Difference between revisions of "Virginia tobacco trade in the 1650s"

Revision as of 11:48, October 31, 2012

Virginia tobacco trade in the 1650s

Editorial history

31/10/12: CSG created page

Purpose of this page

This week (W/C 29/10/12) Philip Hnatkovich and Colin Greenstreet are sponsoring a dedicated page on the Virginia tobacco trade in the 1650s. All project team members, whether associates, facilitators or advisors, are encouraged to contribute to this page.

For an example of how such a page can be developed see: C17th Arctic whaling

Many of you will have worked on depositions over the last nine weeks which have made mention of tobacco, the tobacco trade, and of Virginia, so now is your chance to dig back through your past transcriptions and to help pull together some themes.

We will put up a short summary of the historiography of the Virginia tobacco trade, so that you have some context in which to post your material, and to see if we are coming up with anything novel.

Let's look in our transcriptions to see, for example

• Where tobacco was being shipped to apart from London (Teneriff, Genoa, New England)?

• How it was packed and shipped?

• The timing of the tobacco ships' arrivals in the James River and their return across the Atlantic?

If you see a theme in the material, then create a new subheading on the Virginia tobacco page and set out the theme, your evidence, and most importantly the case name, deposition name, and folio numbers.

We will also post up a set of voyage accounts for a ship carrying tobacco from Virginia so that you can get a sense of the economics of shipping tobacco

Volunteers to help Philip and Colin would be greatly appreciated - please get in touch with us by email (Philip: pjh206@psu.edu; Colin: colin.greenstreet@gmail.com)

Suggested links

HCA 13/71 cases mentioning tobacco

Case: ?Naphthalia White John Thomas and others marines of the shipp the delight of Plymouth against John Griddon master of the sayd shipp
Deposition: 1. Thomas Serjeant of Millbrooke in the County of Cornwall Boatswayne of the sayd shipp the Delight aged 35
Details: Barbadoes to Genoa (starting at Plymouth). Was originally meant to be trading trip from Plymouth to Barcelona to Majorca and back to Plymouth; In Barbadoes half the crew of the delight refused to go to Genoa as instructed by the Master
Commodities: Sugar; ginger, Tobacco; and other goods
Folio: HCA 13/71 f.27r

HCA 13/71 cases mentioning Virginia

Themes

Destination of tobacco shipments

Warehousing, packing, and storage on board ship

Timing of tobacco ships arrival and departure from the James River

Voyage accounts: ship carrying tobacoo from Virginia to London in 1650s

Chancery court references to tobacco

C5/53/78 f. 1

...r Orato:r in a great pcell of Tobacco in the sound in parts beyond ... orty three Rolls of S:t Christophers Tobacco instead of Piggtail Tobacco a ... he paym:t of the moneys for the same tobaccos and sugars And in Regard the ... os and sugars And in Regard the same Tobacco was not such as// //he writt ... ith yo:r Orato:r in a great pcell of Tobacco in the sound about the time L ... :r Orato:r did// //not pay for such Tobacco and was not to have had & rec ... that yo:r Orato:r paid fpr the said Tobacco in the sound which came to ei ... undred forty three Rolls of Piggtail Tobacco & whether he did the XXXX and ... d yo:r// //Orato:r S:t Christophers Tobacco and may sett forth what the s ... cco and may sett forth what the same Tobacco cost him & of whom he bought ...

C5/53/78 f. 2

...tt forth there was a pcell of Tobacco sent by y.e sayd S:r// //Wil ... illiam Rider & Partners Accompt w:ch Tobacco was landed in y:e sound of De ... ording to y:e first cost of y.e sayd Tobacco herein London that then y.e C ... and this Def:t would take XXX &// //Tobacco upon this Def:ts & the Comp:l ... Comp:lts owne accompt w:ch prcell of Tobacco conteyned fiftie hogsheads of ... money & four hogsheads of role (sic) Tobacco ?w:ch// //to y:e sayd S.r Wi ... lme and y.e Comp:lt had all y.e sayd Tobacco himselfe and disposed thereof ... neet pceeds thereof And if y:e sayd Tobacco would// //not Answer itt sel ... moneyes upon the Accompt of his said Tobacco// //or Iron he himselfe have ... d. These include: * Consignment of tobacco by Sir William Ryder & partne ...

C5/53/78 f. 3

... //To mony y:w recved of the ?Tobacco Comp:a upon my accompt// //To ... epted off// //To ditto of a pcell of Tobacco w:ch y.w accepted off// //To ...

C6/218/65 f. 2

...and pitch, but also sugar and tobacco. Many of the ships referred ...

Other HCA references to tobacco (non HCA 13/71)

HCA 13/68 Part One: Case: The clayme of John Bodkin of Gallaway, for money & silver on the S:t Peter: Deposition: Thomas Watson, of Galloway, Ireland, Merchant, aged 25: Date: October 7th 1653

...oceed of the producents goods Tobacco & ?suXXX as he beleiveth To ... same, and saith the sayd Goods were Tobacco and hides. To the .14. he sa ... ls and one ?Potaco more of ?Varinaes Tobacco, and forty ?Ratacos more of v ... great pt of the sayd lading of hides Tobacco wood money and pla?te came sa ... seene severall of the sayd hides and Tobacco in the possession of Stephen ... d lost; and twenty three pataioes of Tobacco some whereof are p:rserved. A ... eyes about seven oreight barrells of Tobacco, and about fifty Potaccoes al ... nd about fifty Potaccoes all Spanish Tobacco, and about 2 barrells of Tort ... ides and a good quantity of the sayd Tobaccos of the sight of this deponen ... f is lost, and some few ?Polacoes of Tobacco which are p:rserved as he bel ... or that the syd sylver moneyes hides ...

HCA 13/125: Case: Libell against them on behalfe of John Harris and John Powicke: Personal answers: Edward Bellamye and Thomas Day: Date: XXXX

...id shippe carried some rotten Tobaccoes from the Barbadoes to Barba ... hundred seaventy and eight pounds of Tobacco and more as hee beleeveth, an ... for// ---- recto //commodities but tobaccoes and sugars in Truncks) this ... ceased of Tobaco. a hundred pound of Tobaccoe Two bottles of spiritts. s ... ttles of spiritts. sixty pounds. of Tobacco. The chirurgions bill fower ... l fower hundred and thirty pounds of Tobacco. ---- BIG GAP ---- P111070 ... alsoe of him a certaine quantitye of Tobacco at a price agreed betweene th ... ate Allw:ch severall sommes of money tobacco & the price agreed uppon for ...

Historiography