, or "ramed" as it was called in those days. On 7 July 1838 their first ship, the Crown was launched for William Thompson, baker, of Monkwearmouth. From that first ship, which carried a cargo described as "of 16 keels", they made a profit of 77 pounds after paying for wages for carpenters, sawyers, joiners, blacksmiths and painter, which meant that the six months' work brought the partners in about 30 shillings each per week. Four days after the launching of the Crown, the keel of the second ship as laid. She was named City of Rochester and her owners were Benjamin Grainger of Whitby and William Hayman of Rochester.

George Bartram took great pride in his work and wrote accounts of those early launches in a most methodical manner, for example:

"She glided down the ways into her destined element." Sometimes she went off "like a shot" and usually, "a goodly company was present."

During this partnership, Georges's son, Robert Appleby Bartram, was receiving and education and later served his time with his father, acquiring a through and practical knowledge of wooden shipbuilding. The partnership lasted 17 years and nearly 40 ships were launched, comprising barques, schooners, snows, brigs and brigantines. Of these, only one - John and Mary - exceeded 400 gross tons. She was noteworthy in 1851 as being Bartram's first ship to exceed 100 feet in length (keel?). The John and Mary carried a three quarter male figurehead. She was sold to John Patten of Ouseburn Pottery, Newcastle.

After the partnership was dissolved in 1854, George Bartram was working on his own at South Hylton by 1855. About this time George's son married Ann Naisby and subsequently fathered two sons, George and William Naisby Bartram. A daughter or daughters are mentioned. In 1865 the name of the firm was given as "George Bartram & Son."

Up-river building in their South Hylton yard must have been worrying in winter time. It was recorded in January 1864 that the brig Charante of 340 tons was ready to leave the ways at Bartrams but, owing to the river being frozen, the launch had to be postponed for nearly a week.

After business was transferred to a new site downstream at the South Dock, Sunderland in 1871, George Bartam retired and eventually died on 19 August 1891, at the ripe old age of 91, being the oldest shipbuilder in the country. Following the business transfer to the South Dock, Robert Bartram formed a partnership with George Haswell, son of John Haswell, the firm being styled Bartram, Haswell & Co.. George Haswell had been connected with that Sunderland shipbuilding genius, William Pile for a number of years and with his father John Haswell, had been building iron ships since 1866.

Perhaps we might now look at the background of the Haswells who had been building on the Wear for a considerable time. John, father of George Haswell, began shipbuilding in 1837, the same year that George Bartram took over the site at Hylton. At 25 his first venture was formation of a partnership between himself and seven or eight other shipwrights. They commenced building at Hylton.

It was a remarkable partnership and well illustrates that labour is capital. Having very little money between them they were able to employ workmen, therefore the firm was the workmen and the workmen were the Masters. In summer they began at 4 am and continued for 15 hours. In winter they started at 6 am and finished at 6 pm. The partnership was short-lived and after it was dissolved, John Haswell, restarted with two other men.

This arrangement continued until 1850 when Haswell began to build on his own account. He must have been successful because he did not retire from shipbuilding and go into ship owning until 1870. The Hylton yard was closed in the 1850s as the size of ships increased, and John Haswell transferred his activities to Arye's Quay, where he launched many fine ships. Several vessels were built during the 1850s for John Hay's Sunderland fleet and there were a number of coastal brigs and schooners.

Perhaps the best connection was with the world-famed Blackwell firm of Green & Co. for which Haswell built several high class ships. Towards the end of his shipbuilding career, he opened the yard at South Docks for the building of iron ships. He remained only a short time on the new site and at the age of 68 collapsed while witnessing the launch of one of his son's ships at the Bartram, Haswell yard. He was taken to his home in West Sunnyside and died there that evening.

Returning to the start of Bartram Haswell & Co. in 1871; the new firm went straight into shipbuilding an on 6 June 1872 launched its first ship, the steamer Ardmore for Liverpool owners.

The era of the sailing ship was by no means over the firm built some very fine barques and full-rigged ships. Several were built for Hine Brothers of Maryport, a firm which traded their ships at Adelaide, Brisbane and Tasmania. A barque named Mercia was the last of her class from the South Docks shipyard. Between 1874 and 1876 Bartram Haswell & Co. launched nine sailings ships, including our own Clan MacLeod described as a "smart iron barque".

George Haswell retired in 1889 and 1890, Mr R.A. Bartram's elder sons George & William joined the firm which then took on the title of Bartram & Sons.

During her construction the Clan MacLeod had many surveys leading to her 100A1 classifaction at Lloyds of London. The first was on 7 October 1873 and the last on 18 March 1874, four weeks after she was launched and christened. The survey report No. 12470 states: " The plating is well wrought (& although a little rough, the workmanship is generally sound); the vessel is a sister ship of the Cumbria report No. 10787, and is constructed with a raised quarter deck about 35 feet in length, for the accommodation of the Captain and Chief Officer; two pairs of diagonal plates are fitted upon the Hold Beams in the way of the Fore and Mainmast Partners.

The report also states that the Standing and Running Rigging is of "wire & hemp". The vessel's official No. was 68086 and she carried 11,500 square feet of sail and cost 11,375 pounds to build.

Clan MacLeod's first master was William Alexander and typically she carried a crew of 17 being Master, Mate, 2nd Mate, Cook/Steward, Cabin Boy housed aft under raised quarterdeck, and 12 seaman-housed forward in a small deckhouse, and no passengers.

Robert Appleby Bartram was very active in public affairs and greatly interested in education. In the 1870s he became a member of the School Board at Hylton, and was chairman for nine years. About 1880 he was on the Sunderland School Board and was later a co-opted member of the Sunderland Education Authority. He gave many gifts to charity, as well as 10,000 guineas to Town Council for the establishment of technical scholarships.

Bartram support also went to many social welfare causes such as Sunderland Royal Infirmary, the Town and Police Court Mission, Northern Society for Granting Annuities to Governesses and various temperance societies of the town. He was also a magistrate for the Borough.

From the time Bartram came to Sunderland he was active in St. George's Presbyterian Church and fostered interest in Sunday School work and in working among the young. In 1921 Bartram received a Knighthood and died in 1925 during his 91st Year, as the oldest shipbuilder in the country, a distinction which had also belonged to his father.