Clio (barque)

The Clio was a three-masted barque (1838-1866) built of black birch, pine and oak at Granville, Nova Scotia, (weight: 473 tons). She was registered at St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on completion. For many years she crossed back and forth over the Atlantic, bringing timber from Quebec, Canada which was then sailed to Padstow, Cornwall. In Cornwall she was loaded with passengers who then sailed back to Canada. Many of these passengers were Cornish people emigrating to the United States.

First, she was sold to Avery, the well-established Padstow merchant house. As a brand new deep water square rigger owned by Padstow, a full Lloyd's surveying port, trading from Padstow to Quebec City and other North American ports taking substantial numbers of emigrants and returning with prime timber for Padstow's expanding shipyards in some ways she marks the zenith of Padstow shipping. At least two diaries exist describing the transatlantic journeys

Rawle and Easthorpe (master) took over from Avery and Brown (master) in 1845, until 185- when the problem of passing the Doom Bar persuaded them that she was too big for Padstow. She carried on as a Quebec trader, sailing from Falmouth and Plymouth and even from Gloucester. In 1865 J. Moore of Stonehouse, Devon was her owner, and her record ends with the note "Abandoned at Sea 3 July 1866".

In April/May 1855, the Clio sailed for Quebec. Her sister ships were the John, Siam and Oriental. The Captain of Clio was William Symons, the others being Edward Rawle (John), Charles Rawle (Siam) and Henry Tom (Oriental).

The Rawles originated from Boscastle, the others from Padstow. The Rawles were a ship-owning family. Joint owners (certainly of the John) were; Thomas Ham, 10 Prospect Street, Plymouth; William Williams, draper, of Padstow; Robert Williams Avery, ship owner, 3 Charles Place, Plymouth; Philip Rawle the Younger, ship owner, 37 Gibbon Street, Plymouth; Philip Rawle the Elder of Boscastle, ship owner, 2 Gibbon Street, Plymouth; James Moore, merchant clerk of Richmond Walk, Plymouth.

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