Shipwreck Artefact Recording.

The guys deep at work.

In a post last summer I reported how an underwater archaeological team came to Scilly to asses my wreck of the Phoenix which sank here in 1680. Well that was done but it was only half the job. Two more professionals came over last week to finish the job and properly record all the finds I raised from the site. These included almost 400 gold and silver coins and well over 70 items of contraband gold jewellery. Also all the other artifacts like 3 pairs of dividers used by captain Wildy. I even had parts of his sword and numerous weights from the pursers kit. Its always a lovely thing to be able to touch things that you are pretty certain you know who previously owned them and were the last person to handle them. 

Contraband Jewellery I found on the Phoenix.

Everything went well until they tried to go home and got fog bound here. Unfortunately we had guests taking up their rooms after they left and they had to go seek other accommodation. Luckily a guest house opened up especially and took them in-otherwise it was sleeping in our utility room on a blow up bed together. Not a good prospect and one im sure their employers-Wessex archaeology- wouldnt want for them.

Photographer left and coin expert on the right

One of the guys photographed every item and the other,who was a coin expert, had to write descriptions of everything. All very tedious stuff in my opinion but it desperately needed doing because the law states that the whole collection has to be sold at auction. That part is out of my hands as everything is currently held by the Receiver of wreck until sold.  My understanding is that, now everything is recorded, it will  all be taken by that office to London to be valued so that interested museums can get an opportunity to buy any of it at that valued cost-which i think is a bit unfair and not sure if its actually legal. I will consult with a solicitor about this as Im sure it can only be fair and legal to go to auction where the museums can bid like everyone else-otherwise those who stand to benefit from said auction could potentially loose out and im sure that is not right or proper. For those who dont know- the law is thus-if an item salvaged from a wreck is worth over £5000 it has to go to auction so that the secretary of state can decided what percentage cut of the proceeds to give to the Crown. See my earlier post called -'the duchy take' for my view on this. 

Some other items from the wreck.

Anyway, one day soon the final report on the wreck will be made. Then the authorities involved will decide what to do with the wreck site. I was told that it will likely get protected. I made my feelings known on this particular action. I cant see the point in it. All it does is make visitors to the wreck have to do paperwork and get a licence to visit the site. This is something unique to underwater finds as nonone has go through such things to visit land sites. You just visit them.  To even get the chance to apply for a licence you have to be a qualified diver which already limits it down to a selective few who can go and see it. I have two other wrecks with protection orders over here on Scilly and I dont visit either of them because I cant be bothered with the paper work. Whereas if they were not protected I would still dive them time to time. It just makes me think they are protecting these wrecks from me!

I am rather hoping to get back and keep some of the items in the final deal so that a small display can go in the local museum if they wanted it. However, as things stand Im sure they wont have room for it for quite a while to come as, last I heard, they are temporarily homeless. But I am talking in the future because one day they will be reestablished somewhere and when I get old I have stuff from other wrecks, like colossus, that I hope will end up on display with them again also. I only see myself as simply custodian of the best of anything I find for a short while. Sadly, the Phoenix stuff is already out of my hands- none of it can ever end up back in my possession unless I buy it at auction or can cut a deal for some items to return to Scilly.