Rare tin ingots from Cornwall salvaged from tragic shipwrecks are up for auction – Cornwall Live

A collection of rare Cornish tin ingots salvaged from the wrecks of notable ships sailing between Cornwall and Liverpool will go up for auction this week, with starting prices ranging from 20 to 8,000. This is a chance to own your own piece of Cornish history with a poignant and tragic background.

The auction of 63 extremely rare historical artefacts takes place at David Lay Auctions' Penzance headquarters on Thursday, July 14, and online. Cornwall's extraordinary wealth in the 1700s and 1800s came from tin which was traded and shipped all around the world, leaving from local ports, often heading first to Liverpool and from there to markets across the globe.

Tin was transported in ingots and it is rare to find them in their original form, so this group of historical tin ingots and other tin smelting related items is a fascinating collection for history enthusiasts. Also for shipwreck enthusiasts, as nearly all of the 16 or so ingots have been recovered from wrecks of ships sailing between Cornwall and Liverpool.

Read more: Ship with wine bottles worth thousands lies in deep water off Cornwall

Shipwrecks and loss of life were common hazards in the trade of Cornish tin. Lots 393 and 400 are two rare 19th century Melenear Hayle tin ingots of 56lb and 28lb salvaged from the wreck of SS Liverpool. She went down off the coast of Anglesey on January 12, 1863, when travelling from Cornwall with a cargo of ingots. She collided with the barque La Plata, which was on her way from Liverpool to Lima in Peru.

Ten other lots, mostly rare ingots, were salvaged from the wreck of the SS Cheerful. She left Falmouth in dense fog on July 20, 1885. Fifteen miles from the Longships Lighthouse off Lands End, due to the extremely poor visibility, she was struck by the torpedo depot ship HMS Hecla, and sank within four minutes. Thirty-six of the passengers were rescued by the Hecla and taken to Plymouth, but nine went down with the ship, and three more perished shortly after being picked up. The Liverpool-registered vessel and all two tonnes of its cargo of tin were lost.

The saddest story comes from lot 394, an extremely rare, early 19th century East India Company 56lb tin ingot, salvaged from HMS Abergavenny which sank in February 1805 off the coast of Portland, with the loss of 260 lives. The wreck is remembered not only for the horrific death toll, but also for the loss of its captain, John Wordsworth, the brother of the poet, William Wordsworth.

The Earl of Abergavenny was part of a convoy of East Indiamen ships heading for China, on a lucrative trade route via Bengal, with a cargo worth around 90,000, including chests of silver dollars worth 70,000 to buy goods in both Bengal and China. Wordsworth had hoped to make his fortune and that of his brother, who would then be able to devote himself to his poetry.

Sadly, in bad weather off Portland, some of the convoy became separated and Captain Clarke of the Wexford, who had taken charge of the convoy, decided that it was best for the ships to return to Portland Roads and wait for better weather. Pilots were taken aboard to navigate them round Portland Bill but, unfortunately, the pilot taken aboard the Abergavenny proved to be disastrously inept. The Fourth Mate, Thomas Gilpin, later recorded that in poor light and high seas, the pilot failed to sail far enough out to sea and the ship was grounded on the Shambles.

Captain Wordsworth was appalled. He realised that the damage the grounding had done to his ship would prevent her from joining the convoy and therefore he would lose out on the profitable trading he had depended upon to make his fortune. He cried out in despair: Oh pilot! Pilot! You have ruined me! But financial ruin was nothing compared to the subsequent loss of life, including his own, as the ship broke up in the dark, with virtually no assistance from other vessels despite proximately to the coast. William Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, were devastated at the loss of their brother John. Their grief, in turn, affected their literary circle, especially Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The large and interesting collection is being sold by Neil Mercer, who is is currently publishing a large format, limited edition book The Spirit Of Dartmoor Tin. Most of the lots in the collection are featured in, and formed part of the research for, the publication which records the tin working history of Cornwall and Dartmoor and is the culmination of 14 years of research and practical tin working.

You can view all these items and the other 700 lots in this sale from 9am to 5pm today (Wednesday, July 13). The sale starts at 10am on Thursday, July 14, and can be attended in person. You can also view the entire online catalogue and bid online at http://www.davidlay.co.uk

READ MORE:

Read the original:

Rare tin ingots from Cornwall salvaged from tragic shipwrecks are up for auction - Cornwall Live