Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The fleet, commanded by Sir Cloudesley Shovell, had been harrying the French in the
Mediterranean, and was returning to winter in England. Heading for Plymouth, they en-
countered stormy weather which sent them off course, further westward than they realised.
Instead of the familiar home waters of the English Channel, deep enough for their ships, in
the dark and the rain they strayed into danger around the Isles of Scilly. Lookouts suddenly
saw rocks and the loom of the St Agnes light. Shovell's flagship, the
Association
, and HMS
Romney
struck the Gilstone Rocks, while the Eagle went down off Tearing Ledge. All hands
but one were lost. The badly-holed
Firebrand
sank later, with only 23 survivors. The other
14 ships heard warning shots and managed to escape.
This striking circular chart must have been drawn just after this tragic event. The scene
of action was in the lower left, and the soundings reveal the shallowness of the inter-island
waters, which combined with many rocks and shoals to make this a perilous place for ships
to enter unawares. Nothing is known about the mapmaker, Edmund Gostelo, but the detail of
his chart suggests that he was a native of Scilly. He includes all the islands, the sounds and
roads between them, and buildings such as Tresco Abbey, churches and houses.
Figures in the chart relate to the incident. The warning lighthouse is pictured at lower right,
together with a mermaid, whose song in legend lures sailors to destruction. The lower car-
touche bears two mourning figures. By contrast, the border around the chart is covered with
sketches of farming scenes and figures, as if copied from a pattern book simply to fill the
space. Native and exotic animals mix in a bizarre tableau, where lions lie down next to rab-
bits (at right) while an elephant trumpets next to a dog (top left).
The chart may have been commissioned by the islands' governor, Sidney Godolphin, and
sent to London to communicate details of this tragedy. News of the wrecks and loss of so
many men, including a famous rear-admiral, shocked court circles and the public, especially
since the fleet was so close to home. A lack of accurate means to calculate longitude - how
far they had gone east or west - was thought to have been a contributing factor, which sparked
calls to make seafaring safer and led to the offer of the Longitude Prize.
