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Conservation Centre agreed

Newport City Council has now agreed the construction of a dedicated Conservation Centre for the Mediaeval Ship. A building has been secured at Maesglas, Newport, and the timbers have been transfered. This should secure the future of the project once and for all and will satisfy the expected 10-15 years required for recording and conservation of the timbers.

On November 1st. 2004 a team of ship recorders was established under the supervision of Kate Hunter (Newport Museum's Keeper of Conservation). This international crew consists of Toby Jones a graduate from the National Archaeology Programme at Texas A&M University, Hefin Meara, an archaeology graduate of Sheffield University, Angela Karsten, conservator and a graduate both of the University of Applied Sciences Berlin and Maritime Conservation Centre at the University of Portsmouth, and Monika Maleszka, an archaeology graduate from Poznari Poland, now undertaking a PhD at York University.

Kate is a highly experienced conservator having worked for the National Museum of Wales before moving to Newport Museum. Amongst her many projects has been organising the conservation of the Romano-Celtic boat from Barlands Farm near Newport. Toby has worked and dived on the early C 19th Mica shipwreck, sunk in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as surveying vessels of all ages in Episkopi Bay, Cyprus. Hefin, a Welsh speaker, was one of the most valued members of the original excavation team for the Newport Ship, and brings that invaluable experience with him. In site photographs he can usually be recognised as the muddiest individual present. Angela has worked on several water-logged sites, in particular conserving leather artefacts from the Darss Cog (1293). Monika has worked on water-logged sites in Poland and is currently researching Viking Age trade and exchange in the Baltic area.

There is a huge national shortage of conservation and freeze drying facilities for wood and the new facility should not only satisfy the requirements of the Newport ship but may also take in conservation work from elswhere. On average a new archaeological ship related find is made in the South Wales/Severn area every two years.

Open days at the Maesglas facility are planned during the Summer for the public to see work in progress. Details on the Friends Diary Page. A plan for the post excavation works including conservation of the timbers and detailed recording has now been accepted by the City Council. The next stage is to apply for Heritage Lottery funding.

To read a Conservation Plan proposed by Mary Rose Archaeological Services click here

Starting the Research & Recording programme

Gustav Milne, lecturer in London Archaeology and Maritime Archaeology at University College London and internationally acclaimed expert in the excavation and recovery of marine remains formulated a discussion paper concerning the up-coming research programmes soon after the discovery of the Newport ship. The following is an extract:

"What happens next is another really exciting challenge, the full recording of the timber at the steel works ship-yard. This programme should be seen not just as a timber- recording exercise, but as a major research project: it is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to record all aspects of the ship structure before the timbers are conserved/ then displayed.

The results of the recording exercise will determine not only how old it was and how it was built, but what the vessel looked like, its lines, its capacity, its operational abilities. The information collected during this phase will also determine what should be displayed, and help resolve the ‘how’ and the ‘why’. There are many elements to the research programme, including:

• Frame study,
• Strake study;
• Fastenings study
• Luting study
• Ceiling study,
• Mast-step study (mast-sail-rigging)
• Stern assembly study (probably includes 1:1 replication)
• Bow assembly study (probably includes 1:1 replication)
• Parent log/ parent tree studies
• Dendrochronological study
• Marine infestation study

The programme will clearly be a long one, so needs to be designed to produce results, maintain momentum, and ensure that key decisions made regarding the design of the display setting are based on accurate data at a very early stage. The designers will need to have an accurate idea of the shape/ profile/ size/ volume of the remains that are to be displayed before plans to construct the proposed Ship Hall can sensibly be laid, let alone begun."

To read the full discussion paper please click here

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Current Research Reports top

The related study of the medieval Newport itself, a port on a par Bristol, will also provide new data on the traffic, trade and international contacts enjoyed by Wales over 500 years ago.

