Some of the technical terms used when describing the Mary Rose and her objects.
A quantity of gravel to provide weight in the bottom of the vessel so as to increase stability and lower the centre of gravity
(a) timber – a transverse timber that crossed the ship and supported a deck, and helped to brace the hull
(b) measurement – the greatest breadth of the ship
Known as ‘pavesses’ in the sixteenth century, these were rectangular boards that were fastened along the top of the ship’s side in the waist. They are believed to have been removable shields providing gaps through which archers shot arrows
A contrivance used with rope (tackle) in a ship’s rigging. It comprises a shell that supports a sheave or roller over which a rope is run. Blocks occur in a great variety of shapes and size depending upon their use
A vertical cylindrical device on a deck used for winding cable, so as to heave anchors, hoist yards and undertake other heavy work
The wadding that has been driven or placed in the seam between any timbers of the hull or deck to make the vessel watertight
A rounded block of wood with a groove around the edge for either the iron strap of a chain plate or the lower end of a rope shroud. It also has several holes through it for the rope lanyard. Deadeyes act in pairs, the lower one attached to the chain plate and the upper one attached to the shroud
The cooking compartments of the ship which, in the Mary Rose, seem to have existed in the Hold and on the Orlop deck
A small several-pronged anchor normally used for dragging for lost articles, or employed to hold vessels together