Summary
The wreck of the East India Company ship, Earl of Abergavenny, lies approximately 1.5 miles off the Dorset coast in Weymouth Bay. Launched in 1796 and sailing under Captain John Wordsworth, brother of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth; the vessel was lost on 5th February 1805.
Reasons for Designation
The Earl of Abergavenny, located approximately 1.5 miles off the Dorset coast in Weymouth Bay, is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Period: The Earl of Abergavenny was one of 36 ships of 1200 tons that formed a special class of merchant ships built for the China trade and represents, with other East India Company vessels, their contribution to the growth of western economies during the 17th – mid 19th centuries and specifically the strengthening of Britain’s position as a world power. Of further interest during this period is the close and longstanding association the Wordsworth family had with the East India Company and The Earl of Abergavenny. The family had provided two captains and a crew member to the ship’s compliment during its lifetime;
* Rarity: The Earl of Abergavenny is one of just a small number of known wrecks of East India Company ships and is a rare example of this type of vessel. Only two East India Company ships are protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973; the Admiral Gardner, built 1797 and the Loe Bar wreck (believed to be the President) built 1671;
* Survival: There are substantial structural remains lying on the seabed, comprising planking, frames and ships fittings, that include a chain pump and a number of iron knees. The site is heavily silted and not all of the remaining structure has been investigated;
* Potential: The Earl of Abergavenny has the potential to enhance our knowledge and understanding of merchant seafaring during this period through examination of hull constructional details, fixtures and fittings and artefact assemblages.
History
The East India Company formed as ‘The Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies’. and was granted a charter by Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1600, giving it exclusive rights to trade to the Indian Ocean. The company moved over time from a trading engine to acquiring more settlements abroad and the associated infrastructure and personnel required to administer them, thus strengthening the company’s position in the world of trade and politics. This exclusivity drew criticism that huge fortunes were being made by a few privileged individuals and a rival concern, the ‘New Company’ received its charter in 1698. However, the competition between these entities almost led to their demise and in 1708 it was agreed that the two bodies should amalgamate and the United Company of Merchants of England to the East Indies, also known as United East India Company (UEIC) and the Honourable East India Company (HEIC), was born. The mid-18th century saw the Company gain control over significant territory in the Indian sub-continent.
The Earl of Abergavenny was launched in 1796 in Pitcher Yard, Northfleet, Kent, as one of 36 ships of 1200 tons that formed a special class of merchant ships built for the China trade. The ship was three masted, the hull was 176’ (56.65m) long, the length of the keel was 143’ 11.5” (43.56m); breadth 43’ 8” (13.17m) and depth in hold 17’ 6” (5.20m). The Earl of Abergavenny was flush decked and was constructed with a number of iron knees. The hull was coppered and the ship was armed with 30 guns, most of which were nine pounders.
Whilst engaged on a voyage from China and forming part of the East India Company China Fleet of 28 ships, the Earl of Abergavenny, commanded by John Wordsworth, was engaged in an action with a French fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Charles Duran-Linois. He had been waiting to intercept the English fleet as it made its way to the Straits of Malacca. The French were sighted on the morning of 14th February 1804, engaged by the East Indiamen and driven off. The senior commander, Nathaniel Dance, Earl of Camden, was knighted on his return to England and the other captains, including Wordsworth, were rewarded with cash, gifts of plate and a sword. A medal was also struck commemorating the incident.
The following year the Earl of Abergavenny, in company with four other East Indiamen and two whalers, arrived at Portsmouth on 23rd January 1805, having sailed in convoy from The Downs. The initial trip had not been without incident as the Earl of Abergavenny had been struck by another member of the convoy, the Warren Hastings, which had dragged its anchor during a heavy gale on The Downs. The Earl of Abergavenny did not sustain serious damage as a consequence of the collision but the Warren Hastings was unable to continue the voyage.
At Portsmouth the Earl of Abergavenny embarked members of the King’s troops and Company army recruits and by 28th January 1805 all passengers were on board. On 2nd February the convoy, under escort from HMS Weymouth, got underway. There had been delays due to one of the East Indiamen colliding with the escort ship and one of the merchant ships, lagging behind the main convoy; further confusion continued through the night and in deteriorating weather conditions, the escort vessel, HMS Weymouth left the convoy and sailed into the Atlantic. The convoy spent some twenty-four hours either anchored or tacking off the Needles hoping to catch sight of HMS Weymouth.
