First a History of Alexander's career: - Sailing ship days recalled taken from a Leith news clipping.
A prominent Leith shipmaster, Captain Alex. Cromarty who retired from sea services about 28 years ago, has died at his residence, 51 Summerside Place, Leith in his 89th year. For over 60 years he was in the service of Messrs. Wm. Thomson & Co. owners of the Ben Line, and all his time at sea over 35 years, was spent on sailing ships. Captain Cromarty belonged to Stronsay. He entered Messrs. Thomson & Company's service in 1863 as a second mate, and about four years later was appointed shipmaster, being given the command of the sailing ship Annie Laurie. In the course of his career, Captain Cromarty sailed to many parts of the world. He was principally engaged in the Australian and South American trades, and also for a time traded to North America.

About 50 years ago, at a time when large numbers of people were settling in Australia, he frequently carried emigrants there from this country. In those days a voyage to Australia generally occupied about 100 days, and in rough weather, of course, the passage was much more protracted.
Leith vessels on that trade were usually away from the home port for about a year on each trip. The last vessel Captain Cromarty commanded was the sailing ship, Bencleuch. He retired from the sea service in 1898 and since then was engaged in ship survey work, and he also had charge of the appointment of junior officers for the Ben Line. Captain Cromarty was the oldest member of Leith Trinity House, and held the position of Deputy Master, and he was one of the original members of the Forth Plicate Authority, which was constituted by the Board of Trade. He was a member of Leith Board of Trade. He was a member of Leith Local Marine Board, and Governor of Leith Nautical Collage.

In January of this year the diamond wedding of Captain and Mrs. Cromarty was celebrated.

Alexander Cromarty and his wife Janet

Alexander Cromarty
Master Mariner and Marine Artist
by
Adam Cromarty of England
contributed to "The Orkney View" Jan 2000

Tradition suggests that Orcadians became farmers and Shetlanders sailors. But the Orkney Cromarty family produced a number of notable master mariners in the days of sail, of whom Alexander Cromarty and his subsequent career with the Ben Line, formerly William Thomson & Co. of Leith, is perhaps best remembered today. This is because of his realistic marine paintings, many of which depict the ships he commanded on the high seas. However, like many that earn their living away from home, his exploits are less well known by those ashore.
The following extract from George Blake's excellent book 'The Ben Line' provides a short summary of his career with the company.
'An early master of the Annie Laurie he had a wonderful record of service with Thomsons, Joining as a second mate in 1863, Captain Alexander Cromarty was appointed to command the Annie Laurie in 1867 and remained at sea, always in sail, for thirty five years until he retired from the command of the second Bencleuch in 1898. He was associated with the firm for altogether sixty years, serving latterly in various advisory capacities. He died aged eighty eight, the eldest member and Deputy Master of Leith Trinity House.'

Alexander's equally talented younger brother William S., became Commodore of the Currie Line of Leith. He grew up in exciting times, with gold being discovered in California and Australia leading to a high demand for ships and crews.
The Captains' Registers of Lloyd's of London confirm he gained his master's certificate (Leith no. 27,778) during 1866 and qualified in the usage of the steam engine in 1869. The Suez Canal opened the same year and this event encouraged Thomsons to build their first steam ship, the Benledi of 1557 tons, in 1871. All later ships were named in a similar fashion after Scottish mountains. Ironically it was the sailing vessels that carried the high quality coal required by the new steamers for long voyages, that led to the successful introduction of the technology on world trade routes by the latter part of the century.

The 1866 Register shows him aboard the William Mitchell, 611 tons, named after the owner of the Alloa Coal Company, and constructed in 1856 to pioneer trade with the East Indies. But it is Probable that his first independent command was indeed the Annie Laurie as suggested. Lloyd's Register of Shipping for 1867 confirms she departed from Leith on the 6th of April outward bound for Quebec with cargo of Alloa coal, running north, then taking a pilot for the notorious Pentland Firth, a stone's throw from South Ronaldsay, the Cromarty heartland. A search through the shipping registers reveals the perils of life at sea, with wooden vessels being wrecked or burnt to the water after a few years at sea; the spontaneous combustion of coal was a major hazard for Scottish boats. Navigation required great skill because ships were driven at the beck and call of wind and tide. But a single voyage might yield a 100% profit for shareholders, providing a company employed an experienced captain and good crew. As an added incentive Alexander most likely received a 1/64 share of the profits in addition to his wage of about 15 pounds per month.

