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Wrecking site of the Ann Francis is a post-medieval wreck located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM639. The vessel came to grief upon a rocky coastline where Westphalian-age bedrock of the South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation rises steeply from the shore. This underlying geology—composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone interbedded with coal seams and ironstone—creates a treacherous maritime environment of jagged outcrops and strong tidal currents. The wreck itself represents a moment when a merchant vessel encountered these unforgiving conditions, leaving scattered remains and artefacts distributed across the rocky foreshore.
The site preserves evidence of the ship's destruction and the maritime economy of the post-medieval period. Finds from wrecks of this era typically include timbers, metalwork, ceramic vessels and cargo remains that illuminate both the construction techniques and the trade routes of early modern shipping. The dramatic geology of the location—the very feature that spelled the Ann Francis's fate—now anchors the wreck in place, with the bedrock helping to preserve organic materials in its crevices and pools.
Wrecking site of the Ann Francis is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM639. View the official record →
Wrecking site of the Ann Francis is a post-medieval wreck located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM639.
Wrecking site of the Ann Francis dates from the post medieval period, and is classified as a wreck. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Wrecking site of the Ann Francis is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is GM639.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Half Moon Camp (3.5 km), Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones (3.6 km), Margam Abbey (3.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Wrecking site of the Ann Francis's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Wrecking site of the Ann Francis stands on Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.