Today Portpatrick, on the Rhins peninsula is a popular haunt for tourists with its picturesque harbour and attractive old buildings. But this was once one of the country's most important ports, being the prime access to Northern Ireland – 22 miles away.
The port was never very safe, with violent westerly winds and storms always making access difficult, despite the huge amounts poured into breakwaters and jetties. For sailing ships, the coast of the Rhins was a nightmare. The rocks are savage and jagged and cliffs soar upwards straight from the sea. The seabed is littered with wrecks.
A memorial in the old churchyard recalls the fate of an American ship and its crew
“Sacred to the memory of Captain Allen Bursley who was drowned about a mile to the south of this port on the 1st of February 1835 at half past 2 o'clock a.m by the wreck of the American ship Lion of Boston which he commanded.
“On the left of the stone are interred the remains of seven of his ship's company who perished with him on that fatal morning. Captain Bursley was born on the 10th of May anno domini 1800 at Barnstaple in the State of Massachusetts in which place he left a wife and infant son. The surviving relatives of the deceased are deeply grateful to the humane inhabitants of this place for their kind exertions in recovering these bodies from the deep and depositing them with Christian rites in this Holy Spot.”
The memorial is on a wall at the back of the cemetery, which is behind the ruined old church with its distinctive round tower.
One thought is that many Scots left for America through Portpatrick. Could this have been a ship heading to the port to pick up emigrants? Most of the trade was carried in American sailing packets. The journey to a new life would have taken about 55 days.
If anyone can shed any light on the Lion of Boston, Captain Bursley or his crew, please get in touch at: raxomnium@gmail.com
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