Alex Hildred, Curator of Ordnance at the Mary Rose, examines an incendiary arrow, one of the more unusual weapons found on the Mary Rose.
Made of silver fir with an oak flight, this object was found at the stern of the Mary Rose, alongside a bronze demiculverin (a type of cannon) which appears to have been the primary method of deployment. The head would have consisted of a pitch-coated cloth bag, containing Incendiary Mixture (gunpowder and sulphur) and a large iron spike, which would have embedded in the side of a ship, allowing the incendiary mix to blow a hole in the side.
Yet another item from the Carpenter's cabin, this hinged Tables board, or Tabula, made of Oak, with Larch (darker) and Yew (lighter) inlay, is the forerunner to a Backgammon board. The counters are made of Poplar, and although only eight were found, each player would have started with fifteen. The hinges have rusted away, but would have been made of iron.
On the left of this picture is our single surviving nock, which was used to attach the bowstring to the tips of a longbow. All of our longbows have a discoloured section at the tip, which has been suggested was caused by these nocks being in situ during burial, as on the replica on the left.
This pewter Bleeding Bowl and Syringe were found in the Barber Surgeons cabin, towards the stern of the Mary Rose, and one of only three cabins identified from the remains. Pewter was a relatively expensive metal, so the Barber Surgeon was certainly a man of high status!
Ever wondered what those things on the end of your shoe laces were called? You know, the ones that stop them fraying and make it easier to thread them? They're called Aiglets, and we found 165 of them on the Mary Rose. Ours weren't made of plastic, like modern ones, but of copper alloy.
