According to information from England’s Board of Trade, it is calculated that there have been some 500,000 shipwrecks along Britain’s coastline over the centuries. This number is conservative.
Maritime historian and author Nigel Pickford’s latest narrative “Samuel Pepys and the Strange Wrecking of the Gloucester: The Shipwreck that Shocked Restoration Britain” concerns one.
Setting sail in the 16th century was not without its risks. But, for many, it was preferable to travel by sea rather than taking a longer route on land whether by horse or carriage.
For a future king, in this case, James Stuart, Duke of York, it meant not one ship, but several forming a fleet for his royal entourage….