The Royal Charter was a steam clipper built in the Sandycroft Ironworks in Deeside. At 236 feet in length and weighing 2719 tonnes she was the fastest ship of the time on the Australia run, capable of making the run in less than 60 days. With room for up to 600 passengers including luxury first class accommodation.
In October of 1859 she was making the return trip from Melbourne to Liverpool with an estimated 370 passengers on board, many of which were gold miners who had struck it rich and were carrying their bounty home.
On 25th October she rounded Holyhead, despite apparently being advised to put in for shelter the captain sailed on hoping to pick up the Liverpool pilot off point Lynas.
By now the wind had risen to Force 10 which made it impossible for the pilot to reach the vessel and Captain Thomas Taylor was forced to drop anchor at around 11pm.
As the wind rose to hurricane force 12 the port anchor chain gave way at 1.30 am followed by the starboard chain within the hour.
With the tide rising and the steam engines unable to make any headway against the wind the Royal Charter was driven on to the rocks below in the dark during the early hours of the 26th October. The ship broke apart and was quickly lost. An estimated 450 people lost their lives on fateful morning many of which were smashed by the waves on to the rocks rather than drowning. Of the 21 passengers and 18 crew that did survive all were men, not a single woman or child survived the disaster.
On the headland above the wreck site stands a memorial to those lost and another stands in the churchyard at Llanallgo where many of the bodies were buried.
A large quantity of gold was said to be washed ashore and several local families became rich overnight. One tale tells of a family giving tea to the man from the revenue, pouring tea from the pot allegedly containing gold coins from the wreck. Another mentions bullion painted black being used as a doorstop.
Standing here today on a calm day it is difficult to imagine what it must have been like on that night with the wind howling and the waves crashing. Parts of the wreck now lie buried in the sand just yards from the shore. So near and yet so far, a fact brought home when you consider the story of Isaac Lewis who having sailed halfway around the world was taken by the sea almost on his doorstep in Moelfre.
As a result of the disastrous storm that night, which sank 133 ships, the meteorological society brought in the first ever gale warning service in an attempt to avoid such disasters in the future.