Birth not found on GRO.
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Births and Christenings, Edwin Chatfield
Gender: Male
Baptism/Christening Date: 10 Jun 1842
Baptism/Christening Place: St. Clements, Hastings, Sussex, England
Father's Name: John Chatfield
Mother's Name: Jane
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C13558-9
System Origin: England-EASy
Source Film Number: 1067177
Reference Number: item 9 p 154
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England, Devon, Parish Registers
Name Edwin Chatfield
Age 28
Death or Burial Date 1862
Death or Burial Place Stoke Damerel, Devon, England
Birth Year (Estimated) 1834
Page Number 160
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1861 census at Plymouth aged 20 mariner.
Census, 1861 for Edwin Chatfield
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Birthplace: Hastings, Sussex
Record Type: Vessel
Registration District: British Ships In Home Ports
It is likely that this is the Edwin who drowned when the fishing boat "Crystal Palace" went down in a storm off Plymouth.
Hastings and Area, Past and Present
9th March 1862 tragedy.
The sinking of the Hastings lugger Crystal Palace.
OnThisDay, March 9th 1862, left six widows and 11 children under 12 years old unsupported. The Crystal Palace was on the western mackerel voyage and trying to enter Plymouth harbour in a gale, when she shipped two seas and went down immediately. Seven men and a boy were lost in this one tragedy, the worst to befall a Hastings boat between at least 1850 and today. The crew were George Page (skipper), George Sargent, Joseph Cramp, James Peters, William Down, Edwin CHATFIELD, Henry Swain and the boy, William Bates. Sargent’s wife was in labour on the day of the tragedy. In addition, another man, John Sargent, was washed overboard from another boat, the Palace, on the same day at Plymouth bringing the total loss to nine. The mayor of Hastings immediately started a public fund, collecting more than £500 in three months. Most of this money went to the widows and orphans, but the owners of the Crystal Palace also asked for - and received - £17 9s 6d that they had given to the widows prior to the accident as an advance on their husbands’ wages! Pictured is the appeal that appeared in various newspapers and other places. I was confused at the date in that being given as the 8th but with the help of Nona at the Fishermen's Museum last year and a HSLO newspaper cutting from the time it is clear that the fishing fleet that left Plymouth in search of mackerel on 8th March was struck by a terrible storm and some boats rode it our overnight. Sadly the Crystal Palace was swamped by sea at around 11am the next morning, Sunday 9th, while attempting to navigate a breakwater off Plymouth. No bodies were found and the stern washed ashore that afternoon which is how they knew which boat had sunk. How awful that the boat owners wanted back the wages they had advanced to the dead men before the trip! See also a newspaper clipping in the comments.
Source: Fishermen of Hastings by Steve Peak © 1985.
