The marine historic asset located within the Duart Point Historic MPA is the remains of a vessel lying wrecked on or in the seabed believed to be that of a small 17th-century warship, probably the Swan, objects formerly contained in the vessel and deposits or artefacts which evidence previous human activity on board the vessel.

Boundaries of Historic Marine Protected Area

The area of sea within a distance of 75 metres of position latitude 56° 27'.440 north, longitude 05° 39'.386 west, excluding any seashore lying above mean high water spring tide.

The Scottish Ministers are satisfied that designation of the Duart Point Historic MPA is desirable for the purpose of preserving a marine historic asset of national importance which is located within the area. The wrecked vessel is believed to be that of a small 17th-century warship, probably the Swan sent by Oliver Cromwell as part of a Commonwealth flotilla of ships to capture Duart Castle, Mull, in 1653. The remains lie at a depth of approximately 8-10m below chart datum close to Duart Point, a rocky promontory on the Isle of Mull shore, close to the southern entrance to the Sound of Mull. The site of the wreck is overlooked by Duart Castle.

Outstanding levels of preservation evidenced at Duart Point by a decade of detailed archaeological investigation demonstrate that this marine historic asset is of national importance. The rich array of artefacts likely to remain on the seabed and buried within it, combined with the survival of well-preserved ship's structure, mean that this site retains an inherent potential to make a very significant addition to our understanding of the past, and in particular, the design, construction and functioning of small warships during the 17th century. Our understanding of the significance of this wreck is further enhanced by its proximity to Duart Castle, the target of Colonel Cobbett's attack in connection with well-documented Commonwealth naval activity in Scotland after the Civil War. The survival of this wreck and that of the nearby Dartmouth, lost in an attack on Duart Castle in 1690, adds significantly to our understanding of the coastal landscape bordering the historically significant sea-route through the Sound of Mull, and the growing vulnerability of Scottish coastal castles to attack by seaborne artillery during the 17th century.

The Duart Point wreck is located within an area that is very popular for recreation and tourism (in particular sport diving). Designation can help to promote the heritage value of the site, foster its understanding and enjoyment, and encourage responsible behaviour by divers and others.

Intrinsic characteristics

A diver identified a post-medieval period wreck close to Duart Point around 1979 and the site has been subject to detailed archaeological survey, rescue excavation and site stabilisation work during the period 1991-2003. The investigations revealed particularly well-preserved elements of the structure of a wooden vessel, including the collapsed stern, comprising the bottom part of the rudder, sternpost and associated components detached from the keel; the lower hull, comprising frames, inner and outer planking, and mast-step; and the less well-preserved remains of the collapsed bow. After investigation, these features have been protected beneath sand bags to aid their preservation and to encourage the consolidation of surrounding seabed sediments and natural growth. Rescue excavations also identified and recovered a wide range of artefacts, including carved decorative features from the ship, rigging elements, small arms and one small cannon with carriage, silver coinage, ceramics, navigational equipment, galley remains, personal effects, the disarticulated bones of one human being, and plant, animal and fish remains. Recovered finds are in the permanent collection of the National Museums of Scotland. Two distinctive stone ballast mounds, seven cast iron guns and one wrought iron anchor remain visible on the seabed. As the rescue investigation was only partial and recovery was relatively limited, there is further potential for human remains, and substantial sections of the ship's structure and artefacts are known to remain buried within a sediment-rich seabed environment. As such, this site retains significant archaeological potential. Relatively few wreck sites pre-dating the early 19th century have survived in Scottish waters, and well-preserved examples that have been investigated systematically by archaeologists are particularly rare in the UK.

The dating of individual artefacts by historical research indicates that the wreck occurred sometime after the early 17th century. Documentary records indicate the loss at this location of three ships in a six-strong Commonwealth flotilla sent in September 1653 under the command of Colonel Ralph Cobbett to capture Duart Castle, seat of the Clan Maclean, who retained Royalist sympathies in the aftermath of the English Civil War (1642-1651). Archaeological interpretation of the remaining ship structure and finds suggests that this wreck is probably that of a warship, the Swan, recorded as lost together with the Martha and Margrett of Ipswich and the Speedwell of Lyn. The origins of this ship are uncertain but it may have been a private warship belonging to the Marquis of Argyll. It is likely that the Swan had a crew of 60 and was armed with as many as 8 substantial guns. She was equipped with oars as well as sails.

