Copper ingot from the St Anthony (RCM)

3D ModelNoAI

The half-round copper ingots that led to the rediscovery of the St Anthony were found by chance. As related by Anthony Randall, one ingot, being suitably heavy, flat-bottomed and smooth on top, was put to use as a doorstop, before fellow diver Michael Hall recognised it!

8000 ingots were recorded in the cargo list of the ship, which describes them as ‘cakes’ of copper. John Trenoweth includes the list in his 1968 history of the wreck, published in the journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall in Truro. From his study of court records of the disputed salvage, he concludes that the local lords, known to have seized a silver cross washed up in 1530, probably also seized most other items found.

165mm diameter. 3D scanned by Tom Goskar (@tomgoskar) as part of the Wreck and Rescue at Gunwalloe project commissioned by Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) and funded by Historic England to mark the 50th anniversary of the Protection of Wrecks Act, 1973.