POPULAR SHIPWRECKS/MARINER'S CHRONICLE 

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NARRATIVE OF THE LOSS OF THE
EARL OF ABERGAVENNY, EAST INDIAMAN,
CAPTAIN JOHN WORDSWORTH,

Which drove on the Shambles, off the Bill of Portland, and sunk
in twelve fathoms Water, February 5, 1805.

    Introductory remarks - The Earl of Abergavenny unfortunately
      separates from the convoy in going through the Needles - Pro-
      ceeds under moderate sail and bears up for Portland Roads -
      Driven furiously on the Rocks, and beats incessantly - Clears
      the Rocks, but makes a quantity of Water - Signal Guns of
      distress fired - Melancholy situation of the Crew - All hands
      employed at the pumps - Great confusion on board - Noble
      conduct of the Officers - The Water above the orlop deck -
      A sudden shock - The ship sinks - Some of the Crew cling to
      loose spars, rigging, &c. - Number saved - Character, &c. of
      Captain Wordsworth.

The universal concern occasioned by the recent loss
of the Earl of Abergavenny, has induced us to lay be-
fore our readers an accurate statement of this melan-
choly disaster, chiefly collected from the accounts which
were given at the India House, by Cornet Burgoyne, of
his Majesty's 8th regiment of light dragoons, who had
the command of the troops on board the above vessel,
and by Mr. Gilpin, fourth officer of the ship (who were
among the few who fortunately escaped from the wreck),
and from the best information afterwards received.

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On Friday, February the 1st, 1805, the Earl of Aberga-
venny, East Indiaman, Captain Wordsworth, sailed from
Portsmouth, in company with the Royal George, Henry
Addington, Wexford, and Bombay Castle, under convoy of
his Majesty's ship Weymouth, Captain Draper.
    The Earl of Abergavenny was engaged in the Company's
service for six voyages, and this was the fourth on which she
was proceeding.  Her company consisted of

    In going through the Needles, they unfortunately se-
parated from the convoy.  The fleet, in consequence, lay
to nearly the whole of the next day; but seeing nothing
of the Weymouth, proceeded under moderate sail to-
wards the next port, with the hopes of being joined by the
convoy.  On the 5th, the convoy not appearing, it
was deemed expedient to wait her arrival in Portland
Roads, particularly as the wind had become rather un-
favorable, having shifted several points from the
N.E.  Captain Clarke, of the Wexford, being the
senior commander, and consequently commodore,
made the signal for those ships that had taken pilots
on board to run into the Roads.
    The Earl of Abergavenny having at about half past
three P. M. got a pilot on board, bore up for Portland
Roads with a steady wind, when on a sudden the wind

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slackened, and the tide setting in fast, drove her rapidly
towards the Shambles.  The nearer she approached, the less
she was under management; and being at lost to-
tally ungovernable, was driven furiously on the rocks,
off the Bill of Portland, about two miles from the shore.
She remained on the rocks nearly an hour, beating in-
cessantly with great violence, the shocks being so great,
that the officers and men could scarcely keep their foot-
ing on the deck.  At four P.M. the shocks became less
violent, and in about a quarter of an hour she cleared
the rocks.  The sails were immediately set, with an in-
tention to run for the first port, as the ship made much
water; but the leak increased so fast, that the ship would
not obey the helm.  In this situation, it was considered
necessary to fire signal guns of distress.  Twenty were
fired : the danger did not, however, appear to those on
board sufficient to render it necessary for the ship's boats
to be hoisted out at this moment, as the weather was
moderate, and the ship in sight of the fleet and
shore.
    The leak increased fast upon the pumps at 5 P. M.
Soon after striking, the hand pumps started above six
inches, and shortly after the water increased from six to
eight feet in spite of every exertion at the pumps.  All
endeavours to keep the water under were in vain,
and night setting in rendered the situation of all on
board melancholy in the extreme : the more so, as it
was then ascertained that the ship had received consi-
derable damage in her bottom, immediately under the
pumps.  All hands took their turn at the pumps, alter-
nately bailing at the fore hatchway.  At eight o'clock
their situation became more dreadful, when it was
found impossible to save the ship, which was eventually
sinking fast; and settling in the water.  Signal guns were

