The Kinlochbervie Shipwreck
By Isobel Patience
A diver jumps into the crystal-clear waters south-west of Kinlochbervie to the treasure-trove below.
Photograph courtesy of Colin Martin.
To speed this process, ‘diagnostic pieces’ – those considered most likely be indicative of a particular time, place or culture and so likely to provide the most valuable information – were raised and examined first.
By the end of the first day of operations, even the non-divers had had a good wetting as the rain fell steadily, and the team retired to bed with hopes of better weather in the morning. On the morning of the second day, forecasters warned that weather conditions may take a turn for the worse within the next twenty-four hours, thus racking up the pressure to bring in a good haul of finds in the limited time available.
At the end of the second day, although visibility on the seabed was still very good the weather was worsening, casting doubt on the third day’s dive schedule. When the third day of the dig dawned, a fierce westerly gale was rapidly closing in and as a consequence only a limited number of dives were carried out. These were hampered by poor visibility and the swell of the water, even at depths of twenty metres. This proved enormously frustrating for the team, fired by the significance of the materials already recovered.
So, what were the end products of all the activity – and how did they help to solve the mystery of the unidentified shipwreck? The catalogue of finds (not all of which were removed from the seabed) included:
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cannon and cannon balls
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anchors of generic sixteenth and seventeenth century design
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four cast-iron guns and shot
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a depth-sounding lead weight for measuring the depth of water
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Iberian red micaceous ware including a tripod cooking pot with some residue still present
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high-quality Italian majolica ware including a near-intact wine ewer and a large fragment of a boat-shaped salt cellar
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north Italian red earthenware shards and stoneware shards
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Seville coarseware including an intact olive jar with a stamped rim
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galley bricks used for building a fire on board and
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lead sheeting possibly used to patch up the ship’s hull.
Despite the quantity and quality of the finds, some aspects of the wreck were still a puzzle – such as the absence of significant metal finds. This may be explained in part by the theory that the ship may have broken into at least two pieces, and the wreck site comprises only one of these, most likely the bow section.
Initial opinion on the age of the finds seemed to favour the possibility of an Armada wreck. However, subsequent dating of the guns and the ‘star’ finds of the underwater dig appear to indicate that the unfortunate vessel was of a slightly later period than the Spanish Armada - possibly a lost Mediterranean trading ship - but the evidence is not conclusive. The lack of bronze cannon further tips the balance against the Armada theory.
Although further investigations took place at Kinlochbervie in 2002 and 2003, there may still be materials from this turbulent period in European history lying on the seabed waiting to be found. Permits under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 and associated regulations are readily obtainable and diving enthusiasts will be sure to find a welcome considerably warmer than the weather from the people of Kinlochbervie.
In all, approximately 100 finds were located and recovered in July 2001, each one helping to provide answers to the questions the dig team had set itself.
Arguably an almost-intact wine ewer was the ‘star’ find of the excavation, a luxury item exquisitely made and lavishly decorated, part of “the best collection of Italian renaissance pottery excavated from an archaeological context in this country,” according to pottery expert Duncan Brown in his Time Team interview.
The wine ewer, made of high-grade Italian majolica (tin-glazed pottery) of a type created to order for the great and the good of Mediterranean society, features ten fluted panels bizarrely decorated with a depiction of female satyrs, flowers, snails, insects and cameos, painted in orange, blue, black and yellow against a background of white. Its remarkable state of preservation may be due to its having been transported in a wooden packing case which slowly broke up on the seabed but nevertheless protected its precious cargo for many years.
Rummaging around the sea-bed – this diver is labelling the fascinating finds located by the team.
Photograph courtesy of the Archaeological Diving Unit, University of St Andrews.
This ornate majolica wine ewer was a ‘star’ find from the wreck site.
Photograph courtesy of Roy Hemming/National Museums of Scotland.
This intact olive jar was a ‘star’ find from the wreck site.
Photograph courtesy of the Archaeological Diving Unit, University of St Andrews.
Initially, it was suggested that the piece originated in the workshops of the Patanazzi family of Urbino, Italy, but further research identified Tuscan workshops at Pisa or Montelupo as the more likely source. Disappointingly for adherents of the Armada hypothesis, it has also been suggested that the ewer dates from no earlier than 1590.
The intact olive jar recovered from the wreck site provides a sharp contrast to the self-indulgence of the majolica ewer. The jar was a basic workaday item, an example of Seville coarseware with a stamped mark on the rim - a ‘star’ find principally by virtue of the excellent condition in which it was found.
The stamped rim hammers another nail into the coffin of Armada romantics, as it is noted that stamped rims were not present among the jars from the 1596 San Pedro wreck, but did feature in those from the 1622 wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha.
In the ‘Time Team’ programme, the jar is shown being picked up from its position on the seabed and packed in a specially-constructed container by a nervous Phil Harding, supervised by perhaps an even more nervous Martin Dean as the pair nursed their precious find to the surface. The wine ewer and olive jar, together with the entire collection of finds, are now in the care of the National Museums of Scotland.