# 200 yrs old pocket watch that saw Royal Navy Service



## Melville (Jun 17, 2013)

This pocket watch was presented to Warrant Officer Mr. John MacDonald by Captain John Trigge of HMS Mermaid in July 1794. Mr. MacDonald was the ships carpenter, a very important member of the ship's crew, and held the King's Warrant. He was a member of the crew when the ship was first commissioned in August 1790 under the command of Captain Cuthbert Collingwood, who came to fame later in his career as Admiral Collingwood, second in command to Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 when he led the British to eventual victory after Nelson was killed in action.

The position of ship's carpenter was a continual service in that he remained with the ship at all times even when it was de-commissioned at various times and placed in reserve. He would have been responsible for maintaining the ships hull, decks etc., should the ship be called back into active service. This happened on various occasions.

Indeed, he was still the ship's carpenter in 1797 when he made his Last Will and Testament (of which I have a copy). I have yet to find when his service was terminated aboard HMS Mermaid, but during his recorded years on board the ship was involved in several successful battles with the French.

The Mermaid was a 12 pounder armed thirty two gun frigate of the Active Class built at the Royal Dockyard at Sheerness.

The pocket watch is a silver pair case watch and the case dates the watch to 1792/93. The movement is inscribed John Rugless, London.

The case is inscribed around the top edge:- "A small token and mark of merit to Mr. John MacDonald"

In the centre is an engraving of a ship and below it MERMAID JULY 1794

Around the lower edge it is inscribed:- "Carpenter of his Majesties Ship"


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## relaxer7 (Feb 18, 2016)

Great bit of history there - how did you come by it?


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

Wow. Still running?


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## Melville (Jun 17, 2013)

It didn't run when I got it, but I stripped it and cleaned and oiled it and it keeps to about 2 minutes (slow) in twenty four hours. I'm happy with that.


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## bowie (Mar 12, 2005)

Great read where how did you get the watch from.


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## Melville (Jun 17, 2013)

I bought it from another pocket watch collector who was selling a few items to finance another project. After I bought it and sorted it out I started to try to sort out the history behind the watch and got a great deal of help from a Royal Navy historian on a Kent History Forum. He provided me with the complete history of the ship from the date the keel was first laid to the time it was finally broken up.


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## Melville (Jun 17, 2013)

This is some of the information that I was given by the Royal Navy historian regarding the standing of a ship's carpenter of the time.

The carpenter of a ship was not just a common seaman, he was an educated, senior Warrant Officer, who was a time served and fully qualified shipwright and would have been appointed into the ship by the Navy Board. He was responsible for the repair and maintenance of the ship's hull, frames and decks and had his own crew of a Carpenters Mate and five Able Seamen. Also reporting to the Carpenter was the Caulker, who was another Warrant Officer who was responsible for ensuring that the hull and decks remained watertight.

To be appointed into a ship as her Carpenter, he would have had to obtain a Warrant from the Navy Board, who wouldn't have issued it until they saw proof of his qualifications. When a ship was commissioned from new, the Carpenter was appointed from amongst the shipwrights who built her, thus staking his own life of the quality of the workmanship. Answerable to the First Lieutenant, he was one of the ship's Standing Officers, that is, he would remain with the ship whether she was in commission or not. He was a man of some importance, evidenced by the fact that he had his own cabin under the forecastle and was entitled to have two of the ship's boys as cabin servants. He was quite well paid too, at £3.6s per lunar month, plus his share of any prize money.


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

This is what I really appreciate.


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## Alanjw (Oct 27, 2017)

Fantastic movement and a great piece of history - if only it replays it's history!

Alan


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

The watch & the history behind it are very impressive :thumbs_up:


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## brummie1875 (May 2, 2016)

An interesting read thankyou, impressive looking watch with a great history.. :thumbsup:


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Well, that's made most of us feel a little humble I suspect? If not, we should, IMHO.

Magnificent watch and remarkable provenance.


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