A team of researchers with Cardiff University, the Mary Rose Trust, HM Naval Base and the British Geological Survey’s National Environmental Isotope Facility has found evidence of racial diversity among the crew of the Mary Rose—a warship from the time of King Henry the VIII. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, they describe their study and analysis of the remains of eight sailors recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose.
The Mary Rose served the Tudor navy for approximately 33 years, but was finally sunk during a battle in the Solent in 1545. The wreck was discovered back in 1971 and raised in 1982. Since that time, a dedicated museum houses not only the ship but the thousands of artifacts that were brought up along with it.
In this new effort, the researchers sought to learn more about the backgrounds of the crew. To that end, they selected the remains of eight of sailors chosen by their degree of preservation and their likely stations aboard the ship. Read more.
TheMary Rose, the pride of King Henry VIII’s naval fleet, sank in the Solent while leading an attack on the galleys of a French invasion fleet on this day in history, 19 July 1545. The sunken ship was discovered in 1971 and a salvage operation began in 1982. It is currently in the final stages of conservation and a magnificent museum exists at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to showcase the warship’s remains.
