Seven Sail to Disaster

Seaford is a quiet, calm place, but sometimes nature casts a shadow over the town. Two of the blackest days in Seaford’s maritime history were 6th and 7th December 1809, the year after the Martello Tower was completed, when seven ships were wrecked with the loss of many lives.

As Britain was at war with Napoleon, a convoy of 23 ships was being escorted eastwards up the Channel by the sloop Harlequin armed with 18 guns. In the fierce gale – ‘hard enough to blow off the devil’s head’ - the sloop mistook her position and led the six foremost vessels aground in Seaford Bay. Her firing of signal guns and rockets saved the rest of the convoy from a similar fate. The vessels lost with the Harlequin were:

The Traveller (cargo of fruit) nine crew, The Albion (brandy, nuts and fruit) ten crew, The Weymouth (tobacco, barilla and cork) 12 crew, The Unice (cotton, potash and pearlash and staves) 11 crew, The Februar (a Prussian ship in ballast) 17 crew, The Midebach, also Prussian (wine, brandy, sugar and coffee)13 crew.

A chaotic sight greeted the dawn on 7th December. The storm had hurled the vessels against each other with little remaining for the survivors to cling onto. The Sussex Weekly Advertiser reported that the spectacle ‘was truly dreadful, the seven ships being high together and complete wrecks, with the remaining crews clinging to differing parts of them, imploring for assistance which is natural in such cases’.

Among those who risked their lives to help were officers and men from the Army barracks at Blatchington. Many heroic deeds were done, including the astonishing bravery of Lieutenant Bartholomew Derenzy who saw a sailor being rolled about in the surf – fighting for his life. ‘I’ll save that poor fellow or perish in the attempt!’ shouted Derenzy and dashed into the waves. He swam out and managed to get a good grip on the sailor but began to tire himself. His fellow officer, Lieutenant Pringle also leapt into the water with the intention of saving both men. All three were now overwhelmed by the sea and all in danger of drowning. Soldiers and townsfolk linked hands and arms to form a human chain and dragged them safely onto the beach.

Derenzy was a valiant soldier who had already been wounded twice fighting Napoleon in Spain and Holland. After the dramatic rescue at Seaford he returned to Iberia the following year and served under Sir Arthur Wellesley. Although wounded several times more, Derenzy survived the Napoleonic wars and eventually retired to Cheltenham as Major-General.

Regrettably, there were also those who took advantage of the confusion to steal what they could find. Mr Harrison, collector of customs at Newhaven, lost the greatcoat and boots he laid on the beach before dashing into the waves.

It seems that fourteen men from The Februar, plus everyone from The Midebach were lost. Apparently they were buried in a grave in Seaford Parish Churchyard, but all traces disappeared after alterations were made to the Churchyard.

Hopefully, Seaford Museum will be open each weekend in December as well as Boxing Day, and Monday 28th December, plus New Years Day from 11am to 4pm.

Photo: A contemporary engraving depicting the Seven Ships Disaster. ‘As they appeared at 6 o’clock in the morning from the shore’.

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is closed right now… but we are still here (on the corner of Steyne

Road and St John’s Road) and we’re waiting to entertain you again, as soon as we can!

Happy Christmas and see you in 2021

A HEARTFELT MESSAGE OF THANKS TO THE PEOPLE OF SEAHAVEN THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!

We cannot thank enough all the individuals and organisations – our loyal supporters –Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to all of you kind in the Seahaven area who have made it possible for us to continue to serve those people and organisations in Seaford and the surrounding area families and individuals finding themselves in food crisis. who have given – or are regularly giving – food and finance so that we may support the many households struggling with food We are currently supporting around sixty-five households in the area, and anticipate seeing a rise in that figure. We have been able to do this thanks to your contributions, poverty at this time. both in kind and also financially. Your donations have been, frankly, invaluable to us and we know that we would be unable to continue without them. Before Coronavirus, we were providing food parcels for around twenty to thirty households per week; this has now risen at its May we draw your attention to the collection points we now have around Seaford height to over one hundred. We have needed a great deal of town where you may place your grocery donations? Or, of course, you are welcome food to sustain this support... but, thanks to you, with the need to bring them to Seahaven Storehouse (address below) on a Thursday morning has come the supply and no-one has gone without. between 10am and 1pm.