Contextual characteristics

The wreck is overlooked by Duart Castle, seat of the Clan Maclean and target of the flotilla's expedition to the Sound of Mull. Despite searches of the surrounding seabed, the remains of the other two vessels reported as lost from Cobbett's squadron have not been identified. There is, however, potential for further evidence to be preserved in the vicinity. The Duart Point site should also be considered alongside two other 17th-century historic wreck sites that have survived in or around the Sound of Mull: the fifth-rate frigate Dartmouth, lost in 1690 off Eilean Rubha an Ridire, Morvern; and a wreck off Mingary Castle, Ardnamurchan, lost in 1644. In each case, these wrecks occurred in relation to planned assaults on coastal castles located along the strategically significant coastal sea-way of the Sound of Mull. This group of wrecks illustrate how Scottish coastal castles became vulnerable to attack by seaborne artillery during the 17th century.

Associative characteristics

This mid-17th-century wreck of a small warship, probably the Swan, relates to attempts by Oliver Cromwell to stamp out pockets of Royalist resistance to Parliamentarian rule that continued throughout the Western Isles in the aftermath of the Civil War. There are many contemporary documents relating to Scottish aspects of the Civil War and several that relate to the activities of Cromwell's New Model Army in Scotland during the 1650s. A letter to Cromwell from Robert Lilburne (the senior Commonwealth commander in Scotland) details Cobbett's expedition to Duart Castle and the wrecking.

The preservation objectives for the Duart Point Historic MPA and the marine historic asset are:

a) to maintain the extent of survival of the marine historic asset within the area;
b) to maintain site condition of the marine historic asset;
c) to prevent the removal, wholly or partly, of the marine historic asset from within the Duart Point Historic MPA, except where the Scottish Ministers are satisfied that this is desirable for the purpose of making a significant contribution to the protection of the marine historic asset or to knowledge about marine cultural heritage;
d) to prevent the commercial exploitation of the marine historic asset for trade, speculation or its irretrievable dispersal other than provision of professional archaeological or public access which is consistent with preservation objectives a,b,c,e.
e) to ensure that the disturbance of human remains is avoided except for authorised research and subject to respectful treatment.

Preservation objectives guide the management of Historic MPAs according to the specific needs of individual areas. Objectives for the Duart Point Historic MPA are focused around maintaining the extent of survival of marine historic assets in situ and maintaining site condition. Additional objectives set out instances where the recovery of marine historic assets (in whole or part) may be acceptable and to restrict commercial exploitation of marine historic assets for trade or speculation. To enable monitoring of progress against these objectives by Historic Environment Scotland, information relating to the survival of marine historic assets and site condition is set out in the table below and overleaf, based on archaeological investigations undertaken by the University of St Andrews (1991-2003) and site monitoring by Wessex Archaeology, the Sound of Mull Archaeology Project (SOMAP) and by Cotswold Archaeology (2015).

Designation of the Duart Point HMPA places a duty on public authorities with functions capable of adversely affecting marine historic assets to carry out those functions in a way that best furthers or, where this is not possible, least hinders the stated preservation objectives. To fulfil this duty, public authorities must consider and implement changes in the way they carry out their functions to deliver benefits for/ minimise adverse effects on the Duart Point Historic MPA, taking advice from Historic Environment Scotland.

• When preparing local development plans; marine plans; and fisheries management plans relevant to this location, as well as other programmes, policies and strategies, public authorities must take account of the preservation objectives for the Duart Point Historic MPA.


• Competent authorities with responsibilities for issuing authorisation for all developments and licensable activities (for example, through marine licensing; planning permission; issuing of seabed leases) within and outwith the boundaries of the protected area must consider impacts on the preservation objectives for the Duart Point Historic MPA, taking advice from Historic Environment Scotland. Decisions must also be taken in accordance with the relevant marine plans and policies.


• Where their functions or acts which they intend to undertake may significantly hinder the achievement of the preservation objectives for this Historic MPA, public authorities are required to notify Historic Environment Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland has 28 days to respond and public authorities must have regard to advice or guidance given by Historic Environment Scotland.

 

Operational Advice for the Proposed HMPA

The following advice is intended to enable sea-users and public authorities to prioritise beneficial management of activities that might otherwise hinder the preservation objectives for the Duart Point Historic MPA. The seabed within this area preserves archaeological remains that represent a finite, non-renewable resource, the survival of which could be affected by a complex interplay of processes originating from sources that may be naturally occurring (e.g. chemical, biological or physical factors) or man-made (Historic Scotland 2012a, 8). Table 2 indicates which key pressures are known currently although there are additional pressures which could hinder the preservation objectives were they to occur.

