‘For the Want of Them may Ruin a Voyage’: Analysis of Glass Beads from Channel Wrecks, Including the Dutch East India Company retourschip Rooswijk

ABSTRACT

Glass beads from two maritime sites were analyzed: the Dutch East India Company vessel Rooswijk, wrecked in 1740 on Goodwin Sands off the Kent coast, UK, and an unidentified vessel known as the Bead Wreck, located off Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. Both vessels were carrying drawn, lead glass beads, which are found mainly in 17th- and 18th-century contexts. The study demonstrates the value of analysing glass beads from wreck sites because the information has the potential to help characterize unidentified vessels and further refine bead chronologies at post-medieval archaeological sites.

RESUMEN

Las cuentas de collar de dos yacimientos marítimos fueron analizadas: la embarcación retourschip Rooswijk de la compañía Holandesa de las Indias Orientales, naufragada en 1740 en Goodwin Sands en la costa de Kent, Reino Unido y una embarcación no identificada conocida como el Pecio de las Cuentas, localizada en el puerto de Saint Peter, Guernsey, en las Islas del Canal. Ambas embarcaciones llevaban a bordo cuentas de collar de vidrio de plomo que se hicieron dibujándolos, que se hallan principalmente en contextos de los siglos XVII y XVIII. Su estudio demostró la importancia de analizar cuentas de collar de sitios de naufragio, puesto que la información obtenida tiene el potencial de ayudar a caracterizar embarcaciones no identificadas y refinar las cronologías de cuentas de collar de sitios arqueológicos postmedievales.

摘要

本文分析了两个沉船遗址的玻璃珠：1740 年于英国肯特海岸附近古德温暗沙失事的荷兰东印度公司‘罗斯威克号’以及位于根西岛圣彼得港附近海峡群岛未确定身份的‘玻璃珠沉船’。这两艘船上都载有主要见于17-18 世纪的拉制铅玻璃珠。该研究证明了分析沉船遗址中玻璃珠的价值，因为这些信息可帮助描述未能识别身份船只的特征以及进一步完善后中世纪考古遗址的玻璃珠年代学。

摘要

本文分析了兩個沉船遺址的玻璃珠：1740 年於英國肯特海岸附近古德溫暗沙失事的荷蘭東印度公司「羅斯威克號」以及位於根西島聖彼得港附近海峽群島未確定身份的「玻璃珠沉船」。這兩艘船上都裝載主要見於17-18 世紀的拉製鉛玻璃珠。該研究證明了分析沉船遺址中玻璃珠的價值，因為這些信息可幫助描述未能識別身份船只的特征以及進一步完善後中世紀考古遺址的玻璃珠年代學。

KEYWORDS:

• Glass
• trade
• bead
• post-medieval
• Europe
• analysis

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• Vidrio
• comercio
• postmedieval
• Europa
• análisis

关键词:

• 玻璃
• 贸易
• 玻璃珠
• 后中世纪
• 欧洲
• 分析

關鍵詞:

• 玻璃
• 貿易
• 玻璃珠
• 中世紀
• 歐洲
• 分析

المُستخلص:

• 

Acknowledgements

The #Rooswijk1740 Project is funded and led by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (Ministry of Education, Science and Culture), working in collaboration with project partner Historic England and UK-contractor MSDS Marine. The post-excavation work is largely undertaken by Historic England in research facilities at Fort Cumberland. The #Rooswijk1740 conservators Angela Middleton (HE), Nicole Schoute, Kimberley Roche, Heather Stewart and Alex Bliss (MSDS Marine), micro-excavated the Rooswijk beads, and Richard Keen recovered the sample of beads from the Bead Wreck. My considerable thanks to the #Rooswijk1740 team for supporting the research into the Rooswijk beads. I am also grateful to Alison James (MSDS Marine), Serena Cant, Francesca Gherardi (both HE), Philip de Jersey (States Archaeologist, State of Guernsey), Martijn Manders (Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands) and to the anonymous referees for their very helpful comments.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Permissions Statement

Permission was granted by the #Rooswijk1740 Project team to refer to their broader work in this paper. The Bead Wreck material is presented with permission and assistance from the Guernsey State Archaeologist and the mount containing the wreck’s beads has been retained at Fort Cumberland, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.