James Richard Apps

Napier Terrace, West Street
Clifton Villa, St. Patricks Road

Occupation: Trinity Cinque Ports Pilot

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James Richard Apps

James Richard Apps c1890

James Richard Apps was born in Ramsgate in 1824 and, like his father before him, he became a Mariner. According to the ‘UK, Apprentices Indentured in the Merchant Navy’ records, found on Ancestry, he was Indentured on 20 June 1840 and was serving on the Diadem. The Merchant Seamen’s Register dated 1844 confirms that he first went to sea as an apprentice and that he didn’t serve in the Royal Navy. These records give descriptions of the registered or ‘ticketed’ seamen and James Richard is described as 5 foot 4 1/2 inches tall, with light brown hair, light blue eyes and a ruddy complexion.

In 1850 he marries Elizabeth Hope in Stepney, the daughter of a Ramsgate Greengrocer and when the census was taken the following year she is staying with her parents in Addington Place in Ramsgate. James though, as a newly qualified Master Mariner, is more than likely at sea as there is no census record for him that year. It seems likely that the couple initially set up home in Ramsgate as James Edward William, their first child, was born there in 1855. Soon after they move to Napier Terrace, West Street, Deal, though in April 1856 the Freehold of their dwelling house is up for sale so this may have prompted them to move and eventually to settle in Clifton Villa on St. Patrick’s Road.

James Edward William Apps is also to be found in ‘UK, Apprentices Indentured in the Merchant Navy’ records in 1869, however, it also states that he deserted in 1871 by jumping ship at Launceston. A warrant was issued for his arrest though he does appear to have avoided the authorities and remained in Australia until his death in 1937. What his father thought of this we can only guess.

Elizabeth died in 1866 she was buried in Hamilton Road Cemetery where here gravestone reads

Two years later James married Martha Vincent the daughter of local Schoolmaster John Vincent and the granddaughter of  John Vincent sen. who was the Minister of the Congregational Church.

The fact that there are no baptism records for any of James Richard’s children after his second child was born may suggest that he and his family had joined the Congregational Church. He would have attended services in the Old Church building, his children may even have gone to the Sunday School in the adjoining building. They all would have seen the Old Church buildings demolished and the building of the new Church on the same site.

Putting the wood of the old pulpit to good use James Richard Apps built this wonderfully detailed model of the old church building. This is now held at the Town Hall though it sadly is not on display. We are grateful to the Town hall for allowing us to take these photographs. Unfortunately the glass case decided it did not want to be removed,  hence the poor quality of these images.

Martha died in 1903, followed four years later by James himself. They are both buried in the same grave as Elizabeth, James’ first wife. Their memorial inscriptions read.

We were lucky enough to make contact with the descendant of James who kindly let us publish the images of her ancestor. She also sent us these images of the much loved Doll’s House that Richard had also made.

Sources and further reading:
Images of James Richard Apps with permission and thanks to Jenny Cosgrove
Britain, Merchant Seamen Records 
UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar
UK, Apprentices Indentured in the Merchant Navy