The Mary Rose and Tudor Life
What Does Henry VIII’s Flag Ship tells us about Tudor Times?
Oct 24, 2008
Uniquely preserved under the water’s of the Solent, artefacts from the Mary Rose are many and varied. Ranging from ship’s equipment to the personal effects of the crew, they provide valuable information on everyday life in Tudor Britain.
Literacy
As in Tudor society, literacy levels on the Mary Rose varied. Although only the leather bindings survive from books and ledgers, quills and inkpots remain in the officer’s quarters.
Some of the ordinary crew members had a basic knowledge of their letters. Various personal items were marked with the owner’s initials. Bowls, mugs, knife sheaths and handles have been recovered, crudely carved with the owner’s initials whilst items found in the barber surgeon’s cabin have the owner’s initials of "W.E’ professionally stamped on them. Those unable to write overcame their illiteracy by devising their own personal ‘markers’ which they chiselled into their possessions.
Leisure Activities
Dice were found in a number of sea chests and leather pouches suggesting that gambling and dice games were popular ways to pass the time when off duty. These were not the only games played on board; in the carpenter’s cabin, a particularly fine example of a backgammon set was discovered.
Diet
The crew’s diet may not have been limited to dried meat and ship’s biscuits. Residues in barrels and baskets about the ship suggest that the crew’s diet consisted of:
- Meat. Nine barrels were found to have theremains of preserved joints of beef whilst bones found hanging near the kitchen suggest seem to belong to fresh or smoked joints of pork. Venison and mutton bones have also been discovered.
- Fish. The remains of dried or salted North Sea cod, headless and gutted were found in baskets at the stern.
- Fresh Fruit. Several hundred plum stones, representing five different varieties of the fruit were found stored in baskets.
- Beer. This was an everyday drink in Tudor society. Small beer as opposed to strong ale was the usual daily drink even on land as water supplies were often unsafe to drink.
Dining Tudor Style
Plates, drinking vessels and cutlery were discovered covering the whole spectrum of the ships’ social structure. Finds include:
- Pewter ware. Dishes, plates, flagons and spoons were found made of pewter, an alloy of tin and lead. An expensive commodity, pewter was used by the officers only.
- Wooden Tableware. The ordinary seamen would have eaten and drunk from plates and mugs made of wood. Eighty-seven wooden bowls, fifty-eight dishes and forty-four wooden plates were found amongst the ship’s kitchen equipment. The crew would have also used wooden tankards, made water tight with pitch. These were personal items as indicated by the number bearing an owner’s mark found all over the ship.
- Cutlery. Officers and men alike would have used knives to cut and eat their food. Spoons were rare and only seem to have been in use amongst the officers whilst forks were not in use in Tudor Britain.
Clothing
Most Tudor clothing that survives to the present day was elaborate and belonged to the wealthy. Very few pieces of clothing have been discovered belonging to ordinary people. However, the Mary Rose contains the preserved remains of the garments of ordinary seamen.
- · Leather survived well on the ship and 12 practically intact leather jerkins have been recovered. Most fastened with laces but one example was shown to have once been fastened with buttons.
- · Shoes were also well represented on board with a variety of square and round toed styles surviving with the ship. Some were slip on whilst others were buckled or laced. Popular boot styles seem to have been worn to the ankle or just above the knee.
- · Wool items did not survive well however one woollen jerkin survived almost intact. Edged with a piece of braided green silk and fastened with 4 yellow buttons, the possible remains of a red and yellow checked woollen shirt were found with it. Also recovered was a woollen scogger, a tube shaped garment worn around the ankles or about the arms.
- · Hats.Three woollen, beret style hats survived, two intact and lined in silk.
- · Velvet and silk. The elaborate garments of the officers have not survived well in the conditions below the Solent and generally all that remain are the trimmings of garments. The exception is a complete velvet cap, similar to those worn by Henry VIII in portraits, which was found in the barber surgeon’s cabin.
- · Fastenings. Various fastenings for clothes and shoes survive includinga set of red and green silk covered pear shaped buttons, copper aglets (the tips of laces), metal buckles of various sizes for belts, armour and shoes.
