Ships And Shipwrecks Of The Late Tudor Dynasty

A dramatic period in the maritime history of England and Europe, in the late Tudor era sailors ventured far from shore for commerce and conquest. Taylor documents ship types and names, cargoes and weaponry, crew complements, storms and battles, with log entries and previously unpublished narratives and maps of possible wreck sites collected from the period 1547 to 1603.

"In the 1500s, British ships plied the seas laden with precious spices, Spanish silver, war matériel, and adventurous souls. Many went to the bottom, leaving only tantalizing hints, sparse records and a few legends. This unique collection of logs, data and narratives from 1547-1603 brings them to life"--

This unique book encompasses in a single volume data including lists of ships and ship types in the service of King James I and Charles I, as well as the East India Company. The bare facts are enlivened by logs and narratives from shipwreck survivors relating the perils of seeking the Northwest Passage or sailing to India. The author has found that many facts have been distorted on informative websites as a result of incomplete and embellished information. This book attempts to correct those errors. For each of the wrecks contained in this book, Mr. Taylor has attempted, if the wording of the documents is ambiguous, to determine the fate of these ships based on only the facts as they were recorded at the time. If in doubt, he would explain his reasoning. In his efforts to collect and share all sailing and wreck-related data in this volume, Mr. Taylor has reviewed hundreds of electronic and hard-copy manuscript archival collections and travelled to view rare and wonderful, sometimes hand-illuminated, manuscripts that have not been digitized. However, as much as he would like to believe he has uncovered everything, it is easy to imagine that more details could come to light at some time. Treasure has different meanings to different people. Some of these wrecks contain Spanish reales (“pieces of 8”), jewels, gold and silver bars that could not be recovered at the time and have since been forgotten. Written records of such events were reviewed by fewer people over the centuries and ended up buried in dark archives, until now. But some of us define treasure as knowledge, ensuring that facts are presented correctly to future generations. This is the goal Mr. Taylor strives for in these volumes.

A detailed synthesis of information relating to the English navy during the Tudor period, an era that actually began in 1483 and continued through to the start of the 17th century. This study examines not only the technical aspects of naval history but also the manner in which the navy worked.

Folger guides provide lively, authoritative surveys of important aspects of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English cultural history. Attractively illustrated with material from contemporary documents, the Guides are designed for the general reader and are particularly valuable as enrichment resources for courses in Renaissance history and literature.

The study of artefacts found on wrecks was the subject of an international conference held at the National Musuem of Wales in 1994. Concentrating on the period of transition in Europe, from the end of the Middle Ages to 1785, these essays describe some of the most important recent results. Contents include: Ships as integrated artefacts: the archaeological potential (Colin J M Martin); The IJsselmeer-polders: a 'source book' for late medieval and early post-medieval wreck inventories (Karel Vlierman); Material culture research of Canadian historical shipwrecks: the Machault legacy (Stephen Davis); The material culture of the Mary Rose as a fighting vessel (Alex Hildred); Reconstructing 16th centruy ship culture: the Cattewater wreck (Mark Redknap); A study of chests from Henry VIIIs warship Mary Rose, 1545 (Maggie Richards); Arms and armour from wrecks (Ruth R Brown); Footwear and other Artefacts from a 16th century Spanish Basque Galleon (Stephen Davis); Rhenish stoneware frpm shipwrecks: ceramic function and lifespan (David Gaimster);The identification, analysis and interpretation of tobacco pipes from wrecks (David Higgins); Coinage from Post-Medieval Wrecks (Edward Besly); Metal ingots from dated wrecks (Paul Craddock and Duncan Hook); The galley, utensils and cooking, eating and drinking vessels from a wreck on the Zuiderzee in 1673 (Karel Vlierman); The Cromwellian shipwreck off Duart Point, Mull (Colin J M Martin); Identifying a ship's place of departure with the help of artefacts (Piet Kleij);Wreck de Mer and the dispersed wreck sites: the case of the Ann Francis (1583) (Mark Redknap and Edward Besly); Artefacts from the Kronan (1676): preservation and social structure (Lars Einarsson); Family life on board: Dutch boat people 1600-1900 (A F L van Holk); Conclusion (Alan Aberg).

Originally published in hardback: Portsmouth, England: Mary Rose Trust, 2003.

Although the wreck of the Mary Rose was raised twenty years ago, the excavations and conservation work and indeed the ship itself have never been published in full. Now the Mary Rose Trust, with the Heritage Lottery Fund is publishing the complete history of the project and the research up to the present day in five highly illustrated volumes, revealing a wealth of information covering all aspects of the ship. Sealed by Time: The Loss and Recovery of the Mary Rose traces the history of the Mary Rose from great naval vessel to ruinous shipwreck to an outstanding museum display. The Mary Rose was an extraordinary ship. Built to a new design, she was one of the first great British warships. Her career spanned all but a few years of Henry VIII's reign and she took place in most of his wars. Combining for the first time all that is known from contemporary documents and the archaeological evidence, Peter Marsden and a team of specialists give a fascinating and detailed overview of her history. They set out details of the circumstances of her building, participation in three wars with France, repairs and rebuilds, and finally the tragic sinking with massive loss of life in Portsmouth Harbour in 1545 as she prepared to encounter the French fleet one more time. Also described are the place of the ship in naval and seafaring history, the novel aspects of her shape and construction, how she performed at sea, her structure, rigging and armoury. Bringing the story up-to-date, further chapters describe the epic project to excavate and salvage the ship that culminated in the raising of the hull in 1982, an event watched by millions on television, and subsequently how the museum and display of the massive hull were created. Beautifully illustrated with contemporary paintings and documents as well as photos of the excavations and some of the 26,000 objects recovered, this will be of great interest to everyone with an interest in maritime archaeology, conservation, and the history of the period.