THE DISCOVERY OF A LIFETIME

How

On a sunny beach in Great Yarmouth last June, you’d be forgiven for thinking Professor Claire Jowitt was here for fun, to enjoy an ice cream or try her luck fishing for treasures in the rows of claw machines outside amusement arcades.

In fact, Prof Jowitt was preparing to speak to BBC and Sky reporters about what she has called Norfolk’s Mary Rose – the most significant British naval discovery in almost 40 years.

In 1682, HMS Gloucester sailed north from the Kent coast carrying the future King James II of England on a journey to Scotland.

The Duke of York (as he was then known) was accompanied by courtiers, including John Churchill, the future Duke of Marlborough, George Legge, the future Admiral of the Fleet and, aboard the flotilla’s royal yacht, the diarist Samuel Pepys.

After a disagreement on the best route to take through notoriously treacherous waters, disaster struck. The Gloucester hit a sandbank, catching its rudder and breaching the hull. Within an hour, the ship was underwater. James survived. Up to 250 did not.

The wreck then laid on the seabed for 325 years until its discovery in 2007 by brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell. Since then, it has been kept secret to protect the at-risk site.

Prof Jowitt first laid eyes on the treasures pulled from the seabed in 2019, when UEA became the academic partner for the Gloucester project.

“A taxi was ordered for me,” she said. “I didn’t know where I was going. I got whisked off to u u view this incredible range of artefacts. We looked at wine bottles, the personal possessions of those onboard and the ship’s bell that day. It was so moving to see.”

And then, in 2022, the discovery was made public. The media attention was immense, leading to that day on a Great Yarmouth beach, looking out towards the site of the wreck some 30 miles out to sea.

“The level of interest in the history has been fantastic,” continued Prof Jowitt. “We are very grateful to the Leverhulme Trust, whose generous grant has allowed us to undertake archive research and write a biography of the life and times of this warship.

“It has also been a great pleasure to co-curate an exhibition about the Gloucester at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery. We’ve collaborated with the museum to tell the twin stories of the Gloucester’s doomed voyage and the wreck’s astounding discovery all these years later.”

Following the exhibition in 2023, there are exciting plans for the Gloucester, which will depend on the generosity of UEA’s philanthropic community.

“There are opportunities to sponsor academic conferences, as well as establish named research fellows and lectureships at the University,” said Prof Jowitt. “Our plans include a maritime history and heritage centre to support further research on the Gloucester, its artefacts and the lives of all those affected by the disaster. There will also be enormous interest in a travelling exhibition and, ultimately, a permanent museum for the artefacts in Norfolk.”

These initiatives will be managed by a new charitable trust established to care for the recovered items. The Gloucester (1682) Charitable Trust is chaired by General Lord Dannatt.

Lord Dannatt said, “The Gloucester (1682) Charitable Trust has been formed to provide proper governance around this exciting project. We will raise money to excavate the site and conserve all that will be brought to the surface. Our ultimate goal is to mount a proper presentation of the whole story in Great Yarmouth.

“The story of the Gloucester is one of national and international significance – with Norfolk at its heart. It is a wreck that changed history. Had James drowned, there would have been no need for the Glorious Revolution of 1688 that deposed him. If John Churchill had not been rescued, he could not have led famous battles that put an end to the War of the Spanish Succession.

“Norfolk’s Barnwell brothers, of Aylsham, found the wreck and are now bringing this great story to us all. To be able to play our part in the project as we learn more about late 17th-century life is a huge privilege.”

If you would like to find out more about the Gloucester and UEA’s maritime history research, please get in touch with the Development Office.