Sir Francis Drake and the lead coffin?!
Christian:
I have read that Sir Francis Drake had a sea burial in full armor and being put into a lead coffin. The lead coffin is still being searched for. However I wonder if it would really be likely to have a lead coffin onboard of a ship for such a purpose!? Wouldn't it be more likely to have him put into a regular coffin, made by teh ships carpenter, along with some possibly lead weights or other sort of weights?
Cause if it was no lead coffin, everything will be long gone.
Any thoughts on this?
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Christian
seldom:
Maybe they had sheets of lead on board for repairs and covered a wood coffin with it. Most burials at sea I have read about the body was just wrapped in sail cloth and chains for weight.
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hardluck:
Hello All
Thank you christian for an interesting post.
Seldom here is possible answer to your question.
Here is a little more info about drakes coffin. In the expeditions surviving inventories which show a discrepancy in the weight of sheet lead taken on the outward voyage. And with that which the expedition returned. The amount was precisely the amount which would be needed to cover a 6x2x2 foot wooden box.
In 1601 William Parker who was a friend of Drake in his Journal mentioned Drakes burial:
Being safely come forth from Portobelo we rode in our pinnaces and shallops behind a small island which lay betwixt us and wester fort of Lago. Under my vice admiral Rawlins brought two ships thiter, which rode somewhat eastward of the castle San Felipe, under the rock where Drakes coffin was thrown overboard.
This small island is Portobelo's Verde or known Drakes Island.
SidneY Wignall in 1975 attempted to locate the coffin in 1975 but was unsuccessful. Today with modern equipment a better chance in locating the lead coffin in the mud of the harbor.
If there is a will of course.
Hardluck ;)
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seldom:
Being safely come forth from Portobelo we rode in our pinnaces and shallops behind a small island which lay betwixt us and wester fort of Lago. Under my vice admiral Rawlins brought two ships thiter, which rode somewhat eastward of the castle San Felipe, under the rock where Drakes coffin was thrown overboard.
Wonder why they did not bury in on the island?
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hardluck:
Hello Seldom
Perhaps Drake being a Seaman wanted to be buried at sea?
Hardluck ???
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Sue:
Do you think Wignall would haul the coffin up and out? Drake's 400 yr RIP is quite a long time.
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seldom:
Hardluck
After I posted that I thought that he might have requested a sea burial. It could have been a honor it that day and time.
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Christian:
I've heared that he's had a sea burial. It might be difficult to find the coffin as the iron from his armor might be to little for using a magnetometer?
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hardluck:
Hello Christian
Sydney Wignall did discover a lead object on the sea floor but it was not a 2ft by 6ft lead coffin.
The sea floor was littered with many shipwrecks around Portobelo and near Drakes Isle.It makes it hard to scan the sea floor.
Hardluck :)
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Historybookboy:
Hope I find this :-)
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