Talland Church Headstones

Lansallos Gravestone: 54

Tomb

• • opc – additional information taken from Lansallos Online Parish Clerk; discrepancies in BOLD

Stone Inscription:

Sacred
to the Memory of
William Quiller of 
Polperro in this Parish who
Departed this Life March 15 1816 
Aged 50 Years

Also
of Phill Quiller his wife who
Departed this Life
December 13 1818 
Aged 53 Years

Also
Felicia the Daughter of William and
 Ann Quiller of this Parish who
Departed this Life April 11 1816 
Aged 8 Months

When the Swallow – captained by William Quiller – captured the ship La Russe, the prize money amounted to £1,733.15s.3d. and a further £4,890.15.10d. from the sale of her cargo. In 1791 William made a serious mistake by taking a Portuguese ship when we were not at war with Portugal, and the Swallow was seized. [Zephaniah] Job paid out £351.6s. from Quiller’s account but the owner claimed demurrage, which is money based on the number of days a ship lies in detention. Job personally went to London while the arbitrators argued the case and he charged the Swallow’s account with his expenses amounting to £15.4s.5d. closing the matter with a further charge of just one guinea ‘To writing an infinite number of letters’.

William Quiller was Master of the sloop Good Intent, built at Polruan and owned by Robert Rean, but lost at sea in 1793. William, while master of the Hawk, was seized for smuggling; but in 1810 he took out letters of marque for the General Doyle, a brig of 100 tons, armed with four ten pounder guns and a crew of twenty. That same year he put the Pheasant up for sale with three French ships captured by him – the chasse marées: L’Assumption, L’Aimable and the Saint Nicholas.

William was killed accidentally on board his ship in 1815.

Salt in the Cellars – Sheila de Burlet