Ghosts of the Mary Rose (2008)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ghosts of the Mary Rose is a documentary film which premiered on British television in 2008.

 

It is about King Henry VIII and his flagship, the Mary Rose, which sank suddenly and for no obvious reason not far from Portsmouth on 19 July 1545.

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Directed by Martin Gorst

** Presented by Hugh Montgomery

** Released on DVD in 2013

** Run time: 44 minutes

 

King Henry ordered the construction of the Mary Rose in 1509. The foundation was laid in 1510. She was launched in 1511 and completed in 1512. After she sank in 1545, she was almost forgotten for centuries. The wreck was located in 1971 and raised from the bottom of the sea in 1982.

 

During the period between the discovery in 1971 and the salvage in 1982, hundreds of young divers helped retrieve as many loose items from the wreck as possible.

 

Hugh Montgomery, the presenter of this film, was born in 1962. Today he is a professor at University College London and the director of the Institute for Human Health and Performance. 

 

As a young man, he was one of the many Mary Rose divers, who retrieved loose items from the wreck, so it would be as light as possible when it was time to lift it up.

 

Some items were small and light, such as a plate from the ship’s kitchen, while other items were large and heavy, such as the guns made of bronze and iron. 

 

The most controversial items were the bones of the people who lost their lives when the ship went down in 1545. What should be done with them? In the end it was decided to bring them to the surface as well and preserve them along with other items from the ship. The argument was that they belong together.

 

The divers worked during the years from 1971 to 1982. While they were in the water, they could not see much. They could never see the whole wreck, because visibility on the bottom of the sea was poor. 

 

Now, more than 25 years after the wreck was raised from the bottom of the sea and placed in a new museum, Montgomery wants to return to the objects that he and many other divers helped retrieve. First of all, he wants to find out what the bones of the sailors and seamen from the wreck can tell us. In this film, he focuses on three skeletons which are complete:

 

** Skeleton # 1 = probably the remains of an archer

** Skeleton # 2 = probably the remains of a gunner

** Skeleton # 3 = probably the remains of an officer who was in charge of the guns, probably the master gunner

 

In order to understand and interpret the archaeological remains from the ship, several persons are interviewed. Here are the names of the participants (listed in the order of appearance):

 

** Lesley Runnalls, Mary Rose diver

** Colin McKewan, Mary Rose diver

** Dominic Fontana, University of Portsmouth

** Christopher Dobbs, maritime archaeologist, the Mary Rose Trust

** Dr Ann Stirland, osteo-archaeologist

** Richard Neave, forensic artist

** Rose Drew, osteo-archaeologist

** Steve Stratton, bowyer

** Mark Stretton, archer

** Fares Haddad, orthopaedic surgeon

** Colin Herriett, Star Gun Company

** Alex Hildred, maritime archaeologist, the Mary Rose Trust

** Lynne Bell, forensic archaeologist

 

It is interesting to follow this investigation. The experts who are interviewed are well-chosen. When they talk about their field of expertise, it is easy to understand what they say. Their statements supplement each other very well.

 

As the investigation proceeds, we get a good understanding of the life and times of the sailors and seamen, who served on the Mary Rose on her last day of action during a battle against the French navy in July 1545.

 

Why did the Mary Rose suddenly sink? Scholars do not agree on this question. There is more than one answer.

 

One scholar may pick one reason, while another scholar may pick another reason; and a third scholar may claim that a combination of several factors was the reason for the tragic fate of the ship. Hugh Montgomery joins the ongoing discussion. 

 

Perhaps one of the skeletons that are studied in this film can help us to a better understanding of what happened on the fateful day when the Mary Rose suddenly sank to the bottom of the sea?

 

If you are interested in the history of 16th century Europe – in particular the world of sailors and ships – then this film is definitely something for you.

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Documentary films

 

** What Sank the Mary Rose? 

A documentary film that was shown on British television (Channel 4) in 2000. It is an episode of the long-running program Secrets of the Dead.

 

** Mary Rose: A Time Watch Guide

A documentary film that was shown on British television (BBC) in 2015. Presented by Dan Snow, who is an expert on naval history.

 

** Time Watch: Secrets of the Mary Rose

A documentary film (produced by the BBC) that was released on DVD in 2006.

 

** The Mary Rose: Secrets of the Deep

A documentary film which premiered in 2018. It is an episode of a television series called Great British Ships or World's Greatest Ships (season 01 episode 03). The series is presented by Rob Bell.

 

# 2. Books

 

** Mary Rose: The Excavation and Raising of Henry VIII’s Flagship by Margaret Rule (1982) (1983)

 

** The Men of the Mary Rose: Raising the Dead by Ann Stirland (2005) (the author appears in the film)

 

** The War Ship Mary Rose: The Life and Times of King Henry VIII’s Flagship by David Childs (2007) (2014)

 

** The Mary Rose Story by John Christopher (2012)

 

# 3. Articles available online

 

** Jasper Copping, “Mary Rose sunk by French cannonball,” The Telegraph, 15 November 2008

 

** Peter Marsden, "Why did Henry VIII's Mary Rose sink?" History Hit, 12 March 2020 

** Peter Marsden, "Reinterpreting a Tudor flagship: The Mary Rose and her crew," Current Archaeology, April 2021

 

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The Mary Rose

King Henry's flagship

 

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