The Last Voyage of the Gloucester (1682): The Politics of a Royal Shipwreck

Abstract

Abstract The significance of the wreck of the Gloucester on 6 May 1682 en route to Scotland, with James Stuart, duke of York, later James II and VII, on board, is poorly understood. Based on new archival research, this article places the event in its political, cultural and naval contexts in order to re-evaluate its importance to British history and to correct a number of inaccuracies in recent historiography. The wreck occurred at a sensitive political moment when, within the maelstrom of the Exclusion Crisis (1679–81), the Duke was hopeful of securing his place in the succession. However, thanks in part to the cultural vigour of the ‘ship of state’ trope, the disaster risked James being regarded as a pilot and commander unable to steer the nation. Because his political enemies could use the shipwreck as propaganda to undermine his position as heir to the throne, the event in general, and especially the Duke’s behaviour, became popular topics which were debated and contested from Whig and Tory viewpoints. Since the tragedy occurred at sea, one arm of early modern state apparatus that was especially responsive to these debates was the English navy, which was itself in the midst of a power struggle between Crown and admiralty for control over its future direction. The article sheds new light on the far-reaching implications for James’s reign of the sinking of the Gloucester, and argues afresh for the centrality of maritime history to Restoration political history.