Model, of topsail schooner Jean

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A schooner is a two or three-masted ship with fore-and-aft sails. A topsail schooner has additional square sails on the top foremast. This wooden model represents the topsail schooner 'Jean', typical of the type of schooner built in Buckie in Morayshire in 1865. It was built to a scale of 1:48 by the model maker, Mr J M Cunningham of Edinburgh.

The schooner has a moderately flat bottom to enable it to stand upright in small coastal harbours when the tide was out.

Schooners were cheaper to equip than square-rigged ships. Consequently they were popular in the many seaboard communities around the British Isles. They were particularly favoured for trade with Newfoundland and the Mediterranean.

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• Online ID: 000-180-002-033-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland Part 2
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  T.1935.126
• Date: Model: Between 1865 and 1935; Original: 1865
  
• Material: Boat / schooner, topsail / model
  
• Dimensions:
• What: Boat / schooner, topsail / model
  
• Subject: 23. SHIPPING, Sailing Ships, post 1760 (Departmental Classification)
  
• Who: J.M. Cunningham, 6 Hailes Street, Edinburgh (Model maker)
  Jean (schooner)
  
• Where: Scotland, Banffshire, Buckie
  Scotland, Midlothian, Edinburgh
  
• Event:
• Description: Model of the 1865 topsail schooner Jean from Buckie, to a scale of 1:48
  
• References:
  • Storer, J D. Ship Models in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh: A catalogue of models representing the history of shipping from 1500 BC to the present day. Edinburgh: Royal Scottish Museum Information Series, 1985, p 29. 
• Translations:
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