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 Charles Mills (c1795-1870) at Bayleek etc
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| willoughr |
Posted on 02/05/2011 18:43
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 Member  Posts: 46 Joined: 03/05/2007 |
Hi everyone, I am trying to piece together the Coastguard career of Charles Mills, who served as a Chief Boatman with HM Coastguard, apparently around Clifden and who won a RNLI silver medal on 20 March 1847 when the brig Halifax was driven aground onto rocks at the harbour entrance from her anchorage in Ardbear Bay, near Clifden. Charles Mills with four other men, others having refused to go, launched a boat and succeeded in rescuing the Master and 16 seamen in three trips. Born in Cornwall c.1795/96, Charles Mills married Ann Laity in Maker, Cornwall on 16 October 1821. Together they would have some four children, the last three of whom were born and baptised in Clifden, Co Galway to which place Mills had moved with HM Coastguard. Two men of this name served in HM Coastguard in this part of Ireland during this time. Of these, the Charles Mills who was based at Bayleek (Mannin Bay) as the Chief Boatman from 19 July 1834 is (on geographical grounds) the more probable man involved in the present rescue. The Bayleek records suggest he was previously stationed at Ballycastle, though he does not appear in the relevant station records. He moved to Claggin station on 18 May 1849, retiring on 9 August that year on an annual allowance of £36. By 1840 he is noted, in the Church of Ireland baptismal records, as being a Chief Boatman in the parish of Omey, Co Galway, while the Griffith’s Valuation shows him as renting a house in Drimeen, on the Errislannan peninsula, outside Clifden. Charles Mills died on 7 May 1870 on Errislannan. His coastguard pattern sword remains in family possession (TNA ref: ADM 175/14, 17-19, 99, and 102). Can anyone help with his earlier CG career postings? Just to avoid confusion, the second Charles Mills details seem to be roughly as follows: having served as a Mariner aboard HM Coastguard Revenue Cruiser Cameleon, was nominated (No. 2452) to serve ashore as a Boatman at the newly established coastguard station at Casemates, in Kent, from 14 August 1831, where he was promoted to Commissioned Boatman on 28 March 1832. He then transferred to Jury’s Gap on 11 April 1835. This Mills was then posted to Ireland, being based at Killeries station, Co Galway, from 28 July 1837, and moved then Belderig, near Ballycastle, Co Mayo on 1 August 1844 as Chief Boatman. He was finally posted to Innsicrone as its Chief-Boatman-in-Charge on 24 November 1860, from which station he retired on 31 August 1866 (TNA ref: ADM 175/5-6, 17-18, 20, 77, 100, and 102). Thanks Roger Roger Willoughby
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| crimea1854 |
Posted on 03/05/2011 20:18
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 Administrator  Posts: 905 Joined: 09/07/2007 |
Hi Roger I think I may have traced some of the early career of Charles Mills, although it does still leave some questions unanswered. I first find him joining the CG Service from the Prince Regent Barge on 5 July 1823, with a posting to Torr Head. What is unusual is that he is rated a Commissioned Boatman, and if this were his first posting I would have expected him to be rated as a Boatman (ADM 175/15 pdf 209 of 380). On the return of Waterguard Men (CUST 19/62) he is shown as having entered in 1823, but I can find no entry for him in either of the Indexes or the Admissions Books. On 5 Jan 1825 he is posted to Ballycastle, Colraine but he is then shown as being posted on 28 Feb 1831 to Rathlin Island - Boat Builder (ADM 175/16 pdf 386 of 503), but as you say the Mannin Bay entry clearly shows him coming from Ballycastle - so another little mystery! Over to you !!!! Martin |
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| willoughr |
Posted on 04/05/2011 00:01
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Member Posts: 46 Joined: 03/05/2007 |
Hi Martin. You have solved the key difficulty. The research on Charles Mills for the book now reads as follows: Mills, Charles. Chief Boatman, HM Coastguard, Clifden. RNLI silver medal. 20.3.1847. Galway. Award: On 20 March 1847 the brig Halifax was driven aground onto rocks at the harbour entrance from her anchorage in Ardbear Bay, near Clifden. Charles Mills with four other men, others having refused to go, launched a boat and succeeded in rescuing the Master and 16 seamen in three trips. The RNLI voted Mills its silver medal on 29 April 1847. Biographical details: Born in Cornwall c.1795/96, Charles Mills served for a time on the Revenue Cruiser Dolphin. He married Ann Laity in Maker, Cornwall on 16 October 1821 and together they would have some four children (the last three of whom would be born and baptised in Clifden, Co Galway to which place Mills would move with HM Coastguard). He was paid off from the Dolphin and posted ashore to join HM Coastguard in Ireland as a Boatman at Valentia on 16 October 1821, being granted £3 0s 8d to cover his travelling expenses for the 396 mile journey. On 5 March 1822 he was posted to the Revenue Barge Prince Regent as a Mariner. The following year, 5 July 1823, Mills was again posted ashore, this time to Tor Head as a Commissioned Boatman. On 5 January 1825 he was posted to Ballycastle, near Coleraine. He was then transferred to nearby Ratlin Island as a Chief Boatman (and perhaps as a ‘boat builder’, which annotation appears recorded against this transfer) on 28 February 1831. He remained there for only eight months over the spring and summer, before he returned to Ballycastle on 31 October that year. Then, in July 1834, Mills was posted to Mannin Bay (Bayleek). He moved to Claggin station on 18 May 1849, retiring on 9 August that year on an annual allowance of £36. He is noted, in the Church of Ireland baptismal records during 1840, as being a Chief Boatman in the parish of Omey, Co Galway, while the Griffith’s Valuation shows him as renting a house in Drimeen, on the Errislannan peninsula, outside Clifden. Charles Mills died on 7 May 1870 on Errislannan. His coastguard pattern sword remains in family possession (TNA ref: ADM 175/14, 14-19, 99, and 102, CUST 19/62). A second Charles Mills served in HM Coastguard in Ireland as a Chief Boatman at this period; he was however based at Belderig, near Ballycastle, Co Mayo from August 1844 until November 1860 and thus (on geographical grounds) may be discounted as the individual involved in the present rescue (for the latter’s records see TNA ref: ADM 175/5-6, 17-18, 20, 77, 100, and 102). Checking the musters for the Dolphin at TNA should now hopefully clarify the start of his career. I assume he joined the revenue cruisers working off his native Cornwall. Thanks again Martin. Cheers Roger |
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| newtestleper79 |
Posted on 16/07/2015 15:01
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 New Member  Posts: 1 Joined: 16/07/2015 |
Charles Mills was the g-g-g grandfather of the comedian Billy Connolly. He visits Connemara in this episode of his World Tour of England, Ireland and Wales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucaD4A4sZGY |
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