The vessel
The 194-ton wooden barque Elizabeth was built at Singapore in
1830. It had one deck and three masts, was carvel-built with a standing
bowsprit and female figure-head. It was owned by J. Hicket Grose and registered
in Sydney. In late August 1839 the vessel arrived in Fremantle from Singapore
and Manila with a general cargo including sugar and sundries.
...3828 bags of sugar, 50 bags of coffee, 2 bales of hemp, 20 jars of cordials...180 cases gin, 100 jars of olives, 50 jars of olive oil... 5 ditto (cases) nankeens...(Perth Gazette 28/9/1839).
On 21 September Captain Garrett, due to some delay, set sail en route
to Sydney, after dark. At midnight the vessel was 8 kilometres to the north
of Rottnest Island after which time it encountered such a severe storm as
to loosen its jib, spinnaker, main topsail and mainsail. The Captain could
no longer beat off the lee shore and made the decision to beach the vessel
in the best available location (Henderson, 1973:159).
The wreck event
Elizabeth struck the bottom close to shore about 4.8 kilometres
north of Fremantle. The two passengers and fifteen crew on board were landed
safely although the vessel began to break up rapidly and nothing else was
saved. Slewed broadside, the port side broke in first.
Salvage
The hull was sold for £185, an anchor and three cables for £65,
and the longboat for £40. Later in October the second mate from the
vessel, Charles Lovett was charged with stealing four pieces of grass cloth,
three shawls, two silk handkerchiefs and one piece of diaper off the vessel.
He was given ten years transportation (Henderson, 1973:159).
A cannon from the Elizabeth .
The hull was stripped of all accessible fittings. The Museum holds a
large collection of material that is believed to have come from the vessel.
This material includes a cannon raised in 1923 by Colonel Goadby; chain
plates raised in 1937; two large cannon retrieved in 1956 by B. Martin,
together with pottery and other fragments of green glass. In 1963, one further
cannon with no trunnions, a muzzle section of a large cannon, ballast, copper
nails, a small anchor and many other artefacts were raised.
Excavation and artefacts
Systematic excavations have not been carried out on the site although
a number of artefacts were removed by Museum staff (1965, 1969, 1970) including
cannon and a chronometer. This material was able to provide an approximate
date for the remains of the vessel.
Identification of the wreck site as Elizabeth was initially complicated
by the existence of two other wrecks known to have occurred in the same
area and an old rubbish dump on the foreshore from which many items had
washed into the vicinity of the wreck. Past speculation as to the wreck
identity included a Portuguese vessel dating to the 1600, an early eighteenth
century East Indiaman, a longboat from the Naturaliste and several
other 'notable' colonial vessels. |
A chronometer from the Elizabeth .
The most valuable clue for the identification of the wreck site was the
chronometer. It was given a date of post1812. Considered to be a valuable
item it is unlikely that it would have been discarded in the rubbish dump.
Every attempt would have been made to ensure the safety of the instrument
except in the case of total and rapid loss of a vessel due to wrecking.
Site location
The wreck site is located off Cottesloe Beach directly in front of the
intersection of Warton Street with Marine Parade. It extends offshore, at
a position 100 metres south of where the access ramp meets the beach.
Site description
The wreckage starts just above the low water mark on the limestone reef
and extends further out to sea. The depths over the site vary up to 3 metres.
Wreckage is uncovered at various times of the year to reveal ballast, ceramics,
Chinese porcelain, glass, bottles, cannon and olive jars (Figures 67 and
69). Planking, timber bolts, iron blocks and boxes, and chain are also visible.
Winter storms uncover and throw onto the beach many articles that come from
the wreck site although this is mixed with extraneous material from an early
dump site located along the cliff. Due to the nature of the wreck and the
amount of sand covering the site at present a site plan has not been included
here.
Statement of significance
Historical
This site is of historical significance as the remains of a vessel important
in the overseas and intercolonial trades vital to the development of Western
Australia. Lost at the same time as the Lancier the two vessels had
a combined cargo that amounted to a great value. Their loss would have been
a bitter blow to the development of the fledgling economy.
Archaeological
Despite the fragmented nature of the wreckage, the site can reveal information
with regard to wooden shipbuilding techniques through the examination of
hull timbers and ship's fittings. It is one of the oldest vessels to be
wrecked on the Western Australian coast. The remaining artefact material
on the site can give insight into the nature of cargoes and personal effects
carried in this period. Archaeological investigations on the recovered material
could be of use in a comparative analysis of cargoes, manufacturing techniques,
quality of goods, and in the development of a chronology for design.
References
Henderson, G., 1973, 'The wreck of the Elizabeth', Studies in Historical Archaeology, No. 1, Australian Society for Historical Research, Sydney.
|