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ABOUT THIS MONUMENT
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Part of remains of 1545 wreck of English warship which foundered after capsizing on her departure from Spithead en route to war in France, with enormous loss of life. Constructed of wood (oak and elm) and clinker-built, with the forecastle carvel-built, she was a sailing vessel, and Henry VIII's flagship. A large section of the remains were raised in 1982 and are displayed by the Mary Rose Trust, whilst part of the stem post and anchor were recovered in 2005. The remainder of the wreck, still on the seabed, is designated as a protected wreck site.
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http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=1121974
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| MONUMENT NUMBER: |
1121974 |
COUNTY: |
CITY OF PORTSMOUTH
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| NMR NUMBER: |
SZ 69 NW 327 |
DISTRICT: |
CITY OF PORTSMOUTH |
| LAST UPDATED: |
2008 |
PARISH: |
N/A |
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AREA: |
SPITHEAD |
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STREET: |
N/A |
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MARITIME LOCATION: |
Coastal Waters |
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LOCATION: |
SZ 6336 9583
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MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES
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DESIGNATED WRECK SITE - MARY ROSE
Summary:
Site and remains of the MARY ROSE, one of King Henry VIII's warships, which foundered in 1545.
Designation History:
Designation Order: February 5th, 1974; 1974 No 1; 1974/55
Protected Area: within 300m radius of position 50 45.48N, 001 06.10W.
Visit by Government Diving Contractor:
University of St Andrews - Archaeological Diving Unit (ADU) April 1986 - April 2003
1990, 1992, 1994, 1998, 1999
Wessex Archaeology 1st May 2003
Documentary History:
Built: 1509 (3)
Rebuilt: 1539 (3)
Tonnage: 700 tons
Vice Admiral: Sir George Carew
Captain: Roger Grenville
Crew: 100 or 200 mariners, 185 or 200 soldiers, 20 or 30 gunners (7); on board 500 (24)
Breadth: 37 ft (5)
Draught: 15ft (5)
Keel: 105ft (5)
The MARY ROSE appeared on the Roll of King's Ships made by Anthony Anthony for Henry VIII. Apart from a drawing of the vessel it gives details of her crew, armament, and ammunition. (4)
The 1514 inventory of the MARY ROSE listed some 63 brass sheaves in use in the ship, mostly in the rigging. The rig had a main topgallant sail and also a main mizzen topsail. Masons, bricklayers and plumbers were used in the construction and installation of the brick cooking hearth. The weapons inventory included hand weapons as well as cannon, including bows, arrows, bills (poles), hacbusshes (musket), lead pellets, pikes and leg and body armour. (5)
In October 1517 the vessel was recaulked by 23 caulkers and carpenters. (5)
In 1545 she went into battle against the French off Spithead but as she turned towards them she capsized and took down her captain, Sir George Carew, and almost all of her crew, the popularly accepted explanation being that her gunports were left open, but other contempory sources point to insubordination. Long and costly efforts were made to raise her to no avail. (1)(18)
Venetian salvage contractors Petre de Andreas and Symone de Maryne worked into August trying to raise the wreck, which was keeled on her port side with the masts and yards well out of the water. The classic method of stationing two hulks on either side and running cables underneath the hull and using the rising tide to lift the vessel while lightening her was used. By August 5th her sails and sail yards had been removed and brought ashore, but the angle of the keel meant the attempt failed. Subsequently some guns were salvaged from her by an Italian diver called Peter Paul. (4)(18)
In 1836 John Deane was asked by five Gosport fishermen, John Henry Richard, William Burnett, Jas Richard, Job Redman and William Burnett Jr to clear an obstruction on the bottom and as a result a number of cannon were recovered, the first on the 16th June, including a 68pdr cannon royal, 9pdr culverin bastard and a 32 pdr demi-cannon and a large wrought iron gun and part of a smaller similiar gun. (4)(5)(6)(18)
A crater caused by exploding six 13" shells allowed timber to be removed and sold at auction; it was in excellent condition and the souvenirs made from it are still well preserved. (7)
In the 1840s divers from the Royal Engineers were to salvage material from the ROYAL GEORGE but misread the position. As a consequence, five brass cannon were raised bearing the date 1535, along with twenty iron guns.The iron guns were breech loaders, not used in the Royal Navy until Victorian times. (2)
On the 5th September 1840 a brass culverin 17pdr calibre along with four 32pdrs constructed of wrought iron bars and hoops and several smaller guns were recovered. Two archers' bows made of yew and a Cologne-ware jug were also recovered. On the 30th October two more large iron guns were recovered before operations ceased for the season. (4)
The remains of the MARY ROSE, of which only part of a gun and some fragments of timber were visible when first found, may at times have been completely covered up. (4)
In the winter of 1964-65 Alexander McKee became interested in locating sites in the Solent, as a result Project Solent Ships came into being with fellow members of Southsea Sub Aqua Club. Among the vessels targeted were the ROYAL GEORGE (1782), BOYNE (1795) and the MARY ROSE (1545). (6)(7)(18)
Following the discovery of the ROYAL GEORGE, McKee carried out sweep searches in a north-east arc from the site without success. The search was then moved half a mile to the north-east and a test dig carried out which suggested a whole ship could easily be buried in those conditions, and the search was abandoned until sonar instruments could be used.
