{"id":38702,"date":"2024-07-24T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/f9e215d0-043f-4a40-adb7-5d8e51f41d31"},"modified":"2024-07-24T03:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T01:26:39","slug":"unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cUnique\u201d bronze cannon found 360 years after gunpowder explosion sank the ship that restored Charles II to throne"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cannon is the latest item to be found at the ‘London’, a wrecked warship in the Thames Estuary. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 00:00 AM<\/p>

\n\n

A cannon that has been buried on the seabed just off Southend pier in the Thames Estuary has been seen and photographed for the first time in nearly 360 years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

The rare find was discovered by licensed diver Steve Ellis on the wreck of the \u2018London\u2019, a ship that was part of the convoy that brought Charles II back to England when he was restored to the throne in 1660. The \u2018London’ sank in 1665 after a gunpowder explosion on its way to take part in the Second Anglo-Dutch war.<\/p>

Diver recording the newly discovered cannon on the protected ‘London’ wreck, which blew up in 1665 off Southend Pier in Essex. Credit: Steve Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Hefin Meara, who\u2019s in charge of managing protected wreck sites for\u00a0Historic England<\/a>, said the ship is known to have had a full complement of 76 cannons, of which 41 are believed to have been salvaged after it was lost.<\/p>
\u201cWe don\u2019t have these guns, they would have been redeployed,\u201d he said explaining the significance of this find. Cannons were very valuable, and the recovered items would have been used until they broke and were melted down and recast.<\/p>
This cannon was made from bronze and is estimated to be medium-sized, about 2.5 metres long. \u201cThese guns are so unique, so individual, but from the measurements that Steve has made it looks like it was made by George Browne in Kent,\u201d Meara said.<\/p>
The bronze cannon is estimated to be about 2.5 metres long. Credit: Steve Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Hefin now hopes that further investigations of the wreck may reveal what\u2019s underneath the cannon such as its gun carriage and implements.<\/p>
Historic England has protected the cannon with special underwater forensic marking that it first trialled on other wrecks last year. The idea is to deter thieves from stealing the relic because where it came from could be identified.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cWe\u2019ve had instances of cannons being stolen from protected sites over the years,\u201d Meara said. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to police these things.\u201d<\/p>
The shipwreck lies near a busy shipping lane \u2013 this video was recorded while a ship passes overhead. Credit: Steve Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Nearly 1,200 items, including a Dutch cannon,\u00a0a sundial\u00a0and Bartman jugs, were recovered from the \u2018London\u2019 between 2014 and 2016 after it was first discovered in 2005, and a selection of them are on display at\u00a0 Southend Central Museum<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>
Historic England has not ruled out recovering the cannon at some point in the future, but for now it will left where it has lain for the past 359 years \u2013\u00a0whether it stays visible, however, amid the highly tidal environment and shifting sediments of the Thames remains to be seen.<\/p>
‘London’ treasures recovered between 2014 and 2016<\/h2>
$\"A$
A bottle charge from a bandolier that would have been worn across the chest to load a musket, recovered from the ‘London’ wreck. Credit: Cotswold Archaeology<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Bartman$
The handle and the neck of the Bartman jug are broken off and missing. The jug is still covered in marine encrustations, which also obscure the figurative decoration giving this artefact its name. The encrustations will be removed. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Volunteer$
Volunteer holding a clay pipe. Credit: Luke Mair\/Chaos Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Dividers\"$
A pair of dividers, a navigational instrument, from the ‘London’. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Leather$
Leather fragment. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Navigational$
Navigational dividers recovered from the ‘London’ wreck, June 2016. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Ornate$
Ornate 4cm-wide bronze sundial compass. Credit: Steven Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Pewter$
Corrosion of pewter artefacts on the marine environment is often compared to the development of pustules. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Signet$
Signet pipe tamper ring recovered from the wreck. Credit: Carol Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"A$
A piece of rope excavated from the ‘London’ in July 2014. Credit: Luke Mair<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Worms$
Worms in gun carriage. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Wooden$
Wooden pully block Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Divers$
Divers coming into Southend Pier with finds recovered from the wreck. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Map$
Map of Historic England’s 57 protected wreck sites. Credit: Historic England<\/figcaption><\/figure>
