The
ship was built in Yarmouth in 1762. She was 120 tons, single decked and owned
by a Mister Polgrove.
The
Earl of Sandwich, Cockran, from the Canaries for London, being drove by
contrary winds up the Irish Channel, the crew rose on the 30th Ult. and
murdered the captain, mate, a boy, a gentleman, his lady and daughter,
passengers; after which plundered the ship and opened the ballast port with
intent to sink her: since which we hear the ship was stranded in the river of
Waterford.[1]
Dublin,
Extract of a letter from Waterford, dated Friday the 6th instant:
Last
Wednesday evening, at six o’clock, came in Captain Honeywell from Newfoundland.
(4th
December) About four leagues to the SW of the Tower, he had like to have run
foul of a large three mast vessel. The weather was very hazy, which prevented
his seeing her. Her top gallant yards were up, and she was so deep in the water,
that he could only see her rails. She had no boat on board nor could a living
creature be seen.
Upon this report, eight boats went out
yesterday morning, but the sea was so high, they could not venture so far to
the westward, and returned without being able to give any account of her.
Yesterday morning some pipes of wine were drove on shore at the Islands of
Cain, the estate of Mr Wyse; they have already saved fifty of them. Many
persons imagine they came out of the above vessel; but I think she was too far
from the land to have them stranded so soon. Mr Gahan, the Land Waiter, and a
party of soldiers are gone to secure what is drove on shore.
By a man who came last night from Ross,
we learn that four sailors came there on Wednesday, and they were going to
Dublin. They had several bags of dollars, numbered and made up after the
Spanish method for the use of merchants. They were very prodigal of them at the
Publick Houses, particularly to the females. They gave a large gratuity to a
guide, and after purchasing a case of pistols, set off in the morning for
Dublin.
They suppose the above vessel to have been
sunk on Thursday morning early, and gone to pieces, they have found part of her
stern and other particulars, and yesterday they got in all 70 odd pipes of
Madeira wine, capuchins, and women’s apparel; so that it is conjectured she had
passengers on board. She is thought to have been a very rich ship, and from
various circumstances it is believed those villains have murdered the rest of the
crew, and afterwards scuttled her, and supposed she would have gone to the
bottom soon after they quitted her.
This instant a man was brought me who
found on the strand of Garreras, a London cocket for a hogshead of sugar in
loaves, going to the canaries, dated 10th of August 1765, and
shipped on board the earl of Sandwich, signed William Bates; it was wrote on
thin leather, and by that means preserved. We think it may give some light to
the owners of the unfortunate vessel.
By a gentleman just come from the Mayor,
they have made out the cocket as follows: It is signed by William Bates,
Comptroller of the Port of London, for one hogshead of refined sugar,
containing eight hundred and eight pounds, dated the 5th of August
1765, marked O in a diamond, shipped by one Brye, on board the Earl of
Sandwich, one Cochran, master, for the Canaries.
By a tanner from Ross this day, we are
informed two of the men’s faces already mentioned, were much cut, and upon
being asked how they came by such wounds, they said they came from Mexico and
were met by a pirate, and that they received some wounds in defending their
treasure. Three of the four are English and the fourth, an Irishman.
Inclosed I send you a copy of a letter from
Ross; you may be assured the writer is a man of veracity. You cannot conceive
what a noise this affair makes here.
Copy
of a letter from Ross
There
was an extraordinary affair happened here on Wednesday last: about ten in the
morning, four tolerable well-dressed men came to a Publick House in this town,
and called for a room, to which being shewed they deposited their bundles, with
which they seemed very heavy loaded, and after about half an hour’s delay,
three off them went off again, as they said, to bring the rest of their goods,
leaving one of their company to take care of what they had brought; the three
who went returned about four in the evening, and putting up what they had
brought, ordered the landlady upstairs, and desired she would take the things,
which they opened before her, and dry them before the fire; upon which they
drew out a large quantity of necklaces, earrings, &c. which when she had
dried, they made her a present of a necklace and earrings, which have been
tried since and are set in gold; they changed 1250 dollars with one Moran here,
and would exchange more had he gold to give them for the dollars; the landlady
sewed up twelve large bags of dollars for them, and saw with them a large
quantity of gold dust, and two ingots of gold.