There could be more archaeological material on the site where the MARY ROSE lay. The stem and bowcastle have not been recovered. The potential of the area is high enough for it to remain a protected wreck site. (11)(12)(13)
1255.
23 July 1545. Russell to Paget....Laments the unhappy chance of the Mary Rose, with such rashness and negligence cast away; which is a great loss of the men and the ship, although Paget gives some hope of the ship's being recovered. (22)
'Towards evening the ship MARRY ROSE of Vice-Admiral George Carew foundered, all the 500 men on board being drowned save about 25 or 30 servants, sailors and the like. Was told by a Fleming among the survivors that when she heeled over with the wind the water entered by the lowest row of gun ports which had been left open after firing. They expect to recover the ship and guns.' (24)
Current Interpretation:
Channel 4 programme "The Sinking of the MARY ROSE" broadcast as part of the "Secrets of the Dead" strand on 21-AUG-2000, attributing the loss partly to poor design on having been rebuilt, and partly to being overloaded with men, causing the vessel to capsize, although the gunports were also cited as a possible factor.
Channel 5 programme, "The Ghosts of the Mary Rose" attributes the loss of the vessel to poor communication. Forensic examination of the dead revealed that the composition of their teeth was consistent with an origin in southern Europe, and that they may therefore have been mercenaries, and owing to language difficulties, may not have understood the order to close the gun ports. (23)
Archaeological History:
In 1969 a trial trench was begun which was carried on in 1970 using water jets in an area where sub-bottom sonar showed an anomaly. Several pieces of oak, a plank, a staghorn and a large cleat were recovered. The barrel of an iron gun made from a single plate of wrought iron with an iron ball in the breech were also recovered. (8)(18)
The plans for 1971 were changed when it was discovered that seabed scour had uncovered part of the frames of the hull which were protruding 3-4". Work continued to determine how much of the vessel remained. It was estimated that 30ft of hull remained and that some internal timbers had collapsed but were in good condition. A second iron gun was recovered with a stone cannon ball. Oak and elm timbers recovered were in good condition and the planking tight with preserved treenails; it was therefore thought possible to raise the vessel. (8)(18)
Distinct mounds covered the southern, northern and eastern side of the vessel thought to be the bow, stern and port side. The frames along the western side of the ship were surveyed and a shallow excavation undertaken at the southern end.This revealed a continuation of frames and vertical planking across the transom of the ship which seems to lie on a northerly heading. The hull is carvel built while the castle is clinker constructed. A number of small finds have been made in the collapsed castle structure, ranging from twentieth century debris to a pewter flagon, stone shot and a wooden handle of a kidney dagger. (9)
Some 800 timbers were removed from the wreck before she was raised. The rigging elements recovered from the MARY ROSE are the earliest known and are a variety of single and double blocks. (5)(18)
Many cannon and stone cannon balls have been recovered. Most of the remains are either undergoing conservation by the Mary Rose Trust or are housed in the Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth. (18)
1997: ADU bathymetric survey. (18)
1999: Isometric and bathymetric surveys attached to ADU report. (18)
2002: An excavation licence was granted to A Hildred. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose. A three-month season was planned on the site, but funding negotiations fell through at the last minute. However a five-year plan for archaeological investigations was produced in response to the proposed development of Portsmouth Harbour by the Ministry of Defence to accommodate large aircraft carriers. (16)(18)
Anchor raised on 11-OCT-2005. (17)
Latest information on the MARY ROSE Trust website. (19)
Report produced April 2006. In 2002 the Ministry of Defence proposed a deep-water channel to accommodate two new aircraft carriers, whose preferred route cut into the eastern section of the designated circle. A Project Design was drafted and an excavation licence granted, funded by the MoD, and work continued into the 2004 season. The MoD has now proposed two new routes for the channel which do not impact on the designated circle.
The MoD continued to fund the 2005 season, including the raising of an anchor and the stem post by the Mary Rose Trust, and backfilling on the site, both phases being visited by Wessex Archaeology. The Mary Rose Trust placed a new timber sample monitoring station down in 2004 after uncovering timber containing a previously-unrecorded type of worm larvae. Monitoring on the site will continue but no intrusive work is currently planned. (21)
Environmental and Archaeological Remains:
The site was excavated from 1971 until 1982 culminating in the raising of the vessel's hull and is currently being conserved and displayed at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth along with a selection of recovered artefacts.
Fragments of the wreck remain on the seabed along with the spoil heaps and a large indentation left when the hull was raised.