He would have completed two voyages to Canada that year in 1867 before ice closed the North American ports, returning with cargoes of timber to be auctioned on the beach at Leith.

Thomson's policy was to recruit seamen from the Northern Isles, but only on the precondition that they could return to their crofts to weave during the winter months. This arrangement allowed time for ships to be repaired to meet Lloyds A1 standards and for improvements to be tested. Safety of the passengers and crews was considered of paramount importance, and to this end full-rig sail plans were reduced to barque rig size and the Cunningham Patent self-reefing gear, which could be worked from the deck by the crew, was installed. Only top quality materials were used throughout and this policy must have been a major factor in the success o the company.

The spring of 1868 saw him once more in command of the William Mitchell followed by periods with the Algiers (1869), then the Paluryra (1874), next the Canadian built Araby Maid (1877) and finally the second Bencleuch from 1883 to 1898. He remained at sea apart from the years 1886, 1890 and 1895. No doubt his wife and children were delighted to have the captain at home for a while. In addition to coal and timber the Ben line carried a wide range of general cargo which included cotton, hemp, guano, grain, salt, sugar, tea and wool.

There are many old seafaring men who remember men who remember Captain Alexander Cromarty who traded to New Zealand in the seventies and eighties. He was recognized as one of the most skilful and gallant seamen that ever treaded to our shores. He first came to the Dominion in the Araby Maid, but he became better known when he transferred to the Bencleuch in which on one occasion under full sail, he made the trip from Port Chalmers to Auckland in three days, the record between the two points. Captain James Macfarlane, who lives in Auckland, and now celebrates his ninety-fourth birthday on Wednesday, in speaking on the subject said he was harbour master at Port Chalmers at the time the ship made the trip and the occasion was considered of so mush importance that he was called upon to verify the time the beautifully designed and trim sailer left the southern port. He was so taken with the performance of the ship and her fine appearance as she cleared Port Chalmers Heads that he asked the captain, who was an artist of considerable ability, to paint him a picture of the ship as she appeared then sailing in the open sea. That picture was one of the most treasured possessions and is, indeed, a fine one.

The painting featured below with this article shows the same ship but under stormy conditions. The originals need to be closely examined to fully appreciate the high degree of Alexander's technical skill, which is revealed in the details such as the shape of the hull and in some instances officers giving commands through speaking trumpets to seamen working in the rigging, as conditions changed ceaselessly.

In 1970 Mrs Dorothy Paterson wrote to my father Robert W. Cromarty, saying she remembered her grandfather, Alexander Cromarty, as a big man but slightly built and always neat looking with his van dyke beard, as his photograph clearly shows. On Sundays he always wore a frock coat and a top hat and always welcomed visitors from Orkney and Shetland to his house. His insistence in setting up his easel in the drawing room, to paint his lovely ships, upset his wife. Nevertheless everyone loved him dearly and the family were heartbroken when he died in 1926.

Captain Alexander Cromarty, like many of the settlers he took overseas, left home as a matter of economic necessity but never forgot his Orkney roots. During his long and eventful life at sea he proved Orcadians can be equally as good sailors as their northern Friends.

Adam Cromarty states " I would like to thank Captain A M Watters, retired Senior Marine Superintendent of the Ben Line of Leith, for his generous help in the preparation of this article.

There are many old seafaring men who remember Captain Alexander Cromarty who traded to New Zealand in the seventies and eighties. He was recognized as one of the most skilful and gallant sea men that ever traded to our shores

Another painting of one of Captain Alexander Cromarty's Ships


The Bencleuch of the Allen Line
photo from Valerie McCullough.
Captain Alexander Cromarty was a brother to Valerie McCullough's Great Grandfather