The men who knew every rock
The sea dominated the manner in which waterside communities on the Rame Peninsula developed. The navy, maritime trading, fishing and smuggling were all central to how these communities grew. But for the small number of communities closest to the great trading port of Plymouth, there was another calling — the expert pilotage that ensured the safe arrival and departure of vessels carrying the commodities on which the whole region depended.
The Trinity Pilots of Rame were licensed by Trinity House to guide vessels in and out of Plymouth Sound. It was skilled, dangerous work, requiring an intimate knowledge of every rock, shoal, tide and current. A pilot would race out in his cutter to meet an arriving vessel, climb aboard and bring her safely in — then make his own way home short-handed, often in the same difficult conditions.
Four families appear to have dominated the pilotage interests on the Rame Peninsula across successive generations — combining the pilot trade with fishing and, in all probability, a measure of smuggling on the side.
The Spriddells
One of the four dominant pilot families of the Rame Peninsula, with records of pilotage and fishing activity across the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Thomases
A pilotage family whose members appear in census and shipping records as both pilots and fishermen across multiple generations.
The Williams
The Williams family combined pilotage with fishing, as was common among the close-knit maritime communities of Maker and Rame.
The Eddeys
Perhaps the best documented of the four families. Richard Eddey was awarded medals for bravery. A detailed family history is available to download.
Documents and resources
Database of All Rame Registered Vessels
All boats traced bearing a Rame interest — builders, owners, transferees and mortgagees — drawn from Plymouth shipping registration records.
Plymouth Pilot Boats — Names and Records
A specific list of Plymouth-based pilot boats extracted from the shipping registration records, including pilot names and vessel details.
The Pilots Act 1810
The Act detailing provisions, penalties, areas of operation and fees chargeable for Plymouth Pilots — the legal framework governing their work.
Pilot Boat Design
An in-depth article on the design requirements of a pilot vessel — sea-kindly, fast to windward, and easily sailed home short-handed. From The Boatman Magazine, December/January 1992/93.
Pilotage Fees 1856
The costs charged for receiving a Trinity House Pilot in Plymouth in 1856 — a revealing document about the commercial side of this essential service.
The Eddeys of Rame — A Detailed Family History
A comprehensive family history of the Eddey dynasty, one of the four families that dominated pilotage on the Rame Peninsula across generations.
Do you have a photograph of a pilot boat, a story about a pilot family, or an old newspaper clipping about pilotage in Plymouth Sound? We would love to hear from you.
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