The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Royal Benevolent Society, better known as the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, was established by John Rye in February 1839 as a result of the tragic loss of a fleet of fishing boats on the north Devon coast in October 1838.

The Society’s objectives were to give “relief and assistance to the widows and orphans of fishermen; and of mariners, members of the Society, who lose their lives by storms and shipwreck on any part of the coasts of the United Kingdom, while engaged in their lawful occupations; and also to render necessary assistance to such mariners, soldiers, or other poor persons as suffer shipwreck upon the said coasts.”

The Shipwrecked Fishermen & Mariners’ Royal Benevolent Society gave many awards and prizes for heroic endeavours over the years, generally as medals but also in the form of aneroid marine barometers sourced from Dollond with whom they had a solid long term business relationship. In special circumstances, these barometers were presented in oak boxes or housed in carved mantle stands, and one such honoured captain was even presented with a barograph.

The Shipwrecked Mariners Society also had – indeed has – collection boxes, these days most usually repurposed WWII naval mines, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these collection boxes were made of wood.

For more information about the items below and for further examples of such marine barometers, enter “Shipwrecked” in the key word search box to the lefthand side of the web site.

To support the work of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, please click here.