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You can find a monument to William Harrison in Maryport cemetery which was paid for and erected by the people of Maryport.
1812 - 1860
William Harrison was born in Maryport in 1812 and first went to sea in October 1825. In January 1856 he was selected by the directors of the Eastern Steam Navigation Company out of two hundred competitors to take command as the first captain of Brunel’s SS Great Eastern, which when built was the largest vessel in the world and was the first ship of iron. He was credited with over 200 Atlantic crossings during his career. Tragically, Captain Harrison was drowned in Southampton in 1860 while being ferried ashore. To show respect to his memory the people of Maryport subscribed and erected a monument which can be seen inside Maryport cemetery.
