Ron Hillsden asks:L G Carr Laughton's monograph on the subject: Old Ship Figureheads and Sterns was reprinted by Conway in 1991, and I believe that Dover Publications may have reprinted it more recently still. Unfortunately, this did not concern itself with figureheads of vessels of the 19th C.
Can someone please point me in the correct direction to research figureheads on British naval vessels? This is a 2 part question.
The first part is how to research figureheads generally because I am interested, and haven't found any information in the usual places.
The second part is maybe someone can describe the figurehead, bust or scroll fitted to HMS Fisgard, 46 guns, 1819, a Leda class frigate?
Two LEDA class frigates remain afloat in Britain. UNICORN in Dundee, and TRINCOMALEE in Harltlepool. There is a drawing and a photo of the figurehead of the latter on page 34 of Lambert's Trincomalee: The Last of Nelson's Frigates Chatham Publishing and Naval Institute Press, 2002. UNICORN figure presumably represented the mythical beast. So what about FISGARD's figure?
According to http://www.vikinganswerlady.org/welsh.htm
"Fishguard in North Pembrokeshire, was also known as Fissigart, Fisgard, Fysgard, Fiscarde, Fiscard, Ffiskard, Fishgard, Fyshcard,Fisshecard, Fishingard, Fissingard, Fyshingegard, Fysshyngarde, Fyshinggard, Ffishingard or Ffishinggard. From O.N. 'fiskr', "a fish"and 'garth', "an enclosure." Fistard, on the southwest of the Isle of Man, is identically derived."
So a fish or fisherman would be one possibility. HMS FISGARD, the
shore-establishment at Torpoint, Cornwall trained Artificer Apprentices. Here's a
picture of the ship's crest ===>:
This shows an armour-clad arm wielding a sledge-hammer, and clearly refers to the nature of the training establishment rather than the frigate FISGARD.
The lighthouse at Esquimalt,Fisgard Light, memorializes the frigate's service
on Canada's West Coast. Any chance that the Provincial Archives have a photo?
HMS TRINCOMALEE also visited Esquimalt many times during her
second commission.
{John H Harland}
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