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Burscough II, also known in Ireland as ‘The Liverpool’, is a 72 foot Leeds and Liverpool Barge.
She was originally named Black Prince and was built in 1934 with the official number 162408, by WJ Yarwood in Northwich, Cheshire, with a 24 hp Widdop diesel engine. Her high hatch coaming and hatch boards were designed for crossing the river Mersey to Birkenhead docks.
She was one of a fleet of four motorized and five dumb barges built of iron between 1933 and 1949 for H & R Ainscough, the Parbold and Burscough millers. [See list below]. Wheat for milling was imported into Liverpool by ship from North America, loaded onto barges and then transported to the mills. The Ainscoughs were proud owners of shire horses and are reputed to have named their boats after them.
In 1941 the barge Burscough was destroyed by bombing in Liverpool and Black Prince was renamed Bursough II. The later working life of Burscough II was spent carrying coal for Monks and Apollo Canal Carriers Ltd of Shipley.
In 1976 she was brought to Ireland by sea under her own steam. Her engine at this time was a six cylinder 120 hp Gardner proving well up to the job.
For quite a few years afterwards the Burscough II was in the ownership of a group of lads who were known up and down the Shannon as the Dirty Dozen. Over time the lads all grew up, got married and moved on and the Burscough II was sold to Paul and Jean Doran who moved her to Shannon Harbour and made it their home.
The HBA thanks Mike Clarke of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society, for the information in this write-up and the great photographs. See Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society
EOL 2011
The Ainscough Iron Boat Fleet
Ironclad - Yarwoods 1933, Number 162388, 72ft motor, 24hp Widdop
Ambush - Yarwoods 1933, Number 162393, 72ft motor, 24hp Widdop
Black Prince - Yarwoods 1934, Number 162408, 72ft motor, 24hp Widdop
Bodicea - Yarwoods 1948, 72ft motor, Russel Newbury
Attractive - Yarwoods 1933, Number 162390, 72ft dumb boat
Burscough - Yarwoods 1933, Number 162392, 72ft dumb boat
Viktoria - Yarwoods 1934, Number 162407, 72ft dumb boat
Parbold - Yarwoods 1936, 72ft horse boat
Claymore - Yarwoods 1949, 72ft dumb boat
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