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[Wilkinson-Northcote - Cumming Collection] It was not long after initiating the project to research and excavate the wreck site of the Earl of Abergavenny which foundered in Weymouth Bay, Dorset, in 1805 that I started to take an interest in the wreck site of another East India Ship further to the east. The tragic wrecking of the Halsewell in 1786 at Peveril Point, Dorset was probably better known than that of the wreck Earl of Abergavenny. I certainly had no wish to dive or research the wreck myself, but I was keen to liaise with divers working on the site, primarily to compare finds from both sites. I expected there to be many similarities despite the almost twenty years between the two incidents. Research into the outward bound cargoes carried by both the first and second ship named Earl of Abergavenny had indicated to me that cargoes at this period, in the long history of the English East India Company, were often very similar. In 1980 I was approached by a member of one Sub Aqua Club who appeared to be interested in recovering items from the Halsewell site, but this, like many other approaches over the next few years came to nothing. Many items were regularly being taken from the site but very limited information was made available. Fortunately a few finds found their way to the Dorset County Museum during the late 1980's. In 1999 I was lucky enough to meet up with David John Allen, who was researching and recovering finds from the Halsewell wreck site, within minutes of our meeting it was clear that we were kindred spirits. He shared the same enthusiasm and dedication, had been involve with his project for several years and amassed a vast archive. Sadly David was very ill. Whilst we tentatively agreed to meet up again we never did. After David's death I keep in touch with the curator of the Weymouth Museum, Rodney Allcock, who had known David and his wife Valerie very well, like myself he fully appreciated the value of David's work. In 2003, following an approach by David's family, the Weymouth Museum was offered his archive, with the request that it should be placed in the public domain. This is the result, a historical report, dedicated to David, which contains his story of the Halsewell wreck together with a vast amount of additional material gathered by him, myself and other diving groups over recent years. It is my intention to update this record as more material becomes available. In 2000 the Halsewell became the first wreck to be part of the Nautical Archaeological Society's 'Adopt a Wreck Scheme'. The project group involved can be contacted at; www.halsewell.org.uk Artefacts from the work of this group can be seen in the Finds section of the Halsewell CD-ROM & OR The Dorset Trilogy CD courtesy of Ian Curruthers; the project leader who has made a significant contribution to this section of the historical record.
Published by MIBEC Enterprises
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INTRODUCTION TO WRECK OF THE HALSEWELL |
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