They set out for Dublin, yesterday morning,
and were only six hours gone when there was a search made to stop them, as it
appeared they came ashore at Fisherstown Marsh in a ship’s boat, in which there
has been found twenty loose dollars. If you should hear in Waterford anything
which gives any light into this affair, I would be obliged to you to advise me
of it.
They
let the boat go adrift at Fisherstown.[2]
Dublin, December 14:
The three villains, who are in custody
in Newgate for the murder of Captain Cochran, commander of the Earl of
Sandwich, from Tenerife to London, Captain Glass, his wife and daughter,
passengers on board, and the rest of the people in the ship, being separately
examined, the purpose of their declaration was as follows: ‘They first knocked
Captain Cochran's brains out with an iron bar; and then fell upon the two
seamen, whom they soon dispatched; upon Captain Glass's hearing the noise, he
ran up, and seeing what they were about, returned, as they imagined, for his
sword; knowing him to be a very able resolute man, one of the villains followed
him down the steps, and upon the captain’s returning with his sword drawn, the
who went down took hold of his arms behind, and pinioned him; then called to
his associates, who with a great deal of difficulty, disarmed him, run him
through the body, and; upon making a second lunge, run their hellish companion
through the arm.
Captain Glass being murdered, none remained
but Mrs Glass, her daughter, and two boys; they then told Mrs Glass that she
must be thrown overboard, she fell on her knees and begged for mercy; the
daughter hearing their resolution, the ran to her mother and clasped her in her
arms, when those barbarians threw them both overboard. They then took to the longboat,
expecting the ship would sink every moment, having opened the ballast port. One
of the boys, being a good swimmer, leaped off the side of the vessel, and the boat
being heavy laden with the money, he soon overtook her, and begged hard to be
admitted; but to no purpose; he laid hold of the gunnel, when, the savages
loosed his hands, and saw the creature sink just by them. The other boy, by a roll
of the ship, fell overboard and was drowned.’
It is said they threw into the sea a large quantity
of dollars to lighten the boat; that they buried a chest of money in the sands
in Waterford Harbour, where they landed; and the remaining bags of dollars
which they could not carry, they hid in holes in the rocks; after refreshing
themselves at a village called Ballybrazil, they were robbed of 1300 Dollars. -
It is said Captain Glass went from England to establish a Settlement on the
Coast of Africa. George Galley, cook, the fourth villain, is secured at Carlow.
P.S. It is said the number of bags amounted to 250, each of which contained, as is supposed, 100 dollars. Two of the villains are English, one Dutch, and one Irish. They first scuttled the ship, supposing she would have soon gone to the bottom; this was about four leagues from Waterford, and she was so deep that her rails were just above water. Seventy pipes of Madeira wine floated ashore, with capuchins and women's bonnets, so that it is supposed the ship is now gone to pieces. [3]
P.S. It is said the number of bags amounted to 250, each of which contained, as is supposed, 100 dollars. Two of the villains are English, one Dutch, and one Irish. They first scuttled the ship, supposing she would have soon gone to the bottom; this was about four leagues from Waterford, and she was so deep that her rails were just above water. Seventy pipes of Madeira wine floated ashore, with capuchins and women's bonnets, so that it is supposed the ship is now gone to pieces.
A
part of the stolen goods were later recovered and the perpetrators were hanged
and their bodies displayed on the Muglins Rock, off Dalkey Island. The ship was
auctioned at the Customs House, Waterford, on 27 August 1766:
To
be sold by public cant, on the Customs-house quay at Waterford, on Monday the
15th day of September next, one hundred and sixty three pipes, hogsheads and
quarter casks of choice wines, of the growth of the Canary Islands, some raw
silk and broad cloth, saved out of the wreck, Earl of Sandwich, stranded at
Tramore, in the harbour of Waterford. The Cant to begin at eleven o’clock in
the morning and to continue until all are sold. [4]
John
Rogers of Tramore was said to have made a salvage claim on 23 February 1767 for
the remaining 1,200 dollars that were found aboard.
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