Royal Charter Remembered In Song

Anglesey-based singer songwriter Henry Priestman has helped put together an EP of songs which commemorate the Royal Charter disaster.

The former member of The Christians band was invited by the Moelfre Partnership to compose some music as part of a series of events to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the famous Royal Charter shipwreck.

So notable a disaster was it at the time, with over 400 lives lost, that even Charles Dickens visited the village and wrote about the shipwreck.

The composition was originally meant to be for a brass band. But despite over 30 years in the music business, Henry says he still can't read a note of music.

So he suggested another option: to try and rustle up a few like-minded singers and artists, all whom have visited and been entranced by the village of Moelfre, and record an EP of songs that might help raise the profile of the events taking place in the village in 2009.

The three opening songs on the EP deal specifically with the events of 25-26 October 1859.

"We were fortunate to have been alerted to the song Isaac Lewis," said Henry. "It's written by US folk artist Tom Lewis and beautifully sung by Anglesey-born singer Elin Fflur."

It tells the story of Moelfre seaman Isaac Lewis's fate on the Royal Charter.

Searching for Angels by Kite Runners is a more abstract interpretation of the story.

"It includes the 'pull, pull' section in the middle which might have been inspired by Moelfre artist Keith Shone's striking 2009 painting Royal Charter Shipwreck," said Henry. "But actually it was written before we had seen the picture!"


Kite Runners is a new project formed especially for this occasion by Cardiff-based singer/songwriter and BBC Radio Wales presenter Amy Wadge, Liverpudlian guitarist Pete Riley and Henry Priestman.

Written in Moelfre and recorded in Nashville by Canadian Tia McGraff (and US partner Tommy Parham), Devils Gold is a kind of parable set to music that attempts to use one particular (and not very pleasant), but supposedly true aspect of the disaster.

As revealed in the book The Golden Wreck, sadly a few people chose to dive off the boat weighed down by gold in their pockets.

The Harbour Song Revisited was actually written a few years ago when John Campbell visited Moelfre, and was inspired by the beauty of Moelfre to pen the lyrics to accompany Henry's music.

Sailing Through the Sky by Welsh singer/song-writer Caryl Parry-Jones is the only song on the EP without a maritime theme.

"The music for Sailing Through the Sky was written for me by Christian Phillips," said Caryl. "He, Henry and I collaborated on the words which are about making the most of your chances, making the right choices."

The EP is on sale through several shops in Moelfre and Cob Records, Bangor.

The Roy Noble show, Radio Wales, 3pm - 5pm daily.

Extra information from Henry himself 28-12-2009:


Re Royal Charter CD....The Tia McGraff song was written here on Anglesey, but recorded in Nashville by Tommy, but Amy and I happened to be in Nashville when they did it, so that's us doing harmonies on it too! And it's me singing harmonies on Caryl's song (with co-writer Christian Phillips, who also played guitar on Jade's album!...complicated, yes?)...and on Elin Fflur it's me doing everything APART from singing!! and the song is written by US singer Tom Russell, not Tom Lewis, the writer of the article must have got confused!