27th December 1852 brig ‘Lily’ was wrecked on Kitterland. The master and four others were washed away and drowned, the eight remaining crew clinging to the rocks and badly maimed were rescued by a boat belonging to a local farmer.
The Island had been experiencing violent gales from the south west since Christmas eve causing great damage at sea and on land. A ship’s lifeboat bearing the name British Queen came ashore in Castletown on Monday 27th. At about midday on Monday the brig ‘Lily’ ran into difficulties in the Calf Sound. She was a vessel of 160 registered tons, travelling from Liverpool to the African port of Ambrazo with a cargo of cloth bales, cottons, rum, cannon, firearms and more than forty tons of gunpowder. She had been driven back from Cork in a crippled condition and was carried by the tide in to the Sound. The tide can run through the Sound at up to 8 knots, the Lily struck the northern shore of Kitterland.
The master, his son and three of the crew were carried away by the surf and drowned, nine of the crew managed to scramble onto Kitterland, two of them were seriously injured.
During that Monday afternoon the vessel was handed over to the care of Lloyd’s agent at Port St. Mary and he subsequently took possession of her. In order to guard the wreck and to land the stores when weather and tide would permit, the chief constable of Castletown, the constable of Port St Mary and other officers were stationed on the vessel, Kitterland and the main island. It appears that during Monday night some shots were fired to deter people from venturing near after some parties had made attempts at plunder.