Westmorland (ship) facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Great Britain |
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| Name | Westmorland |
| Captured | By French (1779); later recaptured |
| General characteristics | |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament | 26 guns |
The Westmorland was a British ship from the 1700s. It was a 26-gun privateer frigate. This means it was a fast ship with many guns, owned by private people, but allowed by the British government to attack enemy ships. The Westmorland sailed in the Mediterranean Sea. Its job was to fight French ships during the American Revolutionary War. This war involved Great Britain and its American colonies, with France supporting the Americans.
Contents
The Westmorland's Important Voyage
The most famous event in the Westmorland's story happened in late 1778. The ship was sailing from Livorno, Italy, back to Britain. Captain Michael Wallace was in charge. The ship carried a lot of money from selling salt cod (a type of fish) from Newfoundland. Livorno was a big trading port for this fish.
What Was on Board?
Besides money, the Westmorland carried food. It also had 57 crates of amazing art and valuable objects. These items were collected by wealthy travelers on a "Grand Tour". A Grand Tour was a long trip through Europe, often taken by young, rich people to learn about art and culture. Famous people like the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Norfolk had collected some of these treasures.
Chased by French Warships
In January 1779, four French ships started chasing the Westmorland. Two of these were large warships: the Caton (with 64 guns) and the Destin (with 74 guns). Captain Wallace tried to escape, but his ship had fewer guns. He soon realized he had to let the French sailors board his ship.
The French took control of the Westmorland. They then allowed it to sail to Málaga, Spain. At this time, Spain was friendly with France, but not yet officially at war with Britain.
The Art's Journey to Spain
In Málaga, the French government passed the art to two trading companies. These companies had connections to Ireland. Captain Wallace protested, saying the ship was full of "extremely precious goods." The French had already taken the money cargo.
The Spanish king, Charles III, was told about the art. His prime minister, the Count of Floridablanca, informed him. Later, when Spain officially declared war on Britain, King Charles III secretly bought the art. He paid 360,000 silver reales to a group of merchants in Madrid. This was a large sum of money. The art was then brought by carts to the capital city.
Some portraits, like those of Basset and Lord Lewisham, were bought by the Spanish Prime Minister.
What Happened to the Treasures?
The British government tried to get the art back. The British ambassador demanded that the art be returned. They also wanted the Westmorland's crew back in exchange for French and Spanish prisoners.
However, almost all of these valuable art pieces are still in Spain today. They are kept in places like the Prado Museum and the Real Academia. There were only a few exceptions:
- Some Catholic religious items meant for the Duke of Norfolk were returned unopened to the Vatican.
- A painting called Perseus and Andromeda by Mengs ended up in the collection of Catherine the Great in Russia, at the Hermitage Museum.
In 1784, the insurance company in London paid out £100,000 for the lost art. This was a huge amount of money at the time.
The Ship's Final Fate
As for the Westmorland itself, it was renamed and joined the Spanish fleet. But later, the British recaptured it in the Caribbean.
The Art on Display Again
In 2012, many of the artworks captured from the Westmorland were shown in an exhibition. It started at the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University in England. Then, it traveled to the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, United States.
See also
In Spanish: Westmorland (navío) para niños
