17 November 1752 to 2 June 1827
FAR00169
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1752
Robert Farndale was born on
17 November 1752, son of John Farndale (FAR00136), sailor. He was
baptised at Whitby on 6 July 1755 at St Mary
the Virgin, Whitby.
1780
Robert was a Master Mariner. See his gravestone.
A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of seafarer
qualification. He is thus given an unlimited master's license, with no limits
on the tonnage, power, or geographic location of the vessel that the holder of
the license is allowed to serve upon. A master mariner would therefore be
allowed to serve as the master of
a merchant ship of
any size, of any type, operating anywhere in the world, and it reflected
the highest level of professional qualification amongst mariners and deck
officers.
The
term master mariner has been in use at least since the thirteenth
century, reflecting the fact that in guild or livery company terms, such a
person was a master craftsman in
this specific profession, such as were also a master carpenter, master
blacksmith etc.
In
the British Merchant Navy a
master mariner who had sailed in command of an ocean going merchant ship was
titled “Captain”, although a
professional seafarer who held a restricted or limited master's certificate who
had sailed in command of a ship could also be titled captain.
Where
the movements of ships were recorded in the shipping news and other media, the
name of the ship was followed by the name of the Captain.
1790s
Robert married Hannah
Farndale (see gravestone), perhaps in the 1790s.
Hannah might have
been Hannah Wilson born on 10 March 1756 in Whitby, but there are other
candidates.
1827
Robert Farndale, of Whitby
died on 2 June 1827, aged 74 and was buried 7 June 1827 at St Mary the
Virgin Churchyard, Whitby (Whitby PR).
Sacred
to the memory of
ROBERT FARNDALE
Master mariner
who died June
2nd 1827 aged 74
years.
And of HANNAH his
wife
who died March
28th 1845
aged 89 years.
Bram
Stoker used St Mary's Church graveyard as the setting for a scene in his novel,
Dracula:
For
a moment or two I could see nothing, as the shadow of a cloud obscured St.
Mary's Church. Then as the cloud passed I could see the ruins of the Abbey
coming into view; and as the edge of a narrow band of light as sharp as a
sword-cut moved along, the church and churchyard became gradually visible... It
seemed to me as though something dark stood behind the seat where the white
figure shone, and bent over it. What it was, whether man or beast, I could not
tell.
The
graveyard is famous for its association with Dracula. There is a gravestone
with a skull and crossbones, which it is sometimes claimed is the fictional Draculas grave, but in reality was probably the mark of a
stonemason. And there is the tale of a suicide’s grave, where vampires
supposedly have to reside:
“He
pointed to a stone at our feet which had been laid down as a slab, on which the
seat was rested, close to the edge of the cliff. “Read the lies on that thruff-stone,” he said. The letters were upside down to me
from where I sat, but Lucy was more opposite to them, so she leant over and
read, “Sacred to the memory of George Canon, who died, in the hope of a
glorious resurrection, on July 29, 1873, falling from the rocks at Kettleness. This tomb was erected by his sorrowing mother
to her dearly beloved son. `He was the only son of his mother, and she was a
widow.’ Really, Mr. Swales, I don’t see anything very funny in that!” She spoke
her comment very gravely and somewhat severely.
“Ye don’t see aught funny!
Ha-ha! But that’s because ye don’t gawm the sorrowin’ mother was a hell-cat that hated him because he
was acrewk’d, a regular lamiter
he was, an’ he hated her so that he committed suicide in order that she
mightn’t get an insurance she put on his life.”….I did not know what to say,
but Lucy turned the conversation as she said, rising up, “Oh, why did you tell
us of this? It is my favourite seat, and I cannot leave it, and now I find I
must go on sitting over the grave of a suicide.”
August 1827 -
Probate from the Prerogative and Exchequer Courts of York Probate - Robert
Farndale of Whitby - £100 (Borthwick Institute
Index reference vol.176, f.124, 1827011830100100.tif/16, Prerogative &
Exchequer Courts Of York Probate Index, 1688-1858):
August 1827. 124.
Farndale, Robert of Whitby. L 100. His Executrix was Hannah Farndale.
1841
In the 1841 Census, Hannah
Farndale, Robert’s widow, lived at Tate Hill, Whitby, independently, aged 83,
with Ann Harland, 14, a female servant.
1845
Hannah Farndale was buried in Whitby on 4 April 1845, aged 89 (Whitby PR, North Yorkshire Records Office PR/WH 1/49,
Gravestone).
