One of the amazing things about the Mary Rose excavation was thta as they came across the artefacts they were able to work out exactly whose cabin they were looking at from the nature of the things they found.
The cabin identified as that of the Master Carpenter was the largest one found on the main deck of the ship. Interestingly, it showed signs that at some point in the ship’s life the cabin had been modified to improve the conditions. It was a metre longer than the original cabin and next the window had been cut into the side of the ship to provide more light. Who better than the master carpenter to make such changes to his conditions?
The occupant of the cabin was identified by a large wooden trunk which was found to contain a large collection of carpenters tools.
But you also get an insight into the life of the carpenter. He was obviously a skilled craftsman to hold such a post, but at the same time he was obviously quite a wealthy man as a number of fine pewter items were also found in the cabin.
Amongst the other things found in the cabin was a ‘tables’ board. This is an early version of the game which would subsequently developed into backgammon.
For the contents of this cabin we can conclude that the master carpenter, was a senior officer on the ship, well rewarded for the level of skilled craftsmanship which was required.
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