By Kirsty Gilchrist
Elizabeth (Betsy) Miller was born on the 11th of June 1792. The daughter of Mary Garret and Captain William Miller, Betsy grew up in Saltcoats in a family that had a close connection to the sea. Her father was a timber merchant and ship owner with a successful business.
Being the oldest of her siblings, Betsy joined the family shipping business after finishing school, working in the office as a records manager.
Her brother John intended to take over the seafaring role of the family business from their father. Unfortunately, an accident occurred in 1833 when John was returning to Ardrossan Harbour from the nearby uninhabited island, Horse Isle, with three friends; rough seas kept them from the mainland and resulted in all four men drowning near Millport. After this tragedy, Captain Miller became ill in his later years, and the business began to suffer without any leadership.
As a result of these circumstances, Betsy became captain of the family brig Clytus (sometimes recorded in 19th century newspaper articles as Cloetus or Clitus) and commanded its 14-man crew. The first woman in Great Britain to be given a sea captain licence by the Board of Trade, Betsy spent her 30-year career sailing between Ayrshire and Ireland shipping cargoes of timber, coal and limestone. Her acclaim was so widespread that Betsy was mentioned during a House of Commons debate on the Merchant Shipping Act 1834.
Known in Ayrshire as the “Queen of Saltcoats”, Betsy successfully paid off her father’s debts and retired at 70. She passed on command of the family ship to her youngest sister, Hannah.
Betsy died in 1864 at the age of 72 while living at the family home in Saltcoats. This was reported in various newspaper in Scotland and around the world, with reporters acknowledging her success as a sea captain and businesswoman who supported her two sisters into their adult lives.
Thank you to Daisy from Greenwood Academy for helping to research this topic.
Sources:
North Ayrshire Heritage Trails
Betsy Miller: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland
https://ardrossman.wordpress.com/2017/03/16/saltcoats-salt-cots-and-betsy-miller/comment-page-1/
Photographs:
2009-084(011) Ardrossan Harbour filled with sailing ships, © Scottish Maritime Museum
“Captain Betsy Miller” and “Miller ship ‘Clytus'”, <https://ardrossman.wordpress.com/2017/03/16/saltcoats-salt-cots-and-betsy-miller/comment-page-1/>
