The 13th-Century "Mortar Wreck" off Southern England

More pictures have come out of the 13th-century shipwreck recently discovered off the coast of southern England. It was carrying a cargo of goods mainly made from the famous Portland Stone of Dorset, including carved and blank grave stones like the one above.

After the discoverers documented the wreck and collected a few artifacts, they buried it with sand bags. There is still quite a bit of wood remaining, which was preserved because the wreck was buried in the mud. Recent storms uncovered it, and that might lead to rapid decomposition of the wood. So for now it has been reburied, until such a time as a bored billionaire comes up with the money for a proper excavation.

Grinding stone

Crock

Jar

Interesting. It never occured to me that the kitchens of English aristocrats and merchants might be full of stone vessels, but these finds seem to imply that.