Lutine Bell
Preserved but no longer current.
H.M.S. Lutine, a French warship that had been captured and put into service by the British, sailed from Yarmouth for Holland on October 9th, 1799, with bullion and specie to the value of some £500,000. That same night she was wrecked on a sandbank off the Zuyder Zee, with the loss of every soul on board save one, who died as soon as rescued. It was a black day for Lloyd's under- writers.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Lutine Bell” mean?
H.M.S. Lutine, a French warship that had been captured and put into service by the British, sailed from Yarmouth for Holland on October 9th, 1799, with bullion and specie to the value of some £500,000. That same night she was wrecked on a sandbank off the Zuyder Zee, with the loss of every soul on board save one, who died as soon as rescued. It was a black day for Lloyd's under- writers.
Is “Lutine Bell” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.