On 14th October 1881 fourty six fishing boats set sail from Eyemouth harbour expecting a moderate storm, however they encountered a near hurricane and by nightfall 26 boats had been lost with 129 men drowned, 78 widows created as well as 82 orphans. Two days later when the storm had abated, one boat, the Ariel Gazelle, sailed into harbour with her crew safe. She had ridden out the storm at sea rather than attempting to return to harbour.
£50,000 or circa £4.5 million pounds in modern terms was raised to help the widows and orphans and to help rebuild the community. William Spears is a local sailor who is remembered for opposing an unusual tax, the Fishing Tithe, that the Church of Scotland imposed on every fishing boat. The tithe had been abolished by the time of the disaster, however in a round about way it contributed to the reason why the fishing fleet decided to set sail that day.
Негізгі бет Ойын-сауық Britain's Worst Ever Fishing Disaster at Eyemouth in 1881, Berwickshire
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