The Holt Family & Whitby Maritime History

The book has received good reviews, among which my contributions received some notice.

Jens Auer in Nautical Archaeology wrote: "Although the late-18th century saw a massive expansion in maritime trade throughout Europe, few merchant vessels from this period have so far been excavated archaeologically, and published. It is therefore interesting to see a whole volume dedicated to a typical medium-sized merchant ship from 1777, the British-built General Carleton...The historical background of the shipwreck is covered in two articles by Stephen Baines on the history of the ship, and the history of its place of construction and home port, Whitby, in north-east England. Making use of the numerous sources available to maritime historians of the 18th century, Baines provides a very  detailed account of the history of the ship and those people associated with her, from construction to sinking. He is also able to link a number of artefacts with individuals and thus adds 'human interest' to the wreck. After a short introduction to the history of Whitby, the second essay focuses on shipbuilding and related trades in the town during the late-18th century. Baines discusses the economics of shipbuilding and attempts to identify in which yard General Carleton was built." Auer concludes by saying, "This is an excellent volume...The well-illustrated catalogue in particular makes the book an invaluable source of reference for the scholar of 18th-century history and maritime material culture. I would highly recommend this book."

Dr Wes Forsythe in the Journal for Maritime Research wrote: "It is the 775 artefacts recovered and carefully conserved by the Polish Maritime Museum that form the oustanding contribution of this work...it is a rich assemblage demonstrating the rewards and potential insights historical archaeology can offer...The remains of clothing provide the most imtimate picture of the crew and an important collection of working eighteenth century seamen's attire....The Polish Maritime Museum and the authors are to be congratulated for this volume."

Roger Knight in the Mariners' Mirror wrote: "Two centuries ago there were hundreds of merchant ships like the General Carleton and it is the fact that she is so typical that makes this project so worthwhile: nowhere else is there such a comprehensive record of life aboard a late eighteenth-century merchant vessel...The editor has ensured a high standard of research and writing among the documentary evidence and meticulous care in the archaeological investigation." Concerning my chapters he commented, "An English historian, Stephen Baines, scoured the archives in Britain, and...he traces the history of the ship. [He] concentrates on the crew and has done well to identify many...In a number of cases he can identify the crew members who owned excavated articles, such as a penknife or comb, for their initials were scratched on them."

Andrew White in Post-Mediaeval Archaeology  commented: "The real core of the book is provided by the report by Ossowski of the excavation of the General Carleton, the ship's background in Whitby by Stephen Baines, and on the seamen's clothing by Lawrence Babits and Matthew Brenckle. Undoubtedly the most important artefacts discovered were the latter...here is a very large addition to the corpus, and not only that but it comes from a context of known date and origin, and even the names of its owners can be guessed at...Baines has established very clear information on the ship and its crew at various times in its short life...The Polish Maritime Museum in Gdansk is to be congratulated on [the book], and I commend it to English readers."

Rosalin Barker in the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society Annual Report describes the book as "beautifully produced", and writes that "The story of the meticulous excavation of the wreck..is a testimonial to the skill and determination of the archaeologists and divers engaged in the work", adding "For members of the Society there is no doubt that Stephen Baines' detailed account of the Campion family and their involvement in Whitby's mercantile and maritime affairs will be the most important chapters in the book. His research has been impeccable, and he writes ably and engagingly on the brief, but hard-working, life of General Carleton and her crew. He also provides a useful chapter on the town itself, and its gradual development as a major port in the days of sail." She also comments that "Acknowledgements of Stephen Baines' and Anna Cieminska'a skill in co-ordinating the two languages is rightly given." Anna translated my articles into Polish, and I spent many hours turning articles by Polish academics who had varying degrees of competence in writing English into more comprehensible and fluent versions.


I have now written a book called "The Yorkshire Mary Rose, the ship General Carleton of Whitby" which tells the story of  General Carleton and those associated with her, putting them in the context not only of the port of Whitby but also of  eighteenth-century Britain in the period of the American War of Independence and its aftermath. It is more readable, less academic and less bulky than the bi-lingual volume "The General Carleton Shipwreck, 1785", and benefits from more recent researches.