Helston

"My brothers!" cried Mortimer Tregennis, white to his lips.

"They are taking them to Helston." We looked with horror after the black carriage, lumbering on its way.

Then we turned our steps toward this ill-omened house in which they had met their strange fate.

It was a large and bright dwelling, rather a villa than a cottage, with a considerable garden which was already, in that Cornish air, well filled with spring flowers.

Read for LibriVox by Sue Anderson.

Loss of His Majesty's Frigate, Anson, which was wrecked near Helston, December 29, 1807.

Author unknown.

This is a LibriVox recording.

Some of the officers who were fortunately saved have given us the following further particulars of this unfortunate event.

the anson sailed from falmouth on christmas eve on her station of the black rocks as one of the lookout frigates of the channel fleet in the violent storm of monday blowing out west to south-west she stood across the entrance of the channel towards scilly made the land's end which they mistook for the lizard and bore up as they thought for falmouth still doubtful however in the evening of monday captain lydiard stood off again to the southward when a consultation being held it was once more resolved to bear up for falmouth running eastward and northward still under the fatal persuasion that the lizard was on the north-west of them they did not discover their mistake till the man on the lookout ahead called out breakers the ship was instantaneously broached to and the best bower let go which happily brought her up but the rapidity with which the cable had veered out made it impossible to serve it and it soon parted in the horse-hole the sheet anchor was then let go which also brought up the ship but after riding end on for a short time this cable parted from the same cause about eight in the morning and the ship went plump on shore upon the ridge of sand which separates the low pool from the bay never did the sea run more tremendously high it broke over the ship's masts which soon went by the board the mainmast forming a floating raft from the ship to the shore and the greater part of those who escaped passed by this medium one of the men saved reports that captain lydiard was near him on the mainmast but he seemed to have lost the use of his faculties with horror of the scene and soon disappeared We have not language to convey an adequate picture of the terrific view which presented itself, but justice demands that we notice the conduct of a worthy member of a sect, but too much vilified.

at a time when no one appeared on the ship's deck and it was supposed that the work of death had ceased a methodist preacher venturing his life through the surf got on board over the wreck of the mainmast to see if any more remained some honest hearts followed him they found several persons still below who could not get up among whom were two women and two children the worthy preacher and his party saved the two women and some of the men but the children were lost about two p m the ship went to pieces when a few more men who for some crime had been confined in irons below emerged from the wreck one of these was saved by three o'clock no appearance of the vessel remained she was an old ship a sixty four we believe cut down which accounts for her beating to pieces so soon on a sandy bottom the men who survived were conveyed to helston about two miles distant where they were taken care of by the magistrates and afterwards sent to falmouth in charge of the regulating captain at that port general report has stated the number drowned to be greater than it really is but of the missing we understand many are deserters who scampered off as soon as they reached the shore among the officers saved are the following captain sullivan passenger mrs hill and brayley midshipmen mr ross assistant surgeon and some others we regret to say that about fifty of our countrymen are missing amongst these unfortunate men is captain charles lydiard also the first lieutenant a very valuable officer also the doctor a very worthy man and his son besides some midshipmen and petty officers the principal things saved from the wreck are a few casks containing spirits butter c captain midyard was nearly half-way to the beach when a most dreadful sea overwhelmed him so that he was seen no more the body of captain lydiard was found and interred with military honours several officers both naval and military attended the funeral together with the mayor etc of helston the body was afterwards conveyed to his family vault in hazelmere surrey this worthy and distinguished officer was married to an amiable woman by whom he had five children he was highly esteemed as a gentleman and as an officer he was of sterling merit his conduct in attacking the fourdouillon admiral williametz under the spanish batteries near the havannah in the capture of the spanish frigate pomona under the batteries of muir castle and at the capture of curecal obtained him a name for skill and bravery that will live after him we are happy to hear that the inhabitants of helston and its neighbourhood have in this instance as well as the late one of the transport which was also wrecked rescued their character from those odious epithets of savage and barbarian which have heretofore been thrown upon them for by their unexampled and hazardous activity all the crew that remained on board and escaped a watery grave by not being precipitate in getting on shore were landed by eleven o'clock and too much praise cannot be given that mr tobias roberts shopkeeper of helston does not deserve for the imminent and perilous danger he ran by remaining close to the anson while the sea in all its rage broke over her mast high lifting the benumbed crew from impending ruin On the 31st of December, Mr. Rogers, the coroner, took an inquest of the bodies of Mr. Robert Smith, the surgeon, and Mr. Richard Leach, one of the midshipmen, belonging to the Anson, in the churchyard at Helston.

Dead bodies were continually washing on shore in great numbers along the coast, and most of them very much mangled and disfigured.

I must have come and fetched her and Margaret away.

And to herself she acknowledged that she had always thought her brother-in-law rather a weak man, but never so weak as now, when she saw what a place he had exchanged for the lovely Helston home.

Margaret had remained in the same state, white, motionless, speechless, tearless.

They had told her that her aunt Shaw was coming, but she had not expressed either surprise or pleasure or dislike to the idea.

Please don't find me there.

You can find me around and about Roll the Dice in Helston, where the wonderful team there do a lot more hard work than I do.

But occasionally I show up and take some plaudits.

It's great.

Read for LibriVox by Sue Anderson.

Loss of His Majesty's Frigate, Anson, which was wrecked near Helston, December 29, 1807.

