EXHIBITION HIGLIGHTS

THE SHIP’S BELL

Perhaps the most powerfully symbolic artefact recovered so far, a bell inscribed with the date of 1681 proved that the wreck was indeed the Gloucester. During conservation, about 40kg of encrustation was removed from the bell.

149 Wine Bottles

The seals of 29 of the bottles are intact. Inside may be fine claret that allows researchers to prove James was flouting Parliament’s ban on French wine. Even the air inside is priceless – UEA scientists hope to compare it with post-industrial air, with huge potential value for climate change research.

Silk Petticoats

A particularly unusual find in the trunks lifted from the seabed is an intricate damask petticoat. Silk is notoriously fragile, so there are few surviving examples from the late 1600s. This is a rare opportunity to study an object usually seen only in pictures or described in written sources.

Urine Specimen Jar

In the 17th century, urine samples were commonly used to indicate a patient’s health. This distinctively shaped bottle may even have been used by James himself. The royal physician, Sir Charles Scarburgh, was aboard the Gloucester and survived the wreck by clinging to a plank of wood.

Leather Pouch With Crown Stamps

The presence of five crowns stamped into this leather pouch shows that a servant of James likely owned it. The design is that of the famous St Edward’s Crown, made for Charles II in 1660 and also used in the Coronation of Charles III in 2023.