Bonnie Prince Charlie's Wreck

Story hits Scottish national tabloids!!

The story so far has attracted people all over the world and now has made tabloid newspapers in Scotland. Click here to reveal pop up window or right click 'save target as' to download the pdf file!

Joe's Log Launches!!

5th October!

A brand new month and brand new feature to the site "Joe's Log"

Keep up to date with the team even more so, with Joe's log of events. CLICK HERE to go to the page

Keep up to date with more photos on the gallery

4th October!

More photos have been added to the gallery. Have a nosey around and see what the squad is up to!

September video log update

You can now view the cliff-side scaffold that is under construction and how the forces of nature took their toll against the project!

What a difference a day makes?..........

See new exciting pictures of our dive team, scaffolding and rig as we continue to find the true meaning of what lies beneath?

Keep up to date with Joe McCormack and his weekly diary coming soon to the site!

Local Directory

Now people and businesses from all over Anglesey can benefit from this website!

With 1,000's of hits and people re-visiting the site to keep up to date with ongoing work with the project, you might like to take this opportunity and advertise your business with us?

Just click here to find out more!

New Holy Island Video.....

.......Ever wanted to know what Holy ISland was like, even without going, then just click on the video at the top of the media player!

Week 6 - The search goes on........

It's week six of the project and day by day, interesting artifacts are being found along the sea bed, which keep the mystery of the wreckage afloat! To keep up to date with all matters, check out our video library of recent footage of the dive and if you have any further comments, please get in touch: contact@maritimeresurgence.co.uk

Bonnie Prince Charlie goes "Facebook"

To join the forum of Bonnie Prince Charlie, update us on what you may know of the history, or even want to share stories and theories of the wreckage, then please get in touch and join our social network. Just click on this link and it will take you there: Take me to facebook

Press Release 26th May 2009

Press Release: TIME/DATE: 11am Tuesday 26th May 2009

Summary: Divers have commenced a project to excavate the site of an 18th Century vessel that foundered off Anglesey that is thought to have been carrying gold and supplies from the King of France to relieve Bonnie Prince Charlie during the time he was in hiding on the Scottish Islands after the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.

Story Outline

Professional diver Kevin McCormac was exploring the seabed off the Anglesey coast when he uncovered a tiny copper disc. That discovery has led to an astonishing undertaking to recover the wreck cargo of the wreck in an operation that could re-write history.

The chance find came from samples of *concretion from the site which lies in an area of coast, not far from Porth Dafarch Beach on Holy Island. Work is now under way to fully explore the site in a unique project that will see access gained via a flight of scaffolding erected down the rugged cliff face.

The copper disc, or "matrix" was found more than fifteen years ago and was initially dismissed as a worthless coin. Considered completely unremarkable and valueless, it was left to languish in a drawer.

Many years later Kevin's father, veteran diver Joe McCormack, was encouraged to have the disc examined by experts at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Microscopic examination showed that the matrix is an identical duplicate of the seal on the signet ring worn by Mary Queen of Scots at her execution. That priceless ring is kept at The British Museum.

A leading Scottish historian described the matrix as the "working seal" of Mary Queen of Scots which would have been attached to a wooden or horn handle for use in sealing letters and documents.

The fact that this unique seal was recovered from the site of a wreck, together with historical research, suggests it may have be carried on one of several privateer vessels sent by Louis XV of France, to supply or rescue Bonnie Prince Charlie, in the aftermath of his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1745.

Louis XV was the chief sponsor and financier of the Jacobite Rebellion - Bonnie Prince Charlie's armed attempt to seize the thrones of Scotland and England.

It is a historical fact that King Louis XV sent a number of ships laden with supplies to support Charlie while he was in hiding. Two named "Le Mars" and "La Bellone" were laden with a huge quantity of gold and weapons.

These two vessels never reached Charlie. They were intercepted and damaged in an encounter with the English Navy, after which they limped back to France with their valuable cargoes.

Stewart followers and historians have long believed that several other vessels were sent to relieve Charlie. What became of them has long been the subject of speculation, but the Anglesey wreck may hold the key to solving that mystery. By 1746 Louise XV had lost his nerve and without his support Charlie was forced to abandon the rebelion and he was rescued by a French ship.

A series of exploratory dives were carried out on the Anglesey wreck site in the mid-1990s. These produced further artefacts pointing to the site being that of a wreck dating from the mid-19th century with connections to France.

All vessels of that period would have carried coins in order to buy supplies. How much "specie" may have been aboard the wreck remains open to speculation. Coins from that era have a value ranging between hundreds and several thousands of pounds.

Records show that the two ships 'Le Mars' and 'La Bellone' which made it back to the port of Nantes, were laden with 852,000 lavres in Louis d'or coins. This was a fantastic quantity of gold - many tonnes - which as bullion alone would be worth many millions at today's values, but is of far greater value in coins of the period.

The "Bonnie Prince Charlie Wreck" project sees Kevin and Joe McCormack return the scene for a second time. They made an earlier effort in the mid 1990s but it was hampered by the fact that the site is so close to a cliff face and therefore difficult to access from the vessel which was used.

