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Monument details

Summary

3rd rate ship of the line lost on the Goodwins in the Great Storm 27 November 1703.

Monument Types

• WRECK (Post Medieval - 1679 AD to 1703 AD (between))

Full description

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Built in Bristol in 1679 by Bailey, rebuilt in 1702 at Chatham, she was lost along with the Stirling Castle, Restoration and Mary during the great storm of 27rd November 1703. 253 of her crew perished. Her master was James Greenway. The Northumberland was part of the Thirty Great Ships programme engendered by Samual Pepys.

The best eye witness of the events of the Great Storm is James Adams who was a passenger on a merchantman a anchor in the Downs, recording events concerning not only his ship, but others also. The storm lasted 13 days and he personally witnesses the loss of the Northumberland and the Mary.

The site was found in 1979 after investigation of a fisherman's net fastener. The wreck lies on fine sand at 320/140 degrees. In 1991, the last navy survey, the least echosounder depth was 11.2 in a general depth of 15.5m. Side scan sonar height 6m and a scour of 16.5m. In 1984 there was 50 feet of complete bow section, ribs were showing, the remainder of the starboard side was compressed down to 15 feet and the port side was sanded in. Finds from the site have consisted of pewter plate, flagon, glass bottles, rigging blocks and rope. A bell was recovered in 1981 dated 1701.


From the NMR:
British 70 gun Third Rate, probably the NORTHUMBERLAND, which sank in the great storm of 1703 on the Goodwin Sands.

The NORTHUMBERLAND was lost in the Great Storm of 1703 along with the STIRLING CASTLE, RESTORATION and MARY. She was built in Bristol in 1679 by Bailey, rebuilt in 1702 at Chatham and owned by the Royal Navy. Her master at the time of loss was James Greenway. The best eyewitness account of events on the Goodwins surviving is that of James Adams, who was a passenger aboard a merchantman at anchor in the Downs. He not only recorded events concerning his own ship, but also those of other ships around him for the whole 13 day duration of the storm and personally witnessed the NORTHUMBERLAND and MARY disappear as they dragged onto the Goodwins and were lost with all hands. In the case of the NORTHUMBERLAND this meant that she lost 253 crew.

'Deale, Nov. 27. We have had so violent a storm at south west that the like has not been known in these parts in the memory of man; it began to blow hard yesterday in the evening, but about 11 at night it blew so hard with sudden gusts and violent storms of wind, that it made all the houses of the town shake...and so continued till about 9 this morning. We find missing of our merchant men upwards of 70 sail, and these men of war following, viz...NORTHUMBERLAND, Captain Greenway...

'Postscript at one in the afternoon: It blows hard still, but being cleared up to the north-east we perceive two hulls of ships riding at anchor near the Breake, which are supposed to be the STERLING CASLE and RESTAURATION, or the NORTHUMBERLAND...but the flood coming on we can see no more of them.'

'Deale, Nov. 28. Her Majesty's Ships the STERLING CASTLE, the RESTAURATION, NORTHUMBERLAND and MARY, are all four missing...'

'There having been various and confused accounts given last week of the loss sustained amongst Her Majesty's ships of war in the late storm, we present the public with the following authentic list of all that are irrecoverably lost...

'The NORTHUMBERLAND, a third rate, Captain Greenaway, lost on the Goodwin Sands. All her company was lost.'

'Sir, These Lines I hope in God will find you in good health, we are all left here in a dismal condition, expecting every moment to be all drowned. For here is a great storm, and is very likely to to continue; we have here...the Ship, call'd the NORTHUMBERLAND, a third Rate...and about 500 men all sunk and drowned...'

'A list of such of Her Majesty's Ships, with their Commanders' Names, as were cast away by the violent storm on Friday Night the 26th of November 1703, the wind having been from the SW to WSW and the storm continuing from about midnight to past six in the morning:

'Third rate, NORTHUMBERLAND, 253 men, 70 guns, Commander James Greenway, Goodwin Sands, all her men lost.'

'From on board a ship blown out of the Downs to Norway....There was a great fleet with us in the Downs...the next day, being Friday, in the evening, it began to gather to windward; and as it had blown very hard all day, at night the wind freshen'd, and we all expected a stormy night. We saw the men of war struck their top-masts, and rode with two cables an-end, so we made all as snug as we could, and prepar'd for the worst.

