Culture Minister David Lammy has announced the re-designation of the wreck site of the St Anthony, located off Gunwalloe Fishing Cove, Cornwall. This will ensure that the whole of the St Anthony wreck site will now be protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.
The St Anthony was a Portuguese merchant vessel and sailed as the flagship of a fleet bound from Flanders. She sank in 1527 in a storm described, in contemporary evidence, as a great and urgent tempest of winds and weather.
She went down with a mixed cargo including copper and silver ingots and, it is believed, the dowry of Princess Katherine, bride of King John of Portugal and sister of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. The cargo manifest still survives.
Violent disagreements between survivors and local people over salvage from the wreck are extremely well documented, which adds to the historical context of the site.
The St Anthony wreck site was discovered in 1981 and designated the following year. However DCMS' archaeological contractor reported in May 2005 that wreck material lay beyond the current designated area and that archaeological objects associated with the site remain vulnerable to interference. Consequently, English Heritage has recommended on the basis of available information that the restricted area surrounding the site be altered to ensure protection of the entire site.
Culture Minister, David Lammy said: "Shipwrecks from this era are extremely rare, and are wonderful examples of our - and the world's - maritime heritage. It is absolutely right that we make every effort to treasure and preserve them. I am pleased that the wreck of the St Anthony will continue to be protected and the remaining artefacts preserved for the benefit of future generations."
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