Current issues concerning the wreck include sediment filling in the indentation; possible illegal fishing and natural erosion tending to expose the remaining archaeology. (18)
Finds:
Droit A/4503 - 4 large stone cannonballs, 2 lengths of rope and a small wooden wedge recovered from this wreck, Solent. (14)
Droit 188/04 - A 100mm stone shot was recovered along with numerous other items, a list is held on the Marine and Coastguard Agency file. (15)
Droit 066/05 - A cannonball and one possible piece of shot believed to come from the area of the MARY ROSE wreck site. (20)
Droit 231/05 - Numerous artefacts, including the bow anchor and stern, recovered from the bow section of the MARY ROSE site. (20)
Additional sources:
Diver: numerous articles including:
1978, No4, p167, No 6, p275
1979, No 1, p12-13, No 3, p 11, No 5, p5, No 9, p31, No 10, 12-13.
1980, No 1,p 29, No 4, p 25, No 7, p29, No 8, p27, No 9, p15-17, No 10, p18-20, No 11, p28, No 12, p28.
1981, No 1, 25, No 3, p31, No 9. p 21-23, No 10, p28,
1982, No 2, p 27, No 3, p35, No 8, 32, No 10, p 11, No 11, p16-19, p20-21. No 12, p28
1992, No 11, p46-48
PRO: WO/44/282, WO/44/613
How we found the Mary Rose, McKee, 1982
The Story of the Mary Rose, Bradford, 1982
The Mary Rose, the Excavation and raising of Henry VIII's flagship, Rule, 1982
The burials from King Henry VIII's ship Mary Rose, an interim statement, Stirland, 1984, Palaeopathology Newsletter No 47, 7-10
The Mary Rose's complement, Howard, 1985 Mariners Mirror, p71, 1.86
Secrets from a time ship, Readers Digest Turner 1982, 120,719;66-73
Analytical study of Composite shot from the Mary Rose, Rule, Hildred, Dunham, Walker, 1989, 23.2;84-90
The King's ship: a study in strategic ordnance, Hildred, IJNA 17.1:55
Historic Shipwrecks of England, p 14-17
The Mary Rose site - geophysical evidence for palaeo-scour marks. IJNA 1997, 26.1, P 3-16
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SOURCE TEXT
(1) edited by William Page, F.S.A. 1912 The Victoria history of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, volume five
The Victoria history of the counties of England 5 Page(s)372/374
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(2) by Roger Jefferis and Kendall McDonald 1966 The wreck hunters
Page(s)176-179
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(3) J J Colledge 1989 Ships of the Royal Navy, volume 1
Page(s)350
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(4) A McKee History under the sea
Page(s)9, 44-48,68
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(5) Ian Friel 1995 The good ship : ships, shipbuilding and technology in England 1200-1520
Page(s)17,35,69,108,150-151,170
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(6) Paul Johnstone 1974 The archaeology of ships
Page(s)127-130
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(7) edited by D J Blackman 1973 Marine archaeology : proceedings of the twenty third symposium of the Colston Research Society held in the University of Bristol April 4th to 8th, 1971
Colston papers The search for King Henry VIII's Mary Rose 23 Page(s)185-202
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(8) International journal of nautical archaeology
1972: The Mary Rose, An interim report, 1971 1 Page(s)132-135
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(9) International journal of nautical archaeology
1973, The Mary Rose. A second interim report, 1972 2 Page(s)385-388
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(10) 1973 King Henry VIII's Mary Rose, Its fate and future
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(11) Martin Pritchard and Kendall McDonald 1987 A Diver Guide, Dive Wight and Hampshire
First Edition, 1987, No. 69 Page(s)78
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(12) by Martin Pritchard and Kendall McDonald 1991 A Diver Guide, Dive Wight and Hampshire
Revised Edition, 1991, No. 69 Page(s)78
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(13) Martin Pritchard, Kendall McDonald 2001 A Diver Guide, Dive Wight and Hampshire
Second Edition, 2001, No. 77 Page(s)86
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(14) Scuba world
October 2004, No 180 Page(s)8-9
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(15) Receiver of Wreck Droit
2004
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(16) 2005 Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites Annual Report 2002
Page(s)17, 20
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(18) Mary Rose Site Designation
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(19) World Wide Web page
http://www.maryrose.org [Accessed 11-JAN-2006]
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(20) Receiver of Wreck Droit
2005
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(21) Mary Rose, Solent: Designated Site Assessment: Heritage Management and Archaeological Report
Wessex Archaeology, April 2006: Ref: 53111.02kk
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(22) Letters and papers Foreign and Domestic
Henry VIII, July 1545, accessed via http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=80407&strquery="CAST%20AWAY" accessed on 04-SEP-2008
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(23) World Wide Web page
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0808/08080501 accessed on 04-SEP-2008, concerning "The Ghosts of the Mary Rose", broadcast on Channel 5, 05-AUG-2008, at 8pm
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(24) Letters and papers Foreign and Domestic
Henry VIII, July 1545, accessed via: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=80407&stquery=foundered on 04-SEP-2008 20
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