Scale: 1:48. A contemporary full hull model of a single-masted hoy/ yacht (circa 1750). The model is decked. There are ornately carved figures on the stern and a coat of arms. The arms suggest that the vessel was in the service of Trinity House, an organisation concerned with the safety of shipping and the well-being of seafarers established at the beginning of the 16th century by Henry VIII. The vessel measured 56 feet along the gun deck with a breadth of 16 feet. The model was formerly the property of the Rt. Hon. Lord Henniker and is believed to have been acquired by his ancestor, Sir John Major Bt., Elder Brother of Trinity House 1741–61, whose daughter and heiress married the first Lord Henniker.

Hoys were small coastal sailing vessels, usually displacing up to about 60 tons. They were sloop rigged and the mainsail could be fitted with or without a boom. They did a variety of work for both the merchant service and Royal Navy. Some were specially built to carry fresh water, gunpowder or ballast; others were in the Revenue service or employed in such tasks as laying buoys or survey work. They could be hailed from the shore to pick up goods and passengers and it is possible that their name may have derived from this procedure. English hoys tended to be single-masted, whereas Dutch hoys had two masts.