On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 15:26:17 -0000, "Keith \(Dorset\)"
wrote:

Dear all,

This is a fundamental misunderstanding of cultures - yes 'cultures', between
many of those who live by the sea and many, or most, who don't.

Wrecking is a time-old tradition whereby coastal dwellers have always
supplemented their often meagre earnings by salvaging items of value from
the shoreline at the time of a wreck.

Here in Dorset, often the whole community would venture out, often in
appalling weather to grab whatever was there for the taking.

Keith

PS It is said that ships were sometime lured onto rocks with judiciously
placed lights so that wrecking could take place.

In the mid 16th century, the impoverished tin miners of west Cornwall
had a fearsome reputation as wreckers. It is recorded by a local
historian of the time that they could strip a wreck between tides (say
12 hrs), leaving little trace. Many hundreds would descend on the
wreck, equipped with axes, saws etc. Even the ship's timbers would go.
Hapless survivors were lucky to keep their clothes, let alone their
possessions.

Wrecks were regarded as fair game and sent by God. A prayer apparently
offered up by a vicar on the Isles of Scilly when times were
particularly hard, went something like this: "O Lord we pray, not that
wrecks should happen, but if they do, let them happen on Scilly"

A sailors' prayer from the time, when in the waters off south Cornwall
(there are several versions):

"From rocks and shoals and shifting sands
And Breage and Germoe mens' hands
Good Lord, deliver us."

Breage and Germoe are two local mining villages; I live more or less
between them.





--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net