John Seymour was an English Master Mariner who had a 40 year sailing career commencing in the mid 1850s. John was the fifth of the ten children of William Seymour, another mariner who, for the latter part of his career, worked as a pool pilot for the Southampton Custom House.

The cable ships that John Seymour sailed included 'Investigator' (60885, 1873-4), 'Hibernia' (29387. 1875-76); 'Kangaroo' (1608. 1876-80, 1881-83, 1884, & 1885); 'Edinburgh' (6348. 1880); 'Scotia' (43711. 1884); 'Medina' (87170. 1885 & 1886); 'Britannia' (89690. 1886, & 1887-88); and 'Seine' (28736. 1889-94, & 1896-97). All of these ships were operated by the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company Ltd (Telcon).

The research into the life, times, and ships of John Seymour is far from complete, and these webpages will be updated as I work my way through the material to-hand and as new material is discovered and collated. This project commenced in December 2007 when we 'discovered' this previously unknown ancestor, in the form of a handwritten voyage 'remark book' ... in a cardboard box under a bed. Given the amazing histories that opened to us, and the time subsequently spent in researching and collating the information, that humble discovery has evolved into somewhat of a Pandora's Cardboard Box.

John Seymour: 1841 - 1899

John Seymour, probably aboard S S Kangaroo around 1877. First mate and soon to become her Master.

Any information or material concerning John, his ships, and his voyages (or any of the related seafaring Seymours) would be most gratefully received. Many people have helped already and I am greatly indebted for their support.