*British, 18th Century – Leather Fire Bucket from HMS Invincible (1744–1758)*
Recovered from the wreck of HMS Invincible, lost in the Solent, 1758. Excavation No. 83/0136. Approx. 26.5 cm tall x 25 cm wide (dimensions altered through hardening and collapse).
A superb and historically significant 18th-century Royal Navy leather fire bucket, recovered from the wreck of HMS Invincible, Admiral Anson’s captured French 74-gun ship of the line that became the model for subsequent British naval design.
Formed from thick hand-stitched hide with a circular leather base and internal leather stiffeners, this bucket retains its tarred or pitch-coated interior for waterproofing, now darkened and rigid after over two centuries submerged in Solent silt. The underside shows the distinctive criss-crossing reinforcement straps typical of Admiralty fire buckets, while the exterior retains the triangular seam lines and saddle-stitched vertical joint along the rear panel. Several internal wooden formers and fragments of the original handle survive separately, along with the original stitched base disc.
Accompanied by an official Certificate of Authentication, signed by the excavation director, confirming recovery from the HMS Invincible site under Excavation No. 83/0136.
Historical Note: Originally launched for the French Navy in 1744, Invincible was captured by the Royal Navy three years later at the Battle of Cape Finisterre and adopted as a model for British 74-gun ships. She played a key role in shaping mid-18th-century naval warfare. In February 1758, while leading a fleet through the Solent, she struck a sandbank and sank with the loss of over 400 men. Rediscovered in 1979, Invincible’s wreck has produced some of the most evocative Royal Navy artefacts of the Georgian period, including these rare leather fire buckets used aboard ship for emergency firefighting.
*Condition* Recovered and conserved archaeological condition. Leather surfaces heavily hardened and misshapen through immersion and drying. Stitching seams intact in several areas; interior with dark resinous waterproof coating. Base section and internal stiffening strips detached but present. Handle fragment survives. Certificate of authenticity included. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
