One of the world’s most important medieval shipwreck finds, from just off the coast of Studland in Dorset, has gone on permanent display in a newly reopened £10 million museum.
A pair of 13th century Purbeck stone grave slabs and other finds from one of the oldest known shipwrecks in England, is now on show for the first time since being discovered in 2020, offering the public a rare glimpse into Dorset’s medieval maritime past.
A grave slab possibly destined for one of England’s Archbishops is on display for the first time in 750 years
Within sight of Old Harry rocks
The slabs were recovered from the Mortar Wreck, a medieval trading vessel that sank in Studland Bay around 1250, just a mile off the Dorset coast and within sight of Old Harry Rocks.
After lying on the seabed for more than 750 years, the artefacts have now taken pride of place in a new Shipwreck Gallery at Poole Museum, Dorset, which has just reopened following a major three year, multi million pound redevelopment.
The museum is free of charge to enter all year round and also has displays from other notable local shipwrecks, including the World War One Red Cross ship Kyarra, sunk in 1918 by a German U-Boat just off Anvil Point, Swanage, the Swash Channel wreck, and the Studland Bay wreck.
The main gallery also features the remains of an Iron Age logboat, found off Brownsea Island in the 1960s and dating back to 295 BC.
A new exhibition on the Mortar Wreck from 1250 AD is causing excitement
Oldest surviving English shipwreck
But it is the Mortar Wreck display – which is now listed in the world’s top 10 medieval shipwreck discoveries alongside King Henry VIII’s flagship Mary Rose – which is causing the most excitement.
The wreck, named after the heavy stone mortars it was carrying, has been dated to the reign of King Henry III and is officially recognised by Historic England as the oldest surviving English shipwreck with a visible hull.
The 24 metre long ship, with a crew of around 20 men, is believed to have been transporting around 30 tonnes of Purbeck stone goods, quarried near Corfe Castle and shipped from Poole Harbour to destinations around Britain and Europe.
Among the cargo were stone mortars used for grinding grain into flour, cooking vessels, pottery, a stone cauldron, and elaborately carved grave slabs that have now captured public attention.
Divers uncovered the gravestones in 2024, seven metres below the waves in Studland Bay
Intended for high status clergy
One slab measures around 1.5 metres in length and weighs 70kg, while the second, which was broken into two pieces, would have been around two metres long with a combined weight of 200kg.
Both feature carved Christian crosses which are typical of the period, and researchers believe they were intended as coffin lids or crypt monuments for high status members of the clergy, possibly even the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The wreck was first identified by charter boat skipper Trevor Small, who noticed unusual sonar readings while operating on the edge of the Swash Channel due east of Knoll Beach, Studland.
What had long been dismissed as little more than a pile of stones turned out to be one of the most important maritime archaeological discoveries ever made in the region.
Well preserved items from 13th century maritime life and death are what makes the Mortar Wreck so important
“Heyday of Purbeck marble industry”
Tom Cousins, maritime archaeologist at Bournemouth University, who led the excavation, said:
“It had been known about for years, but nobody thought it was anything special. Our skipper asked if we’d ever dived it, and we said no – because there was nothing there. But when the divers came back up, they said: ‘You need to come down and see this.’
“Subsequent surveys revealed a remarkably well preserved medieval shipwreck, complete with visible hull timbers and a cargo of Purbeck stone that told a powerful story about trade, industry and everyday life in 13th century England.
“It was the heyday of the Purbeck marble industry, you won’t find a church or cathedral from that period that doesn’t contain it. Most of that stone moved by sea, which is why this wreck is so important.
“This ship was made from overlapping wooden planks, like souped-up version of a Viking ship, built from oak felled between 1242 and 1265, which seems to have run into trouble shortly after leaving the shelter of Poole Harbour, sinking in Studland Bay.
“It may have been overloaded. There’s a crack in the hull and around 30 tonnes of stone on board, and once that starts to go wrong, there’s not much you can do.”
Maritime archaeologist Tom Cousins with two carved Purbeck stone grave slabs, after they were raised from Studland Bay
“It must have been terrifying”
Derek Pitman, of Corfe Castle, an associate professor of archaeology at Bournemouth University and a regular presenter on TV’s Time Team, said:
“This wasn’t a high-prestige ship, it was just a normal trading vessel, with cooking pots and everyday items on board, as well as a relatively large cargo of stone mortars and burial slabs. But it was substantial, possibly carrying a crew of around 20 sailors.
“When you’re out there on a modern boat, even that can feel vulnerable in rough water. Imagine being on a wooden ship loaded with stone – it must have been terrifying.
“It’s really important, because while we talk about a wreck, there were people on board and although I like to think they would have made it back to shore – as it’s not too big a swim to Studland – in rough conditions it would have been horrifying.
“The wreck was really well preserved, I’ve never seen anything like it. The ship is likely to be about 24 metres long with a six metre beam, and may even have housed a castle at the stern.”
Items from the Swash Channel Wreck include a grindstone for sharpening swords on
A tap for casks of rum
Purbeck stone, sometimes referred to as Purbeck marble, has been quarried in Dorset since Roman times and was highly prized in the medieval period.
It could be polished like marble and was used extensively in Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. Archaeologists have also found Purbeck stone as far afield as Denmark, highlighting the scale of the medieval stone trade.
Artefacts from two other ships which sank in very much the same area of Studland Bay have also gone on display at the new museum.
Items from the Swash Channel Wreck – likely a Dutch merchant ship name The Fame – include a grindstone for sharpening swords on, pewter tankards and spoons, a bronze handbell for raising the alarm and kitchen utensils such as a frying pan, a bread paddle and a tap for casks of rum or ale.
Artefacts from The Fame, a Spanish trading ship which sank off Studland in 1520, are also on display
Items from a Spanish trading ship
The Fame had been anchored in Studland Bay in 1631 during a storm and was dragged onto Hook Sands, where it capsized. Records state that the crew of 45 men abandoned ship and all got safely to land.
The wreck site was discovered in the 1990s and excavated in 2010 in the largest operation of its kind since that of the Mary Rose.
There are also artefacts from the Studland Bay Wreck, a Spanish trading ship which would have brought luxury cargoes like wine, figs and spices, but which sank in around 1520.
It was discovered in 1984 when the nets of local fisherman Gerry Randle snagged on one of the ship’s timbers, and later revealed around 750 treasures including cannons and cannonballs, wooden tools, shoes, barrels, leather, and pottery from the early 1500s.
The main gallery of the museum houses an Iron Age logboat which was found off Brownsea Island
Further information
- More details on the Mortar Wreck are at Cambridge University Press
- More about Poole Museum
