Wrought Iron Hand Tools From The Underwater Excavations of Colonial Port
Royal Jamaica
Katie Custer
Thesis: May 2004
Chair: Filipe Vieira de Castro
Nautical Archaeology Program
The written history of Port Royal starts with the European discovery of
Jamaica on Columbus' second voyage to the New World and has proven to be
rich in shady characters and natural disasters. The English took possession
of Jamaica from Spain in 1654 and the city of Port Royal was established
soon after. Port Royal, located at the end of the Palisadoes sand spit, a
natural barrier roughly six miles long, separates Kingston harbor and the
Caribbean Sea. Originally functioning as a protective fortification of the
harbor, it became an active harbor and the most economically important
English colony in the New World from 1655-1692. Port Royal quickly earned
the title of "Wickedest City on Earth" because of its reputation of
officially sanctioned privateering and piratical expeditions, and the
abundant supply of establishments of ill repute. On Wednesday June 7,1692 a
devastating earthquake struck Port Royal and destroyed a major portion of
the city. A total of 33 acres, or 66% of the city, including buildings and
people, at the very end of the sand spit, literally sank into the shallow
harbor. It was not until the concentrated efforts of the Nautical
Archaeology Program (under the direction of Dr. Donny L. Hamilton), the
Institute of Nautical Archaeology, and the Jamaican government, started
archaeological excavation from 1987-1993, that the real picture of this
sunken city emerged. Through the excavation, mapping, collection, and
conservation and analysis of artifacts a ghost image of this city was
brought back to life and interpreted. A large collection of iron hand tools
from this site was preserved. These conserved and replicated artifacts are
now available for analysis. This thesis is a continuation of the catalog of
hand tools from the Port Royal excavations previously done by Ms. Marianne
Franklin. It seeks to link the historical background of these artifacts to
tool technology and the history of Port Royal and its tradesmen through the
use of historical documents.