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THE COROLLA WRECK EXPOSED: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS of NORTH CAROLINA’S OLDEST SHIPWRECK By

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THE COROLLA WRECK EXPOSED: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS of NORTH CAROLINA’S OLDEST SHIPWRECK By THE COROLLA WRECK EXPOSED: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF NORTH CAROLINA’S OLDEST SHIPWRECK by Daniel Mark Brown November 2013 Director of Thesis/Dissertation: Dr. Bradley Rodgers Major Department: Maritime Studies ABSTRACT Because of the unexpected and spontaneous discovery of the Corolla Wreck in 2008, its relocation in 2009, and its dynamic six-month jaunt up and down the coast, all research questions posed by this thesis were formed in reaction to the wreck and what little information was available in the summer of 2010. Unaware of the extent or provenience of recovered material culture, the author set about utilizing the most relevant (mega) artifact at hand: the structural remains. Research questions seek to reveal the philosophical construction origin, function, and role of the ship these wreck remains represent, as well as what part the vessel played in the system of European-Atlantic commercial and territorial expansion (the systemic context). Identifying the ship is impossible, structural features and material culture, however, suggest three possible candidates for nations of origin: English, Dutch, or French. This required a survey of these nations’ collective commercial and territorial expansion into North America in the 17th century. Alongside historical research on trade and settlement patterns by the leading colonial powers of the 17th century, research into 16th- and 17th-century ship construction treatises sought to elucidate contemporary historical sources that may reveal information regarding structurally specific cultural information locked in the mega-artifact that is the shipwreck. To compliment historical research of both the colonial systemic context and historical documents on shape, form, and function for the wrecked vessel, a survey of 25 historic European shipwrecks dating from the 16th and 17th centuries provides the archaeological context for Wreck CKB0022. Material culture and structural features of the wreck provide the most definitive archaeological evidence for the vessel’s origin, function, and role at the time of its wrecking event. THE COROLLA WRECK EXPOSED: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF NORTH CAROLINA’S OLDEST SHIPWRECK A Thesis Presented To the Faculty of the Department of History East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master’s of Arts by Daniel Mark Brown November, 2013 © Daniel Mark Brown, 2013 THE COROLLA WRECK EXPOSED: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF NORTH CAROLINA’S OLDEST SHIPWRECK by Daniel Mark Brown APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: ______________________________________________________________________ Bradley Rodgers, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: ________________________________________________________ Nathan Richards, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: _______________________________________________________ Carl Swanson, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: _______________________________________________________ Frederick Hocker, PhD CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: _________________________________________________________________ Gerald Prokopowicz, PhD DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: _________________________________________________________ Paul J. Gemperline, PhD DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis and the degree to which it is a prerequisite to my darling wife, Ashley-Anne. Without her unwavering support over the past years, her diehard confidence in my abilities, her unflinching dedication to the improvement of our life and a greater fulfillment of happiness, none of this, or anything I’ve accomplished would have been possible. This degree was, after all, her idea. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS No work of any significance is accomplished alone. I would like to thank my adviser Bradley Rodgers for allowing me to tackle this topic, despite never having me in the classroom before taking me on as a thesis student, for reading seven drafts of my prospectus, and countless chapters and revisions, always with an eye to detail, content, and structure. Brad was always in my corner. Next, I’d like to thank Nathan Richards for letting me barrage him with infinite queries over the years, thesis and otherwise. Nathan’s open door and instant attention helped me through a myriad of puzzles and pitfalls. Nathan has been a mentor both in and out of the classroom. I’d like to thank Carl Swanson for his tireless dedication to his students’ writing and the time and detail he took with my coursework and my thesis. Carl has helped make me a better writer. I’d also like to thank Fred Hocker for letting me pester him with thesis questions during each of the subsequent Vasa projects. Working hands-on on an intact 17th-century ship provided more insight to ship construction than any book or lecture. This list could go on forever: thank you to David Stewart for introducing me to ship construction, Lawrence Babits for numerous sources and suggestions, Mark Wilde-Ramsing and Nathan Henry for providing me open access to UAB records, and Megan Agresto at Currituck Lighthouse for tagging the wreck and providing photographs. Thanks also to Kroum Batchvarov for insightful suggestions and observations, Wendy Van Duivenvoorde for data on Batavia’s frames, Tiago Fraga for Iberian ship construction sources, Jon Adams, Nigel Nayling, and Thijs Maarvlevelj for feedback and emails. The arduous translation of Witsen’s chapter 8 would have been impossible if not for Katy Kavanagh at Joyner Library and Martin Bier for verifying the translation. North Carolina is indebted to George Browne for reporting the Corolla Wreck in 2008 and continuing to demonstrate concern for the fate of the vessel remains. Special thanks to Ray Midgett and Roger Harris for allowing me to photograph their collection s of artifacts collected from the Corolla Wreck and providing original photographs, many diagnostic features would not have been observed if not for your combined interest and attention to the Corolla Wreck. Finally, thank you to Nathaniel Howe, Saxon Bisbee, and Daniel Bera for executing the secondary recording phase of the Corolla Wreck and its associated artifacts. One could not ask for a better crew. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... i TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................................................. iii COPYRIGHT PAGE ..................................................................................................................... iv SIGNATURE PAGE ...................................................................................................................... v DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... i LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER ONE: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 The Story of the Corolla Wreck ...................................................................................................... 3 The Wreck’s Systemic Context .................................................................................................... 10 Research Methodology ................................................................................................................. 11 Previous Research ......................................................................................................................... 12 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER TWO: European Trade and Settlement in the 17th-Century Atlantic ....................... 17 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 17 Iberian Empire, a Gradual Decline ............................................................................................... 18 Hampered French Colonial Efforts ............................................................................................... 24 Netherlanders in the New World .................................................................................................. 27 English Expansion ........................................................................................................................ 34 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER THREE: Methodology ............................................................................................... 48 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 48 Research Design...........................................................................................................................
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