George Bascum
| George Bascum | |
|---|---|
| Person | George Bascum |
| Title | |
| First name | George |
| Middle name(s) | |
| Last name | Bascum |
| Suffix | |
| Spouse of | |
| Widow of | |
| Occupation | Mariner |
| Secondary shorebased occupation | |
| Mariner occupation | Foremastman, One of the Company |
| Associated with ship(s) | John of Cowes (Master: John Titley) |
| Training | Not apprentice |
| Is apprentice of | |
| Was apprentice of | |
| Had apprentice(s) | |
| Citizen | Unknown |
| Literacy | Marke |
| Has opening text | George Bascum |
| Has signoff text | + |
| 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 | Poole |
| Res county | Dorset |
| Res province | |
| Res country | England |
| Birth year | 1626 |
| Marriage year | |
| Death year | |
| Probate date | |
| First deposition age | 29 |
| 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.48r 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) | Jan 8 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
George Bascum (alt. Baskum) (b. ca. 1626; d. ?).
"One of the company" of the ship the John of Cowes, and "Being one of her foremast men in the said trading voyage" (in 1654).[1]
Resident in 1655 in Poole in the county of Dorset.
Evidence from High Court of Admiralty
Twenty-nine year old George Bascum deposed on January 8th 1655 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on interogatories "On the behalfe of Percivall Gilbert of Cowes merchant touching a losse in the John of Cowes (John Titley master).[2]
The case concerned the loss of the ship the John of Cowes at Barbados on a voyage from Cowes to Barbados. The ship departed Cowed on March 15th 1654. arriving at Barbados at the beginning of May 1654 and remaining there until early in July 1654. At Barbados the ship laded sugar belonging to Percivall Gilbert. But while still at Barbados, on July 2nd 1653 "there happened a most violent and tempestuous storme commonly there called a hurricane, soe furious as that the people that had dwelt there many yeares generally affirmed that they had never seene or knowne the like before". As a result "by the extremitie whereof the said shipp the John together with all the sugars (to the quantitie of tenn tonnes of sugar or thereabouts) that were aboard her as alsoe eight puncheons of brandewine and three tonnes of beer, were driven ashore and utterly lost and cast away, the shipp being splitt in peeces".[3]
Although George Bascum signed his deposition with a simple cross as his marke, he could evidently make out or read simple letters used as merchant marks on goods. He testified that he saw the hogsheads of sugar belonging to Percival Gilbert loaded onto the ship, which he helped to stow. He recalled that "the hogsheads and other casks wherein the same were laden, were marked P.G. all which hee knoweth being present and seeing the said goods soe laden, and helping to stowe the same".[4]
