Two rare Royal Portrait spoons found in ship wreck

The contents of the shipwreck clearly demonstrate link to the United Kingdom

Maritime archaeologist Yftinus van Popta of the University of Groningen had a scoop this afternoon for Leen Verbeek, King’s Commissioner, and Aucke van der Werff, Mayor of the municipality of Noordoostpolder. He was able to show them two rare Royal Portrait Spoons from London. Van Popta: ‘I only saw how unique these spoons were after I cleaned them.’ The excavations of the shipwreck, called the ‘Noordoostvaarder’, have revealed several objects from the UK.

Queen Anne on the Royal Portrait Spoons

Mayor Aucke van der Werff: ‘A wonderful find, which clearly shows that there were important people on board. A portrait of Queen Anne can clearly be seen on the upper part of the handles. On one of the spoons, two cherubs are holding the crown above her head.’ The King’s Commissioner was also impressed by the finds and the excavation. Queen Anne ruled from 1702-1714, after her sister Mary Stuart and her husband Dutch Stadtholder Willem of Orange, the British King William III. On the back of the handle is a touchmark from a London pewter manufacturer. It is a tangible and visible Tudor Rose.

Pewter plates and bowl made by London pewterer

The pewter plates and bowl found during the excavations bear the touchmark of pewterer Henry Hammerton (1706-1741): a Tudor Rose with a crown above it and the word LONDON. Several ordinary pewter spoons have also been found. They are the early 18th-century rat-tail type. They have a triangular relief on the underside of the bowl of the spoon.

The weights found are a 3 pennyweight (4.67 grams), a 4 pennyweight (6.22 grams) and a 20 pennyweight and 16 grains bullion weight (about 32.14 grams). The type of weights and the hallmarks on them lead Van Popta to believe that these objects, too, originated in London.

Depth of the ship in feet (1 foot = 30.48 cm)

There are depth marks on the stern. These indicate the maximum draught of the ship. The distance between each of the depth marks is about a foot (30.48cm). The depth marks reveal that the ‘Noordoostvaarder’ had a draught of between 3 and 3.5 metres. That is too deep for this part of the old Zuider Zee and an indication that the ship ran aground.
The ‘Noordoostvaarder’ is gradually giving up its secrets. Whether the ship really came from Britain must still be established, but all the clues are pointing that way. What is certain is that it is not a Dutch ship. The volunteers from the Archaeologische Werkgemeenschap Flevoland who are assisting on the excavation are also very enthusiastic about the finds.