MRP: Synthesis

Synthesis

Editorial history

26/04/12, CSG: Created page

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Suggested links

Style Sheet One
Transcription

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Current topics for synthesis

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Bills of lading

• "after the reception thereof [138 bags of Spanish wooll sent to Antwerp] this dep:t signed three bills of lading of one teno:r and caused the same to be entred into his books. the receipt of the same, and to whome they were consigned as aforesaid"

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Cargo: Value of cargo vs value of ship

• "hee saith the Postillion at her seizure was of the burthen of two hundred tonne or therabouts and had nyne peeces of ordnance and the sayd shipp and her tackle apparrell & furniture were then well worth (in this deponents Judgement and estimate) two thousand six hundred pounds sterling or therabouts And saith the sayd shipp had aboard he at the tyme of the seizure, (for Accompt of the sayd Delboe Middleton Temmes Britton Taylor and Syon seaventeene hundred forty six parcell and thirty one ?Catees of pepper, and peeces of Eight three thousand three hundred and some odd peeces which pepper would in this deponents Judgment, if it had come safe to England have there yeild Thirteene Thousand pounds sterling besides freight due alsoe to the sayd Delboe Middleton Temms Britton Taylor and Syon as Owners of the sayd shipp which as hee beleeveth would have amounted to two thousand eight hundred pounds more of like money And hee saith that hee this deponent had for his owne Accompt aboard the sayd shipp at her seizure sixe hundred peeces of Eight, and pepper & Cloaves soe much as would have in England have yeilded seaventeene hundred pounds sterling, besides his wages for the sayd voyage which hee beleeveth did amount to ?three hundred pounds more of like money & his cloats amounting to about twenty pounds more of like money all which hee lost by the seizure aforesayd And hee saith the sayd shipps company at the tyme of the sayd seizure had aboard her for their Accompt pepper & ?Caude & other goods to the value of ?three hundred pounds sterling in this deponents Judgment and estimate, besides their cloathes and wages which as hee beleeveth was worth a thousand pounds more of like money all which they were samnified by the sayd seizure And hee saith that beside the p:rmisses there were about the sayd shipp at her seizure fower hundred Jarrs of Greene Ginger for Accompt of the English East India Company which were alsoe lost by the seizure aforesayd and would in this deponents Judgment have yeilded if they had come safe to England one thousand one hundred and twenty pounds sterling..."

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Characteristics of a good ship

• "att such tyme as the sayd shipp Free trade now seized at Lisbone as aforesd she was a strong and tight shipp and had bene but one voyage before att sea from the tyme of her sd building"

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Commercial failure

• Examples

- "at Genoa this rendent tooke in some pte of her lading & was to goe to Legorne to take in y:e remainder, & at his arrivall at Legorne the merchant who freaighted this rendents ship failed so that this rendents designe was overthrown" [Answer given June 1659]

- "hee doth beleive the said de Silvera not knowing the said ffrancis Pardini was failed did send the bill of lading unto him as he beleiveth but hee doth not beleive the said John Tha?cker did really buy the said wood of the said M:r Pardini or pay him any thing for the same, neither doth hee beleive that the said M:r Pardini or any other merchant that is failed hath a legall power to make any sale of any goods that come to him during the time they absent and are not able to pay their debts, but hee doth beleive the said M:r Thacker being imployed by y:e said M:r Pardini as his sollicitor to make his composicon with his creditors hee & the said M:r Pardini did contrive together to gett the said goods into their hands if possibly they could and in order thereunto he beleiveth the said M:r Pardini did colourably, and fraudulently signe the bill of sale or schedule alleadged and deliver the same for his XXX as hee beleeveth...

To the sixth hee answeareth that hee doth beleive that the said M:r Pardini did in further ?prosequucon of the said fraudulent contrivance betweene him and the said M:r Thacker his sollicitor endorse the bill of ladeing as is alleadged but hee being soe failed & absented hee doth beleive the same is utterly voyd and of noe effect." [Answer given June 1659, referring to events in 1649]

- "4 Itmm interr. Whether before the shippe Stockholme came from Stockholme, and before the Iron in controversie was Laden aboard, was itt nott commonly and generally reported that the said Godfrey Deleau was bankrupt or failed in his estate and in what moneth did the said wittnesse first heare that the said deleau was failed. Et fiat ut supra."

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Commercial activities of the King of Spain

• "in the moneth of January 1653. new style, and for about 14. yeares before this depon:t hath well knowne the arlate John de Windt, who is a Merchant and Burgher of Cadiz, and is married there, and saith That by the credible relation of the said John de Windt and others at Cadiz this depon:t: hath understood y:t the arlate Domingo Centurione at the time of the Lading of the said woolls was a Spaniard liveing at Madrid, and Councello:r to his Catholique Ma:tie and his Principall ffacto:r or Agent for the sending of goods wares and merchandizes from Spaine into ffland:rs for the supply of his said Ma:ties occasions there, And saith both the psons arlate were and are commonly accompted Subiects to the said King of Spaine."

