In 1807 a British naval captain, Warwick Lake, marooned an 18-year-old member of his crew from Polperro, Cornwall, on the tiny uninhabited island of Sombrero in the West Indies. The seaman, Robert Jeffery, escaped to the USA but when the news reached England, a search was ordered by Parliament and even the prime minister of the time was involved. The lad was brought home to his family, compensated in part by Lake who was himself dismissed from the service. This extraordinary but true story based on original research is told in Marooned, first published in 1991 and now updated in this new, revised and fully illustrated edition.

Paperback 168 pages
ISBN 0954913779

Reviews of MAROONED

"One of the most fascinating stories of Cornwall's maritime heritage" Western Morning News

“A fascinating book which, like a few novels, is difficult to put down when you have started reading it… thoroughly recommended” Journal of the Cornwall Association of Local Historians

“A ripping yarn well told.” Mariner’s Mirror

“A curious tale, well told by an ex-journalist and specialist in maritime history.” Cornish Guardian

“A ‘horror story’ and a true one.” The Naval Review

“Once started, the book is difficult to put down… in truth, stranger than fiction.” Cornwall Family History Society Journal

“Reveals far more of English society and its navy of Napoleonic times than a simple case of cruelty at sea… Recommended for those anxious to see more of the sailor’s past world than seamanship, gunnery or the minutiae of shipboard life.” The Northern Mariner

"This meticulously researched book provides a truly riveting read." South West Soundings