Almost 750 years ago, a ship carrying gravestones, Purbeck limestone and crushing mortars sank off the coast of Dorset, England. Hefin Meara, a marine archaeologist at Historic England told The Telegraph’s Craig Simpson that if the ship went missing it may have been in connection with the heavy cargo.
The oldest shipwrecks in the UK
L’wreck of a medieval ship sunk ago 750 ans was discovered in the UK. Very well preserved, it is one of the oldest wrecks in the United Kingdom, reports Bournemouth University in a press release.
In 2020 the wreckage was found in Poole Bay. Thanks to the low amount of stone, oxygen and sand in the waters of Poole Bay, the 13th century ship and its cargo have been fairly well preserved. A statement from Historic England said that this wreck was now named ” Mortar Wreck “. It would be the first 10th to 14th century wreck found in English waters to receive the highest level of government protection.
Trevor Small, a boat skipper, told media that ” millions of boats have probably sailed this place since this ship sank. I’ve probably gone through it myself thousands of times, but it wasn’t until I noticed some strange readings on the scanner one day that I realized there might be something there. »
The analyzes carried out on the wreckage
Marine archaeologists from the University of Bournemouth carried out analyzes on the wreck a few months following its discovery. From the results, it was concluded that the wreck was built from Irish oaks felled between 1242 to 1265. These oaks were very popular during the reign of Henry III. Experts also believe the ship sank immediately upon leaving the Dorset coast. However, their destinations with the Purbeck stone remain unknown.
They also found two distinct patterns of slabs of tomb stone which would date respectively from the beginning and the middle of the 13th century. The first model having a wheel-headed cross and the other a splayed-arm cross, reports Smithsonian Magazine. These stones would have been either made to order or carefully chosen from among other stones. In any case, the researchers say the wreckage is a rare and one-of-a-kind find. They even claim that this wreck was “ one of the oldest shipwrecks in England. »