Philemon Ewer
Encyclopedia
There were a number of shipbuilders
and shipwrights
called Philemon Ewer
in the villages of Bursledon
and Hamble
in the River Hamble
area of Hampshire
, England
during the 18th century.
timber merchant and builder of small boats but gained an opportunity through
the outbreak of the 'War of Jenkins' Ear
' to build Men of War
for the
British government in 1739.
He also had a shipyard in East Cowes
on the Isle of Wight
.
He was buried at St Leonards in Bursledon on 16 December 1750 and has an elaborate memorial which records:
His seven ships were:
He also built a large house in the village from the proceeds. It was called 'Elm Lodge' at the time but is now known as 'Greyladyes' and is home to the 'Greyladyes Arts Foundation' Google Maps Link.
There is also an 18th century house called 'Ewers' on Lands End Road in Bursledon that was owned by the family. Google Maps link
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
and shipwrights
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
called Philemon Ewer
in the villages of Bursledon
Bursledon
Bursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages include Swanwick, Hamble-le-Rice, Netley and Sarisbury...
and Hamble
Hamble
Hamble may refer to:* The last frontier film location.* The River Hamble in Hampshire, England**Hamble-Warsash Ferry, a ferry service on the River Hamble* Hamble-le-Rice, a village on the river Hamble, close to the city of Southampton, England...
in the River Hamble
River Hamble
The River Hamble is a river in Hampshire, England. It rises near Bishop's Waltham and flows for some 7.5 miles through Botley, Bursledon and Swanwick before entering Southampton Water near Hamble-le-Rice and Warsash....
area of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during the 18th century.
The Master Shipbuilder
The 'Master' shipbuilder was Philemon Ewer (19 July 1702 - 13 December 1750). He was atimber merchant and builder of small boats but gained an opportunity through
the outbreak of the 'War of Jenkins' Ear
War of Jenkins' Ear
The War of Jenkins' Ear was a conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748, with major operations largely ended by 1742. Its unusual name, coined by Thomas Carlyle in 1858, relates to Robert Jenkins, captain of a British merchant ship, who exhibited his severed ear in...
' to build Men of War
Man of war
The man-of-war was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship from the 16th to the 19th century. The term often refers to a ship armed with cannon and propelled primarily by sails, as opposed to a galley which is propelled primarily by oars...
for the
British government in 1739.
He also had a shipyard in East Cowes
Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
.
He was buried at St Leonards in Bursledon on 16 December 1750 and has an elaborate memorial which records:
In Memory of MR PHILEMON EWER, who died the 13th day of December
A.D. 1750 aged 49 Years. During the late war with France & Spain
He build Seven large Ships of war for His Majesty's Service.
In the Execution of that important Trust He gained, and deserved,
the Reputation of an ingenious Artist and excellent workman
and an honest Man. All his Undertakings were crowned with Success,
And all his Industry justly rewarded With a fair Character & a plentiful
Fortune; The first of which he left for ye Imitation
The second for the Support & Enjoyment Of his numerous Family;
who in Gratitude erected This Monument A:D: 1754
His seven ships were:
Ship Type Armament Launched Shipyard Notes HMS Falkland HMS Falkland (1696)HMS Falkland was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Holland of New Castle, New Hampshire, and purchased by the navy in 1696....Fourth Rate 48-gun 1744 Bursledon BursledonBursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages include Swanwick, Hamble-le-Rice, Netley and Sarisbury...This was a rebuild of the first ever ship built in North America in 1696 HMS Lizard Sloop SloopA sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....14-gun 1744 Bursledon BursledonBursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages include Swanwick, Hamble-le-Rice, Netley and Sarisbury...HMS Ruby HMS Ruby (1745)HMS Ruby was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Bursledon in Hampshire to the dimensions specified in the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 3 August 1745.Ruby was broken up in 1765....Fourth Rate 50-gun 1745 Bursledon BursledonBursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages include Swanwick, Hamble-le-Rice, Netley and Sarisbury...
HMS Salisbury HMS SalisburySeven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Salisbury after the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire:* HMS Salisbury was a 48-gun fourth rate, launched in 1698 and captured by the French in 1703. She was subsequently recaptured in 1708 and renamed Salisbury Prize, and later renamed Preston in 1716...Fourth Rate 44-gun 1746 East Cowes East CowesEast Cowes is a town and civil parish to the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina next to its neighbour on the west bank, Cowes....James Lind James LindJames Lind FRSE FRCPE was a Scottish physician. He was a pioneer of naval hygiene in the Royal Navy. By conducting the first ever clinical trial, he developed the theory that citrus fruits cured scurvy...
carried out his famous experiments on scurvyScurvyScurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
on this ship in 1747HMS Fox Sixth Rate 24-gun 1746 Bursledon BursledonBursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages include Swanwick, Hamble-le-Rice, Netley and Sarisbury...HMS Anson HMS Anson (1747)HMS Anson was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Bursledon by Philemon Ewer to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment, and launched on 10 October 1747....Fourth Rate 60-gun 1747 Bursledon BursledonBursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages include Swanwick, Hamble-le-Rice, Netley and Sarisbury...HMS Vanguard HMS Vanguard (1748)HMS Vanguard was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 16 April 1748. She was built by Philemon Ewer at his East Cowes yard on the Isle of Wight to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment, at a cost of £8,009...Third Rate Third-rateIn the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...70-gun 1748 East Cowes CowesCowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...Took part in the captures of Louisburg LouisburgLouisburg is the name of some places in the United States of America and Canada:*Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada *Louisburg, Kansas, United States of America*Louisburg, Minnesota, United States of America...
, QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and MartiniqueMartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
He also built a large house in the village from the proceeds. It was called 'Elm Lodge' at the time but is now known as 'Greyladyes' and is home to the 'Greyladyes Arts Foundation' Google Maps Link.
There is also an 18th century house called 'Ewers' on Lands End Road in Bursledon that was owned by the family. Google Maps link
Other Philemon Ewers
- The Master Shipbuilder's father (died 1730) Built trading ships mainly at HambleHambleHamble may refer to:* The last frontier film location.* The River Hamble in Hampshire, England**Hamble-Warsash Ferry, a ferry service on the River Hamble* Hamble-le-Rice, a village on the river Hamble, close to the city of Southampton, England...
- The Master Shipbuilder's son (1735 - 1797) Seems to have been known as 'Captain' (most likely due to his position in the local militia) and lived at 'Elm Lodge' in Bursledon Google Maps Link- He does appear to have continued building smaller ships for the navy up to at least 1757 and left provision for his eldest son to be placed under an eminent shipwright in his will
- The Master Shipbuilder's nephew (1726 - 1792) Lived at 'Upcott House' in Bursledon Google Maps Link - Owned sloops for trading purposes and was also a maltster and timber merchant. He is recorded as offering to build ships for the navy.
- Both the Master shipbuilder's son and nephew had a son called Philemon also.