Emily Chan
“They would have either topped a coffin or been laid horizontally over the remains like a ledger stone,” Cousins said. “As Purbeck Marble doesn’t do well outside, they would have been placed within the church, cathedral, or monastery, etcetera.”
He added that the ship sunk at the peak of the Purbeck stone industry. The newly discovered grave slabs were commonly used for bishops and archbishops across monasteries and cathedrals in England during that period.
More than 800 grave slabs made from Purbeck marble can currently be found in churches all over England, as well as some in parts of Ireland and France.
The Mortar Wreck site was first discovered in 1982. Initially, the shipwreck was simply thought to be a pile of rubble on the seabed.
Finally, in 2019, Cousins and his team from Bournemouth University explored the site more thoroughly, stumbling upon the remains of the vessel.
The wreck holds much archaeological significance because it can reveal details about life and trade in the 13th century, as well as the technological advancements in ships.
The team from Bournemouth will clean and conserve the grave slabs until they can be exhibited at a museum that will open next year.
