As you know, here at the Anne Boleyn we are fundraising for The Mary Rose 500 Appeal to help build a new Mary Rose museum to house Henry VIII’s favourite ship and the 19,000 artifacts which were found when it was raised from the seabed. So, I thought you may be interested in this story from the Mary Rose Trust:-
Tudor Mongrel Stole the Show at DFS Crufts 2010
DFS Crufts Hosted Mary Rose Dog before She Returns Home After Nearly 500 Years
A 16th century sea dog, the only female crew member aboard Henry VIII’s flagship the Mary Rose, took pride of place at DFS Crufts this year as special guest of the Kennel Club.
Visitors to the world’s largest and greatest dog show met ‘Hatch’, a two-year old mongrel lost aboard the ill-fated Tudor warship 465 years ago, and found out more about the fundraising appeal to provide her with a permanent home at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The painstakingly preserved and reconstructed skeleton of the Mary Rose’s dog was on display at DFS Crufts, Birmingham NEC, along with a selection of amazing Tudor artefacts, including an original stone cannon ball and piece of ship’s rope as well as an array of replicas, including some of the carpenter’s tools.
The old sea dog acquired the nickname ‘Hatch’ after divers discovered her remains near the sliding hatch door of the Mary Rose’s carpenter’s cabin, where she had lain since the ship sank in mysterious circumstances in 1545.
Hatch almost certainly earned her keep as the ship’s ratter – superstitious Tudor seafarers did not have cats on board ship as they were thought to bring bad luck. And she was probably very good at her job – only the partial remains of rats’ skeletons have been found on board the Mary Rose.
John Lippiett, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust and Hatch’s guardian, said:
“We are delighted to bring Hatch, the world’s oldest lost sea dog, to the world’s premier dog show, so that visitors can meet an ancestor of their much loved pets.
“Expert analysis of Hatch’s bones suggests that she spent most of her short life within the close confines of the ship. It is likely that the longest walks she took were along the quayside at Portsmouth, her home town.
“Hatch is just one of 19,000 extraordinary Tudor treasures recovered with the wreck of the Mary Rose, but she has never been on display in Portsmouth simply because we have not had the room.
“All that is set to change with the building of a new permanent Mary Rose museum, bringing together the remains of the ship itself with the pick of her artefacts, displayed at last in their historic context.
“But to make that a reality and to ensure Hatch is not homeless for another 500 years, we must complete our final push to secure the funds needed to complete the new Mary Rose Museum by 2012.”
Caroline Kisko, Communications Director of the Kennel Club, which organises the show, added:
“It is fantastic to host Hatch before she finally returns home. She is undoubtedly the oldest, most unusual and most historically important exhibit that we have ever had at DFS Crufts and her tragic story is bound to fascinate visitors. We are delighted to have her with us – after nearly 500 years of loyal service she is due a little ‘shore leave’!”
Hatch is the mascot of the Mary Rose 500 Public Appeal which is seeking 500 individuals, schools, businesses and organisations to come on board and symbolically become the ‘new crew’ of the Tudor warship, by each pledging to raise £500 towards the Public Appeal.
Hatch will finally return home to Portsmouth on Friday 26th March to take pride of place in the current Mary Rose Museum, after 465 years away, while she waits for the new Mary Rose Museum – her final permanent home, to be completed.
Support the Mary Rose 500 Appeal
The Anne Boleyn Files is a member of the Mary Rose “new crew” and has committed to raise £500 for the Mary Rose 500 Appeal. You can help us raise this money in the following ways:-
- Donate – click on the blue “Just Giving” box to donate to the appeal
- Purchase our $2 Anne Boleyn Resource Guide – The whole $2 goes to the appeal and this guide is 50 pages of articles, book lists and clickable links to help you find out more about Anne Boleyn and Tudor history.
- Purchase our special Mary Rose Jewellery – All profits go to the Mary Rose 500 Appeal.
Thanks for supporting this worthwhile appeal. You can find out more about the Mary Rose 500 appeal at www.maryrose500.org
Find out more about the history of Henry VIII’s favourite ship at our special Mary Rose page.
That’s amazing! I love archaeology! I remember when I went to see the Mary Rose about fifteen years ago they had a chest that had belonged to the ship’s doctor. It had a pot of ointment in it that still had the doctor’s fingerprints in it. That just blew my mind completely! It’s so wonderful that we can get this insight into history.
I agree with Beth and now I really want to go to England and see this ship. As an animal lover, knowing they had a dog with them makes history more personal and real, if you know what I mean.
I wanted to be an archaeologist, but when I was looking into it before I chose what I wanted to do at university, I discovered that you needed A level art and I cannot draw or paint. Guess what – it’s no longer necessary for a degree course. I could cry! As I teenager,I used to pot wash and clean up and piece together fragments of things found at Verulamium (St Albans) and it was addictive. The way the Mary Rose was found made it better than the piecemeal grave robbery of “The Titanic” and it is a true time capsule. I loved it when I went to the old exhibition hall and I too remember the fingerprints in the ointment, Beth. I couldn’t stay as long as I wanted as there was an overpowering smell of formalin with all the constant spraying and the smell of made me feel really ill after about half an hour. I hope the new centre can dispense with that, because I would gladly return!
P. S I’d swear that dog is a spaniel, not a mongrel!
How interesting that this is, A dog that was found on the Mary Rose being named after where it was found and for the crufts society being given permission to handle an old fosssil and then it being put on show. I wish I had been there to see this.How cute.
This is such an Intereesting story i cant wit to go t england see all this stuff. Henry would be so proud to know that we are doing all we can to preserve his ship.
Fiz, I’m glad you remember the old exhibition hall too 🙂 I love getting up close and personal with history.
Oh, so cute!
I really makes it more real, having a little dog involved in the woe of the Mary Rose. You can just imagine what it was like as a living, breathing animal… but isn’t it disrespectful to put the remains on show? After all, it was as alive as all of us once, and I personally don’t think its right. Sure, take some photos, and stuff – but ‘Hatch’ should be buried, with a memorial or something nice like that.