Selecting successful conservation strategies to preserve the historical value of the Mary Rose
The famous Tudor ship Mary Rose’s conservation strategies have been highlighted in a recent BBC article, which discusses how an X-ray probe has been used to save its cannonballs. Dr Eleanor Schofield has also used Hitachi High-Tech’s X-MET8000 Optimum handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer on a regular basis in the investigation and characterisation of materials in the Mary Rose Trust’s collection.
The Mary Rose Trust was formed in 1979. It’s responsible for conserving and displaying the Mary Rose hull and her artefacts for current and future generations. The Mary Rose is a Tudor war ship that was built in 1510 at the request of King Henry VIII. She was in service for 34 years, taking part in the First French war (1512-1514), the Second French war (1525-1542), and the Third French war (1543-1546), during which she eventually sank. Hundreds of men aboard the Mary Rose drowned as she went down, with only around 35 survivors. Her wreck was rediscovered in 1971, and after years of planning, preparation and excavation, she was finally raised in 1982. Following meticulous stages of conservation, her hull is now displayed in the Mary Rose Museum, in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Though over 19,000 artefacts were recovered in relatively good condition, excavation and subsequent exposure to air threaten their stability, making it essential to develop relevant conservation treatments.
Download our full case study about the Mary Rose to find out more about how the X-MET8000 Optimum has provided fast and reliable elemental data in-situ to help preserve it. Or if you’d like to see our range of X-MET8000 analyzers in action, contact us to book your demo today.
