A short blog on the centenary of his death
Captain George Moodie and his 12 siblings were born in West Wemyss and the family lived on the High Street. His father Alexander worked as a whaler out of Dundee before eventually becoming assistant harbour master in his native Dysart. George’s early life was spent playing around fishing boats in Wemyss harbour and after working on Provost Don Swan’s ships as a boy sailor he embarked on a four year maritime apprenticeship with David Johnston of the Kirkcaldy linen manufacturing family. It is thought that he attended one of the two navigation schools in Dundee. On completion of his apprenticeship in 1854 he married Janet Cassells, also from West Wemyss, and they moved to Kirkcaldy where they lived for the next 19 years.
Wemyss Harbour circa 1840 From Illustrated History of Fife, John Leighton
Janet and George had 6 children(4 girls and 2 boys) and we can track the family’s housing in Kirkcaldy through the register of their births , George’s qualifications and census or valuation records. Janet lived with her children and various members of the Cassel family, while George travelled the world on sailing ships including the Cutty Sark. Below are listed their addresses in Kirkcaldy, some of which can be seen on the Sang 1880 map. Available from Fife Archive
1856 Oswald Wynd
1859 Mitchell Street
1861 17 Glasswork Street
1871 High Street
Milton Road
Surveyed in 1878-79 by Sang and lithographed in 1880 by Beveridge showing Glasswork street Fife Archive
Surveyed in 1878-79 by Sang and lithographed in 1880 by Beveridge showing Oswald Wynd Fife Archive
After becoming a well-respected shipmaster, travelling to India, Australia, Indonesia and China on various ships including the Benvoirlich, the Tweed, The Laurel and the Lauderdale, George Moodie was given the task in 1869 of supervising the construction of the Cutty Sark.
A list of all the ships and dates worked on to this point. From Ancestry Institution. co.uk
He was sent to the shipyard in Dumbarton by his employer John Willis & Co and gained a reputation of being a stickler for quality, rejecting any materials he saw as substandard. His wife was given the task of launching the ship and Captain Moodie told her to ” Be sure and gie a guid ca’ to the bottle” as smashing it ensured good luck for the ship. She fulfilled her role and Captain Moodie set off on the first of three voyages in the Cutty Sark.
The race was on between the Cutty Sark and the Thermopylae to be the fastest tea clipper bringing goods back from China to London. The Thermopylae won the first two contests. On the third voyage in 1872 the Cutty Sark was 400 hundred miles ahead when disaster struck and the ship lost its rudder in a gale. Moodie and his crew worked to make and install a replacement rudder in atrocious conditions and this allowed them to continue the journey but lost once again to the Thermopylae by five days. This was Captain Moodie’s last voyage with the Cutty Sark.
Model of the Cutty Sark in OnFife Museums Collection
After the enormous stress of the Cutty Sark competition Captain Moodie resigned from the race at the age of 43 in 1872.
He then became first a mate on the Stateline Steamship Company of Glasgow rising to Captain in 1874 and worked the passage between London and New York for the next 19 years, a much more settled life but not without incident.
This change of employment required the family to move to Govan, although two of his elder daughters married James and George Whiteman in Kirkcaldy and his son Alexander eventually became a dock pilot at Methil docks so the link with Fife continued during this time.
Captain Moodie’s well used Watch from ONFife Museum Collection. Now on display at Kirkcaldy Galleries
After his very active life at sea George Moodie retired to life in Methil, with a house called the Anchorage in Bowling Green Rd. He was a founder member and President of Methil Bowling Club as can be seen from the minutes, in his handwriting, below.
Minutes of Methil Bowling club , mentioning and signed by George Moodie. held at Fife Archive
He reportedly gave the Red Duster (Cutty Sark flag) to the club but it went missing
At the age of 82 George moved from Methil to a large house called Southfield, with his wife and eldest daughter Catherine, before moving to a two hundred year old house called McDuff in Auchtermuchty High Street. Janet Moodie died in 1918 at the age of 87 whilst George lived for another 5 years in Auchtermuchty, dying at the age of 94. Both Captain Moodie and his wife are buried in Methilhill cemetery.
There is a small display in Kirkcaldy Galleries of objects related to the Cutty Sark and Captain Moodie, including the watch mentioned above.
Many thanks to Pam Cranston of Save Wemyss Ancient Caves society and for inspiration from John Urquhart who carried out so much research into this fascinating man.
