A passage to Sri Lanka - in 1818

UK: A British woman's memoirs of her days as a passenger on an historic ship will be on display in an exhibition.

The original diary of a widow who sailed as a passenger with her two young children from Sri Lanka back to Britain on board HMS Trincomalee in 1818 will go on show at Hartlepool's Maritime Experience. The diary of Eliza Bunt has been researched by Mary Hope Monnery, a distant relative of Eliza Bunt, and transcribed and explained separately in a fascinating book.

The diary provides an insight into life on board a Royal Navy frigate during a voyage half way round the world almost two hundred years ago. Bryn Hughes, general manager of the HMS Trincomalee Trust said: "The original diary is an important addition to the trust's collection from the earliest days of the vessel.

"It tells a human story of daily routines from a mother's perspective in what was a challenging environment of service command on the high seas." Jean Hughes, who looks after the archives and records for the HMS Trincomalee Trust, said that Eliza was picked up from Ceylon (which is now Sri Lanka) to come back to Britain following the death of her husband John Bunt, a boatswain at the Trincomalee Dockyard.

She said: "This is the first social diary that we know of and her details her trip back to Britain. "It tells of how she used to stop of at ports to have her washing and linen done and how rough the seas were.

"It also describes what the journey was like for her two young children and all of the things that went on onboard, such as dinner with the officers."

The diary of the journey, which took Eliza six months to complete, has been transcribed by Mary, who lives in Hampshire, and made into a book which is now available to buy.

It will also take pride of place in a display that will be opened this summer. Mary Monnery said: "The diary is a family heirloom, but I am pleased to be loaning it to the trust so that many more people can have the chance of seeing it in the exhibition."

It is planned to display the diary within a new exhibition about the life and times of HMS Trincomalee that will be opened this summer at Hartlepool's Maritime Experience. Mary Monnery's book of the diary will be available to buy at the Trincomalee shop.

Hartlepool Mail