Cornish Maritime Collection

For over 150 years the Post Office Packet Service based in Falmouth, carried the British foreign mails to all parts of the western world. In addition to the mail, diplomatic dispatches, and newspapers, these sailing ships also carried wealthy passengers. Thus the words ‘Packet’ and ‘Packets’ became synonymous with speed, regularity and comfort and was…

In 1689, Falmouth was chosen as the base for a scheduled Government mail route to Spain, and other routes soon followed. By the early 1800s, there were a fleet of around 40 Packet ships operating from Falmouth. The Packet Ships mainly sailed throughout the Atlantic, carrying mail to Britain’s growing empire. Falmouth was chosen as…

This Royal Charter was granted on 5 October 1661, and marks the transition of the humble village of Smithick (or Smithwick) into the great town of Falmouth. Written in Latin and illustrated with an image of King Charles II, the Charter granted the new town the right to local self-government, and the right to elect…

As Falmouth celebrates the annual Falmouth Oyster festival, marking the beginning of the oyster harvesting season, it seems an appropriate time to consider what types of food were consumed on sea voyages. Keeping food fresh on long journeys was not easy. Prior to the introduction of lime and lemon juice for sailors the nutrition of…

“Pilchards! Whose bodies yield the fragrant oil and make the London lamps at midnight smile!” Peter Pindar 1783 (Pen name of John Wolcot, 1738-1819, who achieved fame in the 1780s for his comic and satirical verse). Cornwall once relied upon the sea for nearly everything: food, transport, trade, defence and contact with the outside world.…

William Rogers, one of the men shown in this photograph, was born in St Keverne in Cornwall in 1865 to Thomas and Alice Rogers. He was one of 7 children, with sisters Ann, Mary and Elizabeth and brothers Richard, John and James. William began his naval career at 15 years old – the 1881 census…

Sir William Hillary, a retired soldier who lived on the Isle of Man, was the visionary behind the formation of the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (later the RNLI) in 1824. Before the formation of the Institution, a few dozen local lifesaving stations had been set up but there was no…

An ordinary bench? Ordinary seeming objects often have interesting stories behind their creation and use. This bench was used by Frank Tresidder of Penrose Sailmakers at Upton Slip in Falmouth. All ports and fishing villages had sailmakers who were a key part of the industry in keeping boats and ships afloat. They worked hard to…

This is a mother’s letter to the Church requesting permission to petition the diocese for £60 needed to redeem her son whom had been captured at sea and enslaved in Algiers. This source can be found in a small envelope at the front of the Illogan Parish Register, 1539-1731. Alongside it is the reply from…