Caines, Jones  Co.

Wine  Spirit Merchants, 8 The Grove, Bristol.


Captain Sydney Richard Parry Caines was born in Westminster, London, birth registered at St. George Hanover Square in 1840, son of George Christopher Caines and Selina Ann Parry. He joined the Merchant Navy and qualified as Second Mate on 7 October 1864, First Mate on 23 August 1866 and as a Master Mariner on 10 August 1871, he was a Sub-Lieutenant in the Naval Reserve on 7 May 1873. Sydney married Isabella Beatrice, third daughter of Henry Edwin Drayson at St. Paul's Southampton on 6 July 1875. At the time of his marriage he was Commander of the Cape Royal Mail Service. The couple had at least 7 children. In 1889-1891 Sydney was Sub-Lieutenant aboard the "R.M.S. Ceylon". The ship sailed on pleasure cruises often out of Tilbury to the Mediterranean and other destinations. Sydney retired March 1892 with the rank of Honorary Sub-Lieutenant. He appears in the directories as Capt. Caines.

This article describes one unfortunate incident in an otherwise unblemished career but also gives extra details about Caines' ship. From the Southern Echo - Wednesday 13 November 1889 page 3: "SUSPENSION OF THE MASTER'S CERTIFICATE. In the Wreck Inquiry Court on Tuesday, an inquiry was held into the stranding of the the well-known pleasure steamer, the Ceylon, in fine weather off the coast of Sweden, on September 27 last. She had 35 passengers on board and a crew of 72, and was, according to the opening statement of counsel for the Board of Trade, well found and amply supplied with boats. The Ceylon is of the net tonnage 1,277, 300-horse power; she is a three-masted schooner, built of iron at Poplar in 1858, and was formerly a P. and O. boat. — Captain Sydney Richard Parry Caines, of Southampton, the master, said that when he felt the ship aground he ran up and reversed the engines, he asked the second officer how she came to be there, he said he lost his presence of mind when he saw this beacon and came to call witness. The second officer had relieved the third for breakfast after witness left the deck. Finding the ship would not come off, witness signalled passing steamer, which took off the passengers and their baggage. Water came in under the starboard boiler. The fires were drawn at 10.30 or 11. A salvage steamer came in the afternoon. The hole under the starboard main boiler was plugged; they lightened her of coals and ballast and got her off on October 2. The Court found that the cause of the casualty was that the master mistook his position off Smyge Point. The master was in default, but in consideration of his unblemished record the Court suspended his certificate for only three months. The second officer was much to blame for not sending a quartermaster to call the captain instead of leaving the bridge himself, and for not taking sufficient steps to get his ship out of danger when he sighted the beacon on his port bow. The Court further thought that blame attached to the third officer for not informing the second officer that the ship was approaching a shoal."

Illustration of the steamship "Ceylon" believed to be from "The Graphic" 1881.
Capt. Caines could be the bearded gentleman in conversation on deck.

In 1889 the Caines family were living at "Newark", Portswood Road, Southampton, but after Sydney's retirement, by 1895, the family had moved to Eastern House, Beechen Cliff, Bath. Some time in 1895 it seems he entered partnership with Bristol wine merchant Edward Jones.

Edward James Jones was born in Brunswick Place, Clifton, on 7 Dec. 1863, baptised in Clifton, St. Andrew, 27 March 1864, son of gardener and coachman James Jones and wife Anna Hill. James and Anna had married on 19 Feb. 1863 at St. Mary Redcliffe. By 1881 James was a Fly Driver living with his wife Anna, son Edward, and Edward's brothers, Alfred and Frank, and sister Annie Maria at 6 Gloucester Street, Clifton. Edward was a wine merchant's clerk at this date. Edward married Annie Elizabeth, daughter of watchmaker Henry Edwards of 19 Canyinge Road, on 24 May 1890 at Christ Church, Clifton. Edward was still a wine merchant's clerk living at 3 Gloucester Street at the time of his marriage and likewise in the 1891 census.

The last shipment of goods arriving at Bristol was, by rail or canal, 1 cask of brandy, on 10 April 1902. By 31 October that year their stock was being sold under a deed of assignment, instructed by E. T. Collins, Esq.

From the Western Times - Thursday 28 May 1903 page 5: "A SINGULAR DEED AT BIDEFORD. Walter John Pitt (Bristol), at Bideford County Court, yesterday, sued James Little, landlord of the Tradesmen's Inn, Bideford, for 17s. 4d, being balance of account for two gallons of whiskey, storage, and empties. Plaintiff said that he was an assignee of debts for Mr. E. T. Collins, Baldwin-street, Bristol, and was commission agent.—Defendant said that according to his accounts he had paid 4d over the amount of the account. The empties he had consigned to the Company, Messrs. Caines, Jones and Co., 8, The Grove, Bristol, per L(ondon) and S(outh) W(estern) Railway, and he deducted from the account, as discount, 2s. which was the same as he was allowed by the other firms with whom he dealt.—His Honour remarked that the plaintiff should have brought the man who sold stuff, gave judgment for the defendant, with costs for attending the Court.—Remarking on the case later in the day, his Honour said that it seemed to him to be a most extraordinary case, and a similar one he had not had before him since he had been a Judge. It appeared by the deed that the consideration paid to Mr. Collins was £6 for debts amounting to over £300. These debts were made over to his clerk, Pitt, who was himself a witness to signature. In the absence of the parties it was hardly worth while saying anything further, but thought it a matter that should be made public."

A correspondence later ensued in the newspapers in July and August 1803 between Collins and His Honour the Judge Beresford, Collins claiming Pitt was never in his employ, and that Pitt should be examined by the Court on this, also that £6 was all he could afford for the debts at the time and it was that or nothing. His Honour pointed out that if the debts were worth £3-400, then only £6 was an unreasonable value to put on them, and if they were only worth that, then Pitt attempting to recover paltry amounts could be viewed as unreasonable extortion. Collins emphasised that Pitt should be answerable for that matter. His Honour said he would bring that up at the next Court.

On Monday 14 Dec. 1903 Edward took the licence of Somerset House, Victoria Street, Clifton, from Alice Maud Mitchell. On Monday 11 June 1906 the licence was transferred from Edward to Charles John Yates.

In 1911 Edward was assistant manager of the Swan Hotel, High Street, Thornbury. While he was working away, his wife Annie and family lived at 2 Dowry Road, Clifton. Children living at this date were Edward Stanley Jones (20), Annie Ethel Jones (19), Ernest Reginald Jones (17), Victor Eustace Jones (15) and Bertie Clifford Jones (10). All the children were working except Bertie who was at school. There had been another son born, Percy Nelson, who only lived 1898-1899.

Capt. Sydney R. P. Caines' death was registered in Lambeth in Summer 1905, by 1911 his widow Isabella was living at the house of her son, Clement Guy Caines, who was a 2nd Div. Clerk to the Admiralty, at Courtfield, Hill Brow Row, Esher, Surrey, her daughter Paulina Sylvia Drayson Caines also lived with her. Isabella died in 1916.

Meanwhile, Edward and Annie Jones were still alive in 1939 according to the 1939 register, living at 4 Gloucester Row, Bristol. Edward was by that time a clerk to a Haulage Contractor, but Edward died the following year.

2 Gallon Stoneware Flagon Caines1.jpg
Impressed:  2 / CAINES JONES & CO. / WINE MERCHANTS / BRISTOL



Potter:  Price / Cx / Bristol  round type, 2 tone glaze.

Return to Town Index