More information : DESIGNATED WRECK SITE - THE CATTEWATER WRECK
Summary:
Site of wreck, probably early 16th century merchantman of around 200-300 tons burden, lost circa 1530. There is the possibility that the wreck may antedate this period and be that of the ST JAMES, which lost all her rigging in a violent storm in Plymouth harbour in 1494 and sank, but there is insufficient evidence to confirm this suggestion.
Designation History:
Statutory Instrument: No 1, 1973/1531, 05-SEP-1973; amended 1975/262,
25-MAR-1975
Protected Area: Amended from 100m radius to within 50m radius of position 50 21'41.4"N., 04 07'37.5"W.
Protected area, amended from 100m radius to within 50m radius of position 50 21' 41.4"N 004 07'37.5"W. (8)
Visit by Government Diving Contractor:
University of St Andrews - Archaeological Diving Unit (ADU) April 1986 - April 2003
1986, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998 (8)
Wessex Archaeology 1st May 2003 -
Investigations are being led by the University of Plymouth.
Documentary History:
The Calendar of State Papers of 1637 mentions the removal of a ship 'long since sunk' in the harbour and there is an account of a number of vessels lost in the harbour at about the same time. However, the information that can be gained from primary sources is sketchy and often no name or details are given. (3)(4)
Positive identification has not been possible, although archaeological evidence strongly suggests an early 16th century merchantman, of between 200 and 300 tons burden, lost circa 1530. (8)
Archaeological History:
20-JUN-1973: The site was discovered after HOLLAND XVII, an Anglo-Dutch bucket dredger, brought up timber and the fragments of two guns whilst working in the Cattewater, the last reach of the River Plym.
The remains were described as the keelson of the wreck. (8)
1976 - 1978: The site was partially excavated, surveyed and recorded by a team led by Mark Redknap, and the findings suggested that the ship was a merchantman of between 200 and 300 tons burden lost circa 1530. (8)
1998: ADU bathymetric survey. (8)
2006: A sub-bottom profile survey was undertaken by the University of Plymouth. (10)
2007: Another sub-bottom profile survey was undertaken by the University of Plymouth with the results published as a composite site plan achieved by digitising and geo-referencing the site plans of the earlier investigations, and a plan of the magnetometer survey. (10)(11)(13)
2007: A team from HMS DRAKE at Plymouth also surveyed the site by multibeam, the results of which are included in this publication as the highest-quality achieved on the site to date. (11)
2007: At the same time the documentary archive for previous investigations was reprocessed into a single archive whose link is available from source (10) and whose background is explained here. (11)
2010: Paper summarising the geophysical investigations from 1997-2007, illustrated with results. (12)
Environment and Archaeological Remains:
The southern end of the site was the first to be discovered and deposits in this area were found to be intact above the hull. It is in this area that most of the artefacts were found, associated with the ship's ballast. Undisturbed deposits north of this area were so left. Excavation was resumed along the western hull edge until the point of the northern end of the hull structure was identified. Little of the debris field was examined. This northern section had been compromised by dredging with deposits only in situ between the futtocks. (11)
The site lies on a bed of fine silt and mud in the estuary of the River Plym, at an average depth of 8 metres, a low energy environment with little sediment movement. (8)
Finds include a number of wrought iron stave-built guns on sledges along with animal bones, worked wood, a brass pin and buckle, various lead objects, leather work and textiles. (3)
The wreck comprises about 10 metres of coherent structure, with an associated artefact assemblage including composite iron guns on carriages/sledges, animal bones, leather, textiles, and a pewter syringe. (8)
The finds and site records were deposited with Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery. (3)(8)
Finds:
2 pieces of bottle, a pewter syringe, and fragments of pewter from an unknown wreck, possibly this wreck, Cawsands, Plymouth. (Droit A/4244)
Description of wreck site:
The vessel is carvel-built from sawn planks with a lap-dovetail frame construction, which, being wasteful of timber, would have been abandoned when more economical overlapping futtocks proved relaiable. The framing of the ship is reminiscent of other finds dating to the period when Europe was building ships capable of travelling to the New World. Remains of hearth tiles and cooking debris suggest that the galley was down in the hold. The ballast stones appear to have been picked up on the south coast or the Severn Estuary.
The three guns recovered are composite iron swivel guns, small quick-firing breech loaders which were becoming antiquated by the mid 16th century on warships but may have remained longer in mercantile use, so their presence may suggest that the vessel was a mercantile ship. There are some heavier pieces of shot perhaps indicating that there were or are some pieces of heavier ordnance.
There was a rapid evolution of ship design around 1480-1525 and the first English evidence for mathematically based formulae for ship lines appeared circa 1580. The Cattewater vessel may overlap with the earlier period. (9)
Interpretation of wreck site:
Positive identification of the wreck site has not been possible but the archaeological evidence suggests an early 16th century merchantman, of between 200 and 300 tons burden, lost circa 1530. It is possible that the wreck may be that of the ST JAMES, which sank in Plymouth harbour having lost all her rigging in 1494 in a storm, but there is insufficient evidence to confirm this possible identity. (9)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Approximate date of loss
Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
Bax, A. 1976, The Tudor Shipwreck in the Cattewater, Plymouth.
Potten, C.M. 1998 ' A pre-disturbance Survey of the Cattewater Wreck Site, the first survey using remote sensing. BSc Project, Institute of Marine Studies, University of Plymouth.
CSP.Dom Charles I, Vol. CCCLXXXII, p269; CSP.Dom Charles I, Vol. CLXXXIII, p465 |