Gill Hoffs of Annfield Glen Road, Ayr, is seeking family of the 'Ocean Child’ of Ross (From Hereford Times)

Gill Hoffs of Annfield Glen Road, Ayr, is seeking family of the 'Ocean Child’ of Ross

3:00pm Thursday 3rd May 2012 in Letters

I AM currently writing a non-fiction piece about the 1854 wrecking of the RMS Tayleur off the Irish coast, and in particular about the “Ocean Child” who was rescued and eventually returned to his maternal family in Ross but died soon after – just a few days after his first birthday.

I want to express my gratitude to some extremely helpful people I’ve had the pleasure of discussing this with. Win Robinson of the Herefordshire Archive Service, Norman Price of the Herefordshire Family History Society, and the lovely staff of the Hereford Museum and Art Gallery have all been amazing, and I’m very grateful.

As a writer based in Scotland, there’s a lot of information online that I’ve checked, but I’m now in need of some help that I think your readers could provide.

I’m looking for the relatives of Arthur Charles Griffiths, the socalled Ocean Child whose parents perished on their way to Australia along with many of the other passengers and crew of the Tayleur, just two days into their voyage.

His father, Charles Griffiths, was the innkeeper at the original Bull's Head, Holmer, and his mother was Sarah Lucas. His maternal grandmother brought him back from Ireland and his aunt, whose surname may have been Lewis, lived in Brookend Street, Ross, where he died. A man called John Ward was “in attendance” and if anybody knows what that means, I’d love to know.

It’s a tragic story and I hope to do the poor child and the other victims of the wrecking justice with my piece.

Email scottishredridinghood@ hotmail.com or call 0771 9354392, and I'd be grateful to hear any snippets of information, however small.

GILL HOFFS, Annfield Glen Road, Ayr.