A 400-year-old silk dress discovered in a shipwreck off the Dutch
coast has shed new light on a daring top-secret mission to pawn the
crown jewels on the eve of the English civil war. The well-preserved
garment was found by divers off the Dutch island of Texel two years ago,
but its existence had been kept secret while researchers traced its
origin.
The dress, described as one of the most important maritime discoveries ever made in the Netherlands, belonged to Jean Kerr, Countess of Roxburghe and lady-in-waiting to Queen Henrietta Maria, the consort of Charles I. It was lost when part of a royal fleet of 12 ships sank in bad weather while crossing from Dover to Hellevoetsluis in the Netherlands in February 1642.
What made the Catholic noblewoman’s role more intriguing was that she had been a spy in the court of James I, Charles’s father, passing on information to the King of Spain.
A number of other items, including a comb, books bearing the Stuart coat of arms and a pomander, were also found in the wreck. They were buried in sand on the seabed, protecting them from erosion.
The dress, described as one of the most important maritime discoveries ever made in the Netherlands, belonged to Jean Kerr, Countess of Roxburghe and lady-in-waiting to Queen Henrietta Maria, the consort of Charles I. It was lost when part of a royal fleet of 12 ships sank in bad weather while crossing from Dover to Hellevoetsluis in the Netherlands in February 1642.
What made the Catholic noblewoman’s role more intriguing was that she had been a spy in the court of James I, Charles’s father, passing on information to the King of Spain.
A number of other items, including a comb, books bearing the Stuart coat of arms and a pomander, were also found in the wreck. They were buried in sand on the seabed, protecting them from erosion.
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