The sinking of the smack ‘Caledonia’ Redcar Rocks
(Taken from The Redcar, Coatham and Cleveland Literary Magazine 15^th July 1902)

March, 27^th, 1808 – The smack “Caledonia,” Hill master, of Aberdeen, from Aberdeen to London, with a general cargo, with a general cargo, wind East, wrecked on Redcar Rocks. Seventeen lives lost. Six of the crew saved. The disastrous wreck of the “Caledonia” is probably one of the worst that has ever happened at Redcar. It is actually the worst wreck of which there is and define record. John Hutton writes thus concerning it:-

“In March, 1808, the Caledonia, a stout vessel from Aberdeen, for London, hovered a day or two near the shore, and on the night of the 25^th, being rather careless in their reckoning, the vessel touched upon these rocks. The whole crew were asleep, except the man upon the watch, who not apprehending danger, was unwilling to disturb them. There were twenty three persons on board.

Danger increasing, he awakened the people; they fired one gun distress, which was not heard on shore, it being midnight. The people urged the Captain to fire again, who refused it. Their situation becoming desperate, he ordered them to fire, but, alas! The powder was wet. Their danger was extreme; the vessel was going to pieces. Sixteen took to the boat, and were all lost.

Morning approached, and their dreadful situation was seen, the lifeboat heaved out, and the remaining seven with great difficulty were saved.

The dead bodies of ten were found, brought and laid upon a bench at the Red Lion in Redcar; those of the other six were never found.

Their friends were written to: two gentlemen came from Aberdeen, ordered their funerals and discharged the expenses. They now lie in Mark church–yard.

Melancholy curiosity induced me to visit their tombs, They lie five in a row, a yard and a half asunder; and four feet below them lie the other five in the same order; two of them have head stones, Captain Booth, aged 50 died March 26, 1808; and – Burnett, Esq., aged 50, died March 26, 1808 and – Burnet, Esq., aged 18 years. This young gentleman was probably a relation of Bishop Burnet, as they were both of the same place. The names of the ten were John Mather, John Clay, Thomas Henry, John Burnet, William Heeley, William Pee, William Philips, John Runsey, John Booth, and Samuel Mackey.

The Caledonia, I am told, split horizontally, and drifted a mile or more, and the lower part still lies in a chasm in the rock where she was wrecked. I saw two hundred pieces: one part of a mast 50 feet long, which now lies in the sands, but is sold for six pounds.”

Old Mr. Hutton- he was over eighty when he wrote – then proceeds to moralise as follows:- “ There is nothing easier, says Lord Bacon, than to tell a man how he should have acted, when a thing is done; but nothing is harder than to direct the best way before it is begun. It is, however surprising that the people of the Caledonia should have been so completely off their guard, as all were asleep except one ignorant man. They knew the coast, had hovered about one or two days, were well acquainted with the extent of Crab-Scar, for they must have seen its full dimensions every ebb. Though the considerate man will make great allowance for the weakness of human nature; yet he cannot peruse this melancholy tale without sorrow. He cannot read it without blame. There was no storm, and I was assured the tragical accident arose from neglect. The un-happy Captain must have forgotten, that not only his own life was at stake, but that of others depended wholly upon him for safety. They were neutral sufferers and deserving of more pity.”

It will be noted that the Record kept by Mr. Coulson states that seventeen lives were lost, while Hutton says sixteen. In either case there was a deplorable loss of life. The names given by Hutton do not in some cases agree with those entered in the parish register book at Marske. The names according to the latter were as follows.
March 30 – Capt. John Booth, of Aberdeen.
March 30 – Capt. Wm. Heley, of the Caledonia, smack, of Aberdeen.

March 30 – Joseph S -, Mate, of the Caledonia, smack, of Aberdeen.
March 30 – James MacHie, Seaman, of the Caledonia, smack, of Aberdeen.
March 30 – John Runsey, Seaman, of the Caledonia, smack, of Aberdeen.
March 30 – William Philip, Seaman, of the Caledonia, smack, of Aberdeen.
March 30 – Andrew Creig, Seaman, of the Caledonia, smack of Aberdeen.
April 4 - Mr. John Mather, Passenger, aged 56.
April 4 - Mr. Thomas Henry, Passenger, Aged 30.
April 4 - Mr. John Burnett, Passenger, aged 18.

It will be seen, too, from this that the surname of the master of the “Caledonia” was Heley, and not Hill as entered in Mr. Coulson’s Record.

We are indebted to the Rev. F. Grant Hames, Vicar of Marske, for the extract from the register.

Richmond also notes the wreck of the “Caledonia” but briefly in less than a couple of lines. He says, “Out of 29 passengers and seamen only 6 saved,” which is an incorrect statement. The “Book of the Lifeboat” (p.120) says that portions of the granite with which the “Caledonia” was laden were used in paving the footpaths in Moore Street, Redcar, and were only removed about 1890, and that odd pieces were, at the time the book was published, viz. 1894, still to be found as relics of the catastrophe.

Many people in this area are not aware of what was a significant shipping disaster, immediately off our coast that amounted to a great loss of life. It can be further pointed out that since this vessels name came onto the ‘Shipwrecks’ section of Redcar.org, a living relative in Texas USA has been traced to one of the deceased crew.