Sail Away

Though Campbeltown's own 'hero', Captain John Fleming, was not at the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, another
Campbeltown man, one Peter Sinclair and another, seemingly, 'near-Kintyre' man, Charles McGillivray, both fought
in the action, McGillivray is buried in the little graveyard of Kiluanish, near Dunmore on the north side of West Loch
Tarbert. The inscription on his gravestone reads "William McGillivray, A British sailor who fought under COCHRAN and
NELSON. He died respected and regretted at Dunmore - August 1863".

At the beginning of the 1800’s, regular sailing packets, carrying passengers and cargo, ran from Campbeltown to Ayr,
chief among them the “John and Ann” and to Greenock and Glasgow, the “Caledonia”, the “Flora”, the “Isabella”
and the “Margaret”. An 1820 lists of ships, registered in the West Highland ports i.e. outside of those registered in
Glasgow and Greenock, reveals that 60 of the 240 vessels on the list belonged to Campbeltown, 55 sloops and smacks
and 5 brigs, the more likely trading outside of local waters. If they are the same ships then, the “Caledonia” was a 44-
ton sloop, built in Plymouth in 1808, owned and skippered by D. McTaggart; the “Isabella”, a 48-ton sloop,
Dumbarton-built in 1802, owned by John Gillies and skippered by J. Ryburn and the “Margaret”, a 25-ton sloop,
built locally in Campbeltown in 1814, owned by Malcolm McNeill and skippered by J. McEachran - The five brigs
were the 131-ton “Caledonia”, Arbroath-built in 1812, owned by W. Watson and skippered by J. Watson; the little
48-ton “Campbeltown”, Campbeltown-built in 1793 - though, at this tonnage she seems to be an erroneous entry
being too small to be a brig and her trade being described as ‘coastal’ - owned again by a W. Watson and skippered by
W. Colvill; the 169-ton “ Jane”, built at King’s Lynn in 1799, owned by Nath. McNair and skippered by A. Colvill
and two, both named “Margaret”, both being built in Bo’ness. One of 133-tons, built in 1800, owned by D.
Campbell and skippered by D. McGill and the other, of 128-tons built in 1803, owned by Wm. Watson and skippered
by R. McMillan, the 1820 Register of Campbeltown Ships here
Rig Tons Built Year Owner(s) Master
Active sloop 29 Islay 1818 A. McDougall J. McDougall
Alert Brig 108 Anstruther 1803 Wm Watson & Co. R. Colvill
Alexander Sloop 16 Gourock 1805 Arch. Armour M. McMillan
Ann Sloop 41 Campbeltown 1800 A. Ralston & Co. A. Reid
Ann & Elizabeth smack 45 Gillingham 1815 W. Watson & Co. R. Shearer
Ardmore Sloop 21 Islay 1814 W. McKinnon & Co. W. McKinnon
Bella Sloop 67 a prize seizure ???? W. & J. Harvey D. McMillan
Brothers Sloop 46 Greenock 1802 John McFarlane D. McCoag
Brothers sloop 25 Campbeltown 1819 R. & C. Colvill P. McMath
Brothers smack 16 Skipness 1809 J. & A. Taylor A. Taylor
Caledonia sloop 44 Plymouth 1808 D. & D. McTaggart D. McTaggart
Caledonia brig 131 Arbroath 1812 W. Watson & Co. J. Watson
Campbeltown brig (?) 48 Campbeltown 1793 W. Watson W. Colvill
Dan sloop 53 Kincardine 1779 A. Ralston & Co. M. Fleeming (?)
Diamond sloop 59 Port Glasgow 1766 Peter Stewart & Co. L. McDougall
Dolphin sloop 60 Leith 1765 S. Kilpatrick & Co. D. Ballantine
Eleanora sloop 36 Islay 1786 Andrew Ralston A. Muir
Emperor Alexander smack 27 Whitehaven 1814 John Colvill & Co. M. Wallace
Endeavour sloop 28 Campbeltown 1800 Andrew Ralston & Co. D. Campbell
Eugenia smack 15 Tarbert 1818 Arch. McMillan A. McMillan
Glencairn sloop 46 Islay 1805 Hill & Campbell D. Colvill
Good Intent sloop 20 Greenock 1802 John McFarlane J. McFarlane
Grace sloop 52 Greenock 1812 C. McKinlay & Co. J. Jamieson
Harmony sloop 60 Campbeltown 1817 Rob & Chas. Colvill A. Colvill
Helen smack 15 Greenock 1810 John Campbell J. Campbell
Helen sloop 25 Campbeltown 1814 Malcolm McNeil A. McLarty
Helen sloop 29 a prize seizure ???? D. McTaggart & Co. D. Mathieson
Jane brig 169 Kings Lynn 1799 Nathan McNair A. Colvill
Jannet sloop 26 Campbeltown 1812 Rob & Chas. Colvill T. Blackstock
Jean sloop 28 Greenock 1819 Arch. Colvill & Co. A. McMath
Jean sloop 54 Fort William 1814 Hervay & Hope (?) A. McMillan
Jean smack 22 Campbeltown 1817 Neill Smith N. Smith
John sloop 57 a prize seizure ???? Wm. Harvey & Co. J. Clark
John & Nancy smack 26 Isle of Man 1800 Jas. Taylor D. Taylor
Isabella sloop 48 Dumbarton 1802 John Gilkison J. Ryburn
Kitty sloop 17 Ballyhal'bet 1799 John Brown J. Brown
Kitty sloop 22 Islay 1817 A.Johnstone & Co. J. Johnstone
Kitty sloop 17 Fairlie 1816 J. McTaggart J. McDonald
Lady Endergally sloop 34 Eyemouth 1803 Wm. Watson jnr. W. Ryburn
Liberty sloop 41 Brixham 1808 John McCalman J. McLachlan
Lilly sloop 27 Islay 1813 Lachlan McNeill L. McNeill
Margaret sloop 25 Campbeltown 1814 Malcolm McNeill J. McEachran
Margaret brig 133 Bo'ness 1800 D. Campbell & Co. D. McGill
Margaret brig 128 Bo'ness 1803 Wm. Watson & Co. R. McMillan
Margaret & Ann smack 18 Islay 1817 John McIndeor J. McIndeor
Marian sloop 36 Maryport 1804 W. Armour & Co. J. Harvie
Martin cutter 37 Brixham 1795 John McNeill A. McMillan
Mary sloop 39 Bowling 1792 A. Ralston & Co. R. Ferguson
Mary sloop 16 Larne 1800 Swainy, McQuilkan & Co. D. McNair
Mary Ann smack 15 Jura 1815 A. McDonald & Co. D. McMillan
May Flower sloop 33 Campbeltown 1818 Peter Stewart & Co. D. Cameron
Nelly & Margaret sloop 30 Bo'ness 1804 R. & C. Colvill J. Ferguson
Peggy smack 16 Islay 1805 Robert Livingston J. Black
Peggy sloop 36 Greenock 1790 Harvey & Hope J. Langwill
Peggy sloop 15 Islay 1816 James McDougall J. McDougall
Sally sloop 16 Gourock 1816 Sinclair & McMillan A. Sinclair
Smeaton sloop 42 Leith 1807 Arch. Colvill & Co. R. Shearer
Speedwell sloop 21 Ardyne 1802 J. Dunlop & Co. A. Smith
Swallow sloop 26 Colonsay 1812 John McNeil A. McNeil
Trial Packet sloop 67 Berwick 1800 Harvey & Hope L. McIsaac