Charlestown collection moves to MAST
The Charlestown collection now forms part of the core of MAST’s developing shipwreck assemblage.
We are delighted and relieved to have saved the country’s most important collection of artefacts from shipwrecks in the UK for the Nation.
The collection was put together principally by Richard Larn and other divers during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Historic England identified the collection as the largest and most important collection of artefacts from shipwrecks in the UK. It was at risk of being dispersed following the museum’s announcement that it would be selling the collection at auction.
Among many hundreds of items, it includes material from 13 Designated Protected sites which have the same status as the Mary Rose. Artefacts saved include those retrieved from multiple Royal Navy warships including HMS Ramillies, HMS Association and English and Dutch East India Company wrecks. We have just now enhanced the collection with other wreck material.
We are now planning local and national opportunities with museums around the country, including support from The National Museum of the Royal Navy and Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, to share and learn from this important resource that not only tells the story of the development of maritime archaeology in the UK but also the history and archaeology of the Royal Navy and the development of international trade.
From January we will be starting a blog as we start packaging up the collection to bring it back to our Archaeological Centre in Poole where they will undergo conservation and we will be working with our longterm partners, Bournemouth University.
Meanwhile, here are a few items from the collection to whet your appetites:
