List entry Summary
This site has been assessed under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 for the historical, archaeological or artistic importance of the vessel, or of any objects contained or formerly contained in it which may be lying on the sea bed in or near the wreck. The site currently does not meet the criteria for protection. It is not protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973
Reference Number: 1442793
Name: HMS Primrose
Location
Named Location:
MANACLES SOUTH CORNWALL
Location Description:
North of Minstrel Rock, the Manacles, east of Manacle Point, Cornwall.
Competent Authority: Not applicable to this List entry.
The site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
Latitude: 50.04700000
Longitude: -5.05010000
National Grid Reference: SW8172920777
Date of Decision:: 19-Dec-2016
Description
Summary of Site
The wreck comprises the partial remains of HMS Primrose, a brig-sloop built in 1807 which struck on the night of 22 January 1809 on the Manacles, with the loss of all hands. The vessel was bound for Corunna in the aftermath of the eponymous battle, one of the most significant of the Peninsular campaign. The wreck lies at a depth of 15m north of Minstrel Rock, the Manacles, Cornwall.
Reasons for Revoking the Protection of Wrecks (Designation) Order
It is not recommended to designate the remains of HMS Primrose under either the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 nor the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
History
HMS Primrose was built by Nicholls of Fowey in 1807 as a second-generation brig-sloop or sloop of war of the Cruizer-class, one of the most significant classes ever built for the Royal Navy in terms of numerical strength and period of development, during the Napoleonic Wars. Such vessels were useful for dispatch and transport activity and it was in this role that HMS Primrose left Falmouth to sail to Corunna in the aftermath of the battle there on 16 January 1809. On the night of 22 January 1809 Primrose struck the Manacles with the loss of all but one boy: in an unusual coincidence, the vessel Dispatch, returning from Corunna, was lost on the nearby Black Head the same night. The victims of both wrecks are interred at the Church of St. Keverne and are commemorated both inside and outside the church, with a gun raised from the Primrose now outside the church.
Selected Sources
Other
Wessex Archaeology (2016) HMS Primrose (1807), The Manacles, Cornwall, Undesignated Site Assessment
Chart
This copy shows the entry on 28-Mar-2024 at 11:09:33.