The wreck of Henry V’s warship the Holigost, lost for hundreds of years, has been found deep in the mud of a Hampshire river.
The flagship of the Duke of Bedford was the second of four ‘great ships’ built for Henry’s campaign against the French in the Hundred Years War, and joined the fleet a month after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
Signs of its buried remains were spotted by historian Ian Friel while studying aerial pictures of a medieval breaker’s yard at Bursledon on the Hamble, where Henry’s flagship, the Grace Dieu, had been found in the 1930s.
A subsequent search through records from the time revealed that the Holigost had indeed been laid up at the site.
Now Historic England, formerly English Heritage, is to launch a detailed archaeological investigation of the warship, which played a crucial role in two battles that broke French naval power and enabled Henry to conquer France in the early 15th century.
Over the next few years, archaeologists will use sonar, remote-sensing, drone technology and dendrochronology –the study of tree rings—to learn all they can about the vessel.
“I am utterly delighted that Historic England is assessing the site for protection and undertaking further study,” Dr Friel said. “Further research leading to the rediscovery of the Holigost would be even more important than the identification of the Grace Dieu in the 1930s.
“The Holigost fought in two of the most significant naval battles of the Hundred Years War, battles that opened the way for the English conquest of northern France.”
The Holigost joined the royal fleet on November 17, 1415 and took part in operations between 1416 and 1420.
It served as the flagship of the Duke of Bedford at the Battle of Harfleur in 1416, suffering serious damage, and was in the thick of the fighting off the Chef de Caux in 1417. It was also used in missions led by the earls of Devon and Dorset. It had been rebuilt from a large Spanish ship called the Santa Clara that was captured in late 1413 or early 1414, then acquired by the English Crown. The name of the ship is derived from Henry V’s personal devotion to the holy Trinity.
The ship had a crew of 200 sailors in 1416, but also took large numbers of soldiers to war—as many as 240 in one patrol. The ship carried seven cannon but also bows and arrows, poleaxes and spears, along with 102 ‘gads’ –fearsome iron spears thrown from the top deck that could easily penetrate the body armour of the period.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, which is now beginning further research and assessing the boat for protection, said: “The Battle of Agincourt is one of those historic events that has acquired huge national significance. To investigate a ship from this period close to the 600th anniversary is immensely exciting.
“It holds the possibility of fascinating revelations in the months and years to come. Historic England is committed to realising the full potential of the find.”
Marine archaeologists are hoping that excavations of the vessel will provide new insights into Henry’s navy, life aboard ship in the 15th century and English and Spanish shipbuilding techniques.
Like all the great ships, it was built to further Henry’s war aims, but its decoration and flags also reflected both his religious devotion and his political ideas. Unusually, this included the French motto Une sanz pluis, One and no more, which meant that the king alone should be master, in line with Henry’s autocratic views.
The ship was a clinker-built vessel—using overlapping planks of timber—of around 740 to 760 tons.Despite huge expenditure on maintenance work during its lifetime, the Holigost began to succumb to leaks and timber decay.
The Daily Telegraph