Wreck of the Grosvenor
Encyclopedia
The Wreck of the Grosvenor, an East Indiaman, occurred on Sunday 4 August 1782 on the Pondoland coast of South Africa
, north of the Umzimvubu River mouth. The shipwreck was close to the place where the Portuguese ship, São João, had gone down more than two centuries earlier on 8 June 1552. The Grosvenor was a three-masted ship of 729 tons
on her return voyage to England when she was wrecked, carrying a crew of 132 and 18 passengers (12 adults and 6 children), and a cargo valued at £75,000. Of the 123 survivors only 18 reached Cape Town and were repatriated, the remainder dying of their privations or being killed by, or forced to live with Bantu tribes. Four survivors, Robert Price, Thomas Lewis, John Warmington, and Barney Larey, eventually got back to England.
in Ceylon
.
Sailing west near the Cape
coast at 1 a.m. and while adjusting the sails to ride out a gale, the crew noticed lights to the west, but dismissed them as something akin to the Northern Lights
. When the lights presently disappeared, they were given no further thought. As it turned out, the lights were grassfires burning on a headland directly on their course, and their disappearance was due to their being hidden by the brow of the hill. At four a.m. Thomas Lewis reported that he thought he could see land, but the idea was rejected by the commanding officer of the watch, a Mr. Beale, as everyone on board was certain that they were at least 200 miles (321.9 km) out to sea. The quartermaster Mixon after some hesitation, alerted the captain, who instantly came on deck and tried to bring the ship about. During this change of tack, the ship ran aground on the rocks. In the darkness the crew firmly believed that as they were a long way from land, they had struck an uncharted island or reef. With a change in the wind direction, the captain felt that they could refloat the Grosvenor and run her aground in some more convenient place. However, as soon as the ship twisted around, its freed bows started taking on water and it became clear to all that she would have been better off left on the rocks.
ducats as well as several ship's cannon, two of which were later displayed at the Local History Museum in Durban
. In 1867 Turner and his father-in-law, Walter Compton, had bought 600 acres (2.4 km²) of undeveloped Crown Land on the Natal South Coast between Umkomaas and the present village of Clansthal, and called the property Ellingham.
From the profits of his salvage Turner in 1881 floated a company and commissioned the construction of a small coastal steamer, the Lady Wood, built in Greenwich
. Another investor was George Hall Rennie, son of shipping magnate John T. Rennie, who came into possession of one of the Grosvenor 's cannon. Turner also had a local silversmith produce a goblet from recovered silver rupee
s, an item which also found its way to the Local History Museum.
By the beginning of 1885, a local chief Mqikela, who had become disaffected with the British government and wanted to develop his own harbour, concluded an agreement with Turner, in which Turner was granted 20,000 acres of land, including the coastline on which the Grosvenor had foundered. In return for this Turner was to select a suitable site for a harbour and undertake the necessary construction work. The site chosen for this new venture was at the mouth of the Mkweni River, close to the site of the Grosvenor wreck. Turner named it Port Grosvenor
.
As Port Captain and harbourmaster, Turner collected customs dues and managed the harbour and pilotage. Turner was obliged by his financial circumstances to resign himself to this situation as he, by 1884, had a family of seven children and a wife to support. Despite objections from the Cape Government
the port was officially opened.
The Cape Government later declared Turner's concession illegal under tribal law, and he forfeited the land, his home and his position. The family moved to Port St Johns
and Port Grosvenor faded into obscurity, the last ship calling there in January 1886 being the London-built coaster SS Somtseu, named for Theophilus Shepstone
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, north of the Umzimvubu River mouth. The shipwreck was close to the place where the Portuguese ship, São João, had gone down more than two centuries earlier on 8 June 1552. The Grosvenor was a three-masted ship of 729 tons
Long ton
Long ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
on her return voyage to England when she was wrecked, carrying a crew of 132 and 18 passengers (12 adults and 6 children), and a cargo valued at £75,000. Of the 123 survivors only 18 reached Cape Town and were repatriated, the remainder dying of their privations or being killed by, or forced to live with Bantu tribes. Four survivors, Robert Price, Thomas Lewis, John Warmington, and Barney Larey, eventually got back to England.
