Replica Bronze Age boat makes history
Living Cornwall Editor
Lifted on an incoming tide and cheered by several hundred onlookers, the first Bronze Age boat to be launched in Cornwall – or anywhere else – for 4,000 years took her short maiden voyage at Falmouth yesterday.
Christened Morgawr – after the mythical monster of Falmouth Bay – the six-ton, solid oak vessel has been 11 months in the making. Built by a team of 50 volunteers led by master boatbuilder Brian Cumby at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, the aim of the project was to learn more about our seagoing ancestors.
Boat enthusiasts, history buffs and the plain curious lined a slip close to the museum to watch the launch. And while there was no fanfare or champagne bottle smashed on her hull, there was a deep sigh of relief from all concerned that Morgawr did fulfil the minimum requirement: she floated.
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"I'm very satisfied," said Brian, after he and a 20-strong crew took the 50ft boat for a short inaugural paddle. "Considering this was a first attempt, I'm pleased. She moves well through the water."
A first for "experimental archaeology" and a first for the NMMC, the prehistoric boat has been reconstructed as part of a collaborative project with the University of Exeter. The bulk of the hull was cut, using bronze adzes, from two huge oak trunks. Once shaped, they were "sewn together" using yew withies from churchyards at St Gluvias and Mylor and sealed with moss and tallow.
"The team have done some superb work," said Brian.
June Callaghan, from Truro, who volunteered with her husband John, said they had learned a lot about prehistoric shipbuilding.
"We're both very interested in pre-history, but we'd never done anything like this before," she said. "I've learned an incredible amount about the technique and archaeological background of these vessels and the people who made them. The more you work on something like this the more you learn.
"What is really nice is that instead of being exhibited in a museum she is on the water and doing ordinary boaty things... like leaking."
Getting his feet wet with the rest of the crew yesterday was Professor Robert Van de Noort from the University of Exeter, who has overseen the project. A world expert in Bronze Age boats, he said: "I'm so happy with her responsiveness. When I was steering, I could turn her easily. Today's launch has revolutionised everything we knew."
The build and launch represent the beginning of a wider educational project to study the mobility of Bronze Age people.
"I'm looking forward to taking her out over the next few weeks to do sea trials," said Brian.
"It will be interesting to see how she responds, evaluate manoeuvrability and test her speed."
Morgawr can be seen at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth.
5 Comments
by cweatherhill
Thursday, March 07 2013, 1:33PM
“Sorry to disagree, Albru, but the whole thinking about Celtic speaking peoples only arriving in Britain at the beginning of the Iron Age (a mistake based on a Victorian misreading of Herodotus) is now well out of date. They were established by c.2000 BC at least, Celtic languages spreading north as a lingua franca of the ancient Atlantic sea-trading routes. Then there were no major movements of people/cultures/languages into Britain until the arrival of the Romans (a few minor ones, certainly, but nothing that altered the general continuity of prehistoric society). If you read the more recent works of people like Cunliffe, Renfrew and linguists John Waddell and John Koch, you'll be brought up to date with it all.
But let's give all credit to those who worked on the replica boat, and made it such a resounding success.”
by albru
Thursday, March 07 2013, 1:17PM
“For the sake of historical accuracy the boats found on the Humber probably pre-date the Celts by about 2,000 years at least. Interestingly the Hull museum also has a much more primitive boat from about 1400BC, which tends to suggest the the technology was lost somewhere between 1400 and 4000 BC, anf there was a pre-Celtic, advanced culture which has left little trace.”
by cweatherhill
Thursday, March 07 2013, 12:49PM
“Yes, the boat is modelled closely on the North Ferriby boats. However, as Celtic was established throughout Britain as a common language before 2000BC, based on academic research and reasoning over the last 2 decades, a Celtic name is perfectly appropriate. As the replica was built at Falmouth, then what better than the name of Falmouth Bay's mythical sea monster Morgawr (sea-giant)?”
by albru
Thursday, March 07 2013, 11:51AM
“Well done. I have seen the originals (I assume these are based on the North Ferribly boats) in the Hull museum. Fascinating example of pre-Celtic hostory, so I am not sure where the name came from!”
by manicstreet
Thursday, March 07 2013, 11:24AM
“Well done to all a great story!!!.”