Research by Bob Trett, former curator at Newport Museum and Art Gallery and Chairman of Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT) has traced a number of ships working out of Newport during the mid-15th century and uncovered links with the Earl of Warwick, Chancellor of England.

To read more click here

To view the following reports please click on the link

Snippets of local history top

The Friends of the Newport Ship are not the first group to have done research into the history of the site of the Town Quay and surrounding area.

Friends member Mr.R.E.Takel of Cwmbran conducted research in the 1970s on the riverbank area where the ship was found. He considers that the Ship lies near the site of the old Town Quay.

In 1269 Simon de Montfort was "less than kind to the town", and consequently Prince Edward (later Edward I) landed with his troops at Town Quay in August 1269 prior to pursuing de Montfort to Evesham, where the latter was defeated.

Do you have any information about the Town Quay? If you do then please tell us.

Email: research@thenewportship.com

The Newport Ship and the Archaeology of the Severn Estuary top

"…a project on this scale could only have been undertaken by people with substantial military and economic resources."

Nigel Nayling

The prestigious 2002 annual lecture to the Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association was given by Nigel Nayling at UWCN in early October. Dr. Nayling of University of Wales College Lampeter is an internationally respected expert in wetland archaeology and ship recovery in the Severn levels. He is a consultant to Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT) and has overseen the recovery of the Newport ship over the last six months. The Lecture was open to the public and a capacity audience of 170 left many others turned away at the door.

The illustrated talk featured a number of interesting finds including the Magor-Pill and Barlands Farm Celtic-Roman boats and excavations, the Sewn Plank boat (2000 BC) and other related excavations in the Goldcliffe and Bristol areas on which he has worked.

To read a fuller description of Nigel Nayling's talk please click here

The Coastal Archaeology of Wales top

Edited by Andrew Davidson

This book was published before the discovery of The Newport mediaeval ship which, had it been found earlier, would have provided a significant contribution to the theme. Nonetheless the report provides a fascinating and extensive overview of the archaeology of the Welsh coastal zone. It contains a chapter on 'The Archaeology of Shipwrecks' with references to locally excavated boats including the Magor Pill and Barlands farm boats. The Gwent/Newport area is also well covered with chapters on 'Fish Weirs and Fish Traps' and 'The Gwent Levels' by Nigel Nayling the consultant archaeologist who worked on the recovery of the Newport ship.

Published by Council for British Archaeology Price £19.95

ISBN 1 902771 27 3

To read a fuller description please click here

Welsh Pirates & Buccaneers

by Terry Breverton

In certain circles Wales is synonymous with pirates and Newport can boast links with one of the most successful of them, Sir Henry Morgan. Former Governor of Jamaica, Sir Henry Morgan was described as a "murderous monster" a "depraved, vicious, treacherous, almost unparalleled human brute, who was born of respectable people in WalesÉ".

Read about the infamous Colyn Dolphyn who terrorised the Bristol Channel during the late 15th century at about the time the Newport Ship laid up In the Usk.

A fascinating read and well worth the money if only for the extensive (nearly 90 pages) glossary of definitions of ancient nautical and seafaring terms, many of which have been handed down over the centuries.

Published by
Wales Books - Glyndwr Publishing 2003   £17.50

ISBN 1-903 529-093

To read a fuller description please click here

Related Maritime Subjects top

To research other Maritime subjects Search PORT the online catalogue of maritime-related Internet resources compiled by the National Maritime Museum. Every resource has been selected and described by a librarian or subject specialist. Services and materials developed by the Museum's Centre for Research are also available on the site.

Do you have information about other ships?
Within the UK there is no parallel ship to compare to this discovery. Only a handful of medieval ships have ever been found in Britain and even reused fragments of these ships are extremely rare.

We are interested to know more about similar ships in other parts of the world. If you have a web site or have done similar research then let us know:

Email: Friends of the Newport Ship,

Or write to:
Friends of the Newport Ship,
c/o FWD Law, Clifton Chambers,
12 Clifton Road, Newport, NP20 4EW