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Fish

• Pickled herring

- "To the second Interrie This deponent saith and deposeth that the sayd ship the Hart had att the tyme of the sayd seizure, one hundred and four score Tonnes of pickled herrings on board her. And saith the sayd shipp and all her sayd lading did att the sayd tyme of seizure belong to severall merchants Inhabitants of Skadam subiects of the sayd States of the united Provinces"

• Salmon

- "y:e sayd shipp came from and began this her outwards voyage from Stockholme with her p:rsent lading of goods being Iron pitch tarr Copper shott andSalmon...all to be unladen att this port of London whither she was bound and where she now is the foresayd Salmon excepted which is to be transported to Burdeaux and there unladen and delivered to Jan Van Pullen a facto:r for y:e sayd Swedish merchants there resideing."

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High Court of Admiralty: procedures

• "To the 11:th he saith he was not aboard the interrte shipp the Golden Starr till after said tyme as the ?Wayters for the Prize office came upon her in the behalfe of the State, and by authority of the Com:rs for the Prize Office; And he saith that after the sd Waiters were so aboard he saw the master of the Waterhound named BLANK IN MANUSCRIPT Grant take out of the Golden Starr a bag of moneyes of about six hundred peices of 8/8, and saw the Captaine of y:e Water hound Giles Shelley take out of y:e Golden Starr a quantity of moneyes in a Bagg, but how much in certaine he knoweth not, and saw likewise Capt MiXX Commander of the Advantage frigott take out of the sayd Golden Starr, in one or two baggs four hundred and three and twenty peices of eight and 1/2. And beleiveth that severall other parcells of moneyes were taken out of the sayd prize shipp he cannot specify, but beleiveth that all or most of the Company of the Advantage frigot, and of the Water hound that were aboard the Golden Starr att the tyme of seizure and afterwards before she came into the River of Thames had and tooke some small quantityes of the sayd moneyes, the values whereof he knoweth not. And saith that some of the Company of y:e sayd Advantage and Waterhound but who in pticular he knoweth not tooke out of the Golden Starr some small Jarrs of oyle and some other things the particulars or values whereof he cannot sett forth."

• "To the .13 he saith that in case the says shipp the Morning Starr shall be adiudged prize he this rendent expecteth benefit thereby according to the office he bore in the Advantage frigot. and according to an Act or Ordinance of parliament made in that behalfe, and not otherwise."

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Insults made at sea

• "the Captaine of the sayd Golden Starr in stead of showing submission to the authority of this Commonwealth being upon the Coasts of Englands as was demanded of him and is usuall did in a contemptuous manner returne skurrilous and base language and in an unbecoming and skornefull and reproach full way turned downe his breeches, and held upp his bare ?bumme or breech to the sayd Captaine Mill and Company, and waved his Cuttle axe bidding the sayd Captaine Mill Come to Leeward, all which this deponent saw and observed."

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Port Time Sources

• Unlading & Relading time in Lisbon port, 165X

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Profitability of voyages

• Profits could vary significantly between consecutive voyages made by the same ship

- "he answeareth and beleeveth that the voyage from hence to Newfoundland and soe to Mallaga and hence to London the said shipp cleered in the whole shipp 105:li & not above as he beleeveth, and in the next voyage from hence to Mallaga, & home againe 107:li & not above as he beleeveth 14:li whereof more than his share & Randall Crewe receaved of under M:r Roydeon and for the voyage in the service of of the State the said shipp iXXXX XXX had beene XXX ?did cleere betwixt eight and nine hundred poundes about 500:li whereof is still unpaid and the remainder beinge about 400:li and Daniel Bright one of the Owners of the said shipp receaved & paid to everie Owner as he beleeveth theire XXXXX XX shares thereof And for the last voyage from hence to Barcellona and then to Marselles and soe to Barbary and Marcelles againe this rendent beleeveth there was losse uppon the said voyage about 440. or 450:li by reason the said shipp was imbargoed att Marcelles by the space of sixe monthes the Plague beinge then aboard her" (HCA 13/125 Box Two)

- "after such tyme as the arlate Craven came into the said shipp the Jeremie he did make onlie one voyage w:ch was from Marcelles to Scanderoone and soe to Marcelles againe, and that att his returne thither before his fraight was paid as this rendent beleeveth his Merchant broke soe that he lost all his freight as he beleeveth" (HCA 13/125 Box Two)

