Newport Ship

The most substantial find of a medieval ship in Britain in recent times was made on the right bank of the river Usk in Newport�s City Centre during construction of the new Riverfront arts centre. Saved from destruction by a vociferous local campaign, the ship�s timbers are undergoing detailed recording and conservation in advance of eventual display.

The ship must have been at least 25m in length and was constructed in the Northern European lapstrake or clinker method of construction, starting with a beech keel and oak stempost onto which successive strakes of overlapping oak planks were fastened with iron nails and roves (washers) to form the outer hull. The oak framing timbers were then carefully shaped and fastened inside the hull with oak treenails and the inner hull of ceiling planks, stringers, and keelson inserted. Disturbed evidence for cross-beams, knees, decking and rigging were also recovered along with a range of artefacts including Portuguese pottery; Portuguese coinage, leather, wood and textiles.

Combining evidence from dendrochronology and a French coin found in the join between the keel and stempost, the ship can be dated to after AD1445 and its arrival in Newport dated to around AD1468. This was a turbulent time in Newport, during the Wars of the Roses and the ship may have been associated with the Earl of Warwick, the so-called Warwick the Kingmaker who controlled Newport for a short time and was paying for work on a ship in the town in AD1469.

An exhibit on the ship can be seen in Newport Museum, and Open Days are periodically arranged at the Ship Centre where the timbers are being recorded and conserved. Further information is available on the Newport City Council Website.


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