The Sea Their Graves: An Archaeology of Death and Remembrance in Maritime Culture

279 Pages·2011·8.17 MB·English

by  David J. Stewart

ARCHAEOLOGY / HISTORY
S
t
e
w
“A ‘classic’ of its type—the closest comparison is the legendary Weibust’s Deep a
r
Sea Sailors, and I would hazard to suggest that this book may come to hold a t
similarly important place in the scholarship of maritime ethnography.”
—Joseph Flatman, author of Ships and Shipbuilding in Medieval Manuscripts
“This innovative study provides an important analysis of Anglo-American
T
mariners’ attitudes toward death, the dead, and commemoration. It will be
valuable to all interested in historic maritime culture and mortuary practices, h
and reveals a distinctive mariner subculture which also influenced their fami-
e
lies back home.”

—Harold Mytum, author of Mortuary Monuments and Burial Grounds of the S
Prehistoric Period e
a
Mariners—like other groups that face intense and regular occupational dan-
gers—have developed a close-knit culture bound by loss and memory. Death

T
regularly disrupts the fabric of this culture and necessitates actions to mend its
social structure. From the ritual of burying a body at sea to the creation of me- h
morials to honor the missing, these actions tell us a great deal about how sailors
e The
see their world.
i
The Sea Their Graves is the first book to examine the mortuary customs of
r
sailors, and one of the few to examine maritime customs from an archaeological
S e a

perspective. Based on a study of more than 2,100 gravestones and monuments
G
in North America and the United Kingdom, erected between the seventeenth
r
and late twentieth centuries, David Stewart expands the use of nautical archae-
ology into terrestrial environments. He focuses on those who make their living a
at sea—one of the world’s oldest and most dangerous occupations—to examine
v
their distinct folkloric traditions, beliefs, and customs regarding death, loss, and
e Their GraveS
remembrance as practiced by survivors of maritime disaster or accident. The
S
result is a bold new addition to the growing body of literature examining mari-
time culture from an archaeological perspective.
David J. Stewart is an assistant professor of nautical archaeology at East Carolina
University who specializes in Age of Sail maritime culture and ship construction. An Archaeology of Death and
A volume in the series
Remembrance in Maritime Culture
New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology,
edited by James C. Bradford and Gene Allen Smith
ISBN 978-0-8130-3734-9 UPF
,!7IA8B3-adhdej!
University Press of Florida DaviD J. Stewart
www.upf.com
The Sea Their Graves
New Perspectives on Maritime History
and Nautical Archaeology
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
university press of florida
Gainesville · Tallahassee · Tampa · Boca Raton
Pensacola · Orlando · Miami · Jacksonville · Ft. Myers · Sarasota
The
S e a
Their GraveS
An Archaeology of Death
and Remembrance
in Maritime Culture
David J. Stewart
James C. Bradford and Gene Allen Smith, series editors
Copyright 2011 by David J. Stewart
Printed in the United States of America. This book is printed on Glatfelter Natures Book,
a paper certified under the standards of the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). It is a
recycled stock that contains 30 percent post-consumer waste and is acid-free.
All rights reserved
16 15 14 13 12 11 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stewart, David J. (David James) 1968–
The sea their graves : an archaeology of death and remembrance in maritime culture /
David J. Stewart.
p. cm.—(New perspectives on maritime history and nautical archaeology)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8130-3734-9 (acid-free paper)
1. Sailors—Great Britain—Social life and customs. 2. Sailors—United States—Social life
and customs. 3. Sailors—Death—History. 4. Sepulchral monuments—History. 5. Death—
Social aspects—History. 6. Burial—History. 7. Great Britain. Royal Navy—History.
8. United States. Navy—History. 9. Seafaring life—History. 10. Maritime anthropology.
I. Title.
V737.S74 2011
394.’4—dc23 2011018968
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University
System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University,
Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University,
New College of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of
North Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://www.upf.com
For Heidi, as before,
And now for Atticus and Katharina too
Sometimes on Neptune’s bosom our ship is tossed with waves,
And every minute we expect the sea must be our graves.
From “Sailors for My Money” by Martin Parker, seventeenth century

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface and Acknowledgments xiii
1. Introduction 1
2. “Death Stands Ready at the Door”:
The Dangers of Maritime Life 34
3. Values for a Dangerous World 70
4. “The Natural Sepulchre of a Sailor”:
Burial at Sea as Ritual Performance 105
5. “Was Never Since Heard Of”: Remembering the Missing 133
6. “Rocks and Storms I’ll Fear No More”:
The Anchor and the Cross 167
7. Conclusions: A Living Tradition 202
Notes 221
Bibliography 239
Index 253

illustrations
Figures
1.1. Mossop/Gilberry family gravestone, recording the loss of Wilfred
Gilberry and the Andacollo 3
1.2. Community monument commemorating the sinking of the
steamer Atlantic 25
1.3. Crew monument from the Seamen’s Bethel, New Bedford, MA,
commemorating two sailors who never returned 26
1.4. Ledger slab for Master John Varrall, who was killed by falling into
the hold of his fishing smack in 1846 27
1.5. Read family gravestone, Portland St. George, Dorset, U.K. 28
1.6. Bow-shaped pulpit in the Seamen’s Bethel, New Bedford, MA 29
1.7. Broken headstone of Master Mariner William Walliss, Hull Holy
Trinity, East Yorkshire, U.K. 31
2.1. Monument for HMS Eurydice, 1878 35
2.2. Denison family monument, Stonington, CT 41
2.3. Memorial for the Queen transport 43
2.4. Detail of the Queen memorial 44
2.5. Mural plaque for British mariner Alfred Nicholls 47
2.6. Cenotaph for Benjamin Ewen 48
2.7. Gravestone of John Peirce 51
2.8. Broken column monument commemorating three brothers who
died in three separate incidents 54
2.9. Monument for Cadet Bowyer Hamilton Guy Freer 55
2.10. Gravestone of mariner William Palmer 58
2.11. Detail of Palmer’s stone, showing harbor scene and Palmer’s
vessel 59
2.12. Cenotaph for Captain Samuel Tucker, Portland, ME 59