**More amazing stories<\/strong><\/p>**
**New DNA evidence confirms presence of big cat in British countryside<\/a><\/li>**
**“Most complete” dinosaur fossil in over 100 years discovered on the Isle of Wight<\/a><\/li>**
**Precious lost rainforest to return to Wales with “exciting” new restoration project<\/a><\/li>**
Strange tropical seabird from the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands spotted in Dorset<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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The cannon is the latest item to be found at the ‘London’, a wrecked warship in the Thames Estuary. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38703,"template":"","categories":[1,27],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne.jpg",1800,1200,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/unique-bronze-cannon-found-360-years-after-gunpowder-explosion-sank-the-ship-that-restored-charles-ii-to-throne.jpg",1800,1200,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The cannon is the latest item to be found at the 'London', a wrecked warship in the Thames Estuary.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/38702"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Diver recording the newly discovered cannon on the protected ‘London’ wreck, which blew up in 1665 off Southend Pier in Essex. Credit: Steve Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Hefin Meara, who\u2019s in charge of managing protected wreck sites for\u00a0Historic England<\/a>, said the ship is known to have had a full complement of 76 cannons, of which 41 are believed to have been salvaged after it was lost.<\/p>
\u201cWe don\u2019t have these guns, they would have been redeployed,\u201d he said explaining the significance of this find. Cannons were very valuable, and the recovered items would have been used until they broke and were melted down and recast.<\/p>
This cannon was made from bronze and is estimated to be medium-sized, about 2.5 metres long. \u201cThese guns are so unique, so individual, but from the measurements that Steve has made it looks like it was made by George Browne in Kent,\u201d Meara said.<\/p>
The bronze cannon is estimated to be about 2.5 metres long. Credit: Steve Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Hefin now hopes that further investigations of the wreck may reveal what\u2019s underneath the cannon such as its gun carriage and implements.<\/p>
Historic England has protected the cannon with special underwater forensic marking that it first trialled on other wrecks last year. The idea is to deter thieves from stealing the relic because where it came from could be identified.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cWe\u2019ve had instances of cannons being stolen from protected sites over the years,\u201d Meara said. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to police these things.\u201d<\/p>
The shipwreck lies near a busy shipping lane \u2013 this video was recorded while a ship passes overhead. Credit: Steve Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Nearly 1,200 items, including a Dutch cannon,\u00a0a sundial\u00a0and Bartman jugs, were recovered from the \u2018London\u2019 between 2014 and 2016 after it was first discovered in 2005, and a selection of them are on display at\u00a0 Southend Central Museum<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>
Historic England has not ruled out recovering the cannon at some point in the future, but for now it will left where it has lain for the past 359 years \u2013\u00a0whether it stays visible, however, amid the highly tidal environment and shifting sediments of the Thames remains to be seen.<\/p>
‘London’ treasures recovered between 2014 and 2016<\/h2>
$\"A$
A bottle charge from a bandolier that would have been worn across the chest to load a musket, recovered from the ‘London’ wreck. Credit: Cotswold Archaeology<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Bartman$
The handle and the neck of the Bartman jug are broken off and missing. The jug is still covered in marine encrustations, which also obscure the figurative decoration giving this artefact its name. The encrustations will be removed. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Volunteer$
Volunteer holding a clay pipe. Credit: Luke Mair\/Chaos Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Dividers\"$
A pair of dividers, a navigational instrument, from the ‘London’. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Leather$
Leather fragment. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Navigational$
Navigational dividers recovered from the ‘London’ wreck, June 2016. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Ornate$
Ornate 4cm-wide bronze sundial compass. Credit: Steven Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Pewter$
Corrosion of pewter artefacts on the marine environment is often compared to the development of pustules. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Signet$
Signet pipe tamper ring recovered from the wreck. Credit: Carol Ellis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"A$
A piece of rope excavated from the ‘London’ in July 2014. Credit: Luke Mair<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Worms$
Worms in gun carriage. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Wooden$
Wooden pully block Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Divers$
Divers coming into Southend Pier with finds recovered from the wreck. Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure>
$\"Map$
Map of Historic England’s 57 protected wreck sites. Credit: Historic England<\/figcaption><\/figure>
**More amazing stories<\/strong><\/p>**
**New DNA evidence confirms presence of big cat in British countryside<\/a><\/li>**
**“Most complete” dinosaur fossil in over 100 years discovered on the Isle of Wight<\/a><\/li>**
**Precious lost rainforest to return to Wales with “exciting” new restoration project<\/a><\/li>**
Strange tropical seabird from the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands spotted in Dorset<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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