Sevenoaks Talk: Sir Cloudsley Shovell and Longtitude with Peter Daniel

The Story of Crayford's Famous Admiral.

On 21 October 1707 a fleet of 21 ships, homeward-bound from the Mediterranean, entered the English Channel in stormy weather, led by their flagship Association, under Sir Cloudesley Shovell. Shovell conferred with his fleet about where they were longitudinally, and it was agreed that they had reached the French island of Ushant, off Brittany. In fact, they were much further north, near the Isles of Scilly, which mark the northern Channel approaches.

The following night, Association smashed into rocks west of Scilly, followed by  the Eagle, Romney and Firebrand. All four - with over 2,000 men - were lost, and only 25 mariners survived.

The Scilly Naval Disaster provided the trigger for the Board of Longitude's quest to determine longitude at sea. The result was the Longitude Act 1714, which offered a reward of £20,000 to the first person to discover a reliable means of determining that measurement.

Doors open 10.45am Meeting starts 11am

No booking, just turn up.

The Society is a registered charity and membership fees and donations are an important part of our income. The Talk is free to members but guests and visitors are asked to make a donation towards hall hire and speaker's fee. There will be a donations box at the venue.

There is a large public car park (payment required, 50p for 2 hours, £1 for 3 hours) adjacent to the hall but it can be busy.