Henry Berry

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Henry Berry
Person Henry Berry
Title
First name Henry
Middle name(s)
Last name Berry
Suffix
Spouse of
Widow of
Occupation Shipwright
Secondary shorebased occupation
Mariner occupation
Associated with ship(s)
Training Not apprentice
Is apprentice of
Was apprentice of
Had apprentice(s)
Citizen Unknown
Literacy Signature
Has opening text Henry Berry
Has signoff text Henry Berry
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
Res parish
Res town Redriff
Res county Surrey
Res province
Res country England
Birth year 1629
Marriage year
Death year
Probate date
First deposition age 28
Primary sources
Act book start page(s)
Personal answer start page(s)
Allegation start page(s)
Interrogatories page(s)
Deposition start page(s) HCA 13/71 f.502r Annotate, HCA 13/72 f.180v 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 26 1657, Nov 3 1657
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 Shore based trade
Silver Ship litigation in 1650s
Role in Silver Ship litigation None


Biographical synthesis

Henry Berry (alt. Berrie) (b. ca. 1629; d. ?). Shipwright.

Resident in 1655 and 1657 in Redriff in the county of Surrey.

Had a wharf in Redriff, where Henry Berry and Jonathan Bigland viewd the hulk the Elizabeth in November 1657.[1]

Evidence from High Court of Admiralty

Twenty-eight year old Henry Berry deposed om February 26th 1657 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on an allegation on behalf of Mr Lee in the case of "Lawe against Lee".[2]

The case concerned damage to a ship named the Samuell allegedly caused by a ship named the Providence of Boston.

Berry stated that he was desired to take a view of a ship named the Samuell, together with fellow shipwright William Sherwood. The ship had recently received damage. Theyy visited the ship onn Saturday 21st February 1657 at Redriff, where they viewed and surveyed the damage. They found "that the head of the sayd shipp Samuell was quite broken downe and her sterrne much broken and some of her beames of her upper deck, and alsoe her upper decke itselfe broken downe, which dammage (as hee hath credibly heard) was done to her by reason that a shipp called the Providence of Boston whereof the articulate Otter (as it is sayd) was Master did runne fowle of the sayd ship Samuell".[3] Berry estimated the cost of repairs at a minimum of £150 before she was serviceable, " for that shee cannot bee made firme and fitt to undertake a voyage without takeing out her whole stemme (part whereof yet remaynes)".[4]

Twenty-eight year old Henry Berry deposed on November 3rd 1657 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on an allegation on behalf of Judith Dixford in the case of "Judith Dixford against the hulke the Elizabeth."[5]

The case concerned the hulk the Elizabeth, which was languishing in the River Thames in extremely poor condition. Berry was requested to view the hulk, together with fellow Redriff shipwright Jonathan Bigland. They found that "shee is in a very perishing condition, and by reason of her leakiness and being extremely out of repaire, suncke at every tide of flood, the water having free passage into and out of her through her greate leakes, and that shee rotts by soe lying, and saith that unlesse shee be speadily repaired, shee wilbe be quite spoiled and become totally unserviceable".[6]

Two years earlier, the Redriff shipwright Henry Berry had been mentioned in another Admiralty Court case by John Wyer, a shipwright of Saint Mary Magdalen Bermondsey. Wyer deposed on August 1st 1655 "On the behalfe of William Castle". He stated that "upon Wednesday the 18th day of July last past about tenn of the clock in the fore noone of the same day this deponent and John Groome, Henry Berry and Joseph Graves Shipwrights were put aboard and in quiet and peaceable possession of the shipp the Greyhound (lying against Redriff Staires) by Mr William Castle and by him ordered to keepe the possession thereof to his use".[7]

Comment on sources

  1. HCA 13/72 f.180v
  2. HCA 13/71 f.502r
  3. HCA 13/71 f.502r
  4. HCA 13/71 f.502v
  5. HCA 13/72 f.180v
  6. HCA 13/72 f.180v
  7. HCA 13/70 f.351r