Overview

The true story of royal intrigue and a fatal shipwreck on the shores of Restoration Britain. In 1682, Charles II invited his scandalous younger brother, the Duke of York, to return from exile and take his rightful place as heir to the throne. To celebrate, the future king promptly set sail in a fleet of eight ships to bring back his young wife from Edinburgh. The royal frigate in which he sailed, the Gloucester, sank. The diarist Samuel Pepys had been invited to sail with James and his entourage but refused the invitation, preferring to travel in one of the other ships. Why? What did he know that others did not? Nigel Pickford's compelling account of the disaster draws on new historical material including ships' logs, letters and diaries, revealing for the first time the full drama and tragic consequences of a shipwreck in which nearly 200 sailors and courtiers died. AUTHOR: Nigel Pickford is a maritime historian and works as a consultant for salvage companies, helping to locate shipwrecks and recover lost cargo and treasure. His previous books include Lady Bette and the Murder of Mr Thynn . 10 colour illustrations

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9780750997539

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Fascinating ... Pickford, a historian who also has experience as a consultant for salvage companies, offers an expert study of the actual circumstances of this shipwreck. At the same time, his narrative is extremely readable and well structured. He weaves in some lesser-known aspects of Stuart life, including horse-racing, yachting, and map-making. His extensive archival research enables him to provide poignant details about members of the doomed crew and to give insights into their private lives ... At a more general level, he shows how the media was manipulated even in the seventeenth century, as the Crown tried to control popular opinion and turn all circumstances to advantage -- Margarette Lincoln, author of <i>London and the Seventeenth Century</i>

Author Information

Nigel Pickford is a maritime historian and works as a consultant for salvage companies, helping to locate shipwrecks and recover lost cargo and treasure. His previous books include Lady Bette and the Murder of Mr Thynn.

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