Rigging - Swifters

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bigpropdoc

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Can anyone help me please.
I am trying to find out exactly what swifters were back in early Tudor times. As far as I can make out these were a type of stay, fitted to the mast before the shrouds, which were tensioned using tackles rather than deadeyes. But I cannot find any illustration or description of their placement, or details of the tackle system used. I think they might have been the precursor to the backstays utilised towards the end of the 16th century but am not sure on this. Searches on the net so far throw no further light on this. Perhaps there is a rigging book or such that includes the subject but the problem here is that you have to buy the book to find out that it doesn't. Does anyone out there have some info or can point me in the right direction?
Many thanks
 
One description I found suggests that swifters are the aftermost shrouds on each side of the lower masts; they are above all the other shrouds, and are never confined to the catharpins. Usually the swifter shroud is anchored to a smaller deadeye on the chain plate in the aft most position slightly separated from the primary deadeyes. For example, a typical main mast shroud setup might have six or seven large deadeyes in a row for the main shrouds and then a smaller deadeye located aft and slightly apart from the larger deadeyes. That is the swifter deadeye. Thus a swifter is anchored to the smaller deadeye in the same manner as every shroud. I think this is on target from what I can find...hope it helps a bit. Reference "The Art of Rigging" by George Biddelcombe
 
Many Thanks Daniel.
I have read the Biddelcombe reference and come to the conclusion that his description was more likely applicable to later tudor ships. The early tudor ships eg Henry VII or late 15th century identify a number of swifters for each ship, more than apply for the aftermost shroud. For example Howard in “Sailing Ships of War 1400-1860” lists the Sovereign and Regent each having 16 swifting tackles totalling 48 blocks each. This suggests 8 per side for the main or possibly 4 each per side for the main and foremast, unless it means 2 each side for all 4 masts. The swifting tackles shown by Howard suggest 3 blocks for each swifter rather than deadeyes. McElvogue in “Tudor Warship Mary Rose” portrays 3 swifters for the main mast only, each with tackles of 3 blocks and fixed to the rigging rail rather than the channel. Which is where I come in as this is my current build.
I am hoping somebody out there can throw further light on this.
 
bigpropdoc said:
Many Thanks Daniel.
I have read the Biddelcombe reference and come to the conclusion that his description was more likely applicable to later tudor ships. The early tudor ships eg Henry VII or late 15th century identify a number of swifters for each ship, more than apply for the aftermost shroud. For example Howard in “Sailing Ships of War 1400-1860” lists the Sovereign and Regent each having 16 swifting tackles totalling 48 blocks each. This suggests 8 per side for the main or possibly 4 each per side for the main and foremast, unless it means 2 each side for all 4 masts. The swifting tackles shown by Howard suggest 3 blocks for each swifter rather than deadeyes. McElvogue in “Tudor Warship Mary Rose” portrays 3 swifters for the main mast only, each with tackles of 3 blocks and fixed to the rigging rail rather than the channel. Which is where I come in as this is my current build.
I am hoping somebody out there can throw further light on this.
Click to expand...
This doesn't give you a diagram of how to rig them, but I think this explains, for your period, what they were. The term "Swifter" and "swiftering" is used in many different applications on ships, to include rope wrapped around a small boat's hull to use as a fender... I don't have access to this full journal, but it may hold some answers for you. The web address and citation are below as well, so you can find the full text.

Alan Moore & H. S. Vaughan (1912) NOTES, The Mariner's Mirror, 2:11, 345-349, DOI: 10.1080/00253359.1912.10654646

swifters.PNG
 
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