Description:The Log of the Seagull
The Friends Essay Society was a group of members of the Religious Society of Friends who met at each other's houses one evening a month to read out essays which they had previously written anonymously, either on a subject given to them, or more often, on a subject of their own choice. The evening started with tea, and after each member had read aloud someone else's essay, they had supper.
The essays provide a fascinating insight into the interests, opinions and creativity of individual Friends and mark a striking contrast with the more formal official records of the Religious Society of Friends. ‘The Log of the Seagull’ is an account of a boating and camping trip in July 1858 undertaken by a group of young Friends on the rowing boat 'Seagull' and is one of my favourite ‘essays’ in this volume as it is so charmingly written and beautifully illustrated.
On 12th July 1858, a group of young Friends boarded their 4 oar rowing boat, the ‘Seagull’ at Stratford-upon-Avon to start a two week camping and boat trip. Their itinerary was as follows:
July 12th-14th 1858 - Stratford upon Avon via the river Avon, the river Severn and the Berkley Canal
July 15th-21st 1858 - The river Wye
July 21-22 1858 - By road: Hay, Builth, Llandrindod to Newtown (Powys) on Severn
July 23-27th 1858 - Down the river Severn from Newtown (Powys) via Welshpool to Shrewsbury, Ironbridge and Bewdley
The ‘skipper’ was Wilson Sturge and for varying amounts of time his crew was made up of John W. Shorthouse, Richard Cadbury, Joel Cadbury, Joseph W. Lloyd, Joseph A. Ellis, Wilson Lloyd, Edmund Shorthouse, Thomas Gibbins, and George J. Blakey.
Wilson Sturge was the author of ‘The Log of the Seagull’ and it was illustrated by Richard Cadbury, Wilson Sturge, J. W. Shorthouse, H. J. Newman and J. Price.
Eleanor, Project Archivist (Birmingham and Warwickshire Quakers)