Whilst not made in, or by someone from Bolton, this pocket watch is inextricably linked with the Titanic and the sea captains from the town of Bolton Lancashire.
Little Bolton & The Titanic:
The town of Bolton, and in particular Little Bolton, has close links to the Titanic disaster, as two of the sea captains involved were both born, and brought up, in Little Bolton.
Captain Philip Stanley Lord:
Captain of the SS Californian, the closest ship to the Titanic when it Sank. Lord was born in Bolton Lancashire on 13th Sept 1877, was baptised at St George’s Church, Little Bolton, and lived in Howarth Street, School Hill, in Little Bolton. Philip Stanley Lord moved to 9 Hampden Street in Mere Hall, in Little Bolton. Lord was a very experienced and time served mariner, he went to sea in 1890 at the age of 13.
Captain Philip Stanley Lord of the SS Californian
Sir Arthur Henry Rostron:
Captain of the liner RMS Carpathia, was born in Bolton on 14th May 1869. Arthur Henry Rostron was brought up at Hills Gate, Park Road, Astley Bridge, in Bolton. Before moving to 309 Blackburn Road, where a plaque remains to this day. Arthur Henry Rostron, was as educated during 1882-3 at Bolton School then Bolton Church institute in 1884 before he went to sea in 1887
Captain Rostron won wide praise for his energetic efforts to reach the Titanic before she sank, and his efficient preparations for and conduct of the rescue of the survivors. Arthur Henry Rostron was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by the US Congress, and in 1926 was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He rose to become the Commodore of the Cunard fleet, and retired in 1931.
Captain Arthur Henry Rostron of the RMS Carpathia
The Titanic Watch:
The Tiffany & Co. 18ct Gold Watch was gifted to Captain Rostron in May 1912, by the widows of three wealthy business men lost on the Titanic.
The gift of Madeline Astor, Marian Thayer and Eleanor Widener. Wives of John Jacob Astor, John Borland Thayer, and George Dunton Widener who were three of the richest men in the world when they boarded Titanic.
The Tiffany watch is inscribed:
“Presented to Captain Rostron with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic, April 15th 1912, Mrs John B. Thayer, Mrs John Jacob Astor and Mrs George D. Widener.”
The Bolton mariner was seen as a hero for safely navigating his ship at great speed through the same ice field which claimed the Titanic just three hours earlier, to save 700 people. Several rescued passengers died from exposure in the lifeboats so every second counted.
Captain Rostron received the gift at Mrs Astor’s lavish home on New York’s Fifth Avenue.
Bolton man, a victim of the sinking:
We should also mention Little Bolton’ Titanic victim, the town was home to not only the famous Captains of the S.S. Californian and S.S. Carpathia, but also a victim of the Titanic. Mr Henry Forbes Julian who was from the city of Cork, Eire, the son of Henry Julian (coach builder) and his wife Marie.
Mr Henry Forbes Julian – Titanic Victim
When aged about 13 his family moved to live in Little Bolton, where his education continued. living in All Saints Street, and a number of other Little Bolton Addresses. He was educated in Bolton and then at Owens College, in Manchester, his scientific studies being continued under Sir Henry Roscoe. Henry Forbes was one of the many lost with the sinking of the Titanic. Henry Forbes Julian, was a well known metallurgical engineer, a specialist in gold-ore treatment, and was one of the authors of the valuable work, “Cyaniding Gold and Silver Ores.” He was a pioneer in the South African goldfields, where, in 1887, he was one of the consulting engineers to the Johannesburg Pioneer Co. He was on his way to San Francisco to take up some special work in connection with the Butters Patent Vacuum Filter Co., Inc., with which he had been connected, for some time.
1992, The re-appraisal of Captain Lord:
Captain Lord was never tried or convicted of any offence, he was still viewed publicly as a pariah after the disaster. His attempts to fight for his exoneration failed, and the events of the night of 14–15 April 1912 would go on to haunt him for the rest of his life.
The conclusions of both the American and British enquiries disapproved of Captain Lord’s actions but stopped short of recommending charges. While both enquiries expressed disapproval of Captain Lord, they did not make any recommendations to initiate an investigation to determine if he was guilty of any offences under the Merchant Shipping Act. Unusually Captain Lord was not allowed to be represented at either of the enquiries.
The discovery in 1985 of the remains of the Titanic on the sea bed made it clear that the S.O.S. position given after the iceberg collision by the Titanic, was wrong by thirteen miles. At the enquiries, there had been some dispute about the position of the ship when it sank.
The conclusions of the enquiries discounted the evidence of uncertainty. At the time, some assumed that the position that Lord had given for his ship was incorrect and that he was much closer to the Titanic than he claimed to be.
An investigation (ordered by Transport Secretary Cecil Parkinson) reported in 1992 that the Californian was probably 17 to 20 miles from the Titanic and could not have arrived soon enough to make any difference to the outcome of the tragedy. (Link here)
From the Facebook page ‘Little Bolton’