Eyemouth disaster

Coordinates: 55°52′12″N 2°05′28″W / 55.870°N 2.091°W

The granite memorial in Eyemouth, depicting a broken sailing mast

The Eyemouth disaster was a severe European windstorm that struck the southern coast of Scotland, United Kingdom, specifically Berwickshire, on 14 October 1881. 189 fishermen, most of whom were from the village of Eyemouth, were drowned. Many citizens of Eyemouth call the day Black Friday.

Casualties

• Eyemouth - 129
• Burnmouth - 24
• Newhaven - 17^[1]
• Cove - 11
• Fisherrow - 7
• Coldingham Shore - 3

Some boats that had not capsized were wrecked on the Hurkar Rocks. Many houses were also destroyed. Two days later, the Ariel Gazelle turned up in Eyemouth, having braved the storm instead of fleeing.

Aftermath

The bronze memorial at St Abbs - figures of women and children look out to sea

A donation-led relief fund was established to provide financial security to families who had lost members to the storm. The response was significant, bringing in over £50,000 (£4,550,000 in 2015).^[2][3]

The disaster was the subject of a contemporary oil on canvas painting by Scottish artist J. Michael Brown.

See also

• Moray Firth fishing disaster

Notes

1. Edinburgh Evening News Oct15,1881
2. UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Gregory Clark (2016), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)" MeasuringWorth.
3. New Research Paper 2005 template

References

• Peter Aitchison. Children of the Sea: The Story of the People of Eyemouth. Tuckwell Press Ltd, 2001.

Further reading

• "Black Friday" by Peter Aitchison {Birlinn Press, 2006}
• "The Boy Who Came Ashore" by Alan Gay (Dreadful Night Press, 2006)

External links

• The Eyemouth Disaster - Black Friday
• The Eyemouth Disaster of 1881
• Listing of Individuals who Perished
• When the seas swallowed Scotland's fishermen