The weather showed a slight improvement and the convoy got underway again but by the morning of 5th February the wind picked up and shifted. The commodore of the fleet directed that they return to Portland Roads to wait for an improvement in the weather and possible reunion with their escort. Some two leagues west out from Portland the convoy ships started to pick up pilots to navigate Portland Bill; the Earl of Abergavenny was the hindmost vessel and last to get a pilot. Apparently, John Wordsworth was not enamoured of pilots ‘No situation could be imagined more distressing than that of being at the mercy of these men, oh it is a joyful time for us when we get rid of them.’ The pilot elected to steer a course south-east of a shoal, called The Shambles Bank, some two miles south-east of Portland Bill. In the failing winter light Wordsworth is reported to have asked the pilot ‘Are you sure that you have your marks open?’ at about 5pm the vessel struck The Shambles Bank and the captain was heard to say ‘Oh pilot! pilot! You have ruined me.’
The Earl of Abergavenny was repeatedly pounded on the shoal and the hull holed, the vessel began to fill with water, pumping was commenced and distress signals fired. At about 7.30pm the vessel was floated off the shoal and a decision made to make for Weymouth Sands and beach. When the vessel was some 1.5 miles off Weymouth and at about 10.30pm, a last cast of the lead was made and the depth was found to be some eleven fathoms; the ship had continued to fill with water and despite pumping, began to sink. As the vessel began to settle on an even keel on the seabed, the masts visible above the surface, John Wordsworth was observed being washed off the deck and lost, together with over 250 other souls.
John Wordsworth, born 4th December 1772 and died 5th February 1805, had embarked upon a career at sea with the East India Company in 1788. The family had connections with the Company through Captain John Wordsworth, a cousin of the younger Wordsworth’s father, and was captain of the first ship to bear the name Earl of Abergavenny, between 1789 and 1795. He also commanded the second Earl of Abergavenny from 1796 until Wordsworth the younger assumed the role in 1801. He had entered this life with the intention of supporting his siblings and to enable his brother, William, to concentrate fully on his writing; John’s presence can be found in works such as ‘Michael’ the Dream of the Arab in Prelude, Book V, “The Character of the Happy Warrior,” and “Stepping Westward”. The younger Wordsworth completed two voyages to the Far East under the command of his older relative and three as Captain in his own right between 1801 and 1805. The loss of the Earl of Abergavenny was not only a public disaster resulting in the death of so many, the financial loss of such a valuable cargo and vessel but also a private one for the Wordsworth family. The accounts published in the press and by individuals brought John’s character and actions, at the time of the sinking, into question and taken together these deeply affected William’s writing. His previously held belief that Nature was kind and good was publicly rejected in “Elegiac Stanzas” and the grief that he was experiencing was also evident in his personal correspondence with Sir George Beaumont.
The wreck of the Earl of Abergavenny has been subjected to extensive salvage from the time of loss. Local divers reported seeing the remains of frames and many copper fittings in the late 1950s. The site was investigated from 1979 to 2001 by Chelmsford Underwater Archaeological Unit and many small finds recovered but a major part of the ship's hull still lay buried under the soft silts.
Details
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS:
The site of the Earl of Abergavenny comprises the wreck of a late C18 wooden sailing ship operating under the control of the East India Company. The site position in the apparent centre of the site in the middle of the main wreckage was plotted as a point centred 50 36.143N, 002 24.554W with 50m radius.
DESCRIPTION:
The wreck of the Earl of Abergavenny comprises a substantial portion of the bottom of the vessel, including planking, frames and ships fittings, measuring approximately 50m x 10m, lying north-east to south-west, at a depth of 16m with the bow pointing north-east. The surviving structure is mainly the port side of the vessel, with the keel canted over to port by about 10 degrees. The site is currently buried.
The site was partially excavated, between 1979 and 2001 by Chelmsford Underwater Archaeological Unit and the surviving structure recorded in situ. The artefacts recovered are held by Portland Museum and form the basis of a National Lottery funded project, ‘Diving into the Digital Archives of the Earl of Abergavenny’ project; a digital volunteering initiative intended to help break down barriers to heritage, that was launched in 2021.
