Sheringham's private lifeboats

Boat Building and Marine Engineering

Wildfowling, Marshmen and Inland Waterways

Lifesaving

Index

Introduction

In the early 19^th century most cargo was transported by sea rather than land. Sailing ships were completely at the mercy of the elements; despite skilled seamanship they could be calmed for days or battered to pieces on rocks and sandbanks.

Those who serve as lifeboatmen often come from families with a history of lifeboat service. Lifeboatmen often turn out in treacherous conditions to rescue complete strangers, not knowing if they will return to their own loved ones. Undaunted they attend rescue attempts time after time. The RNLI today is entirely funded by voluntary contributions, many motivated by the gratitude and relief of those who have been assisted. Lifeboat sheds around the East Coast and elsewhere in the country feature honour boards detailing the history of rescues undertaken, the number of lives saved and the names of lifeboatmen who made the ultimate sacrifice. Lifeboatmen themselves were often more silent and did not talk about the incidents, even when the outcome had been successful. Generally regarded as heroes, they did not view themselves in this way. Coxswain Henry Blogg of Cromer typified this approach and was famously modest and a man of few words.

The North Sea is not a pleasant place. The East Coast has always been one of the most dangerous for shipping in the whole of the British Isles, due to a large number of treacherous, shifting sandbanks, constantly moved by currents, tides and furious storms. Fishermen, merchant seamen and passengers risked their lives in storms and shoal water. Historically people of the East Coast have responded to the physical challenges of the sea. Many have cooperated to prevent disaster occurring to their fellow men, risking their lives serving in lifeboats and through other humanitarian efforts, displaying ingenuity and courage. Many people were motivated to assist, having witnessed disasters for themselves. Beachmen along the East Coast were among the first to engage in rescuing vessels in distress. But a coordinated response was needed. Eventually county services were merged with the founding of the RNLI in the 1850s.

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Lifesaving

Page 7 of 17

Sheringham's private lifeboats

The Upcher fishing boat was built in 1826 with money loaned by Charlotte Upcher of Sheringham Hall. Being the largest fishing boat available, it was also used for rescues until a purpose built lifeboat took its place.

Upcher Fishing and Rescue Boat

The Augusta was Sheringham's first purpose built lifeboat, in service from 1838 until 1894.

The Augusta lifeboat

A traditional, pulling and sailing type, double-ended, clinker-built, wooden lifeboat built by Sheringham boatbuilder Lewis “Buffalo” Emery in 1894

Henry Ramey Upcher Lifeboat

These Sheringham lifeboats are called 'private' to distinguish them from those supplied by the RNLI. They were all contributed through the generosity of the Upcher family of Sheringham Hall.

The first of them was a large fishing boat, The Upcher, which was also used for rescues because it was the largest boat available.

There is not a great deal of information about this boat. In 1826 Charlotte Upcher loaned money to Harry West, enabling him to build a boat which was larger than the other fishing boats in use at the time.

Rescues were not systematically recorded in those days, so it is not clear how many lives were saved. The coxswain and crew were probably chosen on an ad-hoc basis. The dimensions are unknown, but a contemporary painting of the boat survives.

The second lifeboat was purpose built in 1838 and was named The Augusta. The boat was provided by Hon. Mrs Charlotte Upcher and her family in response to loss of life in the seas off our coast, including the tragedy of 29^th November 1836 when seven Sheringham men, including three brothers, were drowned in the “Great Hurricane”. It was built by Robert Sunman, from timbers grown in Sheringham Park. The name was a tribute to the youngest daughter of the family, Augusta Elizabeth Upcher, who had recently died of consumption, aged only 20.

Systematic records of rescues were not kept in those days. Tradition has it that the Augusta was launched over 200 times and saved over 1,000 lives, without a single lifeboatman being lost. The numbers may be exaggerated, but could be true, considering that she was in service for 56 years. At this time there was still a huge amount of coastal traffic, many vessels were overloaded and poorly maintained and entirely at the mercy of the elements.

By the 1890’s the Augusta was suffering from “nail sickness”. The iron nails were rusting and causing the timbers to split and rot. After being replaced by the Henry Ramey Upcher in 1894, the Augusta was stored for more than 50 years in a shed which stood alongside the present shell gallery. At the end of the 1940’s she was briefly used on the Broads by the Norfolk Sea Scouts and was then cut up to be used as garden shelters. Fortunately a scale plan had been made in 1934.

The third and last of the Upcher boats was The Henry Ramey Upcher which was in service from 1894 until 1935. The Henry Ramey Upcher (HRU for short) can be seen still in its original shed, at the top of the "Fishermen's Slope" above Sheringham's West Beach.

The boat was built in 1894 to replace the Augusta which had been in service since 1838. Up to 1867 there was no RNLI lifeboat in Sheringham, but from this date until the HRU was decommissioned in 1935, Sheringham could call on the services of two lifeboats. For much of the HRU's service the RNLI boat was stationed a mile west of of Sheringham town, which made it difficult to reach in an emergency.

There was quite a lot of (usually) friendly rivalry between the crews of the two boats, such as competing in regatta races - the HRU crew won most of these contests.

Like most lifeboats built during this period, the HRU had no engine. It relied on either the muscle power of the crew at its 16 oars or on its sails and wind power if conditions allowed. It was built by Lewis 'Buffalo' Emory, one of a celebrated family of local boat builders.