Maritime Archaeology Trust
TheMaritime Archaeology Trust(formerly theHampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology) is acharitable trustthat researches and excavates maritime archaeology and heritage in Great Britain. Historically, their core activities were focused aroundHampshire,theIsle of Wightand theSolent,but now they work in other parts of the country and on international projects.
| Formation | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Charitable Trust |
| Purpose | Promote maritime archaeological study[1] |
| Headquarters | National Oceanography Centre[1][2] |
| Location |
|
Region served | Primarily theSolent |
| Website | maritimearchaeologytrust.org |
| Remarks | Registered charity number 900025[1] |
History
editThe discovery of the wreck ofHMSPomoneatThe Needlesin 1969 led theIsle of Wight Councilto fund and organise a team to research and excavate the site.[3]As more wrecks were discovered in the following decades, theIsle of Wight Maritime Heritage Projectwas formed. The project originally focused on theYarmouth Roads Protected Wreck Sitebut also began to identifyMesolithicsites on the seabed of theSolent.[4][5]When central government funds were withdrawn, the project was re-organised as theIsle of Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeologyin 1990. The Trust managed the excavation of several sites and became thelicenseefor many of them.[3]In 1991, with support fromHampshire County Council,the Trust's scope expanded and it became the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology.[4][5]In 2013, it became the Maritime Archaeology Trust.[6]
Projects
editThe charity has since investigated a great deal of maritime archaeology around the Solent, including shipwrecks, submerged landscapes and inter-tidal foreshore sites.[7]They have also conducted projects as far away asGibraltarand theFarasan Islands.[8]
Bouldnor Cliff
editIn 1999 divers from the Trust discovered the Mesolithic settlement site ofBouldnor Cliff.The site is offshore ofBouldnoron the Isle of Wight and about 11 metres below the surface of the Solent.[9]Attention was first drawn to the site when divers observed a lobster discarding worked flint tools from its burrow.[5][10]Since then, regular fieldwork has revealed that Bouldnor was almost certainly a settlement site approximately 8,000 years ago (6,000 BC), at a time when lower sea levels meant that the Solent was an extensive river valley. Work done so far has revealed that the technology of Mesolithic settlers was probably 2,000 years ahead of what had previously been believed.[10][11]
Forton Lake
editBetween 2006 and 2009, the Trust ran a joint community archaeology project atForton Lake,with theNautical Archaeology Society,cataloguing the wide range ofhulksthere.[12]The project was designed to raise local awareness and foster a sense of local pride and ownership amongst nearby residents inGosport.[13]
Centaur Tanks
editIn a joint project withSouthsea Sub Aqua Club,the Trust has investigated twoCentaur tanksfrom a capsizedLanding Craft Tankin the Solent, as part of a case study to see if land based legislation can be used to protect maritime archaeology.[14]
The Mystery Wreck
editThe Trust investigated a 'mystery wreck' onHorse Tail Sandsin the Solent between 2003 and 2011. It was not until 2011 that the Trust was able to confirm the vessel's identity as theFlower of Ugie,a 19th-centurybarque.As well as fully recording the vessel's remains, the Trust replicated the process of wreck research and identification in a teaching pack for children.[15]
Dissemination and education
editThe Trust runs an active outreach and schools programme and operates a "Maritime Bus" to make maritime archaeology more accessible to the general public. The bus attends regular events in the south coast, including school, community and other public events.[16][17]The Trust also runs theSunken Secretsexhibition atFort Victoriaon the Isle of Wight.[18]
In 2011, the Trust was awarded aEuropa Nostraaward forCategory 4: Education, Training and Awareness Raising,for "raising the profile of maritime heritage and archaeology", recognising the numerous ways in which the Trust teaches audiences of all types about maritime heritage.[19]
Maritime Archaeology Limited
editIn 2004, the Trust formedMaritime Archaeology Ltdas a commercial trading arm in order to provide archaeological contractual services.[20]
References
edit- ^abc"Aims and Objectives".Maritime Archaeology Trust.Retrieved7 August2013.
- ^"National Oceanography Centre success at SUT Awards".National Oceanography Centre.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^abMedland, p. 52
- ^abSparks, Momber & Satchell, p. 3
- ^abcBritish Archaeology, p. 32
- ^"HWTMA is MAT".Maritime Archaeology Trust.Retrieved7 August2013.
- ^"Archaeological Research".Maritime Archaeology Trust.Retrieved7 August2013.
- ^"Submerged prehistory".Maritime Archaeology Trust.Retrieved7 August2013.
- ^British Archaeology, p. 31
- ^ab"Fight on to save Stone Age Atlantis".BBC. 8 August 2007.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^"Diving into the Past",Isle of Wight County Press,p. 14, 16 September 2011
- ^"Forton Lake".Nautical Archaeology Society. Archived fromthe originalon 25 April 2012.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^Forton Lake, p. 27
- ^"Isle of Wight's sunken World War II tanks studied".BBC. 28 July 2011.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^"Mystery Shipwreck Solved"(PDF).Solent Forum. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 25 April 2012.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^"The Maritime Bus".Maritime Archaeology Trust.Retrieved7 August2013.
- ^"Hamble Valley; History and Heritage".The Marketing Collective. Archived fromthe originalon 18 December 2011.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^Burdett & Insole, p. 113
- ^"Raising Awareness of Maritime Cultural Heritage – Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology".Europa Nostra. Archived fromthe originalon 5 November 2011.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^"About Maritime Archaeology Ltd".Maritime Archaeology Limited.Retrieved1 November2011.
Bibliography
edit- David Burdett & Allan Insole (1995).Discovering an Island – The roadside heritage of the Isle of Wight.The Isle of Wight Society/Island Books.ISBN1-898198-12-8.
- Medland, J (2007).The Making of the Wight - An illustrated history of the Isle of Wight.The Isle of Wight Beacon Ltd.ISBN978-1-904149-14-9.
- G. Momber, J. Satchell & J. Gillespie (2011). "Bouldnor Cliff".British Archaeology(November - December 2011). York: Council for British Archaeology: 30–35.ISSN1357-4442.
- J. Satchell; M. Beattie Edwards; J. Maddocks; M. Harvey (2009).Forton Lake Archaeology Project: Forton's Forgotten Fleet.Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology/Nautical Archaeology Society.ISBN978-0-9533950-1-9.
- B. Sparks; G. Momber; J. Satchell (2001).A Decade of Diving, Delving & Disseminating: The Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology, 1991-2001.The Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology.OCLC550695960.