The Eyemouth Disaster, 1881: Black Friday
Contents
On the morning of Friday 14 October 1881, the fishing fleet of Eyemouth, a small town on the Berwickshire coast, put to sea in calm weather. Within hours, a violent storm struck. Boats were overwhelmed within sight of the harbour, while families watched helplessly from the shore. In all, 189 fishermen from the east coast died, 129 of them from Eyemouth alone. The town lost a large proportion of its working men in a single day. "Black Friday" remains the worst fishing disaster in Scottish history. This card tells the story and how Eyemouth remembers it.
TL;DR
- established On 14 October 1881 a sudden, violent storm struck the fishing fleets of south-east Scotland and north-east England.
- established 189 fishermen were lost, 129 of them from Eyemouth. Others came from Burnmouth, St Abbs, Cove, Newhaven, Fisherrow and elsewhere.
- established Many boats were wrecked on the rocks at the harbour mouth in sight of their families.
- established Across all the communities the disaster left 93 widows and 267 fatherless children; Eyemouth alone had 78 widows and 182 children.
- established The Eyemouth Tapestry, made for the centenary in 1981, is displayed in Eyemouth Museum, and memorial sculptures of the widows and children were unveiled in 2016.
Key Facts
- Date
- Friday 14 October 1881
- Place
- Off the Berwickshire coast
- Total lost
- 189 fishermen
- From Eyemouth
- 129
- Other communities
- Burnmouth 24, Newhaven 15, Cove 11, Fisherrow 7, Coldingham Shore (St Abbs) 3
- Widows and children
- 93 widows and 267 children
- Relief fund
- More than £50,000
- Name
- "Black Friday"
- Memorials
- Eyemouth Tapestry (1981); sculptures (2016)
A Note on Claims and Evidence
Each major claim carries one of three labels. established means supported by primary records, official bodies or several independent reliable sources. shared means the core fact is sound but sources disagree on details, dates or interpretation. traditional means widely repeated but not traceable to a primary or independent source.
The death toll of 189, including 129 from Eyemouth, is the generally accepted figure. Stories that the storm was a punishment for the fishermen's dispute with the church over tithes on fish circulated at the time and are part of local tradition.
Timeline
Eyemouth townspeople rebel against a tithe on fish imposed by the Church of Scotland.
The storm strikes.
Relief fund raised for widows and orphans.
Centenary; the Eyemouth Tapestry completed.
Memorial sculptures of widows and children unveiled.
Details
The morning
established The morning of 14 October 1881 was calm, though the barometer stayed low. After bad weather had kept boats in harbour in early October, the fleet put to sea and fished eight or nine miles offshore. A telegram warning of gales arrived after the boats had left. Around midday the wind rose to hurricane force.
The storm
established Some boats tried to run for Eyemouth harbour, whose narrow entrance is guarded by rocks. Several were wrecked on the Hurker Rocks at the harbour entrance, within sight of the families gathered on the shore; Eyemouth was one of the few harbours not improved after an earlier disaster in 1848. Others were lost at sea. A few reached other harbours or rode out the storm.
The toll
established In all, 189 fishermen from east coast communities died. Eyemouth lost 129 men, devastating the town. Burnmouth, St Abbs, Cove, Newhaven and Fisherrow also lost men. Many families lost several members at once.
Aftermath
established A relief fund raised more than £50,000 across Britain, with Queen Victoria among the first donors. Widows received five shillings a week, which they lost if they remarried, and each child at school received two shillings and sixpence. The disaster crippled Eyemouth's fishing industry for years.
Tradition
traditional At the time, some people interpreted the disaster as divine punishment, because Eyemouth's fishermen had rebelled in 1841 against paying a tithe on their catches to the Church of Scotland. This was a contemporary belief, not an explanation.
Remembrance
established For the centenary in 1981, local people made the Eyemouth Tapestry, recording the disaster, now displayed in Eyemouth Museum. In 2016, bronze sculptures by Jill Watson, representing the widows and children of the lost men, were unveiled in Eyemouth and other affected villages.
Did You Know?
- The disaster happened on Friday 14 October 1881.
- 189 fishermen died, 129 from Eyemouth.
- Some boats were wrecked within sight of the harbour.
- The Eyemouth Tapestry was made for the centenary.
- Sculptures of widows and children were unveiled in 2016.
- A telegram warning of gales arrived after the fleet had sailed.
- The boat Ariel Gazelle rode out the storm and came home two days later with all seven crew.
- Widows lost their relief payment if they remarried.
- The Widows and Bairns sculpture in Eyemouth is about five metres long.
FAQ
1What was the Eyemouth disaster?
A storm on 14 October 1881 that killed 189 fishermen.
2How many from Eyemouth died?
3Why is it called Black Friday?
Because it happened on a Friday and was so devastating.
4How is it remembered?
Through the Eyemouth Tapestry and memorial sculptures.
5Was it the worst Scottish fishing disaster?
It is generally regarded as such.
6How many widows and children were left?
93 widows and 267 children across all the communities affected.
7Why were boats wrecked at the harbour?
They were driven onto the Hurker Rocks at the narrow harbour entrance.
8Who made the 2016 sculptures?
The sculptor Jill Watson, in Eyemouth, St Abbs, Cove and Burnmouth.
Sources and Further Reading
Primary/Institutional
- National Maritime Museum Cornwall, The Bartlett Blog, Sue Fallon and Lynne Vosper, "Black Friday: the great Eyemouth fishing disaster of 14 October 1881", May 2023 (nmmc.co.uk)
Scholarly/Critical
- Peter Aitchison, Children of the Sea: The Story of the Eyemouth Disaster (Tuckwell, 2001)
General
- Atlas Obscura, "Widows and Bairns" (atlasobscura.com)
Caveats: Myths and Disputed Claims
- Do not present the divine punishment belief as an explanation.
A Shadow story