John Prestman

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John Prestman
Person John Prestman
Title
First name John
Middle name(s)
Last name Prestman
Suffix
Spouse of
Widow of
Occupation Mariner
Secondary shorebased occupation
Mariner occupation Master
Associated with ship(s)
Training Not apprentice
Is apprentice of
Was apprentice of
Had apprentice(s)
Citizen Unknown
Literacy Signature
Has opening text John Prestman
Has signoff text John Prestman
Signoff image (Invalid transcription image)
Language skills English language
Has interpreter
Birth street
Birth parish
Birth town
Birth county
Birth province
Birth country
Res street Wapping
Res parish
Res town
Res county Middlesex
Res province
Res country England
Birth year 1617
Marriage year
Death year
Probate date
First deposition age 38
Primary sources
Act book start page(s)
Personal answer start page(s)
Allegation start page(s)
Interrogatories page(s)
Deposition start page(s) HCA 13/70 f.61v Annotate
Chancery start page(s)
Letter start page(s)
Miscellaneous start page(s)
Act book date(s)
Personal answer date(s)
Allegation date(s)
Interrogatories date(s)
Deposition date(s) Feb 14 1655
How complete is this biography?
Has infobox completed Yes
Has synthesis completed No
Has HCA evidence completed No
Has source comment completed No
Ship classification
Type of ship Merchant ship
Silver Ship litigation in 1650s
Role in Silver Ship litigation None


Biographical synthesis

John Prestman (b. ca. 1617; d. ?). Mariner.

Master of ships for the past sixteen years ("Hee hath used sea faring for all the fore said time, and hath bin a master of shipps and used the southerne voyages for theise sixteen yeares last past"[1]

Resident in 1655 in Wapping.

Evidence from High Court of Admiralty

Thirty-eight year old John Prestman deposed on February 14th 1655 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on a libel in the case of "Pope Burges and Houghton against Orton".

John Prestman was asked to comment solely on practises regarding the pay and conditions of chirurgeons aboard merchant ships.

Prestman observed "as touching the custome of the chyrurgeons not being bound to applie any medicaments or physic to any of the shipps company for sicknesse or hurt happened unto them after the shipps retourne to Gravesend unlesse they pay for the same themselves. hee saith hee cannot speake knowingly thereof, but beleeveth that there is such a custome here practised".[2]

The pay of chirurgeons was handled differently from that of other mariners. Prestman was clear that "Chirurgeons lawfully may and usually doe leave the shipps after and upon their retourne to Gravesend, by the foresaid custome, and are not bound to continue any longer aboard, being from that time out of pay, but the rest of the company of any ship or shipps are obliged to continue aboard until the shipps coming to an anchor and her being moored, if the master soe require them, and until the said master dismisse them, and until that time they are in pay".[3]

An earlier deposition in the High Court of Admiralty on July 17th 1651 by Alexander Robinson, master's mate of the ship the Garland of London, identifies John Prestman as master of that ship. Robinson was examined on interrogatories "On the behalfe of George Clarke}
of London merchant concerneing a losse in the shipp Garland of London. The ship sailed from London bound for Dublin in Ireland in June 1651.[4] However, the ship was surprised off the Isle of Wight by a Jersey man of war ad carried to Jersey.[5]

Comment on sources

  1. HCA 13/70 f.62r
  2. HCA 13/70 f.62r
  3. HCA 13/70 f.62r
  4. HCA 13/65 f.24v
  5. HCA 13/65 f.25r