St Anthony (ship)
Encyclopedia
St Anthony or Santo António was a Portuguese
carrack
which foundered in Gunwalloe
Bay, Cornwall
, in 1527 en route from Lisbon
to Antwerp. She had a mixed cargo including copper
and silver
ingot
s. The wreck was recorded historically, because the salvage of the cargo was the subject of an international dispute that led to a Court of Star Chamber, but the location of the wreck was unknown until 1981. The wreck is designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act.
and the flagship of his fleet. She was a carrack
; these were largest ships of the time and the first truly ocean going vessels. The cargo was particularly valuable, estimated to be worth at the time £18,800 (about 4,000 times a man's annual wage), and it is thought to have included the dowry
of Princess Katherine, bride of King John III and sister of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor
. The cargo manifest survives.
There were 45 survivors from a crew of 86. On the morning after the wreck, the winds receded, and at low tide the wreck was in just six feet of water. Both the survivors and the local people attempted to salvage property from the wreck. King John III of Portugal, demanded the return of the cargo, and King Henry VIII
set up a Court of Star Chamber. Some of the evidence that was given at the court survives, but not the outcome. However manorial rights of the time would have included an assumed right to goods from wrecks on manorial lands
and three prominent landowners were able to improve their status and their manors in the years that followed. William Godolphin was knighted and Godolphin house
was considerably improved. St Aubyn of St Michael's Mount
was a Justice of the Peace
. John Milliton of Pengersick Castle became High Sheriff of Cornwall
and Pengersick Castle was also improved around this time. There is some evidence that Henry VIII ordered that the salvaged cargo should be returned to Portugal, but much of it was missing.
The seabed at this location consists of rocky gullies, exposed to the full force of Atlantic surf. There is no sediment to protect historic material and there are flint pebbles which help to smash and grind artefacts. Unsurpisingly therefore, the timbers of the ship have not survived, nor have any ferrous artefacts. The site was designated on 15 February 1982 under the Protection of Wrecks Act and local diver Tony Randall was made licensee. As conservation in situ was impossible, a license to conduct a rescue operation of any surviving artefacts was granted, and the surviving remains were recovered. Examples of copper and silver ingots were acquired and analysed by the British Museum
There are public displays of recovered artefacts at Charlestown
Heritage and Shipwreck Centre and at Pengersick Castle.
Following a report in May 2005 by English Heritage
's archaeological diving contractor, that there was wreck material from the St Anthony lying outside the protected area, and evidence that this material was vulnerable to interference the site was redesignated on 21 September 2006 under an emergency designation order. The centre of the designation area was moved to the South East and the radius of increased from 75m to 150m.
After five years searching the gullies of Fishing Cove, material had been identified during the season of 2006 by Jason Roseveare. This proved that the designation order set back in 1983 did not cover the remains of the St Anthony 1527. Subsequently, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
issued the new designation to prevent further study without licence.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
carrack
Carrack
A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese , and later by the Spanish, to explore and...
which foundered in Gunwalloe
Gunwalloe
Gunwalloe is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Lizard Peninsula three miles south of Helston and partly contains The Loe, the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall.-History:...
Bay, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, in 1527 en route from Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
to Antwerp. She had a mixed cargo including copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
ingot
Ingot
An ingot is a material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. Non-metallic and semiconductor materials prepared in bulk form may also be referred to as ingots, particularly when cast by mold based methods.-Uses:...
s. The wreck was recorded historically, because the salvage of the cargo was the subject of an international dispute that led to a Court of Star Chamber, but the location of the wreck was unknown until 1981. The wreck is designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act.
Ship
The St Anthony was the personal property of King John III of PortugalJohn III of Portugal
John III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile...
and the flagship of his fleet. She was a carrack
Carrack
A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese , and later by the Spanish, to explore and...
; these were largest ships of the time and the first truly ocean going vessels. The cargo was particularly valuable, estimated to be worth at the time £18,800 (about 4,000 times a man's annual wage), and it is thought to have included the dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
of Princess Katherine, bride of King John III and sister of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
. The cargo manifest survives.
Wrecking and salvage
The wreck occurred on 15 January 1527 in a storm described, in contemporary evidence, as great and urgent tempest of winds and weather and by the great outrages of the sea.There were 45 survivors from a crew of 86. On the morning after the wreck, the winds receded, and at low tide the wreck was in just six feet of water. Both the survivors and the local people attempted to salvage property from the wreck. King John III of Portugal, demanded the return of the cargo, and King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
set up a Court of Star Chamber. Some of the evidence that was given at the court survives, but not the outcome. However manorial rights of the time would have included an assumed right to goods from wrecks on manorial lands
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
and three prominent landowners were able to improve their status and their manors in the years that followed. William Godolphin was knighted and Godolphin house
Godolphin Estate
The Godolphin Estate is a National Trust property situated in Godolphin Cross, a few miles north-west of Helston in Cornwall, United Kingdom....
was considerably improved. St Aubyn of St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount is a tidal island located off the Mount's Bay coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a civil parish and is united with the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water....
was a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. John Milliton of Pengersick Castle became High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
and Pengersick Castle was also improved around this time. There is some evidence that Henry VIII ordered that the salvaged cargo should be returned to Portugal, but much of it was missing.
Discovery and protection
Despite the existence of the historical records, the actual position of the wreck was unknown. In the 1970s a copper ingot was recovered by a shellfish diver, but the significance of this find was not understood until 1981, when a copper ingot was found on the beach. A team was sent to investigate and discovered that the location matched the contemporary accounts.The seabed at this location consists of rocky gullies, exposed to the full force of Atlantic surf. There is no sediment to protect historic material and there are flint pebbles which help to smash and grind artefacts. Unsurpisingly therefore, the timbers of the ship have not survived, nor have any ferrous artefacts. The site was designated on 15 February 1982 under the Protection of Wrecks Act and local diver Tony Randall was made licensee. As conservation in situ was impossible, a license to conduct a rescue operation of any surviving artefacts was granted, and the surviving remains were recovered. Examples of copper and silver ingots were acquired and analysed by the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
There are public displays of recovered artefacts at Charlestown
Charlestown, Cornwall
Charlestown is a village and port on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom, in the parish of St Austell Bay. It is situated approximately south east of St Austell town centre....
Heritage and Shipwreck Centre and at Pengersick Castle.
Following a report in May 2005 by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
's archaeological diving contractor, that there was wreck material from the St Anthony lying outside the protected area, and evidence that this material was vulnerable to interference the site was redesignated on 21 September 2006 under an emergency designation order. The centre of the designation area was moved to the South East and the radius of increased from 75m to 150m.
After five years searching the gullies of Fishing Cove, material had been identified during the season of 2006 by Jason Roseveare. This proved that the designation order set back in 1983 did not cover the remains of the St Anthony 1527. Subsequently, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
issued the new designation to prevent further study without licence.
See also
- List of designations under the Protection of Wrecks Act
- Archaeology of shipwrecksArchaeology of shipwrecksThe archaeology of shipwrecks is the field of archaeology specialised in the study and exploration of shipwrecks. Its techniques combine those of archaeology with those of diving....
- Maritime archaeologyMaritime archaeologyMaritime archaeology is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, shore side facilities, port-related structures, cargoes, human remains and submerged...
External links
- UK-diving website description of wreck
- Divernet website description of lizard wrecks part 1
- Gunwalloe