200 Year Old Leather

On the 14th of December 1786 'The Times' reported the loss of vessel and cargo of the Metta Catharina from Flensburg. It had a cargo of reindeer hides and hemp from the port of St.Petersburg, Russia, bound for Grenada.Vessel and cargo lost. Having set sail from St.Peterburg in late September the ship sailed the Baltic Sea, round Denmark into the North Sea, following the Dutch coast to the English Channel where they ran into a Sou'wester. Not wanting to endanger the cargo and their lives they sought shelter in a bay along the south coast of England. Of all the many places along the English/Cornish coast, they choose Plymouth. The one and only place where numerous streams from the surrounding moors empty into the bay with centuries of sediment of peat from up above. Any other place on earth and the cargo would have decomposed in a matter of years. Only the depth of the water,100 feet, plus the sediment of peat and the tanning process, are responsible for the survival of this truly unique recycled material. Once it reaches the air of course it has to be redressed and that task fell to Robin Snelson, a talented leather craftsman from Cornwall, who leached all the briny water from the hides and then redressed the hides a few at a time. At the time of this writing the process continues as the weather allows recovery of the cargo of now 222 years ago.

For a more detailed history on the Wreck of the Catharina von Flensburg, contact www.celticempire.com

Celtic Empire has created a line of durable leather goods made with 220-year-old reindeer leather retrieved from the shipwrecked Catharina von Flensburg. Each piece comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and the story of the brigantine. We hope that you will enjoy and appreciate the uniqueness of this rare product.