Salvaged and wreck mail collections From the Wreck Mail

Brothers - 1833

Brothers - 1833

Description

'Brothers' was a three masted barque of 362 tons, built in 1823 at Hull. She was on a voyage home from the Bahia, Brazil, when she became dismasted on 9th December, 1833, off the Western Islands, and gales of wind continued until 19th December when she was driven ashore on Cfen Shiden Sands, near Pembrey, Carmathenshire, South Wales.

Unhappily there was only one survivor of the ship's company of 16. This was the carpenter, who had lashed himself to a portion of the wreck and was washed ashore with it. The community on shore made no effort to save life being solely interested in plunder.

The additional marking 'Ship Letter Pembroke' is unusual because, although a very common type, very little mail was brought into Pembroke, and so mail was seldom marked there.

In the present case, a mailbag was presumably ashed ashore on the Pendine Sands, in the estuary of the River Towy and was carried overland to Pembroke, some 20 miles away.