"A few of us have got together to tidy up the grave of the Rev Stephen Roose Hughes. He was the one who attended to the bodies of those washed up from the Royal Charter, and also to their families. I think the stress of it hit him badly, because he died himself only a few years later.
We've repaired and tidied up his grave in the Church at Llanallgo, because we think it's important to commemorate his work for those who died on the Royal Charter. 147 of the passengers are buried at Llanallgo, too, though they don't have individual graves."
your comments
Jean Roberts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A
Do we have any records of the others who work tirelessly I wonder - like my mother's grandfather (Mr. Francis) who, according to her, dived many times and retrieved "buckets of gold coins from the deep" for the "officials". He had earlier on in the night "thrown a rope against heavy winds" to form a life line for those still on board the ship. She said that there was a newspaper report on this although we never saw it.She said that those on land could talk (yell) to the survivors who were still on the wreck!
My mother was born in Holyhead in 1896 and repeated many 'accounts' of the tragedy. My school friend Dr Kenneth Roberts,(we were class of 1953 Holyhead County School)visited Moelfre to see the church a few years ago (it was locked)and were dismayed to see what a bad state the grave of the Rev.was in. We also loitered to read the small Cenotaph erected in the memory of Charles Dickens and all the work he did protecting the reputation of the villagers in the Liverpool hearings.
I look forward this summer when I am home again to revisiting the church and graveyard and celebrate the wonderful respect given to the resting place of Rev Hughes. Da iawn a diolch yn fawr iawn. I also hope the church will be open this time. I will be anxious to see where Rev Hughes worked identifying the victims. I have "Ofnadwy Nos" by T Llew Jones and in my library and recommend it to native Welsh speakers. Wed,Feb 4th 2009.
Thu Feb 5 10:21:02 2009
Kenny Jones, Chester
Yes, the ship it self was built in Sandycroft, my birthplace in Flintshire, a great feat in its day. Yes the said man was a hero, however there were persons of wicked character who robbed the dead on the beaches of anything of value, this soured the heroic attempts of the brave people of Moelfre who tried to save the crew and passengers.
Fri Jul 18 09:21:09 2008
Peter Day, near Marianglas, Anglesey
I have been a church warden of St Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo, since 1989 and am also one of the Lay Readers Team in the Parish. My great great uncles Charles & Robert Williams (who moved from Beaumaris to Chester in 1850) were both shipwrights on the building of the Royal Charter. My cousin uses the Tool Chest of Robert Williams as a linen chest. I commenced diving on the Royal Charter in 1972 and continued until I outgrew my diving suit about 2004!
Mon Jan 7 09:33:18 2008
Randy Kerr Yorba Linda California
Mr J.B.Murray, his wife and two children were lost in the wreck. I believe he was a great great grand uncle who was born near Doronoch Scotland. My mother was a Murray whose family immigrated to Canada in about 1830. With all the work Rev Hughes went to notify relatives, are there any records available today to the public?
Wed Feb 28 08:53:41 2007
Margaret Roberts Anglesey
The name of the Parish Council of Llanallgo, had, by 1991 when it carried out the restoration of Rev S.Roose Hughes memorial been changed to Moelfre Community Council. The Clerk to the council at the time was the late Mr Rodney Hughes whose original idea it was to have a small maritime museum in the village. This came to fruition with the building of the Seawatch or Gwylfan, which houses a few artifacts off the Royal Charter amongst othe interesting objects, an old lifeboat and a fund raising shop for the R.N.L.I. It has the latest technology for scanning the sea around the Bay not to mention the p! linth on which stands the amzing statue of Coxwain Dick Evans.
Wed Jan 17 11:51:36 2007
Margaret Roberts, Anglesy
Thanks to David Evans who in 2003 tidied up the grave of Stephen Roose Hughes and my special thanks go to the response of the Parish Council of Llanallgo who in 1991 carried out a complete restoration of the tombstone of this great humanitarian. Prior to that year a female warden of the church would precariously climb over the railings to keep down the overgrowth. Our most grateful thanks must surely go to his widow Anne who left us this memorial:- Sacred to the memory of the Reverend Stephen Roose Hughes A.M. for 10 years Rector of Llaneugrad and Llanallgo. He was a faithful Pastor, a warm hearted friend, and charitable to the poor. He died February 4th 1862 aged 47. "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy" Math v7. His noble and disinterested exertions on the memorable occasion of the terrible wreck of the Royal Charter are well known throughout the world. The subsequent effects of those exertions proved too much for his constitution and suddenly brought him to an early grave. This tombstone was erected as an affectionate tribute to his memory by his widow Jane Anne Roose Hughes.
Following Anne's death she was buried in her sister's grave on the Church Island of Llantysilio in the Menai Strait.
Stephen Roose Hughes was a descendent of Johnathan Roose {see Parys Mountain Amlwch) who originally came fron Birchover, Derbyshire.
Thu Jan 11 16:36:01 2007
A Rogers, Liverpool
I bought a house lock stock and barrle from a relative of the captain of the Royal Charter
and found a piece of paper stating that he was trying to get back to Liverpool in 60 days due to a wager, in the Pineapple Pub, Mill Street where his slippers where being kept warm for him by the fire. Also i have the family photo album.
Thu May 12 23:04:49 2005
Peter Wilding from Kerikeri, NZ
The first chapter of "The Uncommercial Traveller" (Dickens) gives a first-rate account of the humanity and sincerity of the Hughes brothers during the period of the tragedy.
Sun Nov 21 04:19:33 2004
