Mystery of map which points to Mary Rose wreck
Posted on 30. Jun, 2010 by admin in Geography, Science
A University of Portsmouth expert has stumbled across the mystery of a 400-year-old map which seems to pinpoint the wreck site of the Mary Rose.
Dr Dominic Fontana, of the Department of Geography, was studying the ancient map of Portsmouth’s sea defences, drawn between 1586 and 1620, when he realised it seemed to signpost the wreck site.
The map has been returned to Portsmouth, probably for the first time in 400 years and forms the centrepiece of a new temporary exhibition at the Mary Rose Museum from July 2 – October 17.
Dr Fontana said: “The map is remarkably accurate and extremely attractive and is one of the earliest known charts of Portsmouth Harbour, but I was intrigued by the position of the compass rose as it didn’t seem to be in a sensible location.”
“If you tried to navigate into Portsmouth Harbour using the line marked on the chart from the centre of the compass rose to St. Thomas’s church you would run aground on the shallows of Spitbank so, it couldn’t be a navigational route.”
Dr Fontana put the chart into a Geographic Information System (GIS) so it was properly rotated, scaled and coordinated and ran a series of tests. He discovered it was a highly accurate map showing important locations such as church towers and forts in their correct locations. Then he decided to overlay another GIS map showing the wreck of the Mary Rose and was surprised to see the wreck site fitted perfectly with the fleur-de-lis of the compass rose.
“This seems something of a remarkable coincidence,” he said. “It may suggest the position of the compass rose could have been intended as a means of locating the wreck of one of the most famous of all English warships.
“I believe Sir Walter Raleigh recorded during Elizabeth I’s reign that the wreck could be seen from the surface and this would help explain how the map-maker knew the precise location.”
The map captures extraordinary detail including deep water, mudflats, beaches, settlements and defensive features of the surrounding landscape.
Dr Fontana said: “The seabed topography is a very important feature of the defence of Portsmouth as it tightly constrains the route and timing of a potential sea-borne attack on the town and harbour. It is highly likely this map was drawn to plan the defence of Portsmouth. It was certainly drawn after the French invasion attempt of 1545 in which the Mary Rose was sunk and quite possibly before the Spanish Armada in 1588.”
The map forms part of a major exhibition at the Mary Rose Museum. Mapping Portsmouth’s Tudor Past, which brings together, for the first time, several important maps from The British Library, UK Hydrographic Office and the Admiralty Library. All but one of these maps are hand-drawn and are works of art in their own right. Together they give a fascinating insight into Tudor Portsmouth and the view of their world 500 years ago.
Dr David Starkey, Trustee of the Mary Rose Trust, said: “The art and science of map-making (‘cartography’), blossomed during Henry VIII’s reign and reached new heights under Elizabeth I. The whole southern coastline was mapped, from the Wash to Milford Haven, and fortifications were built to guard possible landing points. The navy was also transformed, with bigger and better ships requiring deep-sea ports.
“Portsmouth was one of the most important of these new royal naval bases and the Solent became, as it was to remain to the 20th century, a key to England’s defences. The strategic significance of the Solent meant that some of the earliest accurate maps in the country are of this area.
“The Mary Rose Museum has brought together a unique collection of these Tudor maps and charts to make this temporary exhibition. The maps say a great deal about the state of the nation’s defences. They show a sophistication that is impressive for any age. But they also have a beauty that makes them works of art as well as planning documents for war.”
