People’s Collection Wales and the Great Gale of October 1859

Author(s): Deanna Groom

Year: 2014

Summary

On the night of 25-26 October 1859, a devastating hurricane hit the United Kingdom causing large numbers of shipping losses. The loss of life associated with one ship, the ROYAL CHARTER, was so great that it sent the nation into mourning and gave impetus to the estblishment of a storm warning service and the establishment of UK’s Met Office. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has been working with Cadw, the Welsh Government’s heritage agency, and the interactive digital archive People’s Collection Wales to develop educational resources and community engagement programme based around 100 or so vessels that were lost around the Welsh Coast. This paper will explore the stories of some of the wrecks, such as the CHARLES HOLMES, built at Rockland, Maine, in 1851. It will also present the results of community group research and the creative work that has been generated by schools participating in the Great Gale Shipwrecks Project.http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/ http://www.rcahmw.gov.uk/HI/ENG/Home/

Cite this Record

People’s Collection Wales and the Great Gale of October 1859. Deanna Groom. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. 2014 ( tDAR id: 436591)

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-5,10