In 1845 23 men women and children from the village were on board the Cataraqui which was wrecked off King Island, Bass Strait, Australia with the loss of 400 lives. It was Australia’s worst ever peace time maritime disaster.
Enid Porter refers to it in Cambridgeshire Customs and Folklore p186 but mistakenly states that the ship was on the way to America. It was believed that at the time of the wreck, a bell was mysteriously heard to ring all over the village.
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/cataraqui-shipwreck
A list of 22 from Guilden Morden plus 1 from Steeple Morden who died on the wreck can be found here:
https://www.wrecksite.eu/peopleView.aspx?Skpx2jE4MNoxcLHkcO5yEg==
Parish history:
Mike Petty:
https://archive.org/details/GuildenMordenScrapbook1897To1990
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