by Portland Museum

Portland Museum is presenting a webinar on the Earl of Abergavenny as part of International Museum Day at midday, Thursday May 18th, and we’d love you to join us! Follow this link to sign up to what will be a fascinating talk with Q&A: https://us06web.zoom.us/…/WN_Dh14B6ruRIy9dWnIKXAlrQ…

The Earl of Abergavenny was a British East Indiaman on a trading voyage from England to Bengal and China. On 5th February 1805, a combination of factors conspired to drive her onto the notorious Shambles sandbank, located 2.5 miles southeast of Portland Bill. After floating free of the Shambles she headed for Weymouth Bay but sank with the loss of over 250 lives, including Captain John Wordsworth, brother of the poet, William Wordsworth.

Join us to discover the story of the ship’s ill-fated journey, her sinking, salvage, and excavation over a period of 30 years by a team of amateur nautical archaeologists.

Just over 200 years since the sinking of the Earl of Abergavenny the incredible collection of finds retrieved from the excavation have made their way to Portland Museum. The collection is at the heart of a National Lottery Heritage Fund project designed to develop digital skills amongst volunteers in the heritage sector. Alongside its partners, the Nautical Archaeology Society, and MSDS Marine, Portland Museum has trained its volunteers in how to digitally record the finds from the Earl of Abergavenny collection, including the creation of 200 3D digital models.

Buried under the seabed for over 200 years, finds from the shipwreck collection have resurfaced and their images revealed in 3D via Sketchfab, embedded in Portland Museum’s website. The drive and dedication of project volunteers has led to a shipwreck collection of national importance being made visible to a global audience.

This webinar will present the story of the Earl of Abergavenny, its excavation and salvage, followed by the project to digitally record the finds retrieved from the shipwreck.

The speakers will be Portland Museum Trustee and member of the excavation dive team, David Carter, and Lucy Watkins, Diving Into the Digital Archives of the Earl of Abergavenny Project Manager.

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