Owners & Masters of the Crest

OWNERS
J Adams & Co. Liverpool 1863
Joseph Qualtroph (Shipbuilder) Port St Mary, Isle of Man 1864-1873
Alexander McDonald Tobermory 1896 (Registered Greenock)
Alexander John Kerr 1896-1903

MASTERS
R Madg Bideford 1863
Thomas Chtistiansen, Port St Mary, IOM, 1866
John Sansbury, Rushen 1866
John Wood Port St Mary 1866 and1868
William Raisbeck Port St Mary 1868
John Woods Port St Mary 1869-1872
John Cubbin Port St Mary 1872
James Kermode Port St Mary 1873
John Cubbin Port St Mary 1873
Unknown
(John Kelly, Castletown 1881 - see below)
John McDonald (b. Isle of Mull) Tobermory 1896 (Registered Greenock)
Alexander John Kerr 1896-1903

I believe that I have found the Crest in the 1871 Census:

John Wood, 58, Master, Crest (Vessels, Cromarty, Ross and Cromarty), b. Port St Mary, Isle of Man
John Kewin, 24, Mate, Crest, (V, C, R and C), b. Port St Mary, Isle of Man
John Sweetman, 23, Ordinary Seaman, Crest (V, C, R and C), b. Castletown, Isle of Man
James Wood, 18, Ordinary Seaman, Crest (V, C, R and C), b. Port St Mary, Isle of Man

This is very likely to be her in the 1881 Census:

John Kelly, 38, Master, Crest, (St Thomas, Liverpool), b. Castletown, Isle of Man
Joseph Hudson, 30, Mate, Crest (St T, L), b. Castletown, Isle of Man
Edward Fawn, 23, Able Seaman, Crest (st T, L), b. Ramsey, Isle of Man

The 1891 Census has 8 men aboard a Crest in a Canal near Gloucester, but this is unlikely to be her.

In 1901, when she was Alexander John's, he was here:
Alexander John Kerr, 44, Seaman, Mackay's buildings, Plantation St, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Margaret, 40, Wife, b. Stornoway
Donald, 17, Scholar, b. Stornoway
Mary, 8, Scholar
Alexander John, 4

The discovery of the Crest's crews in the 1871 and 1881 censuses pleases me greatly.
Firstly, because it was only by cross-referencing the list of Masters that I could be sure that this 1871 entry referred to the correct vessel and, secondly, because it is fairly unusual to have this many records for a small coasting ship of the time.

My next task is to investigate J Adams & Co of Liverpool and, if possible, discover precisely where the Crest was built and for what purpose.

Map showing 4 Isle of Man locations

View Isle of Man CREST in a larger map

Ref: CLIP
http://www.crewlist.org.uk/index.html
http://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/masters.php
http://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/vesselowners.php