Thread by @MaryRoseMuseum

Heartstone is perfect for Tudor fans as it has some very accurate depictions of the Mary Rose and Tudor Portsmouth.

Which is hardly surprising because we helped with the research! #OnceUponAtimeMW

But there are some more nuggets from the book you can find in our museum that we want to share with you.

And because we are responsible readers, be aware, spoilers ahead!

So here we go and let’s start with the front cover.

It may be hard to spot, but the star of the cover is one of our guns on the main deck!

'Men were checking stone and iron gunballs for size against wooden boards with large circular holes, then stacking them carefully inside triangular containers beside each cannon.’

Shot gauges were made for each gun as barrel size wasn’t uniform.

Gunners wouldn’t want too large or too small a shot in their guns as they could either get wedged or cause damage to the barrel when fired.

The stone shot was brought on board in an unfinished state so gunners could chisel them to the right size for their gun once on board.

‘They were barefoot, most with jerkins over their shirts and some with round woolly hats.’

Organic material didn’t survive too well but we do have some clothing items, including jerkins and hats.

We also have a piece of checked fabric which we think was a shirt, so take note for next time you plan on making a Tudor outfit!

Also, seeing as we found 239 shoes we aren’t sure why the crew are described as barefoot.

(Although it might be to stop them from slipping on the decks)

‘High in the masts I made out more men standing in little circular nests. David said, ‘Those are fighting tops. Your archers may go there.”

This is the only surviving fighting top in the world. It survived because it was a spare kept in storage so was buried & preserved in silt.

And just so we’re clear, this is not a crow’s nest. A crow’s nest is entirely different.

Look at the difference!

‘A small mongrel greyhound sat beside one group, avidly watching a game of cards.’

No prizes for guessing who that is! @HatchTheDog_MR was likely on board as the ship’s ratter and possibly unofficial mascot.

@HatchTheDog_MR Most dog breeds originated after 1545 but Hatch’s DNA points to him being closely related to modern Jack Russell/whippet cross.

@HatchTheDog_MR ‘Then the cook and his assistant rolled a heavy barrel into the galley. They set it quickly upright and the cook opened the lid with a chisel. I saw a white mass of fish within, the gleam of salt.’
The crew may not have eaten much in the way of vegetables but they were fed well.

@HatchTheDog_MR Amongst casks of beef, venison and pork we also recovered at least 60 salted cod, as well as Haddock, Hake and Eel.

@HatchTheDog_MR Isotope and DNA analysis of cod bones showed the fish had come from Iceland! (Obviously the fishing grounds of the country, not the shop, which wasn’t founded until 1970.)

maryrose.org/news/cod-bones…

@HatchTheDog_MR ‘She was clinging to something, a broad wooden circle with a short spar attached, the circle painted with alternating red and white rose petals. The emblem from the bow of the Mary Rose.’

The colours have washed off but you can just make out the rose shape on the emblem.

@HatchTheDog_MR Did you know, we share an emblem with the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth?

The ship’s badge is a Tudor Rose on a background of green and white, the colours of the Tudor House. Which is very apt considering the ship is named after the Tudor monarch.

@HatchTheDog_MR Some of the Portsmouth landmarks Shardlake sees and visits include Round Tower and Square Tower.

Both of these are included on the Cowdray engraving (a Tudor depiction of the Battle of the Solent) along with Southsea Castle and still exist today!

@HatchTheDog_MR ‘One group was talking in what I recognised as Spanish.’

For 30 years we were intrigued by Spanish items owned by one of the carpenters and presumed he had either visited Spain or had come from there.

@HatchTheDog_MR In 2019 we had the opportunity to examine some of the crew using isotope analysis and one of the surprises confirmed he was in fact Spanish!

@HatchTheDog_MR A Welsh ex-member of staff was convinced one of our archers was Welsh because of his large physique.

Hopefully he wasn’t too disappointed when we learnt he was from Southern England.

@HatchTheDog_MR If you’re interested in what else we discovered about some of our crew members, you can watch the documentary on Channel 4

channel4.com/programmes/ske…

@HatchTheDog_MR ‘He had a dark brown beard framing a long, frowning face, a pomander as well as a sword at his waist.’

Pomanders are small wooden balls with holes in. they were filled with petals as it was believed nice smells would chase disease away.

@HatchTheDog_MR Iron didn’t survive too well but we do have a nice example of a basket hilt sword plus several sword hangers.

@HatchTheDog_MR “All the big warships have netting secured across the tops of their decks to stop boarders.”

Although designed to protect the crew, the anti-boarding netting trapped many of the crew on the ship so they couldn’t escape as she sank.

@HatchTheDog_MR The rope was covered in a mixture of sand and tar to prevent the enemy from cutting through but it also meant the crew couldn’t cut their way out.

@HatchTheDog_MR ‘The ship heeled to starboard. I thought it would be like the earlier manoeuvre and she would right herself but she tilted more and more.’

Even after 500 years, we still don’t have definitive proof of what caused the sinking.

@HatchTheDog_MR Eye witness accounts blame a gust of wind but could there be another reason?

maryrose.org/why-did-the-ma…

@HatchTheDog_MR “We all heard the screaming too, as the King did at South Sea Castle.’ ‘He saw the Mary Rose sink?”

We know from the Cowdray engraving and other documents that Henry had a front row seat as he watched the battle from @Southsea_Castle

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle However, we aren’t sure if he cried out the crew had ‘drowned like ratten’ as another author has claimed.

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle “They’re arguing with Governor Paulet over whether they or the arm should pay for the care of those here.”

Another famous face from the Cowdray is Governor Paulet, who can be seen standing with his wife and grandson.

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle His son is over in Portsmouth town, talking/organising/dealing with people.

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle “They want to try and refloat the Mary Rose when it’s safe,’ Barak said. ‘Bring in Italian engineers, to recover the guns, at least.”

We know that in 1547 Italian salvage diver Piero Paola Corsi was paid £50 to recover guns from the Mary Rose.

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle One of the only people named as part of his dive team was Jacques Francis, a guinea-born diver.

(Image by @LillingtonJoe)

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle @LillingtonJoe Later that year, Corsi was accused of theft from another salvage job in the Solent. During his trial, Jacques Francis was called upon to give evidence in Corsi’s defence, making him the first person of colour to give evidence in an English court.

nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/black…

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle @LillingtonJoe And finally, did you know you can find #Shardlake in our museum?

Well, on it anyway. C J Sansom supported the building of our museum and both his and Shardlake’s names are immortalised on the outside of our museum balcony.

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle @LillingtonJoe Plus, C J Sansom also sponsored the Men of The Upper Deck gallery.

@HatchTheDog_MR @Southsea_Castle @LillingtonJoe We hope you enjoyed this literary look at our collection and if you’ve not come to see our museum you should definitely book tickets to do so soon!

maryrose.org/your-visit/