Dyewood billet from the wreck of the President

3D ModelNoAI

Divers found this ‘billet’ or regular length of timber at the site where the East Indiaman, the President, was wrecked in 1684. It’s been identified it as a type of hardwood, known as sanderswood, sandalwood, or dyewood, from south east Asia. It is housed at the Shipwreck Treasure Museum, Charlestown.

Dyewood was a valuable, frequently traded commodity, and this piece will have been part of the cargo of the ship, along with spices, and even diamonds. When boiled, dyewood produced a rich red dye, used to colour cloth (information at Shipwreck Treasure Museum, Charlestown)

Approximately 1.2m long. 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.