History
The Grosvenor had left Madras in March 1782 under the command of Captain Coxon, falling in with Admiral Hughes' fleet. On 13 June 1782 she set sail for England from TrincomaleeTrincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
in Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Sailing west near the Cape
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
coast at 1 a.m. and while adjusting the sails to ride out a gale, the crew noticed lights to the west, but dismissed them as something akin to the Northern Lights
Aurora (astronomy)
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
. When the lights presently disappeared, they were given no further thought. As it turned out, the lights were grassfires burning on a headland directly on their course, and their disappearance was due to their being hidden by the brow of the hill. At four a.m. Thomas Lewis reported that he thought he could see land, but the idea was rejected by the commanding officer of the watch, a Mr. Beale, as everyone on board was certain that they were at least 200 miles (321.9 km) out to sea. The quartermaster Mixon after some hesitation, alerted the captain, who instantly came on deck and tried to bring the ship about. During this change of tack, the ship ran aground on the rocks. In the darkness the crew firmly believed that as they were a long way from land, they had struck an uncharted island or reef. With a change in the wind direction, the captain felt that they could refloat the Grosvenor and run her aground in some more convenient place. However, as soon as the ship twisted around, its freed bows started taking on water and it became clear to all that she would have been better off left on the rocks.
Port Grosvenor & Sidney Turner
The first attempt at salvage was reported on 20 May 1880 by the paper Natal Mercury in an article stating that Captain Sidney Turner and a friend, Lieut Beddoes, of the Durban Volunteer Artillery, had set off for Port St Johns in the vessel Adonis, had proceeded to the wreck and commenced blasting the rocks with dynamite, retrieving Indian coins and VenetianVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
ducats as well as several ship's cannon, two of which were later displayed at the Local History Museum in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. In 1867 Turner and his father-in-law, Walter Compton, had bought 600 acres (2.4 km²) of undeveloped Crown Land on the Natal South Coast between Umkomaas and the present village of Clansthal, and called the property Ellingham.
From the profits of his salvage Turner in 1881 floated a company and commissioned the construction of a small coastal steamer, the Lady Wood, built in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. Another investor was George Hall Rennie, son of shipping magnate John T. Rennie, who came into possession of one of the Grosvenor 's cannon. Turner also had a local silversmith produce a goblet from recovered silver rupee
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
s, an item which also found its way to the Local History Museum.
By the beginning of 1885, a local chief Mqikela, who had become disaffected with the British government and wanted to develop his own harbour, concluded an agreement with Turner, in which Turner was granted 20,000 acres of land, including the coastline on which the Grosvenor had foundered. In return for this Turner was to select a suitable site for a harbour and undertake the necessary construction work. The site chosen for this new venture was at the mouth of the Mkweni River, close to the site of the Grosvenor wreck. Turner named it Port Grosvenor
Port Grosvenor
Port Grosvenor was a harbour on the Wild Coast in South Africa, near the spot where the Indiaman Grosvenor was wrecked in 1782. It was only in use in 1885 and 1886.-History:...
.
As Port Captain and harbourmaster, Turner collected customs dues and managed the harbour and pilotage. Turner was obliged by his financial circumstances to resign himself to this situation as he, by 1884, had a family of seven children and a wife to support. Despite objections from the Cape Government
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
the port was officially opened.
The Cape Government later declared Turner's concession illegal under tribal law, and he forfeited the land, his home and his position. The family moved to Port St Johns
Port St Johns Local Municipality
Port St. Johns Local Municipality is an administrative area in the OR Tambo District of Eastern Cape in South Africa....
and Port Grosvenor faded into obscurity, the last ship calling there in January 1886 being the London-built coaster SS Somtseu, named for Theophilus Shepstone
Theophilus Shepstone
thumb|Theophilus ShepstoneSir Theophilus Shepstone was a British South African statesman who was responsible for the annexation of the Transvaal to Britain in 1877.-Early life:...
.