Scale model of the armed yacht Peggy of Castletown
Date made: mid 20th century
Description: Scale-model of the armed, schooner-rigged sailing-boat 'Peggy' of Castletown (built there in 1789 for George Quayle, Bridge House). The model was made, on a scale of 1:12, by the donor in 1949-50. 6 brass models of her cannon mounted on the gunwale were made by Mr W. Cunningham J.P. of Lewaigue.
Peggy is the only surviving example of a small wooden yacht once found in their thousands around the western British Isles. She is very well-preserved, with original paint, masts, tiller, gaff and guns. She is one of the oldest wooden boats to survive and one of few that are not naval vessels. Fitted with drop-keels; an experimental innovation in 1789, no other boat survives from that period with them. George Quayle lived in Castletown between 1757 and 1835. His wider family played a key role in the administration and economy of the Isle of Man during a time of constitutional change, Revestment. Four generations held the office of Clerk of the Rolls at Castle Rushen. The family were heavily involved in high politics as well as the military, economic and social life of the island. Quayle himself was a prominent Manx businessman and politician during the Napoleonic Wars and at the height of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Materials: Brass, wood
Object name: model
Collection: Social History Collection
ID Number: 1954-6414/2