L'Estafette

Posted by Cameron on Tuesday 8th of August 2023 13:16

I’m trying to ascertain the ship’s name. In the painting the ship is flying the Union Jack. A UCT archive referenced the ‘Woodbourne’ as W.M.Searle’s ship in his obit, having died in the Salt river train disaster. There was no matching name, family or boat, in the Jamestown archive in the preceding 3 years.

Posted by Cameron on Tuesday 8th of August 2023 13:10

I’m tracing a family owned ship lost at sea for 2 months to arrive in Jamestown harbour, St Helena. The family portrait is of a 3 masted schooner of war with 27 gun ports to starboard and Jamestown in the background, commissioned in 1862 by W.M.Searle, the owner of Cape Town. Figurehead looks of a male bust.
The castle archive had one matching entry that year. L Estafette, schooner of war, Lieut Leger, 75 days from Mayotte, 15 days Cape, to Brest April 7. The trip being 2 months longer than necessary seems to correlate. Our family name is St Leger although surname is Searle. Could this be the ship in question, then privately owned?