James Stevens lifeboats

The James Stevens lifeboats were a series of twenty lifeboats which were purchased by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) using a legacy received in 1894 from the estate of Mr James Stevens, the largest number of RNLI lifeboats funded from a single donation.

James Stevens' legacy
The RNLI received a £50,000 legacy in 1894 from the estate of Mr James Stevens, a developer, from Edgbaston in Birmingham. This donation provided more lifeboats than any other single donation received by the RNLI.

The 20 lifeboats were built between 1896 and 1901, during which time they accounted for 22% of the 90 lifeboats built:

Lifeboats
James Stevens No. 1 entered service in 1896, followed by the other 19 between 1898 and 1901. They were built to several different designs and sizes to suit the needs of their stations. James Stevens No. 4, James Stevens No. 5 and James Stevens No. 13 were all lost in service between 1900 and 1917, the remainder being withdrawn between 1917 and 1933.

As was usual at this time, most were 'pulling and sailing' lifeboats, provided with oars but also fitted with sails for when conditions allowed their use. James Stevens No. 3 and James Stevens No. 4 were both built with steam engines, while James Stevens No. 14 was fitted with a petrol engine in 1906.

Two of the lifeboats, James Stevens No. 10 and James Stevens No. 14 have been restored and are kept in the towns where they were stationed.