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again discharged incessantly.  The purser, with
the third officer, Mr. Wordsworth, and six seamen, were
sent on shore, in one of the ship's boats, to give notice
to the inhabitants of the distressed state of the ship
and crew.  At this time a pilot boat came off, and Mr.
Evans, with his daughter, Miss Evans, Mr. Rutledge,
Mr. Taylor, a cadet, and Miss Jackson, passengers,
embarked for the shore, notwithstanding a dreadful
sea, which threatned them with almost instant loss.
    For a few moments the general attention of the crew
was diverted in observing the boats leave the ship ; but
these unfortunate people were soon reminded of their
own approaching fate, by a heavy swell, which baffled
almost every attempt to keep the ship above water.
Every one assured of his fate, and notwithstand-
ing the unremitting attention of the officers, confusion
commenced on board, as soon as it was giving out that
the ship was sinking.  At 10 P. M. several sailors en-
treated to be allowed more liquor, which being refused,
they attacked the spirit-room, but were repulsed by the
officers, who never once lost sight of their character, or
that dignity so necessary to be preserved on such an oc-
casion, but continued to conduct themselves with the
utmost fortitude till the last.  One of the officers, who
was stationed at the door of the spirit-room, with a brace
of pistols, to guard against surprise in so critical a mo-
ment, at which post he remained even while the ship
was sinking, was much importuned by a sailor,
while the water poured in on all sides, to grant him some li-
quor. The man said he was convinced "it would be
all one with them an hour hence." The officer, how-
ever, true to his trust in this perilous moment, had cou-
rage enough to repulse the man, and bid him go to his

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duty with his fellow comrades, observing, "that if it
was God's will they should perish, they should die like
men."
    At half past ten the water had got above the orlop-
deck, in spite of the endeavours of the officers and
crew, who behaved in the most cool and examplary
manner. All on board were now anxiously looking out
for boats from the shore, many wishing they had taken
refuge in those that had already left the ship, as their
destruction on board appeared inevitable. The utmost
exertions became necessary to keep the ship above
water till the boats came off from the shore.  Unfor-
tunately, in the general distress and agony of the mo-
ment, the ship's boats were not hoisted out, when every
soul on board might possibly have been saved.  At
eleven o'clock, a fatal swell gave the ship a sudden
shock: she gave a surge, and sunk almost instantane-
ously, two miles from Weymouth beach; with scarce
five minutes warning, she went down by the head in
twelve fathom water, after a heavy heel, when she
righted and sunk with her masts and rigging standing.
Many clung to loose spars, and floated about the wreck,
but the majority took refuge in the shrouds.  The severe
shock of the ship going down, made several let
go their hold; whilst others, by the velocity of the
ship's descent, had not power to climb sufficiently fast
to keep above the water.  The Haleswell East Indiaman
was wrecked within a few miles from this sport. -- See
Vol. II. p. 1-16.
    When the hull of the ship touched the ground, about
one hundred and eighty persons were supposed to be in
the tops and rigging: their situation was beyond all de-
scription wretched; the yards only were above water,
and the sea was breaking over them in the dead of a

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cold and frosty night.  In about half an hour their
spirits were revived, by the sound of several boats
beating against the waves at a short distance, but alas!
how vain their hopes, when on hailing the boats, not
one of them came to their assistance.  The sound of
them died away, and they were again left to the mercy
of the rude waves.  By twelve o'clock the numbers
had much decreased: the swell had swept some off,
whilst others were, from the piercing cold, unable
longer to retain their hold. Every moment they per-
ceived some friend floating around them, for a while,
then sinking into the abyss to rise no more!
    About this time a sloop was discovered; she had for-
tunately heard the signal guns, and came to an anchor
close by the ship. The weather was moderate, and
those who had survived, were promised a speedy
delivery. The sloop's boat was immediately manned,
and proceeded to the rigging that remained above
water, when every person was taken off. The boat re-
turned three times, taking twenty each turn.  Nothing
could be more correct than the conduct of the crew on
this occasion they coolly got into the boat, one by
one, and those only as they were named by their
officers. When it was supposed that every one was
brought off, and the boat was about to depart for the
last time, a person was observed in one of the tops:
he was hailed to but did not answer. Mr. Gilpin the
fourth officer, (whose extraordinary exertions on this
occasion, as well as throughout the whole of this un-
fortunate affair, entitle him to the highest commendation)
returned to the wreck, and there found a man in
an inanimate state, exhausted from the severe cold.
He most humanely brought him down on his back, and

