Coastguards

The best starting point for any research related to the coastguards of County Down is a wonderful site managed by Tony Daly. Tom's site Coastguards of Yesteryear is dedicated to the coastguards who lived and worked around the Irish coastline between the 18th and early 20th centuries.

It includes a superb collection of coastguard station photos as well as facts and figures about the people, births, deaths, census information, etc. Tom has also included some fascinating accounts of bravery during rescues from shipwrecks as well as interesting extracts of shipwrecks and rescues, etc.

1920

Kilkeel Coastguard Station

Assorted Census Records
a collaboration between Brenda Anderson, Pete Meaney & Sheila Phillips

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1911 Maghereagh

No on Form B	First Name	Surname	Relation to Head	Rel	Age	Occupation	M. Status	Yrs Wed	No of Child -ren	Still Alive	Place of Birth
3	Robert Henry	Flowers	Head	CI	63	Pensioned Chief Officer of HM Coast Guard	M	35	6	5	England
	Elizabeth	Flowers	Wife	CI	66		M				Down
	Elizabeth	Flowers	Dau	Pres	33		S				Down
	Mary Jane	Hanna	Dau	Pres	27	Dressmaker	M	2	1	1	Down
	Margaret	Hanna	G. Dau	Pres	1		S				Down

WILL:

Forename:	Francis
Surname:	Donaldson

Date Of Death:	11/03/1899
Date Of Grant:	08/05/1899
Effects:	Effects £68 7s.
Registry:	Belfast

Full Abstract:

Administration of the estate of Francis Donaldson late of Ballywalter County Down Coastguard who died 11 March 1899 granted at Belfast to Kenithina Donaldson of Ballywalter the Widow. Source: PRONI

1901 Maghereagh

36	Richard	Comber?	Head	CI	50	HM Coastguard	M	England
	Elizabeth	Comber?	Wife	CI	50	Tailoress	M	England
	Herbert John	Comber?	Son	CI	14	Scholar	S	Down
41	George Henry	Hitchcock	Head	C of E	28	Coast Guard	M	England
	Emma	Hitchcock	Wife	Methodist	29	Housekeeper	M	England
	Frederick	Hitchcock	Son	Methodist	3		S	England
42	William	Smith	Head	CI	29	CG Boatman	M	England
	Melita	Smith	Wife	CI	18		M	Down
	Melita	Smith	Dau	CI	2m		S	Down
43	William	Rae	Head	Methodist	34	Coast Guard	M	England
	Louisa	Rae	Wife	Methodist	29		M	England
44	George	Gander	Head	CI	42	Coast Guard	M	England
	Annie Maria	Gander	Wife	CI	38		M	England
	Albert Edward	Gander	Son	CI	9	Scholar	S	Louth
	Ernest Chas.	Gander	Son	CI	7	Scholar	S	Louth
	Francis Herbert	Gander	Son	CI	5	Scholar	S	Louth
	Arthur Edwin	Gander	Son	CI	3		S	Down
	Alfred Henry	Gander	Son	CI	2		S	Down
	Percy Edgar	Gander	Son	CI	2m		S	Down

1901 Moneydarraghmore (stationed at Annalong Harbor)

137	William	Gibney	Head	Pres	31	Publican	M	Down
	Mary	Gibney	Wife	Pres	26		M	Down
	Jane Elizabeth	Gibney	Dau	Pres	2		S	Down
	Archibald	Gibney	Brother	Pres	33	Farmer	S	Down
	Margaret Jane	Doran	Servant	Pres	18	Servant	S	Down

	John	Sweet	Visitor	CI	62	Coastguard Pensnr	M	Down
152	John	Warren	Head	CI	33	C.Guard Boatman	M	England
	Margaret	Warren	Wife	CI	33		M	Cork
	John	Warren	Son	CI	8	Scholar	S	England
	Ida	Warren	Dau	CI	5	Scholar	S	England
	Mary	Warren	Dau	CI	4	Scholar	S	Down
153	John	Dell	Head	Breth	39	C.Guard Commdr.	M	England
	Martha	Dell	Wife	Breth	38		M	England
	Edith	Dell	Dau	Breth	12	Scholar	S	England
	Harold	Dell	Son	Breth	9	Scholar	S	Down
	Frederick	Dell	Son	Breth	6	Scholar	S	Down
154	Edward	Davidson	Head	CE	31	C.Guard Boatman	M	England
	Matilda	Davidson	Wife	CE	29		M	England
	Edward	Davidson	Son	CE	2		S	England
155	John	Horgan	Head	RC	37	C.Guard Commdr.	M	S. Wales
	Ellen		Wife	RC	32		M	S. Wales
	Richard John		Son	RC	9	Scholar	S	S. Wales
	Albert Edward		Son	RC	8	Scholar	S	Waterford
	Frederick		Son	RC	6	Scholar	S	S. Wales
	William Oswald		Son	RC	5	Scholar	S	Down
	Ellen		Dau	RC	3	Scholar	S	Down
156	James	Roch	Head	CI	53	C.Guard Officer	M	Dublin
	Helen	Roch	Wife	CI	52		M	Scotland
	James	Roch	Son	CI	14	Scholar	S	Dublin
157	Essie Margt.	McDowell	Head	Pres	43	Farmer	M	Down
	John		Son	Pres	24	Farmers Son	S	Down
	Mary Jane		Dau	Pres	17	Dressmaker	S	Down
	Elizabeth		Dau	Pres	15	Scholar	S	Down
	Essie Margt.		Dau	Pres	12	Scholar	S	Down
	Francis James		Son	Pres	9	Scholar	S	Down

The British Coast Guard was separated from the British Navy during the nineteenth century, see:

http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/UKCoastguards.html

The British Coast Guard records (as well as the British Navy records) are at the UK Archives in Kew, England, see:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=54

Assorted Sites:

National Archives Leaflet: The Coastguard
National Archives Leaflet: Customs and Excise Officials and Tax Collectors
H.M. Coastguards - A brief history, based on "Coastguard! An Official History Of HM Coastguard" by William Webb.
British Coastguards 1841-1901 - a detailed index to coastguards found mainly in census records. This material has been provided by Stan Waight and his team of contributors.