The North Ferriby Boats

Abstract

LITTLE is Known about the efforts of primitive man in northern Europe to overcome the inherent defects of the dugout boat and to develop a seaworthy planked vessel. The Scandinavian tradition was to use the clinker build; but apart from the Hjortspring canoe, really early examples of this kind are so in complete that it is impossible to gather any clear idea of their shape or size. In all of them, however, the planks are secured by stitching. The remains of two large boats as primitive as any planked vessel from Northern Europe and, in one case, sufficiently complete to allow reconstruction of the original form to be made with fair certainty, have been found by Mr. E. V. Wright and his brother, the first in 1937, the second in 1941. They were between high and low water, buried in the old river clays on the north bank of the River Humber at North Ferriby in east Yorkshire. Much of the first boat was lost during the War by erosion; but records survive of what has disappeared. The end of the War made it possible to recover what was left. The enthusiastic support was secured of the late Sir Geoffrey Callender and the National Maritime Museum, who organised the salvage of the boats with the help of the Admiralty. Although the first boat was not extracted in one piece, as was hoped, no information or timber was lost, and a successful restoration is certain.