On the morning of 6 May 1682, in unremarkable weather, the Gloucester, a 50-gun frigate of the Royal Navy, collided with a sandbank off the Norfolk coast. The wreck that followed was no ordinary one. For aboard was James, Duke of York, heir to the English throne and a glittering array of fellow travellers. Within hours of the collision, two hundred people were dead.

Today we travel back to the late seventeenth century and to the Norfolk coast to witness that dramatic shipwreck. It was an event that very nearly changed the course of English history.

Guiding us through this enthralling historical story is the author Nigel Pickford, the author of Samuel Pepys and the Strange Wrecking of the Gloucester. Pickford not only tell us about this story but he also gives us a peek into his unusual career, searching the oceans of the world for valuable shipwrecks.

This episode of Travels Through Time is supported by The History Press. To read a beautifully illustrated, exclusive extract from Samuel Pepys and the Strange Wrecking of the Gloucester, head over to Unseen Histories.

As ever, much, much more about this episode is to be found at our website tttpodcast.com.

Click here to order Nigel Pickfords book from John Sandoe’s who, we are delighted to say, are supplying books for the podcast.

Show notes

Scene One: Early Morning, Wednesday 3 May 1682. James, Duke of York, embarks on a royal barge at Putney.

Scene Two: 5am on the morning of 6 May 1682. The wrecking of the Gloucester.

Scene Three: 6 June 1682. Aboard the Charlotte yacht for the court martial of the pilot James Ayres.

Memento: A seventeenth-century wine bottle.

People/Social

Presenter: Peter Moore

Guest: Nigel Pickford

Production: Maria Nolan

Podcast partner: Unseen Histories

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