'In this condition we rid it out till about 12-a-clock; when, the fury of the wind encreasing, we began to see destruction before us: the objects were very dreadful on every side; and tho' it was very dark, we had light enough to see our own danger, and the danger of those near us. About One-a-clock the ships began to drive...

'By two a-clock we could hear guns firing in several parts of this road, as signals of distress; and tho' the noise was very great with the sea and wind, yet we could distinguish plainly, in some short intervals, the cries of poor souls in extremities.

'By four-a-clock we miss'd the MARY and the NORTHUMBERLAND, who rid not far from us, and found they were driven from their anchors; but what became of them, God knows...'

'There are an innumerable variety of deliverances, besides these, which deserve a memorial to future ages; but these are noted...

'Particularly, 'tis a most remarkable story of a man belonging to the MARY, a fourth rate man of war, lost upon the Goodwin Sands; and all the ship's company but himself being lost, he, by the help of a piece of the broken ship, got a-board the NORTHUMBERLAND; but the violence of the storm continuing, the NORTHUMBERLAND ran the same fate with the MARY, and coming on shore upon the same sand, was split to pieces by the violence of the sea: and yet this person, by a singular Providence, was one of the 64 that were delivered by a Deal hooker out of that ship, all the rest perishing in the sea.'

Built: 1679
Where Built: Bristol
Rebuilt: 1702
Where Rebuilt: Chatham
Commanding Officer: James Greenaway; Greenway
Crew: 253
Crew Lost: 253; all but 63 + 1 man from the MARY
Owner: Royal Navy

Archaeological History:

The site was found by divers after investigation of a fisherman's net fastener in 1979.

1991: Surveyed by the Navy.
1999: ADU Magnetometer and Bathymetric surveys
2002: ADU Magnetometer surveys
2002: RDF Media Sidescan survey

Environmental and Archaeological Remains:
The wreck lies on flat fine sand orientated at 320/140 degrees. In 1991 when the Navy last surveyed the site, the least echosounder depth was 11.2 in a general depth of 15.5m. Side scan sonar height 6m and scour of 16.5m. A further piece of wreckage lies close to the north of this wreck. In 1984 there was 50 feet of complete bow section, ribs were showing, the remainder of the starboard side was compressed down to 15 feet and the port side was sanded in. Finds from the site have consisted of pewter plate, flagon, glass bottles, rigging blocks and rope. A bell was also recovered in 1981 dated 1701.

The NORTHUMBERLAND was fairly intact when she was first uncovered by movement of the sands. She has now largely collapsed. Dr. Mark Rednap is in charge of this vessel which lies at 51 15.45E, 01 30.12E (position in 1989).

The site lies in a depth of 15 to 20 metres. The sediment in the vicinity consists of sand mixed with mussel shell fragments. A layer of finer mobile sand noted over the site in 1995 had largely disappeared by 1999, and the juvenile mussels colonising the timbers were no longer evident, suggesting successful colonisation had been prevented by increased sediment.

In 1999 the site appeared to be stable but a number of exposed removable items suggested that there might have been a gradual lowering of sediment levels across some areas of the site. All major items indicated on the licensee's site plan were in situ, together with smaller, more vulnerable objects. These included glass onion bottles, pewter containers, copper cauldrons, lead sheeting, and ceramics. Some few raised artefacts are kept in the Ramsgate Maritime Museum.

By 2003 areas of the site exposed in the 1999 survey had become buried, particularly the northern area of the site.

Sediment erosion is a natural threat and in 2003 items of fishing net were found snagged on the site.

A collection of items recovered from the STIRLING CASTLE and the NORTHUMBERLAND, but not specified which belongs to which, including: dividers, wooden bowl, onion bottles, iron shot, trigger guard, powder horn, parts of musket, tobacco pipes and candlesticks (Ramsgate Maritime Museum). (Droit A/4005)

A pewter plate and a fragment of pottery recovered from this wreck, Goodwin Sands. (Droit A/4012)

Additional sources cited:
S Braydon & R Songhurst, 1983 "Diary of Joseph Sams; an emigrant in the NORTHUMBERLAND"; [NB: This is a different NORTHUMBERLAND, an emigrant ship, not a warship, and the voyage was 1874 - but there may be some reference to previous ships of that name?]
D G R Perkins, "The Great Storm Wrecks", East Kent Maritime Trust

From the National Heritage List for England:
Site believed to be the Northumberland, a 70-gun 3rd rate ship-of-the-line, built in 1679, was lost in the 'Great Storm' of 1703 along with the designated Stirling Castle and Restoration. The site was found after investigation of a fisherman's net fastener in 1979.

