Henrietta Marie Large Cooking Cauldron

Major gifts from the Rodel Foundation and the John Evans Foundation allowed the museum to purchase the cauldron from Henrietta Marie-gifts of extraordinary foresight and power in terms of public benefit. Jim Willesy, the owner, generously lent the cauldron to the museum on several occasions but has finally agreed to part with it. 

We believe that the cauldron is the only one of its kind in existence. One huge pot, it was made specifically for a slaving voyage and intended to hold the mush that was cooked daily to feed over 200 people - probably an unappealing blend of navy beans, yams, and rancid fat. This diet kept people alive during the voyage, although many suffered from stomach problems as a result. If the shackles are the emblems of constraint, the cauldron is the emblem of daily endurance. How anyone had the physical and mental fortitude to survive I do not know.

Santa Margarita Lead Bale Seal

Artifact 49987 is a well preserved lead bale seal that was excavated from the site of the shipwrecked 1622 Spanish Tierra Firme Fleet vessel Santa Margarita during the summer 2000 season, by Old World Survey and Recovery, Inc. It is a stamped single lead seal with a coat of arms on the obverse and the number 20 on the reverse. One side of the seal is folded under, and the other side is folded over indicating that it was fastened to a line or cord encircling a bale or parcel of goods. This artifact was donated by Carol Tedesco. She included a detailed report of her investigation into its history. We thank her immensely. Her report can be read under 1622 Research.