Tod Stevens & Ed Cumming Ghosts of Rosevear July 2008

I had the pleasure of welcoming Tod Stevens & Edward Cumming on the show in July 2008.
Tod & Ed are both experienced divers and have known each other a long time. Ed Cumming is author & editor of a CD-ROM about the the wreck of the East Indiamen 'Earl of Abergavenny' in 1805. Tod is the author of the 'Wreck of the Colossus, The find of a lifetime'.

Todd & Ed have written a book about the wreck of the Nancy Packet. The book is a story about the wreck of the boat 'Nancy' on the Western Rocks, off the Isles of Scilly, one of its passengers and the Island of Rosevear.
The passenger in question was Ann Cargill who was a famous Opera singer of that time, late 1700's. She had been the subject of huge and many scandals to do with her affairs and elopements. Her last lover was known to be Captain John Haldane, known as the unluckiest commander in the British East India Company. Captain Haldane was also the father of her son. She left India, where there had been questions about her fidelity, after the British Prime Minister ordered her 'off the pure shores of India' . A boat, the Nancy, was found for John Haldane to captain and escort her back to London on. Three months into their journey the ship ran into raging storms off the Isles of Scilly and there it was wrecked. It was said that Ann was found with the child still clasped to her body.
Rosevear is an island within the Western Rocks. One hundred years later when the Bishop Rock Lighthouse was being built men lived on this island. They reported strange sightings & occurences and said they heard singing, Ann singing to her child?

I haven't got the transcript of the show anymore but I did ask Todd and Ed why they chose this wreck, as they had been diving on a few. They felt this particular wreck had this fascinating story behind it of the scandalous Ann Cargill. I also asked them where the design for their book cover came from. It was a coincidence that this picture was donated to the Isles of Scilly Museum at the time they were looking for something suitable.

Todd also writes poetry and one of his poems is in the book 'Lullaby of Rosevear' the 1st & 6th verse goes:
Look not beyond these arms my child,
fear not the waves so high.
Mother will keep you safe from harm,
and the tempest wild awry.

This song I sing my baby boy,
disguises horrors all around,
the death; the pain; the reaper's call;
the breaking ship upon the ground.