About Concretion -

Concretion, or Conglomerate is dissolved iron mixed with sand particles, that in time surrounds items found in shipwrecks, firmly encasing and preserving them. When broken open if the object inside was exceptionally old it may have completely corroded leaving a perfectly preserved 'cast' of the item.

HMS Ramillies, was sunk in 1760, and was laden with domestic pewter utensils, buttons, thimbles, gold watches and coins; some in concretion.

Belt buckles found in the cargo proved to be particularly interesting as they were always marked with the maker's name. As they came from different ports, these markings gave an indication as to where the ship had travelled.

The VOC Geldermalsen was lost in Indonesian waters in 1752 after hitting a reef and capsizing. 80 men and the entire cargo was lost. The ship had been travelling from port to port trading goods, material and assembling stock in cargo. When she sank, her cargo consisted of Nan King Chinese Porcelain. An auction held in Amsterdam grossed over 30 million guilders. Some 50 pieces of porcelain are on display here.

The Santo Christo De Castello, wrecked off Mullion in 1667, carried mainly brass goods including hand-made domestic pins, barrel tap components, pewter containers and nails. On discovery, there were so many pins that stuck into the divers' hands and knees that it was nicknamed the 'Mullion pin wreck'. Here we have a 'Tobacco Boy'; another interesting item from her cargo. These were a common sight at the time and were synonymous with the sale of tobacco.

In 1869, the SS General Abbatucci was lost. The contents of her cargo included leather caps, cut throat razors, coins and leather shoes. On display (left) is a leather 'Shako' cap and badge plate. These were part of the uniform worn by the French 35th Infantry Regiment of the Line.

Due to shrinkage during conservation treatment, this leather hat has been considerably reduced in size but is thought to have been worn by a drummer boy.

The Cheerful rapidly filled with water and sank in 4 minutes with the loss of 11 lives. The remaining 38 were rescued by 5 boats launched by the Hecla and taken to Plymouth that evening.

As well as the passengers, SS Cheerful was carrying a cargo of Cornish Tin, specimens of which can be seen here. The ingots on display were cast from the steamer's cargo to commemorate her loss.

Reflecting their homesickness, these tough, uncouth sailors often etched incongruously tender images of their sweethearts, wives or flowers from the gardens at home.

Twentieth century laws banning the barbaric trade in ivory products halted the art and has made original scrimshaw pieces very sought after collector's items.