Above engraving showing a rescue in 1857.

Above engraving showing the little parlour in 1857.

Above stereoscope, circa 1859, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard, date unknown, looking from Kingsgate Castle.

Above postcard postmarked 1912, showing a painting in the style of A R Quinton.

Above postcard, date 1920, kindly submitted by Mark Jennings.

Above photo, 1920s showing a narrow escape, the vehicle taking out the pub sign. Kindly sent by Michael Mirams who tells me the outlet pipe is still there in 2021.

Early Broadstairs & St Peters in old photographs collected by Barrie Wootton.

The Daily Mail staff at Kingsgate outside the "Captain Digby" (date unknown) enjoying what is thought to be a ‘waygoose’, a term used by the printing trade for a ‘knees-up’. The Daily Mail was Lord Northcliffe’s own paper, so it is not surprising that the staff outing should travel to so quiet a spot.

Early Broadstairs & St Peters in old photographs collected by Barrie Wootton.

The Captain Digby public house, Kingsgate owes its existence to Lord Holland who built it between 1763 and 1768. The Digby was once part of Bede House, half of which collapsed into the sea in 1809, leaving only the stabling which was built upon in 1816 and was used as a bibitory recess for men and horses (hostelry!). The Digby had a set of steps down to the shore which were obviously used by smugglers. It was here in 1857 that rescued men of the Northern Bell were brought when saved from a watery grave by the two Broadstairs lifeboats off Kingsgate Bay. Ironically, the Digby is named after Lord Holland’s favourite nephew, who had a distinguished naval career catching smugglers.

Above postcard, date unknown, kindly submitted by Mark Jennings.

Above photo, date unknown, with permission from Eric Hartland.

Above postcard, date 1936, kindly submitted by Mark Jennings.

Above postcard, circa 1936, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, circa 1946, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard, circa 1950s. Kindly supplied by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard, circa 1957, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard, date unknown, kindly submitted by Mark Jennings.

Above postcard, date unknown, kindly submitted by Mark Jennings.

Above bar, date unknown.

Above photo 2013.

Above sign 1936.

THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS. 17 January 1857.

THE SHIPWRECK OF THE “NORTHERN BELLE.”

What tribute shall we give the brave

Who fight the glorious fight,

Who stand or fall in freedom's cause

Defenders of the right,

Who ward the blow that tyrants deal

And vengeance they would wreak?

The meed they claim—the wreath of fame,

The glory which they seek;

Living, th’ applause of grateful crowds

And pathways fresh with blooms;

And, when they die, the world’s regret

Emblazoned on their tombs.
 

ii.

And what the tribute greater still

We owe the humbler brave,

"Who, though the light of glory shine

Like sunlight on the wave,

Look up from sunlight to the sun,

And see, through clouds afar,

The fairer ray, more bright than day,

Of Duty’s guiding star;

Who ask no recompense of men,

To save a brother's life?

And shame by greater bravery

The bravest deeds of strife?

iii.

What shall we give them—souls sublime,

Who in the stormy dark,

When frantic seas assault the shore,

And whirl the helpless bark

On treacherous sands, hear far away,

Amid the fitful gale,

The boom of guns, the seaman’s cry,

Or dying woman’s wail,

Then launch their skiff, through blinding foam

Of wild waves tempest-trod,

Their errand, Love; their only guides,

Their own true hearts and God?

iv.

Heroes of Peace ! No pomp of war,

Or sound of fife and drum;

No splendour of the soldiers’ craft,

Or hope of joys to come,

Make quick their pulse with high resolve,

Or nerve their honest hands;

They only feel that Mercy calls,

And at its high commands

They look at peril face to face,

With calm, untroubled eye;

And, when it bursts, undaunted still,]

They meet it—and defy!
 

v.

What shall we give them? Honor? Fame?

Ay, these, and something mere—’

The gratitude of free men’s hearts,

And tribute from their store;

Yet, not to satisfy a debt

’Twould beggar gold to pay,

But, for example to the world,

High gleaming to the day;

The gallant hearts—the hardy wights—

Who, mid the foam and swell,

Made famous in all time to come

The hapless “ Northern Belle.”

vi.

And those who died—the noble nine?—

When pitying sighs are borne,

We’ll not forget their orphan babes

And widows left forlorn.

If nought can dry those widows’ tears,

And heal the wounded heart,

To help them in their hour of need,

Let England do its part.

Small bounty—great in its intent—

May light their household fires;

And teach their babes in future days

To imitate their sires.

 By Charles Mackay. Jan. 14th, 1857.

In last week’s publication we gave a brief notice of the loss of this vessel, but the brave conduct of the Broadstairs boatmen, through whose exertions the crew of that vessel were rescued from their perilous situation, deserves a more extended report.