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took him to the boat; the man proved to be serjeant
Heart of the 22d regiment. Every possible care was
taken of him, but to no effect; he died about twelve
hours after he was landed.  The sloop having now, as
was supposed, taken on board all the survivors of the
ship, returned to Weymouth.  She had not, however,
proceeded far, before it was perceived that Mr. Baggot,
the chief officer, was close astern. The sloop imme-
diately lay too for him ; but this noble spirited young
man, although certain of securing his own life, disre-
garded his safety, on perceiving Mrs. Blair, an unfor-
tunate fellow passenger, floating at some distance from
him.  He succeeded in coming up with her, and sus-
tained her above water, while he swam towards
the sloop; but just as he was on the point of reaching it,
a swell came on, and his strength being totally exhaust-
ed, he sank and never rose again. The unfortunate
Mrs. Blair sunk after him, and this generous youth
thus perished in vain.  It was nearly two o'clock be-
fore she weighed anchor from the wreck, but the wind
being favorable she soon reached the port.  On mus-
tering those who had landed, it appeared that only
139 persons had reached the shore out of 402 who
had embarked.
    The greatest attention was paid to the unfortunate
sufferers by the mayor and alderman, as well as the
principal inhabitants of Weymouth ; and the purser
was immediately dispatched to the India House with
the melancholy intelligence.
    At daylight, February the 6th, the top-masts of
the ship were seen from Weymouth.  During the time
the passengers and crew remained in the tops she ap-
peared to have sunk eight feet, and was considerably

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lower in the morning; it was therefore conjectured,
that she had sunk on a mud bank. The Greyhound
cutter was immediately stationed to guard the wreck,
and the boats from the Rover succeeded in stripping
the masts of the rigging.  On the 7th her decks had
not been blown up, and she appeared to remain in
exactly the same state in which she had sunk. Her
sinking so steadily is attributed to the great weight of
her cargo, her floorings consisting chiefly of earthen
ware. The cargo of the ship was estimated at
200,000, l. besides which she had on board dollars to
the amount of 275,000 ounces, and is supposed to
have been one of the richest ships that ever sailed for
India.  She was of the largest tonnage, and inferior
only to the Ganges in the service, being at least 1500
tons burthen, and built for the China trade.
About 80 officers and seamen were saved, 11 passen-
gers, 15 Chinese, 5 out of 32 cadets, and 45 recruits.
The captain was drowned. He was nephew to the
Captain Wordsworth, who formerly commanded the
Earl of Abergavenny, and was considered one of the
first navigators in the service. He was on his third
voyage as captain, and painful to relate, perished with
his ship, disdaining to survive the loss of so valuable
a charge: his conduct throughout the distressing
scene, has been spoken of in terms of the highest
praise.  It is an extraordinary fact, that he felt such an
unaccountable depression of spirits, that he could not
be persuaded to go through the usual ceremony of
taking leave of the Court of Directors on the day ap-
pointed; and it was not till the Wednesday following,
which was specially fixed for that purpose, that he
yielded to the wishes of his friends, and reluctantly

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attended the Court! He was a man of remarkably
mild manners: his conduct was in every instance, so
well tempered, that he was known, among his ship-
mates, by the title of " the Philosopher."  As soon
as the ship was going down, Mr. Baggot, the chief
officer, went on the quarter-deck, and told him, "that all
exertions were now in vain; the ship was rapidly
sinking." Captain Wordsworth, who, no doubt, ex-
pected it, steadfastly looked him in the face, and, at
last, with every appearance of a heart-broken man,
faintly answered: "Let her go! God's will be done."
These were the last words he uttered — from that instant
he was motionless. In a few moments the ship sunk,
and many who were climbing the shrouds endeavoured
to save him, but without success.  In this endeavour
Mr. Gilpin was foremost, and made several unsuccessful
attempts, at the evident risk of his own life.

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