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STORYBOOK |
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| From
Humble Beginnings | The
Young Captain | Le Lacheur & Co
| Costa Rica –
The Early Years Le Lacheur & Co By 1836 William was ready to form his own shipping company, Le Lacheur & Co. His partner was a Captain Grace, a good friend and experienced sailor. Grace was already an accomplished captain, working the fruit trade between England and the Mediterranean area as well as the sugar trade between England and the West Indies and, occasionally, South America. The Livre de Perchage for Fief le Roi St Peter Port in 1837 shows that by now William and Rachel owned a house at the top of Mont Gibel, now called Constitution Steps. A quiet and healthy part of town, their home was close to Eldad Independent Chapel, where they worshipped. William and Rachel had at least seven children, five of whom survived: four daughters called Emma, Louisa, Rachel and Amelia, and a son John Allez. Two boys both baptized William died in infancy. In November 1839 the Royal Court of Guernsey received an application from a James Sebire for permission to open a ship building yard at la Hougue a la Perre, St Peter Port. It seems that he came to an arrangement to build good quality ships for William, under cover and to specifications laid down by Lloyds of London. Sebire built eight vessels specifically for William, plus a further two of the eleven eventually owned by Le Lacheur & Co.
Not all of these boats were intended for the coffee trade with Costa Rica, which flourished after 1843. The SIR THOMAS MANSELL and the MINERVA did not usually venture into the Pacific, but traded between the Mediterranean, the West Indies and England.
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