It was about three a.m. during the dreadful storm on Monday, the 5th inst., that the Northern Belle, from New York to London, came to an anchor off Kingsgate, about three-quarters of a mile from the shore. A few houns later she rode very heavily, and the sea at times broke completely over her. The crew having cut away the mizen and main masts, the ship rode easier; but as the gale increased, and as it was feared that she would part from her anchors and come on shore, a message was sent to Broadstairs to that effect. The Broadstairs boatmen, who are renowned for their alacrity, immediately harnessed themselves to the truck on which the life-boat—the Mary White—is always ready, and proceeded to drag it from Broadstairs to Kingsgate, a distance of two miles, over a heavy and hilly country. It was nine o’clock when the boat arrived at Kingsgate. By that time the news of the ship’s dangerous position was spread throughout the neighbourhood, and by eleven o’clock the cliffs wore crowded by persons of all ranks from Margate, Ramsgate, and Broadstairs. At 11.30 a.m. the multitude assembled were destined to witness a very painful sight. A Margate lugger, called the Victory, was hovering about the ship in the hope of rendering her some assistance, when a huge sea struck her and she suddenly disappeared from eight. She and her crew went down, and were no more seen. Another lugger, the Octan, of Margate, had at six a.m. put five hands on board the Northern Belle. At noon, it was expected every moment that the ship would run on shore upon the rocks beneath the cliff; but she held on, the crowd remaining until dark anxiously watching the vessel, despite the hail, sleet, and snow, which began to descend. Between ten and eleven on Monday night, the ship parted with her anchor and drove upon the rocks. At that hour it would have been utterly impossible to launch the life-boat, for the hail, sleet, and snow prevented the men from seeing any object whatever; and the spot whence it would be necessary to put off was distant more than half a mile. When day broke at between six and seven o'clock next morning, an awful sight was revealed to those on the cliffs and on the beach. With the naked eye could be seen the twenty-three men lashed to the rigging of the only mast left standing. With those poor creatures must have suffered during the night the reader will readily imagine.

At half-past seven o'clock on Tuesday morning the life-boat, the Mary White, was manned. Since July, 1850, when this boat was presented to the boatmen of Broadstairs by Mr. Thomas White, of Cowes, she has saved many lives, and her crew have encountered many dangers; but never had she been engaged in a matter of such peculiar peril. Ten brave men pulled through a boiling surf und raging sea, which several times hid them from sight, and filled all with alarm for their safety. When seven out of the twenty-three men upon the wreck had been got into the life-boat it was found necessary to cut her adrift and disentangle her from the ship. With these seven men the boat returned to the shore amid the cheers of the many persons assembled on the beach.

A second life-boat, which had also been wheeled from Broadstairs, to be ready in the event of the first life-boat being lost, was now launched, and went off to the wreck. She succeeded in bringing away fourteen. The two remaining were the captain and the pilot, who had been taken in at Dover. The former declared that he would rather die than leave his vessel, and the latter expressed a desire to remain and perish in the old man’s company. After an hour and a half had elapsed the life-boat for the third time left the shore in order to persuade these two men to save their lives. After much difficulty the crew of the boat succeeded in inducing them to come off the rigging and go to the land. It is impossible to describe the scene on the bench when it was known that all hands had been saved. A more affecting scene was seldom witnessed. There were tears of gratitude shed by the Americans, tears of joy and of pride by the Broadstairs boatmen. Benumbed as the shipwrecked men were, they could scarcely partake of the refreshment which was provided for them in the little warm parlour of “The Captain Digby,” the solitary inn which stands upon the cliff at Kingsgate.

At three o'clock on Tuesday the Mary White was dragged upon her truck by three horses into Broadstairs. In the boat sat her gallant crow. Tied to an American oar was the American standard which was so recently hoisted as a signal of distress. The tattered flag fluttered over the broken bows of the Mary White. It was thus that the boat passed through the streets of Broadstairs, amidst the joyous shouts of the inhabitants of the town. We have engraved this stirring scene.

Nearly all the brave fellows who, at the imminent peril of their own lives, were thus engaged in restoring to America the lives of nineteen of those seamen of whom she is so justly proud, are married men with large families of small children; and there is not a man among them who has not assisted in saving life, and who has not, at some period, lost a father, brother, or cousin in the same glorious cause.

A subscription has been opened to reward the deserving and self-sacrificing conduct of the crews of the two boats; and General Robert Campbell, the United States' Consul in London, has appealed in their behalf to the American residents in the metropolis; and Mr. Joseph Rodney Croskey has generously subscribed £50 to the above fund. Mr. Laing, in a letter to the Times, states the names of the crews of the boats, and adds some well-timed details:—

Crew of the Mary White.— John Castle, George Castle, William Hiller (junior), Robert Miller, James Rowe, George Emptage, Edward Emptage. This boat saved seven hands.

Crew of the Calmer White on her first trip to the wreck.— John Cowell, William Wales, Jethrow Miller, John Sandwell, George Emptage, Thomas Holborn, William Ralph, Robert Gilbert, Robert Parker. Saved fourteen hands.

