Thomas_Bucknall

Thomas Bucknall

Thomas Bucknall

British shipbuilder (c. 1705 - c. 1775)

Thomas Bucknall (c.1705–c.1775) was an 18th-century Royal Navy shipbuilder based alternately at Plymouth and Portsmouth.

He is known also to have carved the figureheads on the ships.[1]

Life and career

Little is known of his early life. He was apprenticed as a shipwright, probably in Portsmouth Dockyard, and was placed on the pay roll of the Royal Navy as a Master Mastmaker on 1 November 1728. He was made a Master Caulker[2] on 23 April 1733, and on 19 August 1742 was made Assistant Shipwright at Portsmouth. On 27 May 1752 he was listed Master Shipwright at Portsmouth. On 6 August 1755 he was appointed Master Shipwright of Plymouth in place of John Lock, and from that date had overall control of all shipbuilding and the Royal Navy listed his works.[3]

He retired on 9 October 1772.

Ships built

As ships took a minimum of 2/3 years to build there is a lead-in period before the Navy lists his works, and only those fully built under Bucknall are listed (none from his first three years at Portsmouth were under his full control so the list begins in Plymouth):

Buchnall then returned to Portsmouth in May 1762 and built:

References

  1. [1]
    "Thomas Bucknall, Master Shipwright, Portsmouth. Asks what figures are to be made for the".
  2. [2]
    "Thomas Bucknall, Master Caulker, Portsmouth. List of the Edinburgh's defects".
  3. [3]
    "Thomas Bucknall".
  4. [4]
    HMS Brilliant by Andrea Cordani
  5. [5]
    "Thomas Bucknall, Master Shipwright, Portsmouth. The Carpenter informs me the ballast was".
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