Edmund Sheppard Powles (Chaplain of the HMS Captain 1870)
In an age where mass production overshadows
personal artifacts, a timber-bound book stands as a
physical embodiment of maritime tragedy and familial reverence.
Printed in Portsea in 1840, this miniature
volume recounts the catastrophic sinking of HMS Royal George in 1782 at
Spithead one of Britain’s worst naval disasters. Over 900 lives were lost when
the ship capsized during a maintenance manoeuvre gone tragically wrong. Rear
Admiral Richard Kempenfelt perished alongside hundreds of sailors, dockworkers,
and visiting civilians.
But this copy holds deeper weight: its
cover was fashioned from wood salvaged from the wreck itself during Colonel
Charles Pasley's demolition operations in 1839–1840. The book not only tells
the story it is the story.
A Narrative of the Loss of the Royal George
On 29 August 1782, the majestic HMS Royal
George, a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line, met a tragic end while anchored
at Spithead, near Portsmouth. The ship was undergoing routine maintenance in
preparation for deployment to relieve Gibraltar. What followed was one of the
worst maritime disasters in British naval history.
A Series of Fatal Decisions
To access a faulty intake valve located
below the waterline, the crew initiated a maneuver known as a “parliamentary
heel”, deliberately tilting the vessel to one side. But this routine operation
quickly spiraled into catastrophe:
Heavy casks of rum were stacked on the low port side, further upsetting the ship’s balance. Gunports were left open, allowing seawater to rush in as the ship leaned. Despite urgent warnings from the ship’s carpenter, the order to right the ship came too late. Within minutes, the HMS Royal George sank upright, her masts protruding from the waves as silent markers of the disaster.
The Human Toll
The loss of life was staggering—approximately 900 souls perished, making it one of the deadliest shipwrecks in peacetime naval history. Among the victims were; Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt, trapped in his cabin. An estimated 300 women and 60 children, visiting family aboard the ship. A single child reportedly survived by clinging to a sheep, a haunting image of innocence amid chaos.
Salvage Innovation: A 60-Year Quest Beneath the Waves
For decades, the wreck of the Royal George
remained a dangerous obstruction in the vital shipping lanes of Spithead. Its
removal spurred some of the earliest underwater salvage efforts in recorded
history.
In 1839, Colonel Charles Pasley of the Royal Engineers led the final and most dramatic salvage mission: Barrels of gunpowder were deployed to shatter the remaining hull. The final explosion in 1840 shattered windows across Portsmouth and Gosport, signalling the wreck’s obliteration.
Salvaged timber and metal from the wreck
were fashioned into commemorative items among them, books bound in Royal George
wood, like this one tied to Edmund Sheppard Powles.
A Gift Across Generations
Inside the wooden covers lies a heartfelt
inscription:
“Edmund Sheppard Powles From his Grandmamma
Melton 17 Nov. 1840”
This tender message reveals a moment of
familial connection when a six-year-old boy named Edmund received this maritime
relic from his grandmother.
The Powles family had connections to Ipswich, Suffolk, and there’s a reference to Melton near Ipswich in a photograph album related to the Powles family.
The Life of Edmund Sheppard Powles
Born in 1834 in London to Thomas Octavus
Powles and Emma Sheppard Bland, Edmund carried a legacy of naval service and
exploration. He later became a chaplain in the Royal Navy, serving with honour
until his untimely death in 1870 aboard HMS Captain, which tragically capsized
off the coast of Spain.
On the night of 6 September 1870, HMS
Captain a revolutionary sail-and-steam turret warship was sailing off Cape
Finisterre, Spain, as part of a diplomatic fleet manoeuvre. A sudden gale of
hurricane strength struck the fleet. The Captain, with its dangerously low
freeboard and high centre of gravity, capsized before the crew could cut loose
her remaining sails.
Only 18 of nearly 500 aboard survived.
Edmund, then aged 36, was among the hundreds who perished in the dark Atlantic
waters. His death is commemorated on a memorial tablet in St Matthew’s Church,
Ipswich, a solemn tribute to his service and sacrifice.
The disaster was a national tragedy more
lives were lost aboard HMS Captain than at the Battle of Trafalgar or during
the entire Crimean War. It also claimed the life of the ship’s designer,
Captain Cowper Phipps Coles, and several sons of prominent government
ministers.
The gift of this book, both personal and historical, seems eerily prescient foretelling Edmund’s lifelong bond with the sea.
Text Sources
The essay draws from original research and is supported by several authoritative sources:
HMS Royal George disaster and salvage history:
Rooke Books – Narrative of the Loss of HMS Royal George (1840) confirms the book’s publication in Portsea and its binding in salvaged timber from the wreck. It includes details of Colonel Charles Pasley’s demolition operations and the ship’s tragic sinking in 1782.
Christian White Rare Books – True Stories of HMS Royal George (1841) offers another example of a miniature volume bound in Royal George wood, with provenance and illustrations of the wreck and salvage.
Edmund Sheppard Powles biography: While not widely digitized, genealogical records and naval memorials confirm:
His birth in 1834 to Thomas Octavus Powles and Emma Sheppard Bland.
His death aboard HMS Captain in 1870, commemorated at [St Matthew’s Church, Ipswich].
HMS Captain disaster:
Historical accounts of the ship’s capsizing off Cape Finisterre and the loss of nearly 500 lives—including designer Cowper Phipps Coles—are documented in naval histories and memorial archives.
Image Source
LR Foundation
