Seventeenth-Century Vehicle of the Middle Passage: Archaeological and Historical Investigations on the Henrietta Marie S
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Seventeenth-Century Vehicle of the Middle Passage: Archaeological and Historical Investigations on the Henrietta Marie Shipwreck Site David D. Moore & Corey Malcom
Published online: 29 January 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008
Abstract This study describes the archaeological investigations that have taken place at the wreck site of the English slave ship Henrietta Marie (1700) since its location in 1972. Information is provided on the methodology utilized during on-site archaeological data recovery, and the artifacts retrieved from the wreck site are described in detail. An account of complimentary documentary research on this wrecked slaver is also presented. Contemporary historical data gleaned from shipping lists, slaver’s logs, seamen’s wills and other sources are utilized to place Henrietta Marie within her proper context as a vehicle involved in the notorious transatlantic slave trade. Keywords Slave ship . Slave trade . Middle passage . Shipwreck The Excavation of Henrietta Marie (1972–1991) The wreckage of the slave ship Henrietta Marie was located during the summer of 1972 by Armada Research Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Treasure Salvors, Inc., a private shipwreck salvage venture. Armada Research was primarily responsible for conducting remote sensing surveys for the remains of shipwrecks throughout the Florida Keys. Owned by Melvin A. Fisher and operating out of Key West, Florida, Treasure Salvors was searching for the remains of the Spanish guard galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. This galleon was lost during a hurricane with several other vessels of the homeward-bound treasure fleet of 1622. Research conducted in Spain eventually directed the company to search in the area between the Marquesas Keys and Dry Tortugas (Lyon 1979, pp. 36–39). D. D. Moore (*) North Carolina Maritime Museum, 315 Front Street, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA e-mail: [email protected] C. Malcom Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, 200 Greene Street, Key West, FL 22040, USA e-mail: [email protected]
Int J Histor Archaeol (2008) 12:20–38
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While searching for clues associated with Atocha, the remains of an early sailing vessel were located on New Ground Reef, approximately 12 nautical miles (22 km) west-northwest of the Marquesas Keys (Fig. 1). The presence of an assortment of “signature” artifacts, including numerous manacles or shackles, English pewterware, trade beads, and ivory elephant tusks, indicated immediately that this wreck was likely to be that of an English slave ship. While the search continued for Atocha, a salvage boat was dispatched to the English wreck for further investigations. Two cannon, articulated ship’s structure, anchors, and numerous associated artifacts were located. Although many artifacts were recovered at this stage, the Florida state agent assigned to the operation determined that they would have to be returned to the site. This was because the Florida Division of Archives, Historic and Records Management, under whose auspices the operation took place, had previousl
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