More information : Northumberland Records Office, document at Woodhorn: Dr Sharp's History of Bamburgh Castle. Lockable leather-bound volume, cover inscribed.
(In Dr. Sharp's hand) Account of the Nine Pounder:
'This gun belonged to a Dutch 40 Gun Ship which was lost on one of the islands probably……in the year 1704. Lay 40 years at the bottom of the sea, till the year 1744, when one or two divers (Nm and Richd Evans, Father + son) coming to look for wreck brought it up, along with a brass six pounder, which latter was carried away to be sold or melted down, but this nine pounder being left on the sands near Monks House was in time covered up and forgot, till by an uncommon high tide in 1767, the sand over it being washed away, it was discovered after being sunk in the sands for 23 years. The Property was in Mr Green a Lessee of the Islands under the dean and Chapter. He made me a present of it on my paying the expenses of taking it up. It was proved by Mr Wooler (?) the Engineer with 4/16 powder + brought to Bambrough Castle, and a ship carriage provided for it. It has been hammered to bring off the rust, and has been frequently scaled and painted. Mr Wooler supposes it originally weighed about 1 ton+half. The Chamber is the smoothest part of the inside; probably owing to it having been charged when it was sunk in the sand, for a charge was found in it. For 13 years past it has been used as a Signal Gun when ships are in distress or driven ashore, + for several other purposes. It has now been loaded with 4lb of powder but generally with 3lb. On Sept 4th 1780 it was fired the 118th since. I got it this last time with Ball. It has since been sometimes fired with Whinstone to bring off the misting the middle of where it straitest, but without much effect.' (1)
'It often happens, that ships strike in such a manner on the rocks as to be capable of relief, in case numbers of people could be suddenly assembled: for that purpose a cannon * is fixed on the top of the tower, which is fired once, if the accident happens in such a quarter; twice, if in another; and thrice, if in such a place. By these signals the country people are directed to the spot they are to fly to; and by this means, frequently preserve not only the crew, but even the vessel; for machines of different kinds are always in readiness to heave ships out of their perilous situation.' (2)
Original footnote in text:
*'Once belonging to a Dutch frigate of 40 guns; which, with all the crew, was lost opposite to the castle about sixty years ago.' (2)
By the firing of the gun for the 118th time, on September 4th, 1780, mentioned in (1), we can date Dr. Sharp's account to then or shortly afterwards. His account therefore reaches back some 75 years, "probably. . . in the year 1704" (1), while Pennant, writing in 1771 on his tour of 1769, notes "about 60 years ago" (2). This combination of accounts would appear to suggest that the wreck occured in the early 1700s, between around 1704 and 1709, but possibly slightly earlier or later, and this would be a natural margin of error for events recalled either in living memory by older persons, or transmitted orally through the generations.
Writing in 1780 of an incident in 1704-1709, the original wreck incident of around 75 years previously is unlikely to have been in living memory, but it is possible, and any direct informant would have been a child or young person at the time.
It is slightly more likely in 1769 that it was in living memory, with a gap of 60 years (if around 1709) or 65 years (taking Sharp's dating of "probably" 1704). Assuming a date of 1704-1709, there is then a gap of 40 years when the diving father and son are likely to have heard one or more accounts of the original wreck within living memory. Whether one or both were alive in 1780 to tell Dr. Sharp about their adventures is not known, but the gun then disappeared from view on the beach between 1744 and 1767. [It seems strange that efforts were made to recover the gun, only for it to be abandoned.] The identification of the gun with the 1704 incident is therefore dependent on accurate transmission of oral memory tying the gun in 1744 with the wreck in +/- 1704, and the uncovered gun in 1767 with the gun brought up in 1744; it is only from 1767 onwards, therefore, that the gun is securely documented, and accounts of the incident to Sharp and Pennant are second-hand at best, and may be at one or more further removes. (3)
Crew Lost: all (1)(2)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Approximate date of loss
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