Author unknown.

This is a LibriVox recording.

Some of the officers who were fortunately saved have given us the following further particulars of this unfortunate event.

the anson sailed from falmouth on christmas eve on her station of the black rocks as one of the lookout frigates of the channel fleet in the violent storm of monday blowing out west to south-west she stood across the entrance of the channel towards scilly made the land's end which they mistook for the lizard and bore up as they thought for falmouth still doubtful however in the evening of monday captain lydiard stood off again to the southward when a consultation being held it was once more resolved to bear up for falmouth running eastward and northward still under the fatal persuasion that the lizard was on the north-west of them they did not discover their mistake till the man on the lookout ahead called out breakers the ship was instantaneously broached to and the best bower let go which happily brought her up but the rapidity with which the cable had veered out made it impossible to serve it and it soon parted in the horse-hole the sheet anchor was then let go which also brought up the ship but after riding end on for a short time this cable parted from the same cause about eight in the morning and the ship went plump on shore upon the ridge of sand which separates the low pool from the bay never did the sea run more tremendously high it broke over the ship's masts which soon went by the board the mainmast forming a floating raft from the ship to the shore and the greater part of those who escaped passed by this medium one of the men saved reports that captain lydiard was near him on the mainmast but he seemed to have lost the use of his faculties with horror of the scene and soon disappeared We have not language to convey an adequate picture of the terrific view which presented itself, but justice demands that we notice the conduct of a worthy member of a sect, but too much vilified.

at a time when no one appeared on the ship's deck and it was supposed that the work of death had ceased a methodist preacher venturing his life through the surf got on board over the wreck of the mainmast to see if any more remained some honest hearts followed him they found several persons still below who could not get up among whom were two women and two children the worthy preacher and his party saved the two women and some of the men but the children were lost about two p m the ship went to pieces when a few more men who for some crime had been confined in irons below emerged from the wreck one of these was saved by three o'clock no appearance of the vessel remained she was an old ship a sixty four we believe cut down which accounts for her beating to pieces so soon on a sandy bottom the men who survived were conveyed to helston about two miles distant where they were taken care of by the magistrates and afterwards sent to falmouth in charge of the regulating captain at that port general report has stated the number drowned to be greater than it really is but of the missing we understand many are deserters who scampered off as soon as they reached the shore among the officers saved are the following captain sullivan passenger mrs hill and brayley midshipmen mr ross assistant surgeon and some others we regret to say that about fifty of our countrymen are missing amongst these unfortunate men is captain charles lydiard also the first lieutenant a very valuable officer also the doctor a very worthy man and his son besides some midshipmen and petty officers the principal things saved from the wreck are a few casks containing spirits butter c captain midyard was nearly half-way to the beach when a most dreadful sea overwhelmed him so that he was seen no more the body of captain lydiard was found and interred with military honours several officers both naval and military attended the funeral together with the mayor etc of helston the body was afterwards conveyed to his family vault in hazelmere surrey this worthy and distinguished officer was married to an amiable woman by whom he had five children he was highly esteemed as a gentleman and as an officer he was of sterling merit his conduct in attacking the fourdouillon admiral williametz under the spanish batteries near the havannah in the capture of the spanish frigate pomona under the batteries of muir castle and at the capture of curecal obtained him a name for skill and bravery that will live after him we are happy to hear that the inhabitants of helston and its neighbourhood have in this instance as well as the late one of the transport which was also wrecked rescued their character from those odious epithets of savage and barbarian which have heretofore been thrown upon them for by their unexampled and hazardous activity all the crew that remained on board and escaped a watery grave by not being precipitate in getting on shore were landed by eleven o'clock and too much praise cannot be given that mr tobias roberts shopkeeper of helston does not deserve for the imminent and perilous danger he ran by remaining close to the anson while the sea in all its rage broke over her mast high lifting the benumbed crew from impending ruin On the 31st of December, Mr. Rogers, the coroner, took an inquest of the bodies of Mr. Robert Smith, the surgeon, and Mr. Richard Leach, one of the midshipmen, belonging to the Anson, in the churchyard at Helston.

Dead bodies were continually washing on shore in great numbers along the coast, and most of them very much mangled and disfigured.

"My brothers!" cried Mortimer Tregennis, white to his lips.

"They are taking them to Helston." We looked with horror after the black carriage, lumbering upon its way.

Then we turned our steps towards this ill-omened house in which they had met their strange fate.

It was a large and bright dwelling, rather a villa than a cottage, with a considerable garden which was already, in that Cornish air, well filled with spring flowers.

They're not having to unpackage things.

I think if you're going to the length of hiring an interior designer, you know, even if I've got a project in North Cornwall, I'm based down in Helston.

I can't be driving up to someone's property and waiting there from 8 in the morning to 8 p.m. for a delivery.

Yeah.

He began his career as a page in the household of Charles II, and at the same time, oddly enough, he had, like Harley, entered the House of Commons as member for one of the 42 parliamentary constituencies which Cornwall at that time possessed.

From 1626 to 1766 a Godolphin had been returned 37 times for Helston, and with a very brief interruption the minister held the seat until his elevation to the peerage.

Charles used to say of him that Sidney Godolphin was never in the way and never out of the way.

He guarded the public treasury with the jealous watchfulness of a miser over his hoard.