Beatrice 1838 — Research Dossier

Crated artifact attributed to Menkaure, archival photograph with carpenter’s box
Research Dossier

Menkaure’s Sarcophagus & the Merchant Vessel Beatrice (1838)

In August 1837, Colonel Howard Vyse reached the burial chamber of the Third Pyramid at Giza. There he uncovered a finely carved basalt sarcophagus, polished brown and blue where chipped, empty of remains but identified with King Menkaure. By 1838 the British Museum had accepted Vyse’s offer to transport it to London. Packed in timbers, the sarcophagus was shipped aboard the merchant vessel Beatrice under Captain Richard Mayle Whichelo.

The ship sailed from Alexandria via Malta and vanished en route to Liverpool, never seen again.

Read the overview · Map the actors · Open documents

Overview

A compact narrative spanning Vyse’s 1837 excavations, British Museum correspondence, and the ill‑fated 1838 export aboard Beatrice.

Key Actors

Vyse, Patrick Campbell, Charles Sloane, Edward Hawkins, and Captain Richard Mayle Whichelo—mapped across diplomatic and mercantile networks.