One of the frustrating things about the Newport Ship is not having a name for it. Without the equivalent of a ship’s bell nobody is going to be certain.
However when searching for a “prime suspect” I have been looking at the names of known ships using Bristol - the nearest big port that might trade with a big ship such as the Newport Ship.
Clues about the Newport Ship are limited. We know the ship was brought to Newport in or after the winter of 1468 because of the dating of wooden props under the ship. We know it could not have been built before 1440 because of the French coin in the keel. We know it was big – over 25 metres long. We know it had Portuguese coins, pottery, and tile on board, but we do not know if it was a Portuguese ship. We also know the ship was badly damaged and there was an attempt to repair the ship at Newport, before it was abandoned.
We suspect it was of continental build because of the structure, and possibly not Portuguese because it was clinker built. Bayonne has been suggested as a possible place where it could have been built.
The ship came to Newport in the middle of the Wars of the Roses. A letter from the Earl of Warwick dating to 22 November 1469 refers to the “making of a ship at Newport”. Payments are made to John Colt (a wealthy supporter and soldier of Warwick’s faction, with no other known local connections) and to Richard Port, William Toker and Matthew Jubber (Jubbz or Jubbes) who were all Bristol merchants.
However as MatthewJubbes was paid in money, iron, salt and other stuff belonging to this ship, I have suggested that it could not be a new ship, but is more likely to be a repair to an existing ship, and therefore a good candidate to be the Newport Ship.
So far the best ‘identikit’ match for a named ship is the “Marie of Bayonne” which was sailing regularly to Bristol before 1468. She was large, 250 tonnes, and in 1458 had a crew of “four score mariners” when she was given a letter of safe conduct by the Earl of Warwick.
There is a lot more work to do in understanding what was going on. Fortunately I can call on advice from leading historians of this period and hope to have more for you soon.
2 comments:
I also think that the ship was built in the Basque Country.
You should check the Urbieta wreck. Is a small pinace from the second half of the 15th. It mesures about 11 meters, clinker.
Split oak planks and beech keel. Just like the 16th century Basque galion San Juan.
If you would like to know more check in our Basque Maritime Heritage web site
www.albaola.com
Xabi Agote
Xabi,
I see that nobody has responded in public to your suggestion yet. Could you please let me have more details of the Urbieta wreck and other relevant comparisons from the maritime history of Euskadi?
Best wishes
SYD MORGAN
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