Richard Stacey


Richard Stacey was an English shipbuilder and ship designer employed by the Royal Navy at several dockyards but predominantly Deptford.

Life

He was probably apprenticed as a shipwright around 1677. He was appointed a master mastmaker and boat-builder at Plymouth Dockyard by the Royal Navy in November 1695.
In 1698 he transferred briefly to Kinsale where he launched HMS Kinsale at Cork Docks in Ireland. He then worked for a few months at Sheerness Dockyard in 1705 before being appointed Master Shipwright at Woolwich Dockyard in November 1705.
He was personally responsible for designing the Flamborough class of ship in 1706. In 1708/9 he designed HMS Delight in Woolwich but this was completed by Jacob Ackworth as in August 1709 Stacey was appointed master shipwright at Portsmouth Dockyard one of the most important in Britain and created a large number of vessels there. In July 1715 he moved to be Master of Deptford Dockyard the most important in Britain at that time. In 1721 he designed the Cruizer class ship and in 1725 the sloop HMS Happy. His Royal warrant to design and build ships was renewed in 1727.
In 1731 he designed HMS Wolf and in 1732 HMS Hound.
He died on 16 June 1743. He is buried in the floor of the nave of St John the Baptist church in Sutton-at-Hone near Dartford in Kent.

Ships built

As works continue in Stacey's name after his death it may be assumed that these are by his son. These include:
He was married to Christian. They had a daughter, Elizabeth.