Mary Rose Trust facts for kids
Organization logo
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| Formation | 1979 |
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| Type | Limited charitable trust |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Preserve, display and spread knowledge about the Mary Rose |
| Location | |
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Official language
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English |
The Mary Rose Trust is a charity based in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Its main goal is to protect and share the story of the Mary Rose. This was a famous warship from the 1500s that sank in the Solent on July 19, 1545. The Trust found and brought the ship up from the seabed in October 1982.
Today, the Mary Rose Trust runs the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Contents
History of the Mary Rose Trust
Starting the Search
The story of the Mary Rose Trust began with the Mary Rose Committee. This group was formed in 1968. Their aim was to "find, dig up, raise, and protect" parts of the Mary Rose. They wanted to save anything important for history.
In 1967-1968, the wreck site was checked using special sound equipment called sonar. This equipment helped them find a hidden shape. In 1970, the first piece of wood from the ship was found. Finally, on May 5, 1971, the buried wreck of the Mary Rose was located. Throughout the 1970s, volunteer divers and archaeologists explored the ship. They also did some small digs.
Protecting Old Shipwrecks
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mary Rose Committee worked with museums and diving clubs. They wanted to get legal protection for shipwrecks. Before this, old wrecks could be sold by people who found them. This meant valuable historical wrecks were at risk. Treasure hunters might destroy them instead of carefully digging them up.
The committee helped to get a new law passed. This was the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. The Mary Rose was one of the first wrecks to get legal protection. This law helped make sure that important shipwrecks were saved for everyone to learn from.
Raising the Ship
The Mary Rose Committee managed the diving work until 1979. Then, they decided to fully dig up and save the ship. This needed a lot of money and a much bigger organization. So, the Mary Rose Trust was created.
Prince Charles became the president of the Trust. Margaret Rule was the archaeological director. She was in charge of digging up and getting the Mary Rose ready to be lifted. The project had already received a lot of attention from the media. Many large donations helped them buy a special lifting ship called Sleipner.
On October 11, 1982, the Mary Rose was successfully lifted from the seabed. It was then taken to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The ship was kept safe there while plans for its long-term care were made. In the meantime, the Trust built a museum. This museum showed items found from the ship and explained its history. It also taught about the 16th century Tudor period.
How the Trust Works Today
The Mary Rose Trust is a busy organization. It has many employees and volunteers who help with its work. The Trust has built a new, modern museum. In this museum, you can see the actual hull (body) of the Mary Rose. You can also see thousands of items found inside and around the ship. These items include tools, weapons, and personal belongings of the crew.
The Mary Rose Trust works with the Swedish Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. The Vasa Museum displays the Swedish warship Vasa. This ship sank in the 1600s and was brought up in 1961. The two museums often share ideas and work together. They both aim to teach people about these amazing old ships.
