Tramore of Yore

In 1972 two 16^th century Owen cannons were illegally excavated from a shipwreck under Great Newtown Head onto a trawler that was allegedly hired at Dunmore East and smuggled out of Ireland. Two years later British Armouries purchased them for E3,250, a fraction of their value. Subsequently they were put on display in the Tower of London. The display plaque on the cannons rather vaguely stated that they were ‘removed from an unidentified wreck off the Irish coast’.

According to Hooks and Crookes, ‘In 1976, another Tudor cannon was salvaged under the nose of the Metal Man. It too was an Owen gun, in good condition, but, apparently, no one in Ireland had any interest in acquiring this gun. This gun disappeared and no trace of it has been seen since, though one very similar to it was put up for auction in September 1980 and was bought by a private collector.’ Moreover, some unnamed local sources claim that in total five guns were extracted from the wreck site.

The inscription on one of the Tramore guns reads EDWARDVS REX ROBERT AND JOHN OWEN BRETHERN indicating that it was forged in Owen brothers Royal Gun foundry in London prior to 1558, as Elizabeth assumed the throne in that year. Another report describes the cannons as two three meter Sakers and a falcon of two meters, all made by Robert and John Owens of London, Royal Gun founders. They were all passed by the brothers during the reign of Edward VI.

According to Edward J Bourke in Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast, it can be deduced that the guns came from a Royal Navy ship and the only one unaccounted for in the records was The Post, a brigantine lost off the Irish coast in 1566. Apparently, The Post was built in 1562 and was armed with older guns. At this time there were fears of the arrival of hostile French fleets on the Irish coast. The Irish Wrecks website’s entry for The Post contains a photograph of the cannon on the deck of a trawler with the accreditation ‘circulated image www’.

Having somehow been made aware of the provenance of the cannons, a Garda investigation established that they were taken by divers from a wreck in Tramore. The Irish Government compiled a case for ownership of the canons in the early 1990’s and submitted it to the Royal Armouries. They Irish authorities questioned the validity of the sale, as it was done through intermediaries and dealers. They were not sold in any public way. Officials pointed out that under Irish law the cannons should have been declared to the local keeper of wrecks and that artifacts could not be legally exported without a licence. A subsequent article in the Independent UK, dated 1 March 1993 reads:

THE Government will be called to account this week over an alleged arms-smuggling incident, writes Andrew Gliniecki. After an investigation by Irish police and curators at the National Museum of Ireland, the Dail is demanding the return of a pair of 16th-century bronze cannons at the Tower of London. Tam Dalyell, Labour MP for Linlithgow, has tabled a parliamentary question asking Peter Brooke, Secretary of State for National Heritage, for a statement. An answer is due this week. The Dail claims the cannons were plundered from a wreck located in Tramore Bay, off Co Waterford, in the early 1970s. It has also been alleged that the guns were then concealed in a farm silage pit before being smuggled into Britain aboard a camper van. The council for British Archaeology also criticised the Tower of London for not checking the source of the guns.

In May 1993 the Irish Examiner reported that ‘a 16^th Century cannon is to remain at the Royal Armouries Museum in the Tower of London- at least until the authorities in Dublin can prove that it is an Irish relic. British Heritage Minister Robert Kee made clear in London yesterday that the onus is now on the Irish authorities to establish a watertight claim to ownership. The two guns were cast in London in the late 1540’s by Robert and John Owen. Claims that they were unlawfully taken from wrecks either in Bantry bay or off Tramore more than 20 years ago have not yet been confirmed.’

On Monday 27 May 1996 Independent UK, reported, ‘Recently, controversy surrounded the export to Britain of two bronze cannon made by the Owen brothers, gun-founders to King Henry VIII and Edward VI. They were removed illegally from a wreck in Tramore Bay, Co Waterford. Their legal ownership is now being contested between the Royal Armouries in London and Ireland’s National Museum.’

In September 2002, the Munster Express reported that Britain was set to return the two cannons. Although, the Royal Armouries always insisted that it bought the rare cannons from a reputable dealer, it was about to recognise Irish ownership of them. After more than a decade of negotiation between Irish and British authorities an amicable agreement was about to be reached. Under the terms of the deal the cannons were to remain on loan to the Royal Armouries for up to five years but would then be returned to Ireland. The cannons were described by experts as ‘outstandingly valuable’. There were only 12 Owen cannons in existence and there were no similar guns in the National Museum of Ireland.

Muskets from the same shipwreck were returned by Britain and cannonballs matching the guns were later taken from the wreck and were in the museum’s possession. The National Museum of Ireland annual report 2003 stated that, ‘A dispute with the Royal Armouries concerning Tudor cannon from a wreck in Tramore Bay, Co. Waterford was settled, and the Irish state’s ownership accepted. In April 2018 Irish Archaeology posted two photos of ‘a Tudor period cannon which was recovered from a shipwreck in Tramore Harbour, Co Waterford’ which was on display in the National History Museum, Collin’s Barrack’s Dublin. The present location of the other cannons is unknown.