Maritime record MWX1615 - Unidentified 1305 Spanish Cargo Vessel

1305 wreck of a Spanish cargo vessel which stranded near Portland and was subsequently broken up by the local population. A wooden sailing vessel. Loss Date: 01/01/1305

`235 persons plundered her and broke her up'.(1)

A Spanish ship wrecked near Portland, cargo stolen and vessel broken up. (2)

`Peter Ernald De Ville, Burgess of Bayonne, France, valued the ship at 3,000 marks. She was driven by tempest on the coast near Portland, where the worn out mariners transferred themselves to the shore. Henry Blake and 260 others, all named, broke the ship, cut it to pieces and carried away the goods.(3)

`Wrecking and piracy were recognised, if illegal, industries, and the Dorset men were no better than their neighbours in practising them. The character and conformation of the coast must have provided much material for wreckers, for the clumsy medieval ship was doomed if caught either side of Portland in a gale from an unfavourable quarter...In 1305 a Spanish ship was wrecked near Portland; the crew escaped, but a commission of Oyer and Terminer names 235 persons known to have plundered the ship and broken it up. (4) In 1305 a Spanish ship was wrecked near Portland; the crew escaped, but a Commission of Oyer and Terminer names 235 persons known to have plundered the ship and broke it up.(4)

'1305. March 20. Westminster. The like to Robert son of Payn, Peter Malorre and Hervey de Staunton, on complaint by Peter Ernald de Ville, burgess of Bayonne, Ferand, his fellow, and Adam de Gelde, merchants of St. Sebastian, that whereas they had laden a ship beyond seas with merchandise to the value of 3,000 marks, for trade in England, and the ship was driven by tempest upon the coast near Portelond, co. Dorset, and the worn-out mariners transferred themselves to shore alive…[list of names]…and others entered the ship, carried away the goods, broke the ship and cut it to pieces.' (5)

Owner: of cargo, Peter Ernald de Ville, of Bayonne; Ferand, and Adam de Gelde, both of San Sebastian (5)

Date of Loss Qualifier: Reporting date of loss

The building date for this vessel is an estimate based on an average age at wrecking of twenty years. This average is derived from those vessels wrecked on the Dorset coast whose age at wrecking is known.

Calendar of Patent Rolls, 349-50 IV (Unpublished document). SDO20500.

<1> Larn, Richard, 1992, United Kingdom shipwreck index, Extracted 23 November 1992 (Index). SWX5030.

<2> 1975, Dorset magazine : the county magazine vol. 48, p15 (Article in serial). SWX4573.

<3> Larn, R, and Larn, B, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 1 : Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Section 6, Dorset (AJ) Vol 1 (Monograph). SWX4541.

<4> World Wide Web page andlt;http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Naval.htmlandgt; [Accessed 24-Mar-2003] (Digital archive). SWX4879.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 900406 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 13 2024 3:25PM