Now Earthcore Ltd and Maritime Resurgence is Salvor in Possession of the site having devised a unique plan to approach the wreck from a scaffolding platform that will be erected down the cliff face, allowing access at all times of the tide and even in adverse weather.

All artefacts recovered will be recorded for posterity and there are plans for numerous examples recovered from the site to form the centre of an exhibition to be mounted locally.

Diving operations will be filmed for a television documentary and it is envisaged that the site will become the focus of extensive public and media attention.

It is important to note the scheme has been devised so that it will have as little impact as possible on the site which is an area of Special Scientific Interest.

Provenance of the matrix

Why would a ship carrying supplies to relieve Bonnie Prince Charlie in Scotland be wrecked off the coast of Anglesey? And what makes us think we have found such a vessel?

The name of the vessel is, as yet, unknown, but evidence suggests that it was probably a British-built sailing ship that had been captured, or bought, by the French navy and provisioned to "sneak up the coast unchallenged", Its aim would have been to reach the Young Pretender who was in hiding, moving around the isles of Scotland after his defeat at Culloden.

So why would the ring seal of Mary Queen of Scots - Bonnie prince Charlie's great-great-grandmother - be on a ship wrecked off the Welsh Coast.

That mystery that will not be solved until the underwater site is excavated, but one theory is that the seal was a "token of authenticity" carried by an emissary on the relief vessel to demonstrate his credentials on meeting the Prince.

It would have given the bearer an irrefutable badge of authority - proof to Charles that the ship's crew were genuine and not agents of the English Government.

The seal matrix itself has been valued at between #1000 and #1500 and authenticated by the National Museum of Scotland, whose expert states:-

"This does indeed seem to be an exact duplicate of the British Museum ring (the famous gold and enamel signet ring, set with Mary's distinctive arms and thought to have been made while she was at the French Court - the underside of the bezel being inscribed with the cipher for Mary and her first husband, Francis). They are both incuse seal matrices (and the matrix found is) clearly of considerable historical significance."

Kevin McCormack released the matrix from a lump of *concretion. It was one of several he had lifted from the site. As he chipped away at with a small hammer to uncover what it contained the matric was revealed. He testifies to the fact that the seal maxtrix came from the wreck site in question.

*Concretion is formed when metal on a wreck starts to corrode after a ship sinks. As it rusts bits of sand and shell stick to it, and over time this forms a hard shell around the object. Sometimes coral and weeds also stick to it, making it very difficult to identify on the seabed. The shell also protects the object from rusting away any further.

Diving Project Outline

It is no exaggeration to suggest that Bonnie Prince Charlie's Wreck could turn-out to be the most significant and astonishing of its kind ever discovered in British coastal waters, both in terms of its historical importance and the value of its artefacts which are expected to be recovered.

The precise location of the site has been notified to HM Receiver of Wrecks and Earthcore Ltd has established rights as Salvor in Possession of the wreck through preparatory work and presence at the site.

The dive will be in relatively shallow water, although it is known that the nature of the seabed - a mix of shingle and stones fallen from the cliff - make the operation one that is best described as challenging underwater excavation.

Underwater machinery and air lifts will be employed to bring material to the surface where it will be sifted and examined. Spoil will be carefully returned to the sea bed in a cycle of excavation and restoration.

The salvage is being carried-out in accordance with laws governing British historical wrecks. including compliance with the requisite licences and regulations.

FURTHER INFORMATION: CHRIS JOHNSON at Mercury Press Argency, Liverpool

ends

Pintle chain recovered from wreck site

Our team of divers have made new finds at the site that give pointers in the quest for the cargo of the ship.

A section of "pintle chain" which linked to the sailing ship's rudder has been recovered during preliminary operations along with a cannon ball along with a sounding weight.

Dive director Joe McCormack says the finds lend further support to the theory that the wreck is that of an 18th century vessel that sank on a mission to supply Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746.

The fact that French King Louis XV left Charles Edward Stuart - the Bonnie Prince - in hiding, without supplies after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden has long puzzled historians.

Now the team of divers hope they can unlock the mystery by recovering the cargo of the wreck that could be a vast quantity of gold coins.

Joe McCormack said: "We are confident that we have got the right target and that it will contain an obscene amount of gold coins.

"But we want to share the benefits of this dive and to use the phenomenon the find will create to help boost tourism to Anglesey. We have got plans to display many of the finds in a secure display at Holyhead."

Records show that Louis XV made one failed attempt to send relief ships, laden with a huge quantities of gold coins, weapons and troops, to The Young Pretender, in hiding in the Scottish Islands.

Those two vessels were intercepted by the Royal Navy and limped back to France with their precious cargoes.

* Many of the divers involved in the operation are from Hughes Sub Surface Engineering Ltd of Bootle with its boss Ian Hughes overeseeing underwater operations.

25th May 2009 - LAUNCH DAY

The Bonnie Prince Charlie Wreckage website is released into the public domain. On this website, you can gather all the information you need to catch-up on daily events on the discovery of this life-changing piece of history. Watch videos, look at pictures and listen to interviews with the people that matter!

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