27/08/2026
🌊 The 17th c. Silk Gown Lost Beneath The Sea For more than 350 Years 🌊
🌊 For more than 350 years, an extraordinary wardrobe lay hidden beneath the waters off the Dutch island of Texel.
Then the shifting sands began to reveal its secrets...
At a depth of nearly 30 feet, the Burgzand Noord 17 wreck unexpectedly materialised on the seabed several years ago.
A bit of the vessel and some artifacts were first spotted by members of a local amateur diving club in 2009.
However, it was not until 2014 that more of the ship and its cargo began to emerge.....
🌊 The wreck sits in an environment that inhibits the oxygen, bacteria, and fungi that typically break down organic material.
There, protected from light and currents, leather and silk have survived for centuries!
The artifacts recovered include this silk damask brocade gown.
The gown was of such high quality, that it must have belonged to a noblewoman of very high rank.
These are tantalizing examples of the luxurious cargo carried by this ship.
🌊 The dress has a bodice with loose-fitting sleeves and sleeve caps, and a full pleated skirt open in the front.
The neck has an upright collar.
The dress was just one element of an extensive wardrobe!
It also included a jacket, silk knee socks and silk bodices woven with gold and silver thread.
All of these pieces are the same size, so archaeologists believe the clothes belonged to one full-figured woman.
🌊 Excitingly......
Historians Helmer Helmers from the University of Amsterdam and Nadine Akkerman from Leiden University, identified the owner of the gown.
It likely belonged to Jean Kerr, Countess of Roxburghe - lady-in-waiting to Queen Henrietta Maria.
Born around 1585, Jean Kerr was descended through her maternal line from Robert II, the first Stuart King of Scotland - which made her a very high-ranking lady indeed.
🌊 Another clue emerged in a letter...
Elizabeth Stuart, sister of Charles I and the exiled Queen of Bohemia, wrote a letter dated 17th March 1642.
The letter tells how her sister-in-law Queen Henrietta Maria lost a baggage ship on the voyage from England to Holland.
Her two ladies-in-waiting and their maids lost their clothes and accessories.
The style and size of the gown strongly indicate it belonged to Jean Kerr!
The gown and other treasures from the wreck, are now on display at the Kaap Skil Museum, on Texel.
Our Group
The Tudor Intruders (and more)
🌊 Sources:
Archaeology.org
Tracy E Robey 2018
thehistoryblog. com
🌊 The Silk Gown Lost Beneath The Sea For more than 350 Years.
Picture credit - Museum Kaap Skil
