The Driver Family - Abraham Richard [COASTGUARD] DRIVER

Abraham Richard [COASTGUARD] DRIVER
      Sex: M
AKA: Abraham Richard DRIVER
Individual Information
          Birth: 1817 - Beer, Devon, England
    Christening: 23 Mar 1817 - Beer, Devon, England
          Death: 6 Oct 1892 - Seaton, Devon, England
         Burial: 
Events
• He was a sailor on 21 Dec 1839

• He joined the Royal Navy between 1839 and 1841.

• He was a mariner in 1841 (shown as Abrs Driver on census return)

• He lived at Belmont Street, Wyke Regis in Weymouth, Dorset, England in 1841 (shown as Abrs Driver on census return)

• He lived in Weymouth, Dorset, England in Sep 1841 (birth of Sarah Ann Driver)

• He joined the Coastguard Service on 5 Nov 1842 in Bletchington, Sussex, England. ex Revenue Cutter 'George'

• He lived at Coastguard Station in Bletchington, Sussex, England on 5 Nov 1842

• He lived in Fairlight, Sussex, England in Sep 1843 (birth of Mary Jane Driver)

• He lived in Pett, Sussex, England in Sep 1845 (birth of Joseph Driver)

• He lived in Pett, Sussex, England in Jun 1848 (birth of Richard Driver)

• He was posted to Alum Bay Coastguard Station Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England on 24 Jun 1850.

• He lived at Alum Bay Coastguard Station in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England in Dec 1850 (birth of Elizabeth Driver)

• He was a coastguardsman in 1851

• He lived at Alum Bay Coastguard Station in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England in 1851

• He was posted to Niton Coastguard Station Niton, Isle of Wight, England on 28 May 1852.

• He was a commissioned boatman in the Coast Guard on 17 Aug 1852

• He lived at Niton Coastguard Station in Niton, Isle of Wight, England in Jun 1853 (birth of Julia Ann Driver)

• He lived at Niton Coastguard Station in Niton, Isle of Wight, England in Jun 1857 (birth of Eliza Ann Driver)

• He lived at Niton Coastguard Station in Niton, Isle of Wight, England in Jun 1859 (birth of John Driver)

• He lived at Niton Coastguard Station in Niton, Isle of Wight, England in Dec 1860 (death of John Driver)

• He was a boatman coastguardsman in 1861

• He lived at Niton Coastguard Station in Niton, Isle of Wight, England in 1861

• He lived at Niton Coastguard Station in Niton, Isle of Wight, England in Sep 1861 (birth of George Henry Driver)

• He was posted to Axmouth Coastguard Station Axminster, Devon, England on 10 Mar 1862.

• He lived at Church Street in Axmouth, Devon, England on 16 Feb 1866 (birth of Flora Ann Driver)

• He was a coastguardsman in 1871

• He lived at Church Street in Axmouth, Devon, England in 1871

• He was a retired coastguard in 1881

• He lived at Sidmouth Street in Seaton, Devon, England in 1881

• He was a retired coastguardsman in 1891

• He lived at Sidmouth Street in Seaton, Devon, England in 1891

• He was a pensioned officer of coastguard on 6 Oct 1892

• He had an estate probated at £82 6s 4d to his widow, Ann on 20 Dec 1892 in Exeter, Devon, England.

Parents
         Father: Richard DRIVER (1772-1837)
         Mother: Ann DRIVER (1767-1834)
Spouses and Children
1. Sarah HAYWARD (1821 - Dec 1851)
       Marriage: 21 Dec 1839 - Beer, Devon, England
         Status: 
       Children:
                1. Sarah Ann DRIVER (1841-1851)
                2. Mary Jane DRIVER (1843-1856)
                3. Joseph DRIVER (1845-1853)
                4. Richard DRIVER (1848-1937)
                5. Elizabeth DRIVER (1850-      )

2. *Ann MITCHELL (1830 - Dec 1908)
       Marriage: 17 Aug 1852 - Niton, Isle of Wight, England
         Status: 
       Children:
                1. Julia Ann DRIVER (1853-      )
                2. Eliza Ann DRIVER (1857-1877)
                3. John DRIVER (1859-1860)
                4. George Henry DRIVER (1861-1931)
                5. Florence Ann DRIVER (1866-1935)
Notes
General:

Captain Marryat in The Three Cutters offered the following view of a Revenue Cutter in the early years of the 19th century:

"She is a cutter, and you may know she belongs to the Preventive Service by the number of gigs and galleys she has hoisted up all around her. She looks like a vessel that was about to sail with a cargo of boats, two on deck, one astern, one on other side of her. You observe that she is painted black and much more lumbered up. Let us go on board, and her bulwarks are painted red, it is not a very becoming colour but it lasts a long while, and the dockyard is not very generous on the score of paint - or lieutenants of the navy troubled with much spare cash. She has plenty of men and fine men they are; all dressed in red flannel shirts and blue trousers; some of them have not taken off their canvass or tarpaulin petticoats which are very useful to them as they are in boats night and day, and in all weathers. But we will at once go down to the cabin, where we will find the lieutenant that commands her, a master's mate and a midshipman. They each have their tumbler in front of them and are drinking gin toddy, hot with sugar - capital gin too - Above proof; it is from that small anker standing under the table. It is one they forgot to return to the Custom House when they made their last seizure."

The quality of the men who manned the Revenue Cutters had for many years impressed Their Lordships of the Admiralty. They had afterall served with distinction under the direction of the Admiralty in a number of famous naval campaigns. In 1816 following the recommendations of a Treasury Committee the Admiralty took control of the revenue fleet and the Commissioners of the Customs retained but two vessels. It had by all accounts been the view of the Admiralty that the vessels deployed on revenue protection duties were too small, undermanned and lacking in fire power to deal effectively with the smugglers. An interesting view for two reasons. Firstly, when larger naval vessels had been deployed for the same duties they had achieved little. Secondly, around 1816 the Admiralty began constructing a class of Cutters based on 'improved revenue vessel designs'. But the Admiralty were in command and began disposing of many revenue vessels that had served well and replaced them with larger surplus naval vessels.

Then in 1821 in the wake of yet another Treasury Committee Report there was something of a reversal of the 1816 report in that smaller revenue vessels still in service reverted to the control of the Commissioners of the Customs while the larger remained with the Admiralty. The real significance of this Report is that it introduced the concept of the Coast Guard that was eventually brought into service by way of the Coast Guard Act of 1856. It was that same Act that was to see the end of the sailing revenue fleet.

The 1861 census lists four families living at Niton Coastguard Station:

James Thomas, 52, Chief Boatman Coastguard, and his wife, Faith
Richard Driver, 44, Boatman Coastguard, his wife Ann and four children
Samuel T. Bowden, 34, Boatman Coastguard, his wife Sarah and two children
George Streets, 40, Boatman Coastguard, his wife Martha and two children

Last updated 28 May 2013