A to-scale model of the Bristol-built gun ship The Severn, found last year in a locked
cupboard at Berkeley Castle, has been formally identified and is going on
public display for the first time in September 2013. It was built as a model
for ship-builders to use in the dockyard to check dimensions for the full-sized
ship. The Severn was launched in
Bristol in April 1786.
Charles Berkeley with 'The Severn'
The inscription on the painted frieze around the top
of its original case states: The Severn a
fifth rate of 44 guns built at Bristol & launched in April 1786 under
inspection of John Miall of His Majesty’s Navy, length of the keel 139-10,
breadth moulded 37-10 ½, burthen in tons 877.
These facts appear accurate
according to David Lyon, The Sailing Navy
List, Conway Maritime Press, 1993.
Simon
Stephens and Richard Endsor of the National Maritime Museum have assessed the
ship and have found it to be a genuine, original scale model. Its dimensions
indicate that it was made to the standard navy board scale of ¼ inch to the
foot and was likely made as a working model for the dockyard, used to ensure
that the full-sized version timbers were cut to the correct length.
The
ship was discovered in a locked cupboard in the Castle last year and its
significance, as a piece of British naval history, is welcome news. It adds to
the sizeable archive collection of maritime paintings and memorabilia held at
Berkeley Castle.
Charles
Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle, said;
“My
family has a well-charted history of Royal naval involvement and I am thrilled
to be able to share this beautiful instructional piece of history with Berkeley
Castle visitors. I hope that its obvious craftsmanship is of interest to young
and old alike.”
The Severn will be displayed in the
Picture Gallery, alongside an existing model of an unidentified 70 gun ship
which is thought to have been commissioned by one of the Berkeley family to
commemorate their time served in the Royal Navy. The Picture Gallery houses a
mainly Dutch collection of paintings, including a number of pictures featuring
ships with a Berkeley connection. Sporting and hunting subjects are also shown,
with a fine painting by George Stubbs as the centrepiece.
The
Severn was wrecked at Granville Bay, Jersey, on 21 December 1804. The Berkeley
Castle team would be interested to hear from anyone with a known involvement
with the ship – either its building in Bristol or its naval history. You can
contact the Berkeley Castle Estate team by emailing info@berkeley-castle.com.
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