Morrisons, Dane Road

The need has not diminished, so we remain grateful for PLEASE ENSURE YOU PLACE ANY DONATIONS FOR SEAHAVEN everything given us, be it groceries or money, to help us to keep STOREHOUSE IN THE SEAHAVEN STOREHOUSE BIN AS WE CANNOT going on behalf of those families or individuals in need. GUARANTEE RECEIVING YOUR DONATION IF IT IS PUT IN THE TROLLEY.

Thank you.

It has been impossible to thank every one of you personally but we hope, once distancing is less of an issue, to be able to Co-op, Broad Street express our gratitude to you in a more tangible way. Co-op, Princess Drive

Scoop & Weigh, Broad Street With love and thanks from Dawn WoodgateSt Peter’s Church Foyer, Belgrave Road and the Seahaven Storehouse Team Angie’s Newsagents, Claremont Road

Once again, we send our thanks and love to you all, and wish you a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.

For more information, please contact Dawn on 07921 844930 or e Dawn Woodgate -mail: seahavenstorehouse@gmail.com and the Seahaven Storehouse Team

Part of Seaford Community Church: Charitable Trust No: 293090 For more information, please contact Dawn on 07921 844930 or e-mail: seahavenstorehouse@gmail.com

ROTTINGDEAN WHITEWAY CENTRE Spring Term Programme

Enrolment is now underway for the Spring Term programme of adult education and leisure courses Term dates are 11th January – 26th March 2021

MONDAY 1000-1200 Drawing & Painting Advanced C Lucy Parker 1200-1300 Yoga for All Z Lucy Deere 1330-1500 Drawing & Painting Beginners C Lucy Parker 1430-1630 An introduction to Social Anthropology Z Dr Jonathan Newman 1500-1700 Marine & Landscape - Watercolours C Mick Bensley

TUESDAY 1000-1200 1000-1200 1400-1600 1800-2000 1900-2100 How Geology affects our lives Art and Visual Culture An Introduction to Counselling Marine & Landscape - Watercolours Creative Writing C Z C C C Dr Tony Corrigan Jackie Parry Jeanie Civil Mick Bensley Claudia Gould

WEDNESDAY 0930-1130 Baroque Music 0940-1110 Italian – Upper Intermediate 1030-1230 The Romans in Sussex, Kent & Surrey 1130-1300 Italian language, culture & advanced conversation 1400-1500 Italian – Lower Intermediate 1830-2000 Spanish – Lower Intermediate 1930-2130 Unravelling the Universe 1930-2130 Burning Issues of the Day

THURSDAY 0930-1030 Gentle Yoga & Relaxation 1000-1200 Pre-historic Religion and Ritual 1000-1200 Art and Visual Culture 1300-1500 Life Painting 1400-1530 French Intermediate Conversation 1600-1800 Crafters Club Z Z

C

Z Z Z C Z Dr Peter Copley Nicla Mazzoni

Dr David Rudling

Nicla Mazzoni Nicla Mazzoni Maria Simons Will Joyce Andrew Clark

Z Z Z C C C Lucy Deere Dr Judie English Jackie Parry Amanda Rosenstein Davidson Laetitia Warnery Amanda Rosenstein Davidson

FRIDAY 1000-1130 Beginners Spanish C Maria Simons 1000-1200 South-East England Z Dr Geoffrey Mead 1200-1330 Spanish Upper Intermediate 1 C Maria Simons 1400-1600 Fantasy & Illustration C Amanda Rosenstein Davidson 1430-1600 Spanish Upper Intermediate 2 Z Maria Simon Key: C: Whiteway Centre Z: Zoom

For more information and to enrol please visit our website:www.rwc.org.uk