Caliban's Shore: The Wreck of the Grosvenor and the Strange Fate of Her Survivors

In 1782, the large EIC ship, the Grosvenor, left Calcutta with a crew of 132 and an assorted 18-passenger list bound for England. Among them are William Hosea - fleeing possible political scandal - with his wife Mary, their toddler Frances, and their ward Tom Chambers. There are business partners Taylor and Williams, lawyer Newman, and Capt. Coxon, mates Beale, Shaw, and Logie, with the latter's wife Lydia. Next, Col. James and his wife Sophia are escorting 2 French prisoners of war. Lastly, there are 4 children aboard who are off to attend school. Sailing west near the Cape of Good Hope, gales push them close to shore running the Grosvenor aground. 108 survive, but from there it was a 400 mile trek through native territory, desert heat show more and wilderness. Having little to no food, and due to gross miscalculation, the group broke down quickly. Eventually every man, woman and child were left to fend for themselves...

This one stands out among others I've read so far because the survivors moved inland instead of staying on the beach. It is impressively well-researched, Taylor going so far as to interview possible descendants of the survivors and visit the wreckage site. Taylor's writing is a bit theatrical, which successfully heightens the drama once major events unfold. But as engaging as it was, there was definitely fat that could've been trimmed off. For example, Hosea's reasons for leaving are never discussed again despite an early setup. The "indomitable" Eliza Fay, Mary's companion, is given noted significance in Ch. 1 and then simply disappears from the narrative. Finally, other shipwrecks are also described throughout, which was distracting. But I would be shocked if there was a more authoritative text out there on the Grosvenor, outside of the survivors' accounts. I will be checking out more of Taylor's works in the future! show less

An account of the fate of the Grosvenor, an East Indiaman that ran aground off the coast of Africa on its way from India to the U.K. Personal histories mixed with investigation. I was not surprised that the survivors of the grounding split into smaller groups, but the fact that the women and injured being abandoned was shocking. I suppose we have spent so long hearing "Women and Children first".

A thorough and well-researched account of the 1782 wreck of the East Indiaman Grosvenor along the coast of what is now South Africa. Taylor's tracked down some excellent sources, and certainly makes the most of them.

I enjoy ship wrecj tales, partly for what they reveal about people in extreme situations, and also for their exoticism.
Very well researched

A very entertain true survival tale of shipwrecked survivors in Africa at the turn of the nineteenth century.

I liked it. It's about a shipwreck on the African coast. It seems there are many of these shipwreck stories from the age of sail.

The story itself is basically an "everything that could go wrong" tale; it does not end well for most of those involved. I think "harrowing" pretty much sums it up.

Interesting history of early south africa.