Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

An unidentified 18th century wreck in the South Edinburgh Channel is thought to be a Swedish vessel noted in Lloyd's List as being wrecked on the Long Sand in 1787.

Monument Types

• WRECK (Post Medieval - 1700 AD? to 1787 AD)

Full description

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From the English Heritage details for Protected Wreck Sites:

It has been suggested that the wreck may be that of a large unidentified Swedish sailing vessel that is noted in Lloyds List as being wrecked on the Long Sand in October 1787. During this period, large armed Swedish merchant vessels exported goods from their homeland to London for onward export to the Indies, and this vessel may have been one of these. This hypothesis is partly supported by the recovery of a cowrie shell of East Indies origin from the site. However, research into the Swedish plate money indicates that this was not released until the early 19th century suggesting a later date for the site.

The site was discovered in 1972 by the Port of London Authority during routine survey work in the South Edinburgh Channel. Over five years, the Channel had migrated westward and by 1974 the wreck was exposed to a height of six metres.

Investigations supervised by the National Maritime Museum lifted carefully recorded sample items from the wreck. The exposed hull comprised a mid-section and at least one deck on the east side. Collapsed spars, structure, stanchions, knees and three iron cannon (one of which was protruding through a port) were observed. A cargo of iron anchors was also noted. Finds recovered included full wine bottles and over fifty examples of Swedish copper plate money, stamped 2 Dealer 1792.

The seabed is flat featureless sand with no evidence of algal growth. The currents in this part of the Thames are very strong. Hydrographic evidence suggests that in at least six metres of sand cover the wreck at present.

In 1777, plate money ceased to be legal tender and the Bank of Sweden disposed of its reserves simply as copper until about 1800. Records show that between 1781 and 1800, an average of forty tons of copper plate was exported annually. It is possible that the South Edinburgh Channel wreck was carrying the total export for one year. For Swedish numismatists and archaeologists, the site is of the highest importance as no other finds of Swedish corer and iron cargoes are known from this period (Fenwick and Gale, 1998). As such, a collection of material from the site is located at the National Maritime Museum.

The fluctuating sand levels in the area generally provide a protective and stable environment for the wreck. Bournemouth University is currently undertaking an archive assessment and analysis of the site.

Information from the NMR:

One suggestion for the identity of the vessel is that of a large unidentified Swedish sailing vessel noted in Lloyd's List as having been wrecked on the Long Sand in 1787. There is a context of Swedish merchantmen exporting goods to London for onward export to the Indies [and of the Swedes' own East India Company]. This hypothesis is partially corroborated by the recovery of a cowrie shell of East Indian origin from this site. However, research into the plate money on board may suggested that this was not released until the early 19th century. (1)

Plate money described as of mid 18th century date. (1)

Archaeological History:

1972: Discovery of site. (1)

1974: Inspection of site by the PLA with the assistance of the National Maritime Museum. (1)

1976: The site was discovered by the Port of London Authority (PLA) while dredging the South Edinburgh Channel, when the site was exposed by sand movement. There has been no archaeological investigation of the site since designation as the sand has reburied the site. [Information received prior to receiving site designation correct as at June 2005]

1976: Collaborative field investigation between the National Maritime Museum and University of St. Andrews. (1)

1977: Further investigations took place, revealing a large wooden wreck in a good state of preservation, probably 18th century. Finds recovered included full wine bottles and over 50 examples of Swedish copper plate money stamped "2 Dealer 1792". [Information received prior to receiving site designation correct as at June 2005]

1978: Site designated under the 1973 Protection of Wreck Act. [Information received prior to receiving site designation correct as at June 2005]

Diving contractor visits: 1988, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999

1999: The Archaeological Diving Unit (ADU) carried out a magnetometer survey of the site. (1)

2003: Archive assessment (1)

Environmental and Archaeological Remains:

1999: Sand levels over the site fluctuate, but hydrographic evidence suggests that over 6 metres of sand currently cover the site. [Information received prior to receiving site designation correct as at June 2005]

The seabed is flat, featureless, sand with no evidence of algae, since the currents in the area are very strong. At least 6 metres of sand are thought to cover the wreck at present. (1)

The site itself comprises the remains of a large, substantially intact, armed cargo vessel, with a cargo of iron anchors, iron bars, sheet glass, luxury items, and mid 18th century Swedish plate money. (1)

From the National Heritage Lists for England:

Remains of a wreck thought to be that of a Swedish cargo vessel dating from 1787 to the early nineteenth-century, which appears to have foundered in the South Edinburgh Channel. The site is that of an armed cargo vessel, laden with iron anchors, bars, sheet glass, luxury items, and plate money variously dated to the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth-centuries.

In 1976 the Port of London Authority (PoLA) discovered the remains of a large wreck during survey prior to dredging of the South Edinburgh Channel. PoLA divers identified the site as that of a large wooden ship and subsequent investigations into the wreck in 1977 concluded that it was in a remarkable state of preservation and probably of late eighteenth-century. Finds recovered by a group of archaeologists included wine bottles with contents and more than 50 examples of Swedish copper plate money stamped "2 Daler, 1792". These objects are now in the care of the National Maritime Museum.

Designation History: Designation Order: (No 1), No 764, 1977 Made: 29th April 1977 Laid before Parliament: 6th May 1977 Coming into force: 27th May 1977 Protected area: 100 metres within 51 31 44 N 001 14 53 E

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

Documentary History: It has been suggested that the wreck may be that of a large unidentified Swedish sailing vessel that is noted in Lloyds List as being wrecked on Long Sand in 1787. During this period, large Swedish merchant vessels exported goods from their homeland to London for onward export to the Indies, and this vessel may have been one of these. This hypothesis is partly supported by the recovery of a cowrie shell of East Indies origin from the site. However research into the Swedish plate money indicates that this was not released until the early nineteenth-century suggesting a later date for the site.

Archaeological History: Discovered by the Port of London Authority (PoLA) in 1976 while dredging the South Edinburgh Channel, the wreck was subject to a collaborative field investigation between the National Maritime Museum and University of St. Andrews.

Further investigations took place in 1977, revealing a large wooden (presumed) eighteenth-century wreck in a good state of preservation. Finds recovered included full wine bottles and over fifty examples of Swedish copper plate money stamped "2 Dealer 1792".

Although sand levels over the site fluctuate, hydrographic evidence suggests that there is over 6 metres of sand currently above the site. The PoLA will, in due course, run some check lines over the area to check for any change.

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

Sources and further reading