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The plain scale from Warwick (1619)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2025

Piotr T. Bojakowski Open the ORCID record for Piotr T. Bojakowski [Opens in a new window]
Piotr T. Bojakowski*
Affiliation:
Nautical Archaeology Program, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Among the artefacts recovered from Warwick, an English ship wrecked in Bermuda at the end of November 1619, was a small wooden navigational device. Discovered during the 2010 archaeological field season, the object was cleaned, analysed, and later conserved. It has been identified as an analogue navigational tool known as a plain scale. A novel instrument at the time, the device showed real-world applications of complex mathematical formulas for charting a course on a map. Its presence on Warwick is striking; it is believed to be the earliest known example of a plain scale in use on board an English ship sailing to the colonies. The goal of this paper is to present the artefact, provide its historical and archaeological background, and discuss the current body of research related to its purpose in resolving navigational problems.

Keywords

plain scale17th centuryWarwickBermuda
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , First View , pp. 1 - 12
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Royal Institute of Navigation

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