Peter Crosthwaite had a varied and extraordinary career as a navigator, excise agent, inventor, social reformer and entertainer. He was born in Keswick, joined the East India Company and worked his way from cabin crew to First Navigation Officer. On leaving the East India Company he worked for the excise office based at Blyth, Northumberland. He returned to Keswick and established a Museum, referred to as the Cabinet of Curiosities. The Memoir is an account of his life and justification of his conduct in the East India Company's service, for which he was court-martialled.
Item Provenance
Jonathan Otley (1766–1856); Mitchell's Auction, Cockermouth, 9 September 2010, lot 516