Robert Keetley, ship & boat builder, Grimsby billhead; the cost of an oak tree Midsummer 1848.

A wonderful, 174 year old (in 2022) billhead with pictures.

The Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway Company purchased an oak tree for a mooring post on the East Jetty. They also paid for 7 yards of ripping (the cutting of wood parallel to the grain) and 25 feet of fir sawing. The account was settled on 30th June 1848 and the bill was signed by Robert Keetley.

Robert Keetley (1823-1891), shipbuilder and shipowner, and family lived at Lock Hill, Grimsby. Robert was the son of Thomas Keetley, master mariner, of Lock Hill, Grimsby. Robert later lived at several addresses in Cleethorpes, including “Worsley House”. He married for a second time following the death of his first wife.