The Northumberland, a 70-gun third rate, was lost in the 'Great Storm' of 1703 along with the Stirling Castle, Restoration and the Mary. The ship was the first third rate to be built under the Thirty Ships programme, and was launched in 1679.

The site was found in 1979 at the start of a systematic investigation by local divers of more than 300 net fastenings recorded by an East Kent fishing family. Most of the items are on display in the Ramsgate Maritime Museum.

Designation History: Designation Order: (No 1), No 827, 1981 Made: 8th June 1981 Laid before Parliament: 16th June 1981 Coming into force: 7th July 1981 Protected area: 50 metres within 51 15.759 N 001 30.081E

Designated Order: (No 1), No 2089, 1989 Made: 10th November 1989 Laid before Parliament: 17th November 1989 Coming into force: 8th December 1989 Protected area: 50 metres within 51 15.45 N 001 30.12 E

Designation Order No 2395, 2004 Made: 12th September 2004 Laid before Parliament: 14th September 2004 Coming into force: 5th October 2004 Protected area: 300 metres within 51 15.481 N 001 30.016 E

No part of the restricted area lies above the high-water mark of ordinary spring tides.

Documentary History: The Northumberland was lost in the Great Storm of 1703 along with the Stirling Castle, Restoration and Mary. She was built in Bristol in 1679 by Bailey; rebuilt in 1702 at Chatham and owned by the Royal Navy. Her master at the time of loss was James Greenway. The best eyewitness account of events on the Goodwins surviving is that of James Adams, who was a passenger aboard a merchantman at anchor in the Downs. He not only recorded events concerning his own ship, but also those of other ships around him for the whole 13 day duration of the storm and personally witnessed the Northumberland and Mary disappear as they dragged onto the Goodwins and were lost with all hands. In the case of the Northumberland this meant that she lost 253 crew.

Various contemporary sources describe the loss of the Restoration:
'Deale, Nov. 27. We have had so violent a storm at south west that the like has not been known in these parts in the memory of man; it began to blow hard yesterday in the evening, but about 11 at night it blew so hard with sudden gusts and violent storms of wind, that it made all the houses of the town shake...and so continued till about 9 this morning. We find missing of our merchant men upwards of 70 sail, and these men of war following, viz...NORTHUMBERLAND, Captain Greenway...

'Postscript at one in the afternoon: It blows hard still, but being cleared up to the north-east we perceive two hulls of ships riding at anchor near the Breake, which are supposed to be the Sterling Casle [sic] and Restauration [sic], or the Northumberland...but the flood coming on we can see no more of them.'

'Particularly, 'tis a most remarkable story of a man belonging to the Mary, a fourth rate man of war, lost upon the Goodwin Sands; and all the ship's company but himself being lost, he, by the help of a piece of the broken ship, got a-board the Northumberland; but the violence of the storm continuing, the Northumberland ran the same fate with the Mary, and coming on shore upon the same sand, was split to pieces by the violence of the sea: and yet this person, by a singular Providence, was one of the 64 that were delivered by a Deal hooker out of that ship, all the rest perishing in the sea.'

Archaeological History: The site was found by divers after investigation of a fisherman's net fastener in 1979 but does not appear to have been surveyed until 1991 during Naval Hydrographic operations.. The wreck lies on flat fine sand orientated at 320/140 degrees. In 1991 when the Navy last surveyed the site, the least echosounder depth was 11.2 in a general depth of 15.5m. Side scan sonar height 6m and scour of 16.5m. A further piece of wreckage lies close to the north of this wreck. In 1984 there was 50 feet of complete bow section, ribs were showing, the remainder of the starboard side was compressed down to 15 feet and the port side was sanded in. Finds from the site have consisted of pewter plate, flagon, glass bottles, rigging blocks and rope. A bell was also recovered in 1981 dated 1701.

