Lost at Sea off Sheringham

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SAVING LIVES - SHERINGHAM'S PRIVATE LIFEBOATS

Index

Introduction
Sheringham's private lifeboats
Lost at Sea off Sheringham (current page)

Introduction

For just over a hundred years, starting in 1826, lifeboats donated by the Upcher family of Sheringham Hall played a vital role in rescuing fishermen and other sailors in distress off the North Norfolk coast near Sheringham.

This exhibition tells the story of the Upcher, the Augusta and the Henry Ramey Upcher lifeboats. The Henry Ramey can be seen, still in its original shed, at the Fishermen's Heritage Centre.

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SAVING LIVES - SHERINGHAM'S PRIVATE LIFEBOATS

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Lost at Sea off Sheringham

Fishing was a dangerous occupation and fishermen had frequently to take risks in stormy seas to support their families. Their families were in constant fear that their menfolk would not return when they set out on fishing expeditions.When tragedies occurred in tight-knit communities the effect was profound. Occasionally more than one member of a family was lost in the same disaster.

The board shown here, which hangs in the Fishermen's Heritage Centre, commemorates Sheringham men who died at sea over the last two hundred years.

The hazards of fishing in the North Sea are reflected here in the list of local fishermen who perished regardless of the attempts of lifeboat crews to rescue them. Despite their life-long experience of working off the beach, fishermen were sometimes caught out by a sudden change in the weather. In past times weather forecasts were unreliable or non-existent, and fishermen had to take risks in order to earn their livings.

Note the large losses in 1836 which prompted the construction of the Augusta, Sheringham's first purpose built lifeboat. There were also many losses from 1878 to 1880.