John Cox & Son - Ship Builders of Bridport

John Cox was probably born in Plymouth c.1787 and died in Bridport 30 May 1870 aged 83. He resided at the harbour and commenced ship building in 1816, under the firm of Matthews and Co.

On November 1824 there was a disastrous gale that caused a great deal of damage along the coast. The dockyard was so damaged that John Cox and took his family south to live in Plymouth. He returned in 1826 and recommenced shipbuilding. By 1830 he was in charge of the shipyard. As his business grew, so did the size of his vessels and by the 1840s he was building barques of over 450 tons. In 1849 on the death of Ephraim Matthews, John Cox, now an established master shipwright, purchased the lease of the shipyard for about £1,200.

By the 1850s he had taken into full partnership his son Elias and they began to build very large ships, one of which was the ÒSpeedyÓ, a full rigged ship, 1031 tons and over 200ft, larger than the ÒCutty SarkÓ. Old trade directories list John Cox as shipbuilder up to 1855 and Elias Cox from 1855 to 1879. They built over 25 ships including schooners, brigantines and barques.

John Cox had been a Wesleyan local preacher since 1822 and started a small society in the harbour, renting a room for services. In 1830 he was appointed the leader and continued to hold office until his failing health prevented him from working. His company was involved in the building of a chapel, still in existence on East beach, the foundation stone of which was laid in December 1849 by Mrs Cox.

George, his eldest son, after serving an apprenticeship under his father, joined the Bideford Shipyard in North Devon of which he eventually took control. Another son, Caleb, married into the Prowse shipbuilding family of Liverpool. These family connections generated much business for the Bridport shipyard to the end of 1879. As well as being shipbuilders, the Cox family were also ship owners, a joint venture from the families in Bridport, Bideford and Liverpool.

Elias Cox became an alderman, Mayor of Bridport and a Justice of the Peace. Towards the end of Bridport ship building days he built a considerable number of vessels for the Newfoundland trade.

1879 saw the last new vessel launched from the shipyard after which it concentrated on repair work. By the mid 1880s it was decided to improve the harbour access and the old slipways were filled in to accommodate a new road. After the shipyard was closed a development company was formed to expand Bridport harbour into the seaside tourist resort for which it is known today.

West Bay, formerly called Bridport harbour lies between two cliffs at the mouth of the River Brit. It has had a constant struggle against the elements and has been a haven since Saxon times for sheltering ships and off loading cargo, which was then taken up the river to the town. A proper harbour was constructed in 1385 at a time when the developing local rope making trade was supplying cordage to the navy. Silting has been a constant problem and continuous alterations and repairs were made until 1823/5 when the harbour was reconstructed as we see it today. Work has just started again on constructing a new west pier to give a safer entrance to the harbour. The years 1825-1850 saw the period of greatest prosperity of the harbour. Shipping trade gradually declined after the opening of the Bridport railway in 1857.

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