The site lies in a depth of 15 to 20 metres. The sediment in the vicinity consists of sand mixed with mussel shell fragments. A layer of finer mobile sand noted over the site in 1995 had largely disappeared by 1999, and the juvenile mussels colonising the timbers were no longer evident, suggesting successful colonisation had been prevented by increased sediment.

Magnetometer and Bathymetric surveys by the Archaeological Diving Unit (ADU) followed in 1999 and 2002. In 1999 the site appeared to be stable but a number of exposed removable items suggested that there might have been a gradual lowering of sediment levels across some areas of the site. Identified objects include glass onion bottles, pewter containers, copper cauldrons, lead sheeting, and ceramics. Some few raised artefacts are kept in the Ramsgate Maritime Museum.

By 2003 areas of the site exposed in the 1999 survey had become buried, particularly the northern area of the site although sediment erosion remains a natural threat and in 2003 items of fishing net were found snagged on the site.

The diving operations in May 2009 [August and September 2008] were to focus on the recovery of timbers for dendrochronological assessment from selected areas. The area to be sampled represented a large section of coherent ship structure, comprising numerous frames, planks and several unidentified timbers. During the fieldwork, this section of the site was observed to be largely concealed beneath sediment which was in some places in excess of 0.5m in depth. This sediment cover prevented the recovery of samples for analysis.

Details of the 2008 dived survey. (1)

The site was surveyed in 2008 (2) and again in 2009 (3).

British Warship losses in the Age of Sail 1650-1859 (Monograph). SKE6713.

British Warship losses in the Age of Sail 1650-1859 (Monograph). SKe6713.

Hydrographic Office, Hydrographic Office Wreck Index (Unpublished document). SKE6689.

Hydrographic Office, Hydrographic Office Wreck Index (Unpublished document). SKe6689.

Lists of Men of War 1650-1700 Part 1: English Sips 1649-1702 (Monograph). SKE6710.

Lists of Men of War 1650-1700 Part 1: English Sips 1649-1702 (Monograph). SKe6710.

Ships of the Royal Navy vol.1 (Monograph). SKE6711.

Ships of the Royal Navy vol.1 (Monograph). SKe6711.

Perkins, D.G.R, East Kent Maritime Trust, The Great Storm Wrecks (Monograph). SKE6697.

Perkins, D.G.R, East Kent Maritime Trust, The Great Storm Wrecks (Monograph). SKe6697.

The Sailing Navy List: all the ships of the Royal Navy built, purchased and captured 1688-1860 (Monograph). SKE6712.

The Sailing Navy List: all the ships of the Royal Navy built, purchased and captured 1688-1860 (Monograph). SKe6712.

1980, Wrecks of the Great Storm 1703 (poss title) (Article in serial). SKE6691.

1980, Wrecks of the Great Storm 1703 (poss title) (Article in serial). SKe6691.

Braydon, s and Songhurst, R., 1983, Diary of Joseph Sams; an emigrant in the Northumberland (Monograph). SKE6696.

Braydon, s and Songhurst, R., 1983, Diary of Joseph Sams; an emigrant in the Northumberland (Monograph). SKe6696.

1985, Article (Article in serial). SKE6692.

1985, Article (Article in serial). SKe6692.

Barham, A. J. & Bates, M. B., 1991, A Preliminary Research Report on the Palaeoenvironmental & Geoarchaeological Significance of the North Kent Marshes (Unpublished document). SKE11863.

Barham, A. J. & Bates, M. B., 1991, A Preliminary Research Report on the Palaeoenvironmental & Geoarchaeological Significance of the North Kent Marshes (Unpublished document). Ske11863.

<1> Wessex Archaeology, 2009, Northumberland, Goodwin Sands, Kent: Designated Site Assessment: Archaeological Report (Unpublished document). SKE18087.

<2> Wessex Archaeology, 2009, South East of England Designated Wrecks: Marine Geophysical Surveys (Unpublished document). SKE18252.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 2010, East of England Designated Wrecks: Marine Geophysical Survey and Interpretation (Unpublished document). SKE18262.

Sources and further reading

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