I have been fascinated with the pocketbooks and story of Kelsick Wood for some time now. Kelsick was a shipbuilder in the West Cumberland town of Maryport, who carried a small leather-bound pocketbook with him during the 1820s and 1830s. He filled its pages with the business of his yard: contracts for ships, timber yard stock lists, details of his shipwrights, even a short-lived diary.
Kelsick’s yard also built John Monk’s second brig, the Monk, shown on the book’s cover. It was launched in 1830, initially as the General Gascoyne, but John chose to rename it before registration in Liverpool.
He also decorated many pages with a charming, quirky and often bizarre series of watercolours and pencil drawings, such as the self-portrait and other pictures below. Many show figurehead designs, others family members, townsfolk and a large assortment of different animals. A few can be passed off as the business of the yard, but really, he was painting whatever he chose. I love the mess of words and image. At least six volumes exist, five being pocketbooks and one a sketchbook. Two are in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, and another is at the maritime museum in Maryport.
Kelsick was a fascinating man, living in a remarkable little town at a pivotal time in the country’s history.
(images courtesy of Benjamin Katz, NY).
