Maritime record MWX1714 - Francis Freeling

`Wednesday Sept. 20th: We are grieved to state that all hopes are vanished as to the safety of His Majesty's Post Office packet FRANCIS FREELING. It is generally supposed that she was run down at sea by some unknown ship during the late gale. (1) `The Weymouth packet was run down by an unknown foreign brig, ten of the crew and six passengers drowned. year given as 1826.(2) `His Majesty's Post Office packet vessel left Weymouth on 06-SEP for the Channel Isles, and disappeared with all hands. What happened has never been completely established, but it is thought to have been run down by a Swedish brig, which reported such an incident. Seven wives of the crew are widows and 30 children are left fatherless. (3) `Guernsey, 13th Sept. The FRANCIS FREELING packet, which left Weymouth with mails for this island and Jersey, on the 6th, has not yet arrived. (4) `Weymouth, Sept. 27th. A piece of board has been picked up off Portland, and identified as part of the fittings of the FRANCIS FREELING packet, from hence to Guernsey and Jersey, which sailed 6th instant, and has not since been heard of. (5) Crew: At least 10 Crew Lost: All Passengers: At least 6 Passengers Lost: All Date of Loss Qualifier: A Additional sources cited in United Kingdom Shipwreck Index: The Great Western at Weymouth, J H Lucking

The building date for this vessel is an estimate based on an average age at wrecking of twenty years. This average is derived from those vessels wrecked on the Dorset coast whose age at wrecking is known.

<1> Various, Dorset County Chronicle, 21-SEP-1826 (Serial). SWX6464.

<2> 1976, Dorset magazine : the county magazine vol. 50, p18 (Article in serial). SWX4560.

<3> Larn, R, and Larn, B, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 1 : Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Section 6, Dorset (AJ) Vol 1 (Monograph). SWX4541.

<4> 1745 onwards, Lloyds list, 15-SEP-1826, No.6151 (Serial). SWX8434.

<5> 1745 onwards, Lloyds list, 29-SEP-1826, No.6155 (Serial). SWX8434.

<6> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, Shipwreck 559 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1176040 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 16 2024 5:05PM