Volume Ten - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - The Cooper family of boat-builders at Penarth and Pill . . .

Interestingly, at the previous Census of 1841, [673] Charles Simpson Cooper is listed simply as Simpson Cooper and sadly it seems likely that 11 year old Elizabeth passed away c.1850.

◊ 1858 -  Penarth - 'On Saturday morning a new vessel was launched from the premises of Mr. Cooper, shipbuilder. An attempt was made on Thursday evening to move her, but every effort proved fruitless, to the great disappointment of a large concourse of people who came to witness the launch.' - Monmouthshire Merlin [167] [361] 22nd May 1858.

This vessel referred to above was a schooner with the official No. 19375, christened 'Six Brothers' being a sailing vessel of 67 tons and registered at Cardiff on the 20th July 1858. It had been built at Penarth and was owned by Charles Cooper. [630]  Maybe, Charles was proud of his six sons and named the vessel accordingly!

above : A section of the Appropriation Book 1858 for Official Number 19375 ; 'Six Brothers' ; of 67 tons ; a Sailing vessel. [630]

The vessel had a 4 or 5 man compliment and the Master in 1863 was John Howells aged 45 from Milford. The Boatswain was Simpson Cooper, 32 years of age, son of Charles. The vessel remained in the ownership of Charles Cooper at Penarth as listed in the 1879 Mercantile Navy List, but is at Pill in the 1880 edition. A crew-list for June to December 1888 lists the owners as C. Cooper and G. Harper, Penarth. Mr Geroge Harper was a former Master of the vessel as per the crew-list of June to December 1863. The 1890 and 1900 lists state that the sole registered owner of the vessel was now James Crockford of Minehead, Somerset. The register closed in 1904 indicating that the vessel was no more. She was probably broken-up 1899-1900. The 'Six Brothers' was undoubtedly built at Cooper's Cwtch-y-Cwm yard, Penarth, in 1858 and named after his six sons. [630]