Description

A deadeye is a wooden disc or oval with two or more holes piecing its face and a grooved outer edge.  These would be encircled with a rope strop which would attach to the chain-plates. A rope (lanyard) would then run through the holes in the deadeye to a corresponding deadeye stropped to the shrouds creating purchase and allowing them to be adjusted forming part of the standing rigging.

Nine deadeyes (Figure 21) were recovered from the Swash which were cleaned and laser scanned. All of the deadeyes have three holes for the lanyards, seven of the deadeyes are of a similar size but vary slightly differently shape, one is a similar shape but much smaller and the final deadeye is circular with a possible iron strapping. The deadeyes all have flat face and sit somewhere in shape between the tear drop deadeyes on the Mary Rose (Endsor, 2009) and later rounder deadeyes seen on the La Belle (Corder, 2007) close in shape to those recovered from the Vasa.