´óÏó´«Ã½

Turpin's caulking tools

Contributed by Cornwall Museums

Turpin's caulking tools

THIS OBJECT IS PART OF THE PROJECT 'A HISTORY OF CORNWALL IN 100 OBJECTS'.

FOWEY MUSEUM. Most early Cornish ships and boats were built of timber or wood in the creeks and rivers of south Cornwall and beaches on the north. Mr Turpin, the owner of these caulking tools, was a local traditional boat builder. Demand for trading vessels like schooners increased in the 19th century when much of Cornwall's mineral wealth went out by sea.
Carvel-built vessels were regularly waterproofed with oakum and pitch. Oakum was useless rope picked apart in Bodmin Jail by convicts and put into seams with a caulking iron and a long mallet. Swedish pitch was used to preserve the oakum. According to Richard Trewavas, the Mousehole poet, when his ship 'Minerva' was completed at St Michael's Mount in 1785: 'the oakum boys her gaping seams did staunch, Pitched o'er sides and then prepared to launch.'

Fowey museum also has a good collection of ship models and part of the stern board of the 'Adelaide'.

Photo: Bernie Pettersen

Comments are closed for this object

Share this link:

Most of the content on A History of the World is created by the contributors, who are the museums and members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ or the British Museum. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site’s House Rules please Flag This Object.

About this object

Click a button to explore other objects in the timeline

Location

Cornwall

Culture
Period
Theme
Size
Colour
Material

View more objects from people in Cornwall.

Podcast

´óÏó´«Ã½ iD

´óÏó´«Ã½ navigation

´óÏó´«Ã½ © 2014 The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.