The Mary Rose was built in 1510-11 at the start of Henry VIII’s reign and was one of his favourite ships for 34 years, until it sank in 1545, the Trust says. Mary Rose Trust The Mary Rose, Britannica says, was an English warship commissioned during Henry VIII’s reign that often served as the flagship of the fleet. It was built in Portsmouth, England, between 1509 and 1511 and served in the Royal Navy until it was sunk in 1545 during the Battle of the Solent. The wreck was raised in 1982 and later put on display. Britannica
Henry VIII’s fleet, the Trust says, grew from five ships at the start of his reign to 53 by the time of his death in 1547. Mary Rose Trust The Mary Rose was larger than her sister ship — 600 tons to the Peter Pomegranate’s 450. Mary Rose Trust Also uncertain are the dimensions of the Mary Rose, which was of the carrack type. Sources give lengths that range from 110 feet (34 metres) to 148 feet (45 metres) and an initial weight of up to 600 tons. The vessel carried 60–80 guns and had a crew of 400–500 men. Britannica
Despite what you may have heard, the Trust says, the Mary Rose did not sink on her first time out of harbour. She was 34 years old when she sank, and had travelled hundreds of miles, from Scotland to the Atlantic coast of France. Mary Rose Trust The Mary Rose served for 34 years before she sank, a line on the same Trust page says, under the heading “The Mary Rose: 1511-1545”. Mary Rose Trust
1510, 1510-11, or 1509-1511?
The Mary Rose Trust’s life-of-the-ship page says she was built in 1510-11. Its timeline says the Mary Rose and Peter Pomegranate were ordered in 1510 and transferred for fitting out in 1511. A Trust salvage page says she had been built 34 years earlier in 1510; a raising page uses the heading “The Mary Rose: 1511-1545” and says she served for 34 years. Royal Museums Greenwich and Britannica both say she was built in Portsmouth between 1509 and 1511. The figures cluster. They are not the same wording.
A simplified carrack, bow to the left. Not a plan of the Mary Rose, and not to scale. Sources give more than one length.Drawing: our own, simplified and not to scale
What the name may mean
It is often claimed that the ship was named after Henry’s sister, Mary Tudor, the Trust says, but no evidence supports this. Instead, it was the fashion to name ships for saints, and the pairing of the Mary with the Peter supports this. Mary Rose Trust The badges of the ships — the Rose and the Pomegranate — celebrate the royal couple: the rose being the symbol of the king, and the pomegranate that of his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. The Virgin Mary was known at the time as the ‘Mystic Rose’. Mary Rose Trust
It is thought, Greenwich says, that the Mary Rose was named after Henry’s sister, Mary. The second part of the name is most likely a reference to the Tudor emblem. The same page says the ship was raised from the seabed in 1982. Royal Museums Greenwich The inspiration for the ship’s name is uncertain, Britannica says. Most agree that Rose is a reference to the Tudor rose. The inspiration for Mary is debated: some believe it refers to Henry VIII’s favorite sister, Mary Tudor; others assert that the ship was named for the Virgin Mary. Britannica
Named for Mary Tudor, or the Virgin Mary?
Royal Museums Greenwich says it is thought that the Mary Rose was named after Henry’s sister, Mary, and that the second part of the name is most likely a reference to the Tudor emblem. Britannica says the inspiration for the name is uncertain: most agree that Rose refers to the Tudor rose, but Mary is debated — some believe it refers to Henry VIII’s sister, others to the Virgin Mary. The Mary Rose Trust is firmer: it is often claimed that the ship was named after Mary Tudor, but no evidence supports this; the fashion was to name ships for saints, the pairing with the Peter Pomegranate supports that, and the Virgin Mary was known as the ‘Mystic Rose’. We keep all three wordings in view.
What the name may mean. Sources still disagree about “Mary”; they more often agree that “Rose” points to the Tudor rose.Drawing: our own, simplified and not to scale