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Pursers

• "the said ship the Saphire (XXXX hee only depose) had Laden and put a bord her a Cargazoone of goods the pticulars whereof & to whom consigned are specified in this depon:ts Pursers booke of fraight

delivered to the said General Blake or to such as he appointed to receave the same to ?w:ch for more certainty herein hee refereth himselfe"

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Shipping charges

• "it being very notorious & well knowne to the sd M:r Wayn Wright & all other mrchants that use the East countrey trade that every Last of wheate payeth one dollar the charges at Stettin & Stralsound & the charges for Smacks & boates to bring y:e sd corne on board, & petty pilotage & other dutyes, all w:ch heethis rendent did really pay

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Ship prices

• "a stXXX shipp of the burthen of 200 tunnes and upwards: and was worth with her tackle and furniture having bene newly fitted and equipped the summe of one thousand pounds ?sterl in the Judgm:t of this deponent"

• "she was a strong and tight shipp and had bene but one voyage before att sea from the tyme of her first building and was of the burthen of .200 tonnes or thereabouts and had in her sixteene ?persons, and the tackele apparell and furniture of and belonging unto her were likewise good and new And the freight of the says hipp so provided with gunns and tackle was well worth the summe of 250:li sterl p moneth And soe much was and is usually given p moneth for a shipp of her burthen and goodnes"

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Travel Time Sources

• Inverness to Rochell

- "he answereth & beleeveth That the weather ?serving a ship doth usually & may saile from Innvrnes to Rochell in ?20 dayes or thereabouts"

• Lisbon to Brazil (exact Brazilian destination unspecified)

- "y:e sd ship the Scipio did enter upon & begin her voiage for Brazeel to wit in y:e lading of her goods for that place the 3:d of September 1649. and that y:e sd ship did dept from Lisborne upon y:e sd voiage the 5:th day of November arlate 1649 & ?arrived at Brazeele the 6:th day of March 1649 [i.e. 1650] & there discharged her lading about y:e end of Aprill 1650 & that upon the 20:th of June 1650. y:e sd ship did set saile in company of the portugall fleete for Lisborne againe, and was afterwards put back with the rest of y:e fleete by the command of y:e Admrall for Brazeel where they arrived againe about the first or second of July 1650."

• Gravesend to coast of Greeneland and back to Gravesend

- "the sd ship sett sayle from Gravesend upon or about the fourteenth of Aprill 1656. & not before as they beleeve at w:ch time & not before the sd monethly pay was to begin in case the sd pties had behaved themselves as they ought to have done, & these rendents further beleeve that y:e ship the Greyhound came back againe into the River of Thames & was here discharged upon or about the fowrteenth day of September 1656 as they beleeve"

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Wages

• Pay rates in sample ships

- The Content (London to Gambo (Africa) to Barbados (then lost at sea); wage schedule for twelve persons (1658/59)

• Seamens' wages to travel from Lisbon to Brazil and back

- "some consideraccon extraordinary above what they were in the first place hired
for"

• Customary exchange rates for mariners

- "thereupon y:e sd M:r did pay themoff freely Eight moneths pay in dollars at foure shills six pence per dollar, which is y.e usuall rate that English marrin:rs receive their wages at in dollars"

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Possible topics for synthesis

• Attitudes and behaviour towards negroes by sailors and ship masters

• Brazeele trade

• Corruption and kickbacks (prevalence; function)

• Fish

- "he answereth & beleeveth that Salmon & herings were no vendible commodity at Rochell in y:e moneths arlate" (HCA 13/19)
- Relative price of fish
- Whaling described as "fishing"
- Oysters
- Lobsters

• Geographical language

- Areas
- Linked to commodities (Rhenish wine; French wine)
- Non-port towns
- Ports
- Seas

• Greenland fishing

• Insults made between ships during conflict at sea

• Port to port routes

• Ship age

- "an old shipp being about the Age of thirteen or fourteen yeers old" (the Mayflower, ca. ?1659)

• Ship prices

- Create table of price of ships per ton (by age and burthen)

- Prices outside England, e.g. Surat (the Mayflower, 280 tonnes, 13 or 14 years old, badly damaged, valued with tackle and provisions at 910:li sterling by Capt. Robert ffisher, commander of the Smirna Merchant (£3.25 per ton)

• Timber merchants

• Time

- Between ports
- lading in port
- Unlading in port

• Wages

- Levels by job function
- Variances within and between job functions, & over time, & according to perceived risk and supply/demand

• Workings of Vice Admiralty courts outside London

- Regional courts

-- Example: Leith, Scotland
-- Example: Court of West England

- Process

- Registry