The remains of a wooden ship are located in the mud on the north bank of the Afon Artro to the west of Pensarn station. The keel appears substantially complete, along with a 6m section of surviving framing and section of keelson in the eastern half of the wreck, and the stern post and remains of the rudder. Disarticulated timbers, including a complete floor timber and elements of the bow timbers are located at the western end of the wreck. A further timber, probably a futtock, or possibly a deck beam, is located 3.6m to the north.

Local information (Armstrong) suggests that the remains are of a sailing vessel that once used in the slate trade from the quarries at Llanfair (NPRN 40596). Such vessels were also used to take locally-grown potatoes to Ireland during the famine. One of these vessels was found to have a deadly disease on board, and it was burnt to reduce the possibility of the disease spreading to local people. The Captain's wife is also supposed to be buried in the adjacent field rather than in the local burial ground. The disease in question is variously reported in different sources as cholera, plague or malaria.

The site was visited by Wessex Archaeology on 30 June - 1 July 2012, who did not approach the wreck directly because of the mud, and by the RCAHMW in May 2013 and March 2025. The latter visit undertook a photogrammetry survey of the wreck (details below).

Archaeological Remains

The wreck is orientated 090/270 degrees, with the bow to the west, and heeled over to its port side by 25 degrees. It has an overall length of 19.3m, and a maximum surviving width of 4m.

The top of the keel timber is exposed in the centre of the wreck and is 10" (250mm) sided, with a chamfer (rather than a rebate) on either side to receive the edges of the garboard strakes. Ten floor timbers survive in situ in the eastern half of the wreck. On average these are 9" (228mm) sided and 7.5" (190mm) moulded and are arranged with an equal arm either side of the keel. The floor timbers are preserved to a length of c.1.7m on the starboard side, giving a potential overall length of c. 3.4-3.6m in that area of the ship, allowing for degredation to the timber. The ten floor timbers are located on a consistent 0.6m centre-to-centre spacing, probably equating to 2ft in the measurements used to build the ship.

A run of nine first futtocks are located on the port side of the wreck, semi-buried in the mud. These are 7.5" (190mm) sided and 6.5" (165mm) moulded, and are located between each floor timber, rather than being laid against one in a paired manner. As such, there are no lateral fastenings between the floors and first futtocks. The heels of the first futtocks stop short of the keel, typically by about 1ft (25mm). A keelson was laid on top of the floor timbers, 9" (228mm) sided and 10" (250mm) moulded. Keel/Keelson bolts survive in-situ, fastening through the keel, floors and keelson. These are made from copper and measure 1.25" (32mm) diameter.

At the eastern end of the wreck, six vertical timbers stand clear of the mud to a maximum height of 1.05m, with a further timber to their west, aligned on the keel of the wreck. These comprise (from east to west). Four surviving timbers from the rudder, the sternpost, inner sternpost, and a timber likely to be a stern knee. All the timbers are degraded, and so dimensions are approximate. The rudder remains are 0.75m fore and aft, and c. 130mm in width. A rudder pintel/gudgeon strap around the rudder timbers is preserved at the level of the mud, made from a non-ferrous metal. The sternpost and inner sternpost are both c. 8" (205mm) moulded and c.7" sided (180mm).

The construction of the vessel is of interest due to the absence of lateral fastenings between the floors and futtocks, in conjunction with the clear space between these timbers, and the gap between first futtock heel and keel. All of this suggests a 'frame-led' variant of the post-medieval 'frame-first' carvel construction method. The presence of copper keel/keelson bolts further indicates a date for construction of the ship after 1780, when copper began to be widely used as a fastening material, but potentially prior to the mid-19th century when copper was largely replaced by yellow-metal (brass) as a fastening material in merchant building owing to its cheaper cost.

Sources include:
Amrstrong, L, 1978 (?), The Site, The Story: The Harbour Pensarn, Christian Mountain Centre

Gwynedd Historic Environment Record, PRN 25057: https://archwilio.org.uk/her/chi3/report/page.php?watprn=GAT25057

RCAHMW Field Visit, 08/05/2013.

RCAHMW Photogrammetry Survey, DS2025_126_PENSARN_WRECK, 28/03/2025. View Here: https://skfb.ly/pvHyx

Wessex Archaeology, 2013. Undesignated Inter-tidal Sites Porth Neigwl, Llandanwg and Pensarn, Wales. RCAHMW Ref. AENT34_06: see also https://coflein.gov.uk/media/36/217/aent34_06.pdf

J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, April 2025.