SCORESBY (Rev. William).
Narrative of the Loss of the Esk and Lively, Greenland Whalers, by which Sixty-five Persons Perished;
A VERY RARE SCORESBY NARRATIVE
This scarce work, and only edition, is roughly divided in two, with the first half (just over 40pp) being an account of the wreck of the Whitby-based ships, Esk and Lively. Rev. William Scoresby, Jr. (1789-1857) had only recently been ordained and at that time was curate of Bessingby, near Bridlington Quay, Yorkshire which was less than forty miles south of Whitby.
The Esk was returning from Greenland waters when she was wrecked approaching Whitby. The ship was grounded near the cliffs at Marske. The crew fired guns and a lit a distress light, though the ship was pushed back into deeper water and all but three of the crew were drowned. The Lively fared even worse losing the entire crew of 43 men.
It’s entirely appropriate that Scoresby should’ve have been called upon to write this account and preach the sermon. Not just because of his distinguished career at sea, but he was previously captain of the Esk, from 1813 to 1817, sailing to the Arctic where he made “many of his most important discoveries in Arctic geography, meteorology, and oceanography” (ODNB). These were published in his Journal of a Voyage to the Northern Whale-Fishery (1823).
While there are a handful of copies held in institutions, this work is not recorded at auction.
Sabin, 78179.
