Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - Crossing the River Ely . .

1865 - 'Saturday morning being the time fixed for the opening of Penarth Dock, the passenger steamer 'Kate' is to start from the pier head Cardiff at 6 o'clock in the morning, and continue to ply as fast as she can make the passage during the day.' - Cardiff Times [019] [361] 9th June 1865.

Due to increased demand and in order to double the number of sailings, 'La Belle Marie' a Forest of Dean market boat, being a wooden hulled, twin screw ship of 31 tons, launched in May 1866, joined the ferry service from June 1873. She was built at a Gloucester yard driven by a 2 cylinder steam engine. Her vital statistics were 65' - 6" long x 12' - 1" breath x 6' - 1" depth and she ended her life in 1920 at the breakers yard. [154]

'La Belle Marie' a market boat moored at Brockweir, Chepstow following her service in the years 1873 - c.1891 as the Penarth Ferry. [631]

'La Belle Marie' with official number 54556 was a mere 15 or 16 net tons, steam powered, she was originally registered at Gloucester on 3rd October 1866. In the Mercantile Navy List of 1870 she was owned E. C. Rudge at Evesham. She had a 16 horse power steam engine. The 1880 list states that she had a wooden hull was 44ft. - 4in. long x 15ft. - 0in. breath 6ft. - 1in. depth of hold. She was of 16 net tons, 31 tons gross. A 16 horse power engine drove a screw propellor and she was registered to Robert Easthope, 149, Bute Rd., Cardiff. By 1900 she had been sold to Henry Musgrave, of Belfast. In the 1910, 1915 and 1920 Mercantile Navy Lists the managing owner was listed as James P. Dibden, Quay House, Brockweir, Chepstow. The register was closed in 1921. [630]