Fact or Fiction? I need some google help

[Raffaele]

I can understand your sleepless nights, but you really should not.

Norfolk clearly had some interest in Automatons, or read some news about it. You have to read the book to see how central it is to the plot. Most stuff you read in novels is infill to the main plot, building sub plots or just providing background to a scenario, giving more interest, sometimes to deliberately mislead.

The amount of truth and fiction within all that, only the author knows with the strange workings of his own mind. Using real people, items and events and embellishing them to suit the plot, is normal, just so long as you don't libel someone.

On my third book now. Maybe one day I will get published.

I thought I was going well with a Pike Ellison artefact in the London Museum then you come along with this. Your family research on Henri must have been fascinating.

[JohnF]

Thank you for your help everyone, it has been very useful.

I should explain why I am interested.

An ancestor of mine built a robot or automaton that drew a picture of a sailing ship. The book mentions a demonstration of such an item given by a man with the same name as my ancestor. It says the ship is called The Vendragon. There are plenty of East India Company references.

In 1773 my 5 x g grandfather brought the automaton to London from Geneva. He set up his business in Bartletts Buildings, Holborn.

The Docklands museum has a model of the Falmouth, an East Indiaman Vessel. They have papers from 1750 to 1779 belonging to the steward Thomas Bartlett. A Thomas Bartlett (the Kings printer) owned the Holborn Buildings.

A few coincidences there
It really is just a 'meat on bones' exercise, the ship drawn may not have been a picture of a real one but it's a fun part of the hobby and makes a change from searching for BMDs.

Hi Mutley

The lady at East India Ships is very kind and helpful - even tho her cataloge is not yet much beyoud "D"
Her name is (just I mo, I will go look).......
Andrea Cordani
Email her direct on [email protected]
Also for your interest they have
East India Company Ships [[email protected]]

I assume you have tried Lloyd's Register of Shipping
Happy hunting
John

[Mutley]

Thank you John, I'll drop her an email.

If she knows about sailing ships she may be able to tell me if the drawing is of a real ship. Any ship would do really, just is it real or not.