1779 - 1844
Lived at Eaglesfield Street and High Street before moving to Ellen Bank, a Victorian manor house on the outskirts of Maryport
John Ritson (1779-1844) was the manager at Peat’s shipyard before launching his own business building ships on the river Ellen in the 1820s. John had been a ship’s carpenter and reputedly could handle every tool from the adze to the caulking tool with great skill. Folllowing the death of John in 1844, his sons Robert (1810-1887) and William (1816-1866) took over the running of the family’s shipyard on Irish Street. The Ritson’s transformed Maryport’s shipbuilding industry. In 1851, the shipyard employed 152 men and 30 boys. In 1885, their first iron ship the Ellenbank was launched. Ritson & Co. continued to build ships until 1902 when the yard was taken over by William Walker.
