William Wade

From MarineLives
Jump to: navigation, search



William Wade
Person William Wade
Title
First name William
Middle name(s)
Last name Wade
Suffix
Spouse of
Widow of
Occupation Mariner
Secondary shorebased occupation
Mariner occupation Cook
Associated with ship(s) Saphir (Master: N/A)
Training Not apprentice
Is apprentice of
Was apprentice of
Had apprentice(s)
Citizen Unknown
Literacy Marke
Has opening text William Wade
Has signoff text W
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 Saint Catherines near the Tower
Res town London
Res county
Res province
Res country England
Birth year 1609
Marriage year
Death year
Probate date
First deposition age 47
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.261r 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) Jun 19 1656
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

William Wade (b. ca. 1609; d. ?). Mariner.

Cook of the ship the Saphir.

Resident in 1656 in the parish of Saint Catherines near the Tower.

Evidence from High Court of Admiralty

Forty-seven year old William Wade deposed on June 19th 1656 in the High Court of Admiralty.[1] He ws examined on interrogatories in the case of "A busines of examination of wittnesses upon interrogatories minstred on the part and behalfe of ffrancis Ash and company owners of the Saphir".[2]

William Wade stated that he was cook of the Saphir on her last voyage from London, when she was surprised by a very violent storm some eighty leagues off the Scilly islands. The storm lasted five hours and the master and company were at great risk of being cast away. The master gave order to his company "to cut downe the mayne mast by the boards and to cut the shroudes". The company began first "to cutt the mayne mast, but soone gave over that and cutt the shroudes and the mayne stays, verily being cutt (and not before) the mayne mast with the rowleing of the shipp by, violense of the sea brake in sunder a good way above where it was begunne to be cut". Wade went on to describe the "shrouds and stay being cutt and mast broken the topp mast and the mayne yarde and mayne topp mast yarde and their sayles fell downe and were lost in the sea." Further, to save the ship, its lading and their lives, the master and company were forced "to cutt the skiff a peeces it being full of water and heave it overboard and alsoe to cutt and dropp two Anchors from her star board side".

Ineveitably there was damage to the ship's lading, despite the goods efforsts of the master and crew. William Wade was sure "that the hatches were before the sayd strome well covered with good and sufficient tarr paulings and nayled downe with hoopes to jeepe them from flying up and all care used by the master and company to preserve the sayd shipps ladeing from dammage".[3]

Comment on sources

  1. HCA 13/71 f.261r
  2. HCA 13/71 f.258v
  3. HCA 13/71 f.261v