Tragic shipwreck off Dorset involving the Wordsworth family receives protected status

The wreck of a ship that sank over 200 years ago in one of Britain's worst shipping disasters has been placed under government protection.

The merchant sailing ship Earl of Abergavenny sank off the coast of Weymouth in Dorset in 1805, killing over 200 people.

The captain of the East India Company ship was John Wordsworth, the brother of the famous romantic poet William Wordsworth.

Launched in 1796 at Northfleet, Kent, she is a rarity as she was one of only 36 ships of 1,460 tons that formed a special class of the company's merchant fleet.

The ship was an early example of the technological change in shipbuilding of its time, which also included the use of iron in its construction.

The Wordsworth family had a close connection to the East India Company and John Wordsworth began a life at sea to support his brother's career as a writer.

He was captain of two successful voyages on the Earl of Abergavenny to China, but lost his life and 250 other crew and passengers on his fifth trading voyage from Portsmouth to Bengal and China.

Due to human error and stormy weather conditions, the Earl of Abergavenny sank after running aground on the Shambles sandbank.

It was a major disaster not only because of the number of fatalities, but also because the ship was carrying 62 crates of silver dollars – a cargo estimated to be worth £70,000 (about £7.5 million today).

John Wordsworth was clearly present in some of his brother's works, such as “Michael”, the Arab's dream in “Prelude”, Book V, “The Character of the Happy Warrior” and “Stepping Westward”.

The grief William felt after the loss of his brother is evident in “Elegiac Stanzas,” where he rejects his previous belief that nature is good and kind.

After the loss of John, William's work changed and became thoughtful and desolate.

The shipwreck was listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.

This means that divers can dive to the wreck, but must leave its contents in place.

The system includes planking, frames and fittings such as a chain pump and iron knees, which are brackets in the structure of a wooden ship.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “This wreck tells a stirring story about the life and suffering of one of our most famous poets, William Wordsworth.”

“But it also plays an important role in the shared maritime history of this country and shows how the East India Company's fleet exerted its influence across much of the world.”

Many of the artifacts from the wreck site are kept in the Portland Museum.

Museum coordinator Chloe Taylor added: “The waters around the Isle of Portland are notoriously treacherous.

“Many ships have fallen victim to the relentless waves, frozen in time, their stories remaining untold.”