In the 1420s, a dramatic episode unfolded at the mouth of the River Hamble near Southampton. It was closely linked to the Holigost, one of the largest ships of the late Middle Ages.
A Prize Ship in Royal Service
The vessel began its life as the Santa Clara, a caravel belonging to the Castilian fleet. The English captured the ship around 1413 or 1414, after which it was extensively rebuilt. The transformed vessel was renamed Holigost and joined the royal fleet in November 1415.
Its dimensions made it an impressive war machine. The ship exceeded 30 meters in length and 12 meters in width. The crew consisted of two hundred sailors, and it could transport an additional 260 soldiers.
Holigost’s armament included seven cannons and a broad arsenal of melee weapons. On board, there were 102 iron spears, as well as bows with arrows, javelins, and long-handled axes. This combination of artillery and traditional weaponry provided flexibility for different combat scenarios.
The Holigost was the second of four great ships ordered by Henry V. The others were the Trinity Royal, Jesus, and Grace Dieu. These vessels were meant to ensure England’s dominance of the English Channel during the ongoing campaigns of the Hundred Years’ War.
Victories That Changed the Course of the War
Holigost saw its first combat trial in 1416 during a naval battle off Harfleur. The battle ended in an English success, although the ship suffered serious damage that required repair. These repairs allowed her to return to service and take part in the next engagement.
A year later, in 1417, Holigost fought alongside Trinity Royal at the Battle of Saint Denis Chef de Cove. This engagement proved to be a turning point in the control of the waters between England and France. The French lost the ability to effectively challenge English naval presence.
These victories paved the way for Henry V’s second invasion of the Continent in 1417. This campaign was far more destructive for France than previous efforts. Control over the seas allowed the safe transport of troops and supplies without fear of French attacks.
After the death of Henry V in 1422, Holigost was withdrawn from service. The vessel was moored in the Hamble River, Hampshire, where it awaited possible reactivation. However, its fate turned out to be much more mundane compared to its heroic combat career.
Struggling with the Inevitable
In 1423, Davy Owen undertook repairs that may represent the earliest documented use of a diver for ship repair in England. Despite these efforts, the ship’s condition steadily deteriorated. By 1426, Holigost was in a dire technical state.
The mast, rigging, and much of the equipment and supplies were dismantled and sent to the royal warehouse in Southampton for proper storage. Meanwhile, preparations began to dig a dock for the vessel, which was more than just a hole on the riverbank.
The work continued through most of May and June 1426, involving 96 laborers. Before docking the ship on June 21, as much water and sand as possible was removed from her. The operation required 80 sailors and an unknown number of craftsmen, all supplied with bread, fish, and local cider.
Jordan Brownyng, the only commander to serve on the ship from 1415 to 1422, stayed aboard as the ship’s caretaker. A heroic marathon of pumping water and removing mud began—a grueling and ultimately futile effort that only ended in late November 1430, after 1,622 days.
The Death of a Great Ship
In the meantime, everything of value was salvaged from the ship. When 254 planks from the cabins were recovered, account records precisely noted that they came from the royal ship Holigost at Bursledon.
The last royal records mentioning the ship date from 1447 to 1452. They contain a terse note: the ship sank and was thus destroyed. This wording suggests the process of decay was complete and the wreck ceased to have any value.
In 2015, it was announced that remains of the Holigost had likely been located in the Hamble River. The site lies close to the wreck of Grace Dieu, another of Henry V’s great ships. The wreck itself was identified in aerial photographs taken in the 1970s.
Selected Bibliography
Autor
Margot Cleverly
Margot's journey into women's history began with a box of forgotten letters in a Cambridge archive – suffragettes whose voices had been silenced for over a century. Since then, she's been on a mission to uncover the stories history overlooked.
What she writes about: Queens who ruled from the shadows. Scientists whose male colleagues took credit. Revolutionaries who risked everything. But also ordinary women – those who survived wars, raised families through upheaval, and shaped their communities in ways no one bothered to record.
Margot turns historical figures into real people. She writes with warmth and detail, making centuries-old stories feel surprisingly relevant. Rigorous research meets accessible storytelling – no dusty academic jargon, just compelling narratives backed by solid facts.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in regional archives, collecting oral histories, or visiting sites connected to the women she writes about.