On 25/26 October 1859, The Great Storm took the lives of hundreds of people and ships wrecked in The Irish Sea.

The Royal Charter, a migrant ship, was at the end of her voyage from Melbourne, Australia to Liverpool, England. The winds reached gale force 10 and the vessel was driven onto the rocks of Anglesey  just north of the village of Moelfre in the early hours of the morning of 26 October 1859, eventually being smashed to pieces against the rocks, with the loss of over 450 lives.

The storm is considered to be the most severe storm to hit the Irish Sea in the 19th century.

“A total of 133 ships were sunk during the storm and another 90 badly damaged according to the Board of Trade records. The death toll was estimated at 800, including some people killed on land by falling rocks and masonry. Twice as many people died in these two days as had been lost at sea around the British Isles in the whole of 1858. There was extensive structural damage to many buildings, with the west coast of Great Britain being most severely affected. The remains of the church of Saint Brynach may still be seen at Cwm-yr-Eglwys in Pembrokeshire.

“This storm had an effect on the development of the Meteorological Office as Captain Robert FitzRoy, who was in charge of the office at the time, brought in the first gale warning service in 1860 to prevent similar tragedies.” – Wikipedia

Owned by Gibbs, Bright and Co of Liverpool, the Royal Charter was one of the fastest and most famous emigrant ships during the years of the Australian Gold Rush. She was carrying 452 men, women and children, and a cargo of gold valued at £320,000.

Many passengers perished as they were hurled against the rocks. Others made attempts to swim to shore but were weighed down by the gold in their pockets and drowned. One seaman, Joseph Rodgers, tied a rope around his waist and managed to swim to shore. He secured the rope and aided the rescue of the 39 survivors – all men. – National Museums Liverpool

Click on this link for more information : Sinking of the Royal Charter