The small village of Moelfre on Anglesey is famous for its sad association with the wreck of the "Royal Charter" a steam and sailing ship that foundered just off the coast on the 26 October 1859. The ship was making its way from Melbourne to Liverpool, many passengers bringing with them hard-earned gold from the Australian goldfields. The ship foundered in hurricane force winds within a short distance of the shore, 'almost 500 men, women and children, drowned'. Such a terrible disaster was world news, and no less a person than Charles Dickens came to Moelfre to report on the tragedy visiting and interviewing the Rector of Llanallgo Church where many of the bodies were laid out. The wrecking of the "Royal Charter" led to the introduction of gale warnings for shipping.
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Keywords:1859, charles dickens, cymru, disasters, gales, moelfre, royal charter, ship-wrecks, ships, victorians, villages, wales, weather
