Uniquely preserved under the waters of the Solent, artefacts from the Mary Rose are many and varied. Ranging from ship equipment to the crew’s personal effects, 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. Bowls, mugs, knife sheaths and handles have been recovered, crudely carved with the owner’s initials, while 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 discovered in several sea chests and leather pouches, suggesting gambling and dice games were popular ways to pass the time off duty. These were not the only games played on board; a particularly fine example of a backgammon set in the carpenter’s cabin was discovered.
Diet
The crew’s diet may not have been limited to dried meat and the ship’s biscuits. Residues in barrels and baskets around the vessel suggest that the crew’s diet consisted of:
- Meat. Nine barrels were found containing the remains of preserved joints of beef, while bones found hanging near the kitchen seem to belong to fresh or smoked pork joints. 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 were discovered, along with different varieties of fruit found stored in baskets.
- Beer. Beer 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.
Dining Tudor Style
Plates, drinking vessels and cutlery were discovered, covering the whole spectrum of the ships’ social structure. Finds include:
- Pewter ware. Pewter dishes, plates, flagons and spoons were found — for officers’ use only, as pewter was an expensive commodity.
- 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 among the ship’s kitchen equipment. The crew would have also used wooden tankards, made watertight 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 among the officers, while forks were not in use in Tudor Britain.
Clothing
Most Tudor clothing that survives today 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 various square and round-toed styles surviving. Some were slip-on, while others were buckled or laced. Popular boot styles were 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 four 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 with silk.
- Velvet and silk. The elaborate garments of the officers have not survived well in the conditions below the Solent, and generally, all that remains 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, including a set of red and green silk-covered pear-shaped buttons, copper aglets (the tips of laces), and metal buckles of various sizes for belts, armour and shoes.
