Mystery of UK shipwreck laden with gold cash lastly solved after 400 years
Archaeologists have finally identified a shipwreck found off Salcombe, Devon, with more than 400 gold coins as the Dutch trader Dom van Keulen, which sank in storms
Archaeologists have unravelled the mystery of a centuries-old shipwreck(Image: Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust (MAST)/Cover Images)
Archaeologists have unravelled the mystery of a centuries-old shipwreck discovered off the south coast of England that containing more than 400 gold coins.
The ship has finally been identified as the Dutch trading vessel Dom van Keulen, which was sailing from Morocco to the Netherlands in the autumn of 1633. It encountered severe weather and sank off Salcombe, Devon, taking a huge hoard of gold coins and jewellery with it.
The identification ends nearly 30 years of research by divers and experts from the British Museum, Bournemouth University (BU) and the South West Maritime Archaeology Group. The findings are published in From Morocco to the Coast of England: The Story of the Dom van Keulen and its Remarkable Cargo, which traces the vessel’s final voyage and the origins of its valuable cargo.
Independent historian Ian Friel, who helped identify the wreck, uncovered documents in the National Archives describing the ship’s journey from Morocco to the Netherlands. Records show the crew “met with much tempestuous weather” before the vessel sprang a leak and sank close to the Devon coast.
All those on board survived. The book was edited by Dave Parham, Professor of Maritime Archaeology at Bournemouth University, alongside Venetia Porter, former Senior Curator for Islamic and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art at the British Museum.
Professor Parham said: “Among its cargo were 150 bags of gum arabic, 64 bags of saltpetre, 320 goat skins and 9,000 Barbary ducats, gold Moroccan coins. It is thought that most of the cargo was salvaged at the time, but more than 400 coins remained on the seabed until they were discovered by the South West Maritime Archaeology Group in 1995.”
He added: “This provides important context for the wealth and architecture of the Sa’dian Sharifs, the trade in African gold, and tangible evidence of the flourishing 17th-century maritime trade linking Morocco, the Low Countries and Britain.” The recovered coins, now on display at the British Museum alongside other artefacts from the wreck, originated from the Barbary Coast, now part of modern-day Morocco.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Dutch merchants traded manufactured goods for highly prized West African gold. Many imported ducats were later melted down and re-minted into Dutch gold coins, which became one of the world’s most widely accepted trading currencies.
Little is known about the appearance of the Dom van Keulen, and no contemporary paintings of the ship are known to exist. Professor Parham said the wreck measures about 30 metres in length and lies in around 18 metres of water.
Cannons, anchors and smaller cargo items remain at the site. Other artefacts recovered from the wreck, now owned by the British Museum, include a pewter bowl and spoon, gold jewellery, a fish-shaped sounding weight, a stamp seal, pottery and a gold finger nugget.
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