Summary
Remains of a wreck thought to be that of a Swedish cargo vessel dating from 1787 to the early nineteenth-century, which appears to have foundered in the South Edinburgh Channel. The site is that of an armed cargo vessel, laden with iron anchors, bars, sheet glass, luxury items, and plate money variously dated to the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth-centuries.
History
In 1976 the Port of London Authority (PoLA) discovered the remains of a large wreck during survey prior to dredging of the South Edinburgh Channel. PoLA divers identified the site as that of a large wooden ship and subsequent investigations into the wreck in 1977 concluded that it was in a remarkable state of preservation and probably of late eighteenth-century. Finds recovered by a group of archaeologists included wine bottles with contents and more than 50 examples of Swedish copper plate money stamped "2 Daler, 1792". These objects are now in the care of the National Maritime Museum.
Details
Designation History:
Designation Order: (No 1), No 764, 1977
Made: 29th April 1977
Laid before Parliament: 6th May 1977
Coming into force: 27th May 1977
Protected area: 100 metres within 51 31 44 N 001 14 53 E
No part of the restricted area lies above the high-water mark of ordinary spring tides.
Documentary History:
It has been suggested that the wreck may be that of a large unidentified Swedish sailing vessel that is noted in Lloyds List as being wrecked on Long Sand in 1787. During this period, large Swedish merchant vessels exported goods from their homeland to London for onward export to the Indies, and this vessel may have been one of these. This hypothesis is partly supported by the recovery of a cowrie shell of East Indies origin from the site. However research into the Swedish plate money indicates that this was not released until the early nineteenth-century suggesting a later date for the site.
Archaeological History:
Discovered by the Port of London Authority (PoLA) in 1976 while dredging the South Edinburgh Channel, the wreck was subject to a collaborative field investigation between the National Maritime Museum and University of St. Andrews.
Further investigations took place in 1977, revealing a large wooden (presumed) eighteenth-century wreck in a good state of preservation. Finds recovered included full wine bottles and over fifty examples of Swedish copper plate money stamped "2 Dealer 1792".
Although sand levels over the site fluctuate, hydrographic evidence suggests that there is over 6 metres of sand currently above the site. The PoLA will, in due course, run some check lines over the area to check for any change.
