Lead ingots from a shipwreck Off Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, East Coast of India: evidence for overseas trade and their significance

Abstract

Various types of lead ingots have been reported from a number of shipwrecks from different parts of the world. In 1991 exploration of a wreck off Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, East Coast of India, at a depth of 19 m yielded a gun, rudder gudgeon, gunpowder boxes and a variety of lead ingots. The most significant ingots are those marked W: Blackett and D with a crown symbol on the obverse and 1791, 1792 and some merchant marks on the reverse. These are similar to Blackett lead ingots found in England, the Netherlands and Sumatra. Pb-isotopic analysis has revealed their source as the North Pennine lead mines of England. Further, the lead used was of high purity -93%. Records show that Blackett was a well-known lead-exporting company in England since 1694. The wreck off Poompuhar may be a Toni type cargo ship carrying traded lead ingots of different manufacturers.

The Lead Ingots from the Wreck of theZuiddorp(1712), Western Australia: a report on their provenance and manufacture

“…During the 17th and 18th centuries lead was a common item of commerce. It was used for a multitude of purposes, such as: coin minting stock; water‐ and drainpipes; sheathing for the hulls and sternposts of ships, wooden crates and armour (literally, ‘rolls of sheet‐lead, for when one is at battle with the enemy, to stop the [gun] shot,’Coolhaas, 1960: 56); musket balls and cartridge shot; anchor‐stocks and sounding‐leads; gutters; seals and stamps; furniture decoration and tablets (Coolhaas, 1960: 56; Tripati et al ., 2003: 236). The other important use of lead in maritime trade was as ballast for sailing ships.…”

“…They include a wide range of motifs, such as numbers, letters, initials, ciphers and occasionally dates (Figs 8–10). The only comparative data for stamps comes from other archaeological studies of contemporary lead ingots (Willies in Price et al ., 1980; Whiting et al ., 1985; Willies, 1985; Tripati et al ., 2003; Martin, 2005).…”

Teak (<i>Tectona grandis</i> L.F.):A Preferred Timber for Shipbuilding in India as Evidenced from Shipwrecks

“…In this context, it is to be mentioned that for centuries, teak has been one of the preferred timber for boat and shipbuilding in our country. 23 and Konark coast, Odisha, have been explored (Figure 1). A 2 m long single timber was found during exploration of the St George's Reef shipwreck site.…”