January 1841

About

A melancholy tale of a sailor during the ice disaster on the River Wear in Sunderland in January 1841. A particularly cold snap saw the river edges freeze. When this ice broke free it built up in a sort of dam against one of Sunderland’s bridges. When the force of the built-up water finally forced the ice through, it took with it many of the colliers and other ships that were moored along the river docks in the city. Some were washed out to the North Sea and a few sailors lost their lives. This song is one of the Winter Wear collection.