Sealed by Time: The Loss and Recovery of the Mary Rose (Archaeology of the Mary Rose) - Softcover

Marsden, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1785701525 ISBN 13: 9781785701528

Publisher: Oxbow Books, 2015

Synopsis

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 armory. 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.

About this title

About the Author

DR PETER MARSDEN is a professional archaeologist who has excavated numerous Roman, medieval and later sites. He was commissioned to record the Bronze Age (c.1550 BC) boat at Dover, and has excavated the oldest seagoing sailing ship found in northern Europe (of c.150 AD), as well as other Roman and medieval shipwrecks in the River Thames. He is a founder of the Council for Nautical Archaeology that successfully campaigned for a law to protect historic shipwrecks (Protection of Wrecks Act 1973), and in 1986 created the Shipwreck Museum at Hastings in East Sussex. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. While doing all of this he was commissioned by the Mary Rose Trust to compile two of the five major academic volumes about Mary Rose.

Review

Sets a standard for future recording of important underwater archaeological sties...Future volumes will look at various aspects of the project in more detail and increase our knowledge and understanding of life in Tudor times.' -- The Northern Mariner/le marin du nord The Northern Mariner/le marin du nord This is something of an archaeological epic.' -- Current Archaeology Current Archaeology Sealed by Time is the record of a fascinating topic, told in great detail and with admirable accuracy, backed by copious notes, footnotes and references to sources for almost every point. It answered long-standing questions about Mary Rose, her building, her sea time, her tragic loss on July 19, 1545, the first attempts to raise her from the bottom of the Solent at the time, then the rediscovery of the abandoned wreck and further efforts begun in 1836 and concluding with current preservation project which began in 1965. There can be no question that this is a most valuable book, a worth-while reference volume for the scholar or the interested layman...it contains an amazing amount of information and the number and quality of illustrations is impressive.' -- Masthead, Journal of the ACS and CSMA Masthead, Journal of the ACS and CSMA a must have for archaeologists interested in the period' -- Post-Medieval Archaeology Post-Medieval Archaeology This book is important,...Specialists in shipwreck archaeology and serious students of the technical development of Post-Medieval European ships must have access to a copy.' -- International Journal of Maritime History 16 (1) International Journal of Maritime History 16 (1)

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxbow Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1785701525
• ISBN 13: 9781785701528
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 216