MaryAnnMurrells(1830-1914)MaryAnnwas born inWivenhoeon the 4thOctober 1830 andwas baptised in StMary’sonthe26thOctober.ShemarriedWilliamBacon(1820-1855)inOctober1852and had one childWilliam Charles Frederick Bacon (1854-1931) whowas born inWivenhoe. William died on the 25th Jan 1855 of a fever on board the ship LostShepherdoffMelbourne,Australia.

MaryAnnMurrellMaryAnnremarriedinApril1863toDanielWilliamSimmons(1834-1915).LivinginWivenhoetheyhad4children;ErnestHenryMurrell (1864-1935),KateJane(1867-1868),EdgarJoseph(1869-1895)andEthelEliza(1872-1933).

fromleft:Edgar,ErnestandEthelSimmons

DanielwasaMasterMariner(CN03936)andthecertificateshowsthatDanielhadbeen sailing on theMurrell/Penny ship Fanny as mate andmaster betweenMay1859andOctober1873andshowsthatby22ndMay1879hehadrecorded32years,6monthsand5daysatsea.Daniel’s original Masters Certificate was lost in a fire in his cabin on the 22ndNovember 1885 on board theBlythville and reissued as CN 16505, this certificateshowsthathewasMasteroftheBlythvilleduringDecember1885onavoyagefromNewport to Marseilles with a cargo of 1498 tons of welsh coal. There was anexplosion off Portugal due to a build up of coal gases in the hold that caused asubstantialfireonboard.OncethefirewasextinguishedtheBlythvilleputintoLisbonwherethecargowasoff loaded,theshiprepairedandreturnedtoHartlepool.ThesubsequentWreck Commissioners report attributed no direct blame to Daniel fortheexplosionThe census of 1861 shows both Daniel and Mary Ann together on the High St,Wivenhoewith ElizaMurrells and the family. They hadmoved toQueensRoad in1871,in1881theywerelivingat4ParkRoadnextdoortoMaryAnn’sparentswheretheyliveduntiltheirdeaths,thehousewouldappeartohavebeennamedBlythvilleasthisisthehousenameandaddressshowingonEdgar’sMastersCertificate.Marydiedonthe19thOctober1914aged84andDanielonthe10thMay1915; theyareburiedtogetherinWivenhoe.ErnestbecamearailwayStationMaster,marriedBessieLauraMason inApril1897and had 2 children. He died inWestMersea duringMarch 1935, Bessie dying inStowmarketduringSeptember1948,theyareburiedtogetherinColchester.Edgar followed his father and was apprenticed as a mariner to his step-brotherWilliamBaconin1885,servingonanumberoftheSivebrightandBaconshipsbeforegaininghisMastersCertificate(CN21214)inJune1889.HediedinSeptember1895inWestHartlepoolaged25.EthelmarriedGeorgeDurrant,ashipbuildingforemanfromWivenhoein1900.TheymovedtoChester,Etheldyingin1933andGeorgein1964.William Charles Frederick Bacon (1854-1931) was born on 12th Jan 1854 inWivenhoetoMaryAnnMurrellsandWilliamBacon.Attheageof7heisrecordedinthe 1861 census as living with his mother and grandparents on Park Street,Wivenhoeandattheageof17the1871censusshowshimasamarinerlivingwithhisgrandmotheronTheQuay.WilliamisrecordedasgoingtoseaasanApprenticeunderhisgrandfatherFrederickMurrellontheMarmoaon30March1868,transferringontotheBlanchandGreatNorthern.HestayedontheGreatNorthernas3rdMateuntil28thApril1873beforejoining the Charlgrove, Umengi andGolden Horn (master Joseph EdwardMurrell,WilliamsUncle)as2ndOfficer.Promotedto1stOfficerhe joinedthePalma in1875

andbecametheMasteroftheEsperanzain1875-76.HislastrecordedshipbeingtheSurrey,anAtlanticTransportCoshipthathewasthemasterofin1882-83.HegainedhisMastersCertificateonthe22ndSeptember1876(CN19398).Williamretiredfromtheseawhenhewas29andby1881hadmovedtoHartlepool,joined the West Hartlepool firm of shipbrokers Sivewrights and married AmySivewright in 1881. They had 5 children;William Harold (1883-1939), ElsaMarie(1884-1937), Alan Harvey (1888-1915), Gladys Margery (1890-1973) and EdwardSivewright(1894-1917).AlanwaskilledinactionatGallipolion6thAugust1915andEdwardwasshotdownandkilledflyingoverBelgiumon31stAugust1917.

William Bacon, photo from his obituary in the Northern Daily Mail 13th Jan 1931.

Amydiedin1900andWilliamremarriedtoCharlotteHarrisoninJuly1909,theyhad4children;AmyDoris(1879-1982),PhyllisMarion(1898-1974),NewtonMiles(1910-1993) and Elizabeth (b1913) In 1902 William was appointed a director of theManchesterShipCanalCompanyand inAugust1916became the3rdChairmanofthecompany.HediedinWilmslow,Cheshireon12thJanuary1931.CharlottediedinDecember1948.