Tour Scotland 4K Winter travel video of the memorial statue to fishermen lost at sea on ancestry visit to Pittenweem on the coast and waters of the East Neuk of Fife. The sculpture depicting a woman and child looking out to sea was created by Edinburgh artist Alan Herriot. It bears the inscription: “ The memorial is dedicated to the men and women who make their living from the sea and to those who have lost their lives in doing so. ” It is thought around 400 lives have been lost in a 28 mile stretch of the Firth of Forth off the East Neuk since the early 1800s. Many of them were never recovered. The design for Mr Herriot’s sculpture was based on the work of renowned local painter John McGhie and was chosen following a competition. On Monday 19 November 1875 there was a great storm. Five East Neuk boats were lost with all hands when heading home after the East Anglian herring season. Over 40 boats from Cellardyke, 9 from Pittenweem and 30 from St Monans had gone south to the fishing off Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. The journey took between 32 and 50 hours. In total, two boats from Cellardyke and three from St Monans were lost. Three crewmen were swept overboard from other vessels. Skipper James Murray and a crew of six were lost with the Janet Anderson of Cellardyke. Nothing is known of what happened although the helm was later washed up at Cullercoats. The body of a tall, dark-haired man with the initials JM tattooed on his arm was washed up at Cockburnspath. James Murray's brother went to view the body but it was not the skipper of the Janet Anderson. James Murray was to have been married on his return home. His body, and those of the crew, were never found. The Vigilant of Cellardyke was also lost with skipper Rob Stewart and a crew of six. The St Monans boats lost were the Beautiful Star with skipper James Paterson, the Thane with skipper Thomas Fyall and the Quest with skipper David Allan. Each of these boats had a crew of six, and all were lost. The Quest was found washed up on the coast at Norfolk. Owing to the practice of brothers and, or, sons and fathers working together on the same boat, each had more than one member of the same family on board.
Fishing was a dangerous occupation, and over the years a number of boats from Cellardyke were lost. On the 6th of April 1826 a boat was lost. Seven of the crew perished and one survived. On the 28th of May 1844 a boat with eight crew members was lost. Two years later, on the 23rd of April 1846 a boat with seven crew was lost. On the 3rd of November 1848 a boat with eight crew was lost. The next loss occurred on the 10th of May 1865, when a boat with eight crew disappeared. In 1910 a boat from Pittenweem sank off Cellardyke with the loss of three lives. There was one survivor. In addition, on the 1st of July 1837 a boat from Cellardyke carrying people on an excursion to the Isle of May as part of a celebration for the start of the herring fishing foundered. Seventeen women and children lost their lives.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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