Lumley Kennedy & Co.

Lumley Kennedy was a shipwright who had been a manager, for nearly twenty years, at the Brocklebank shipyard in Whitehaven. In 1835 he left Brocklebanks to join a new shipbuilding venture, as managing partner. His partners in Lumley Kennedy & Co. were R & H Jefferson, Dr.Robinson, Capt.Pew, R.N., Capt.I.Mounsey, Thomas Beck and John Peile. The new yard at Whitehaven launched its first vessel in 1835, and in total 65 vessels were built there in the years upto 1865. The venture was closed at about the same time as the Brocklebank shipyard ceased operations, the demise of both being due to difficulties obtaining satisfactory leases from the Earl of Lonsdale. The Lumley Kennedy yard was operated by Joseph Shepherd, himself a former employee of Kennedy, from 1865 until 1879. Lumley Kennedy himself died at Beckermet in 1882, aged 91.

The sailing vessels built by Lumley Kennedy & Co. at Whitehaven are listed below :

Sources :

1. "Shipbuilding in Whitehaven - a Checklist" by Harry Fancy, published by Whitehaven Museum (1984) - also mentions Unity, but gives no build date.
2. "Whitehaven - an Illustrated History" by Daniel Hay, published by Michael Moon (1979), ISBN 0-904131-21-1

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