Crew of the Culmer White on her second trip to save the Captain and Pilot.— John Cowell, William Wales, Jethrow Miller, Jerry Walker, Fred Lawrence, Thomas Sandwell, Robert Simpson, James Bere, Robert Parker, George Emptage, Alfred Emptage.

These men, sir, were not labouring under any species of excitement when they engaged in the perilous duty which they performed so nobly and so well.

Under the impression that these men would never return—the impression of all who witnessed their departure from the shore—I watched their countenances closely, There was nothing approaching bravado in their demeanour—nothing to give a spectator an idea that they were about to engage in a matter of life or death to themselves and the crew of the ship clinging to the fore rigging of the Northern Belle. They had no hope of a "decoration," or of pecuniary reward when, with a coolness of manner and a calmness of mind which contracted strongly with the energy of their movements, they "stripped to their shirts*' and bounded into the Mary White and the Culmer White to storm batteries of billows far more appalling to the human mind than batteries surmounted by cannon, and bristling with bayonets. There could be no question about the heroism of these men.

Kentish Weekly Post or Canterbury Journal 08 August 1823.

THE KING V. RICHARD COOK AND RICHARD AND ELIZABETH HILL.

This was an indictment by information of John Parkinson, employed in the coast blockade. 'The evidence went to shew that the defendants had several times offered bribes to the informant, to permit the illegal landing of contraband goods, at which Parkinson was seemingly conniving, and at the same time acquainting his officers with the particulars. The defendants Richard and Elizabeth Hills keep the sign of the Captain Digby, at Ramsgate, and Cook, the other defendant, was a resident of the same place. On the 24th of July they offered him £3, to assist in landing 20 tubs, which he apparently consented to, and at the moment gave the alarm, when the whole cargo fell an easy prey to the coast blockade.

Morning Advertiser 25 November 1823.

THE KING v. COOKE AND OTHERS.

The Solicitor-General prayed the judgment of the Court against Richard Cooke, Richard Hill and Elizabeth Hill, for a conspiracy to defraud the revenue.

Mr. Justice Best read the notes of the trial which took place at the Kent Assizes, before Mr. Baron Graham. The conspiracy was to land smuggled spirits on the coast of Kent.

[Elizabeth Hill having nearly fainted, was directed to be taken out into the fresh air.]

The affidavits of the defendants set forth several instances of dangerous interferences to rescue Revenue Officers in storms and threatened shipwrecks, and various complaints with which they were afflicted. The present conviction would operate as a warning to them for their lives.

Mr. Adolphus, jun. addressed the Court in mitigation.

The Solicitor-General in aggravation.

Mr. Justice Bayley pronounced judgment. - I shall relieve Elizabeth Hill at once, on account of the state of her health; the Court is not disposed to inflict any personal punishment, but Richard Hill her husband, must enter into his own recognizance in £100, for her good behaviour for five years.— Richard Hill, you had the benefit of a licence from the Magistrates, and yet you were guilty of this very serious offence. You are to be imprisoned in St. Augustine, near Canterbury, for six months in the House of Correction, and pay a fine of £50; you, Richard Cooke, to be imprisoned in the same place for six months; and that you enter into real cognizance's for five years each in £50, and two sureties in £25, for each of you.

From The Era (London, England), Sunday, June 9, 1839; Issue 37.

SALES OF PUBLIC HOUSES.

During the past week the following important taverns and inns have been submitted to public competition at the Mart and Garraway's (including:-)

By Mr. Bullock, a freehold inn or public-house, situate at Kingsgate, Isle of Thanet, known as the "Captain Digby," with stables, out-buildings, bowling-green, and right of way of tunnel to the sea-shore, £150.

From The Essex Standard, and General Advertiser for the Eastern Counties (Colchester, England,) Friday, July 17, 1846.

NOTICE OF SALE Near RAMSGATE, in the Isle of Thanet

Includes:- Desirable FREEHOLD PROPERTY, known as the well accustomed "Captain Digby Tavern and Hotel," most eligibly situate by the side of the high road to Ramsgate, leading from Margate to Broadstairs and Ramsgate.

The whole of the property may be viewed any time preceding the sale, and particulars had of Messrs. Winter, Williams and Co.,16, Bedford Row; at the Libraries and Hotels, Dover, Broadstairs, St. Peter's, Ramsgate, Margate, and Canterbury; at Garraway's; and of Messrs. Leifchild, 62, Moorgate Street. (Messrs. Leifchild are the auctioneers and the other properties being auctioned at the same time include "Kingsgate Castle.")

From an email received 5 December 2017.

We have a horse brass of the "Captain Digby." I am not sure of its history as I inherited it from my mother. I recall going to Margate as a child (55 years ago?) but don't know if it originates from that.

Would love to know the background of it if you know.

Regards,

Geoff Summers.