The tragic whaling day of 3rd September 1825, where six 1st mates of the same boat were killed (not really).

Scrimshaw whaling scene on coffin lid of a small bone coffin with novely skeleton, as typically found at auction. The underside of the coffin usually has an insciprtion to an alleged ship's 1st mate who died whaling.

In memory of these six brave souls who died whaling off Newfoundland.

Ben Huggins, Marshall Kent, Old Ned Buckley, James Armstrong, Ike Phillips and Old Tom Jefferson.

All from the ship Lovely Matilda.

All were the first mate of that ship.

All died on the 3rd September 1825.

All have been memorialised by a bone coffin with a skeleton, and a scrimshaw engraving of their fateful last moments, and sold at auction in England.

Three different insciptions from memento mori coffins sold over the past 5 years. A suspicious person might note how the handwriting is the same except for the different names of the 1st mates, some of which don't seem to comfortably fit in the gap.

Though a cynic may say that some bone-carving entrepreneur has happened upon a fake antique design that seems to sell well. I have to confess a certain admiration for the maker, as the coffins are generally well made and beautifully inscribed with the scrimshaw design.

As we approach the 200th anniversary of this terrible tragedy, I wanted to update my blog post from over two years ago when I first became aware of the cute little memento mori coffins that turn up at English Auction houses. I have tracked nearly 100 of these unique artefacts, that appear fairly regularly, about 20 a year, for the last ten years or so. I have very incomplete records, which may reflect which auction houses haven't erased their old auction data from sites like the-saleroom.com and https://www.invaluable.com/. Some faithful followers have commented on my blog when they spotted a new one at auction too.

I suspect that our coffin maker may live around South East England.

Map of south east England showing that the memento mori coffins are most often sold in that area

Ben Huggins is killed the most often.

Frequency of names of the different 1st mates of the Ship Lovely Matilda killed on the 3rd of September 1825

I have mocked up what I suspect must have happened on this very tragic day. We know how the scene begins as it is most often depicted on the coffin lid.

Scrimshaw whaling scene from lid of a coffin, with names of the unfortunate sailors, in the presumed order that were or became the next default 1st mate, and then died

Then, the whale overturns the boats and attacks

A whale bests a hunting party of 1st mates from the ship Lovely Matilda

And then heads to the ship Lovely Matilda to get his sixth victim of that day.

A whale, having attacked a hunting party, then heads to attack the sailing vessel, the ship Lovely Matilda, leaving just a couple of hats and a fragment of boat in the water to feed the gulls

As we commemorate this tragic tale (which has no support in any documentation as the Lovely Matilda was no longer sailing in 1825, and these sailors appear on no census or documentation in the USA) I hope instead that the maker will get in touch with me, as I really do admire their work and the quality of their scrimshaw. I am sorry that my blog post has impacted your sales, but not when it reveals the modern nature of these really-not-unique-artefacts.

I will put out a similar appeal for the next tragedy - the unforuantely death of Captain George Tale of the ship Lovely Marie who died whaling off Baffin Bay on 5th July 1826.

Another bone coffin with the same scrimshaw design as the memorial for 1st mate Ben Huggins of the Lovely Matilda on the 3rd September 1825, but this time memorialising Captain George Tale of the ship Lovely Marie, who died whaling off Baffin Bay on 5th July

Meanwhile I hope you all enjoy seeing these many coffins - and feel free to comment on the blog if you see one up at auction.