"Come awa' wi' me lad and I'll be a faither tae ye.”
Such an injunction, coming from a ship's skipper to a boy about to embark on a sea-faring career, would appear to have nothing unusual about it. But when the skipper happens to be a women, well, thereby hangs a tale.
When Mr Thomas Scott, the well-known saddler of Saltcoats, recently agreed to sell to the Town Council the property in Quay Street known as 'Clytus House,' he suggested that the designation Clytus' be retained in relation to the property because of its local historic association.
A suggestion of this kind coming to the notice of a newspaper man is comparable to a bunch of carrots dangled in front of a donkey, and so, without going into the pros and cons of my investigations, here is the story behind the "historic association."
'Clytus House' is now old and dilapidated and stands in an area destined for clearance under town planning schemes. Its peeling red paint is adorned, above the central common entry, with a painting of a full-rigged sailing vessel. At the extremities of the eaves, abutting on either gable is a stone carved capstan with a hitch of rope around it, denoting the building's former sea-faring connections.
In the early part of last century the house was occupied by one, William Miller, a merchant seaman. This worthy purchased from the Dutch Government a brig, the sale being conditional on the vessel being altered that it could never again be used as a fighting unit. The condition was complied with, and so the good ship "Clytus' came to Saltcoats. Whether the house was named after the ship or the ship after the house I have been unable to determine.
The vessel plied between Saltcoats and the Irish Coast as far as Dublin, carrying mainly cargoes of coal outward and picking up whatever cargoes were available for the return trip. I believe that in later days the "Clytus' made Ardrossan her home port. Sailing with the owner-master was one of his daughters, Betsy by name, and, when William died in the year 1847, she took over the bridge and with it the reputation of being the first known woman skipper.
Many tales are told of Betsy and how she took her place as an equal among her associates of the "stronger sex." The quotation which opens this article is ascribed to her and the boy addressed is reputed to have ultimately become Captain Barclay. Betsy remained master of the vessel until it went aground and was wrecked at the North Pans in the vicinity of the present bathing station. The 'Clytus' is now remembered by only a few, but the name of Betsy Miller has become something of a legend among some sections of old Saltcoats inhabitants.
A tombstone in the old churchyard in the Kirkgate covers the mortal remains of the Miller family. As I copied what was still decipherable of the inscriptions, I was approached by an elderly lady who asked if I was interested in the stone. On receiving an affirmative reply, the old lady proceeded to recount her recollection of the last of the Millers. She recalled how as a young girl she had visited a white haired old lady who was a sister of Betsy.
Yes, there was the inscription, Hannah Thomson Miller, died 1890, aged 82 years. Above was inscribed, Betsy Miller, who died on 12th May, 1864, aged 71 years As well as the inscription to the original purchaser of the 'Clytus' was one to Hugh Miller who was lost with three others when their boat capsized in - (obliterated) Bay. 2nd August, 1817. Another reads, John Mackie (apparently a brother-in-law of William Miller) who was drowned off Ardrossan Harbour on(obliterated) 1833, aged 27 years. By this time I was quite convinced that the suggestion to retain the name "Clytus' for its historic association was one worthy of following.
Before leaving the Kirkgate my new acquaintances directed my attention to another stone on the other side of the footpath which stood to the memory of a Mr and Mrs McFee. This couple, said my informant, were the parents of the wife of Hugh Hogarth the founder of Hogarth Lines who own the 'Baron' boats.
And, strangely enough, when I visited the harbour this week the only occupant of the Eglinton Dock was the newly berthed "Baron Elibank."
