(1785-1866)
From Fife in Scotland, Alexander Nairne joined the Royal Navy and then the East India Company’s maritime service. His seafaring career took him round the world, through dangerous seas, naval battles and pirate attacks at a time when Britain really did ‘rule the waves’.
Call of the sea
Alexander was born in the coastal fishing village of Pittenweem on the north-east coast of the Firth of Forth. His father, grandfather and great grandfather were Presbyterian ministers. Their ancestors had lived in that part of Fife since the thirteenth century. However, like other young men in the village, Alexander was keen to travel. He joined the Royal Navy when he was just 16. Shortly after, in 1801, his ship was involved in action at the Battle of Copenhagen. Twenty-five of his shipmates were injured and six were killed, including one of his close friends.
Disillusioned with the navy after this traumatic experience, he resigned. With the help of his uncle, he obtained a position in the East India Company’s maritime service. This immensely powerful organisation had gained a monopoly on British trade, including India and China. Alexander joined the service in 1803 as a midshipman. He rose through the officer ranks and was eventually appointed commander of the General Kyd, a ship named after his uncle.
Alexander captained the General Kyd through at least nine lengthy voyages, most of which involved a year or more on board. He voyaged to many far-flung places, including St Helena, Madeira, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore and China. Officers of the maritime service could earn considerable sums by exercising their right to free tonnage. Alexander made good use of this opportunity.
Retirement
In 1833, pressure from freetraders finally succeeded in persuading the British government to remove the East India Company’s trade monopoly. This marked the end of the maritime service. By that time Alexander had established a family home in Camberwell, London. Having amassed a considerable fortune, he took up a number of directorships, many connected with seafaring. He was also a director of the New Zealand Company, set up to encourage settlement in that country. Alfred Domett, his brother-in-law, became a settler in Nelson, New Zealand.
Alexander remained an interested observer as the sailing ships he knew and loved were gradually replaced by steamships.
For more information on this story see: Angela Coulter, A Stream of Lives, Matador Press 2021, available from Troubador Bookshop