At the end of the eighteenth century, the term barque (sometimes, particularly in the USA, spelled bark) came to refer to any vessel with a particular type of sail-plan. This comprises three (or more) masts, fore-and-aft sails on the aftermost mast and square sails on all other masts. Barques were the workhorse of the Golden Age of Sail in the mid 19th century as they attained passages that nearly matched full rigged ships but could operate with smaller crews.

The advantage of these rigs was that they needed smaller (therefore cheaper) crews than a comparable full-rigged ship or brig-rigged vessel as there were fewer of the labour intensive square sails. Also the rig itself is cheaper. Conversely, the ship rig tended to be retained for training vessels where the larger the crew, the more seamen were trained.

Another advantage is that a barque can outperform a schooner or barkentine, and is both easier to handle and better to rise toward wind than a full-rigged ship (i.e. square rigged on all masts). While a full-rigged ship is the best runner available, and while fore-and-aft riggers are the best to rise toward wind, the barque is often the best compromise between these two, and combines the best of these two.

Bankburn was a steel barque, classed 100A1, with 3 masts of 78.9 feet, 80 feet, and 79 feet, steel wire and hemp rigging, 3 anchors of 34, 32, and 31 tons and some 270 fathoms of chains, two life boats and two other small boats, 2 decks and 1427 gross register tons. She was built in just 5 months in 1890 by Grangemouth Dockyard Co. and owned by Bank Shipping Co. of Limerick, who also owned the barques Bankhall, Banklands, and Bankleigh, and belonged to the port of Liverpool. Her Managers were W. Just & Co. and her Master was 50 year old George Wyllie. She had a length of 261 feet, a breadth of 37.6 feet, a depth of 21 feet, a poop deck of 33 feet, a forecastle of 25 feet and accommodation for 28 seamen.