The Terror of Topsham?
Fairlynch Museum was glad to be able to help out one of our sister museums in Devon when the fragment of flag shown here was lent for an exhibition at Topsham. A model of HMS Terror on display at Topsham Museum The item is cherished as a possible relic from HMS Terror, the bomb vessel constructed for the Royal Navy by the Topsham shipbuilder Robert Davy. Some of my American readers who know their history will recognize the name of this vessel as belong to one of th ose ships which took part in the unhappy Anglo-American conflict of 1812-14. It was during that war that the White House was burned down by the British. HMS Terror, under her captain, John Sheridan, took part in various actions against the Americans including the bombardment of Stonington, Connecticut in August 1814, and the Battle of Baltimore the following month. HMS Terror th...