North Ayrshire Council is proud to lay claim to a very special lady.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Miller was born in Saltcoats on the 11th June 1762 and went on to become the first female sea captain registered with Lloyds Register of Shipping.
From feedback received from Place Making consultations carried out by our Regeneration team, it was clear that many people within our communities are proud of their local heritage and feel it should be celebrated.
A successful funding bid has resulted in the heritage team working alongside sculptor John McKenna to create a statue of Betsy to be situated at Saltcoats Harbour.
John has created three possible ideas of what Betsy could look like, and we would like you to decide which one best sums up Captain Betsy Miller.
The three options are:
- Betsy on land in smart attire. Betsy was known to be a very proud woman and always insisted on being smartly dressed when she attended to her business on land.
- Betsy with telescope. Here Betsy is how she would most likely have been dressed whilst on her brig, the Clytus. She would have worn clothes similar to male sailors at that time and here she is wearing the practical pantaloon type trousers with an oilskin type waterproof jacket to protect her from the elements.
- Betsy at the helm. This is a striking image of Betsy at sea; however, research suggests that the Clytus would probably have had a tiller rather than a wheel, but this image epitomises what we imagine a sea captain to be like, in command at the helm of their boat.
We have created a poll which we would greatly appreciate you all taking a moment to cast your vote in.
The drawings are also on display in the Heritage Centre so you can pop in and cast your vote there.
Please click here to cast your vote: VOTE
Voting ends at the end of September, so be sure to have your say!