First click on this link and watch this short but entertaining video about this shipwreck:
The video tells the story but after seeing it now I have to add that whatever ship this was it was not necessarily an 'illegal slaver' It was only carrying the currency accepted in Nigeria at that time and this alone does not mean it was dealing with Nigeria for buying slaves after the abolition in 1808. - they may simply have been using the then traditional currency of manillas and beads to purchase other unrelated goods in that country. Its an easy mistake and I too have made the same 'slaver' assumption because of the cargo here in this video. Unless the ship was actually carrying slaves, or fitted out to take that cargo, then it can not be called a slave ship or an illegal slaver. Further to this, Slavers had lots of iron shackles and lots of other related ironwork for imprisoning its human cargo below deck- none of which has been encountered on the site yet to date.
Much has been made over this wreck in modern times and I have been trying to put the record straight regarding this story. I am not saying I am right but the evidence does back up my theory. Certainly, had my theory been put forward before the scant evidence of this wreck being the Douro, then I feel it would be called the wreck of the Custos today on this new evidence. I have not seen any evidence to date that shows this is the wreck of the Douro lost in 1843. The only connection is that the Douro has a report of it being lost in the area-“This vessel, registered at 400 tons’ burthen, with a valuable cargo on board, was totally lost, with all her crew, on the night of Thursday last, the 28th of January, upon the rocks at the westward of the Scilly Islands. At an early hour on the following morning the ill-fated vessel was discovered by some fishermen, with her mast gone, and thrown on the rocks upon her broadside, with the sea making a complete breach over her. They immediately bore down to the spot, but there was no one on board to give them the slightest information; every soul belonging to her had perished. In the course of the morning the vessel bumped so heavily upon the rocks that she soon went to pieces, and part of her cargo came ashore. Several bales of cotton twist, marked ‘K’, in a diamond, 832, Queen-street, Miles, S. and B., 24 Manchester, have been saved from the wreck, also some bales of printed goods, and bundles of hemp. On Saturday, the log book was found about two miles from the spot where the ship struck, from which it appears that she was bound to Oporto, and had reached a number of miles to the westward of the island, when a severe leak being discovered, obliged the crew to put her back, and was no doubt making all possible haste to England when the sad disaster occurred. On the same day four bodies were washed up on the beach, which have been proved to be belonging to the vessel. One of them is supposed to be her unfortunate commander, Mr. Gowland, and others his seamen. The rock upon which the vessel struck is called the Crekavesthan, and is situated about a mile from the beach. The vessel is reported as to be fully insured.”
The above narrative of the Douro states Crekavesthan which must mean Crebawethan. One modern writer states the douro cargo as being “baled goods and brass stops” However I have never been able to find the reference regarding these- "brass stops" to verify the existence of the narrative. If the reference does exist then "Brass stops" could mean- hinges- as hinges were once referred to by that name, or even some other items of ironmongery. However Manillas are referred to as such when regarding the Custos cargo as the narrative below shows-and it is the most telling evidence yet seen and is found in the West Briton 19/9/1856 Auction on St. Mary’s, 2/10/1856.
"Also among the goods reported salvaged and sold from this wreck by Francis Banfield, on the 2nd October, were “191 muskets, 2 casks of musket flints, 136 barrels of gun powder and 4 bags of Manillas.”
As I state in the video above, all these things can be encountered on the sea bed at this wreck site.
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