In summary, this site is considered most vulnerable to the following impacts from man-made operations:

Direct Impacts

Physical damage/loss/alteration arising from: a) collision/abrasion by construction/extraction activities; commercial fishing operations which impact on the seabed (particularly demersal trawling – eg scallop dredging); anchoring/mooring of vessels within the protected area; and b) the selective removal of artefacts and/or excavation of sediments by diving/archaeological operations within the protected area.

Indirect Impacts

Alteration/loss of the marine historic asset arising from any construction/extraction/dumping at sea/commercial installation operations in the vicinity which might exacerbate erosion of sediments or result in significant changes to seabed biology/water chemistry within the protected area. Given the evidence for tidal regimes in the area, developments in Duart Bay may be considered most likely to result in such trans-boundary impacts.

Operations

Historic Scotland's Strategic Heritage Management Team will be pleased to provide detailed operational advice where impacts are anticipated on a case by case basis. The basis for this advice is set out in the table below.

Eames, A 1961, 'The king's pinnace, the Swan, 1642-1645', Mariner's Mirror 47, 49-55.

Baxter, J M, Boyd I L, Cox M, Donald A E, Malcolm S J, Miles H, Miller B, Moffat C E, (Eds) 2011, Scotland's Marine Atlas; Information for the national marine plan, Marine Scotland, Edinburgh

Gregory, D 1995, 'Experiments into the deterioration characteristics of materials on the Duart Point wreck site: an interim report', The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (IJNA), 24.1, 61-65.

Gregory, D 1999, 'Monitoring the effect of sacrificial anodes on the large iron artefacts on the Duart Point wreck, 1997', IJNA 28.2, 164-173.

MacLeod, I A 1995, 'In situ corrosion studies on the Duart Point wreck, 1994' IJNA 24.1, 53-59

Macleod, I A 2013, 'The mechanism and kinetics of in-situ conservation of iron cannon on shipwreck sites' IJNA 42.2, 382-2391

Martin, C J M 1995, 'A Cromwellian shipwreck off Duart Point, Mull: an interim report', IJNA 24.1, 15-32.

Martin, C J M 1995, 'A Cromwellian Shipwreck off Duart Point, Mull: an interim report', in Bound, M (ed.) 2005, The Archaeology of Ships of War, Antony Nelson, 41-45.

Martin, C J M 1998, 'A Caroline merchants' weight from the wreck of the Swan, 1690', IJNA 27.2, 166-168.

Martin, C J M 1998, Scotland's Historic Shipwrecks, Historic Scotland.

Martin, C J M 1999, 'A binnacle and mariners' compasses from Duart Point, Mull,' IJNA 28.1, 60-69.

Martin, C J M 2004, 'A Bastard Minion Drake Extraordinary by John Browne from the pinnace Swan (1641)', IJNA 33.1, 79-95.

Robertson, P 2007, The Sound of Mull Archaeological Project [SOMAP] 1994-2005, BAR British Series 453, NAS Monograph Series No 1. Page(s): 32

Online resources

Historic Scotland, 2009, Towards a strategy for Scotland's marine historic environment. Discussion paper in association with the Built Environment Forum of Scotland.

Historic Scotland, 2011, Scottish Historic Environment Policy.

Historic Scotland 2012a, Guidelines on the Selection, Designation and Management of Historic Marine Protected Areas.Copy available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/making-scotlands-seas-turning-marine-vision-reality/

Historic Scotland 2012b, Historic Marine Protected Areas, a guide for visitors, investigators and managers

Historic Scotland, 2012c – Strategy for the protection, management and promotion of marine heritage 2012-15 .

Scottish Government, 2010, Making the most of Scotland's seas – copy available at www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/308833/0097196.pdf

Wessex Archaeology, 2003b, Archaeological Services in relation to the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973): Duart Point, Sound of Mull. Designated site assessment: full report. Prepared by Wessex Archaeology for Historic Scotland, March 2004. Ref: 53111.03l.

Wessex Archaeology, 2010, Existing designated historic assets: transition to Historic Marine Protected Areas and identification of biodiversity/geodiversity value. Prepared by Wessex Archaeology for Historic Scotland, August 2010. Ref:73210.04.

Wessex Archaeology, 2012, Characterising Scotland's marine archaeological resource. Prepared by Wessex Archaeology for Historic Scotland, January 2012. Ref: 76930.04