Ambrose Pomeroy

Biographical synthesis
Ambrose Pomeroy (alt. Pomroy) (b. ?; d. ?). Mariner.

Owner of lighters.

Resident in 1656 in the parish of Saint Olave Southwark.

Evidence from High Court of Admiralty
1654

Gilbert Woodman, a thirty-one year old lighterman of the parish of Saint Olave Southwark, deposed on December 9th 1654 in the High Court of Admiralty. He gave evidence "Touching oiles said to be wanting in the Little Lewes".

Gilbert Woodman stated that he "was imployed as a lighterman under Ambrose Pomeroy in the carrying ashore of the oiles taken and discharged out of the shipp the Little Lewes a prize lying at Blackwall about three monethes since, and that this deponent received and stowed some lighters full of the said oiles and carried and delivered the same ashore at the Customehouse key".

March 1655

John Hodgkins, a twenty-seven year old lighterman of the parish of Saint Olave Southwark, deposed on March 2nd 1655 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on an allegation given in on February 28th 1655 on behalf of Henry Boulton and John Mills in the cause of "Captaine Hudson against Barnardiston Jolliffe and others and against Henry Boulton and John Mills in fact called to appeare in this pretended cause".

John Hodgkins gave detailed information about Ambrose Pomeroy's activities, saying that Mr Hudson. master of the ship the Smirna ffactor "seeing the same cloase lyter lye at Galley Key asked this deponent whose lyter it was and this deponent told him it was one Mr Ambrose Pomeroyes and the sayd Hudson then asked this deponent whether hee knew where the sayd Pomeroy were and this deponent replyed hee thought hee was then in Chesters Key whereupon the sayd hudson told this deponent that hee had a desyre to speake with the sayd Pomeroy and this deponent at Hudsons request went two severall tymes to desyre the sayd Pomeroy to come to the sayd Hudson who at the second tyme came and being come the sayd Hudson in this deponents presence and hearing hyred of the sayd Pomeroy the sayd cloase lyter and agreed to give him two pence a bayle for fine goods for as much as hee could bring (being the ordinary rate allowed by Merchants) and if hee were delayed and hindered above two dayes (wherof that Monday to be one) in ladeing and delivery out of the goods then to give him seaven shillings a day demorage for all the tyme hee should be hindered therein above the sayd two dayes, which bargaine the sayd Pomeroy accepted and about Noone that Monday departed towards the Smirna ffactor to take in the sayd goods and the sayd Hudson in this deponents presence sayd that his the sayd Hudsons man should goe downe in the lyter with the sayd Pomeroys lyterman and that hee had given his sayd man direction to give order to his the sayd Hudsons mate forthwith to lade the sayd cloase lyter whatsoever else hee left undone that shee might come up to Galley Key the next tyde and this deponent sawe the sayd Hudsons man depart in the sayd cloase lyter, and knoweth shee was forthwith laded for that hee sawe her retourne the next morning being Tuesday laden to Galley Key."

July 1655

Ambrose Pomeroy was the respondent to a libel brought in the High Court of Admiralty in 1655 by Gyles Travers. The cause was "Travers against Pomeroy and against lighter of about 200 tunns whereof the sayd Pomroy is owner and against any other".

Francis Gittings, a winecooper of Seething Lane in London, deposed on July 24th 1655 in the High Court of Admiralty in support of Travers. Gittings described the unlading of Canary wines by lighter from a ship named the John and Mary of London (Master:XXX). The wines were put on board a lighter, whose master was Thomas Tailor, and carried to Buttolphs wharf. The lighter was moored obernight at the wharf and laid there in safety between 11 o'clock in the evening till 5 in the morning.

That's when the problem started. Gittings stated that "after the said lighter came and was moored at Buttolphs wharfe aforesaid having the said wines aboard her the arlate Pomroy had thereabouts a Lighter of about 80, or 100. tunns which was there moored and lay a head of the said Tailers lighter wherein the said wines were". Gittings alleged that Pomeroy or some of his company carlessly veered his own lighter "with a strong ebb of tide". Gittings and another cooper, who were both on board Tailor's lighter, cried out "telling them they had a great quantity of Spanish wynes aboard, and that if they veerd upon them they would breake their hawser whereby the said Spanish wynes would in all probability bee lost or very much damnified".

Pomeroy's behaviour and that of his company was poor. In Gittings' words "the said Pomroy or some of his companie answereing rudely and uncivilly (the particular words this deponent doethvnot now remember) they or some of them did carelessly and wilfully veere the said lighter and in the said veering first came fowle of and splitt the shipps boat to which the said Tailors Lighter wherein the said Spanish wynes were, and broke her hawser and set her adrift".

Gittings claimed that as a result of the lighter breaking its hawser and being set adrift, one of the pipes of wine on it were staven and lost, with a value of £30 on the London market.

1656

"Friday the ninth day of May 1656 before the [?same] Judge et cetera Appeared the said Budd for the said Cornelius Cason and Company and made himselfe partie for them and alleadged that the said shippe called the Cabbidge man did at the time of the arrest in this behalfe made and still doth belonge unto him and produced for sureties Robert Gate of the parish of Saint Dunstans in the East London grocer and Ambrose Pomeroy of the parish of Saint Olaves in the Burrough of Southwarke marriner whoe submitting themselves et cetera obliged themselves et cetera for the said Cornelius Cas[?on] and Company in the summe of ffive pounds of lawfull money of England to the said Peter Perkins to answer the Action by him commenced against the said vessell and to pay what the said Cason and Company shall bee condemned in with expences of suite in case hee shalbee overthrowne and to bringe forth the said Cason and Company in judgement whensoever theire presence shall bee required And unles et cetera Which caution the Judge receaved and decreed the said vessell to bee released from the arrest".