Adam Beale

Biographical synthesis
Adam Beale (b. ca. 1610; d. ?). Shipwright.

Resident in 1659 in the parish of Saint Mary Magdalen Bermondsey.

Evidence from High Court of Admiralty
Forty-eight year old Adam Beale deposed on January 21st 1659 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on an allegation on behalf of Swyre in the case of "Swyre against Church".

The case concerned damage to and the sinking of the ship the Consent by the alleged bilging of her upon the anchor of a ship called the Phonix.

Adam Beale stated that he and two other shipwrights, Mr Eames and Mr Haydon, were requested by Captain Swyre, master of the Consent, to view the Consent and to assess her damage and hurt. Adam Beale knew both ships involved in the case - the Consent for the last seven years, and the Phonix for the last three.

Beale stated that "upon view and search made by this deponent and the sayd Eames and Heydon it did to them appeare that the Consent had three of her floore timbers and sixe of her navell timbers on the larboard side broken for the makeing good whereof it could not be avoided but that the kelson in the midshipps must be taken up and the footewailing must be taken up from the navell timber heads on the larboard side to the ffloore tymber heads on the Starboard side and three new floore tymbers and six new navell tymbers put in the roome of those that were broken and were of necessity to be taken up in order to the repayering of the sayd shipp and the footewaileing and the kelson put downe againe". The repair of the ship would cost, he estimated, £150.