A CUMBRIAN sailor who was the brother of one of the county's most famous sons - William Wordsworth - will be remembered in history, after the wreckage of a ship he captained was granted protection by the Government.
The East India Company ship was captained by John Wordsworth, the brother of renowned romantic poet William Wordsworth.
Thomas Luny's painting The 'Earl of Abergavenny' East Indiaman, off Southsea. (Image: Portland Museum Trust/PA Wire)
The ship was an early example of the changing technologies in ship building of the time, incorporating the use of iron in its construction.
The Wordsworth family had a close association with the East India Company and John Wordsworth embarked on a life at sea to help support his brother’s writing career.
He captained two successful voyages on the Earl of Abergavenny to China but lost his life with 250 crewmen and passengers on his fifth trading voyage from Portsmouth to Bengal and China.
Due to a combination of human error and stormy weather, the Earl of Abergavenny sank after striking the Shambles sandbank.
It is regarded as one of the UK's worst maritime disasters not only because of how many lives were lost, but the ship was also loaded with 62 chests of silver dollars – cargo estimated to be worth £70,000 and approximately £7.5 million today.
John Wordsworth (Image: National Trust/PA Wire)
John Wordsworth was an obvious presence in some of his brother’s works, such as ‘Michael’ the Dream of the Arab in Prelude, Book V, “The Character of the Happy Warrior”, and “Stepping Westward”.
After being born as the fourth of five children at Wordsworth House, Cockermouth John attended Hawkshead Grammar School before joining the Merchant Navy at 15.
Nicknamed the Ibex by his father due to his shy nature, John was the favourite brother of William and Dorothy visiting them at Dove Cottage regularly before his death.
The grief that William was experiencing following the loss of his brother is evident in “Elegiac Stanzas”, where his previous belief that nature was good, and kind is rejected.
After the loss of John, William’s work turned and became reflective and bleak.
Some of the artefacts which have been recovered from the ship. (Image: Portland Museum Trust/PA Wire)
The shipwreck has been scheduled by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.
It means divers can dive the wreck but must leave its contents in situ.
The site includes planking, frames and fixtures and fittings such as a chain pump and iron knees, which are brackets in the structure of a wooden ship.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “This wreck has an evocative story to tell about the life and sorrow of one of our most renowned poets, William Wordsworth.
“But it also has an important place in this country’s shared maritime history and how the East India Company’s fleet made its impact across so much of the world.”
READ MORE: Podcast to dive deep into William Wordsworth's 'secret' past
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