Overview of Marine Oriented Commercial Record
Ship account books represent just one type of commercial record created by and used by mariners.
Marine Lives volunteers may find it useful to review this Overview of Marine Oriented Commercial Record Keeping.
Overview
A case before the High Court of Admiralty in 1666 concerning a Flandrian ship, seized by English privateers, illustrates the range of papers on a specific ship. The ship was the Godliffe, carrying wine from Nantes back to Bruges, when it was seized at the Isle of Wight. It had already been cleared by an English man of war. The master and company were carried to Chichester, where they were examined, their depositions (they claimed) had been written down falsely. They were examined again in London, where they protested their depositions. Documents referred to are a sea brief, a bill of sale for the ship, and an exemplication of the translation of the bill of sale, bills of lading, letters, and other papers.
"Hee this deponent had a seabrief on board and a bill of sale of his said shipp, together with an exempliflication of the translation thereof, under the seale of this Court, all which together with the bills and other papers the said Captaine tooke from this deponent (who showed them to him for declaration of his clearance) and detained them, and afterwards when hee had brought this deponent to Chichester and there somwhile detained him, this deponent asked of him where his writings aforesaid were, the said Captaine said that hee had sent them to London, and this deponent saying, noe, hee understood that they were in the custody of the hostesse of that house were they were (being the [?XXX ?XXX] the said Captaine produced his said writings and showd them in the presense of Mr Crispe a notary there, and of Captain Wills, and then tooke them againe into his custodie, since which time this deponent hath not seen them, saving his bills of lading and some of his letters and papers hee hath lately seen in the Registrie of this Court but his seabrief, bill of sale and exemplification, together with a discharge from the Captaine of the Breda Frigot (given him having bin aboard her) hee saith are still missing, they being subducted by the said Captaine"[1]
The master of a ship was the key man in terms of the official identity of a ship. A curious case concerning a ship named the Mary Ann illustrates this. Devon mariner Richard Bayly deposed in 1639 concerning the ship and his responsibilities upon her. He clearly believed he had been hired as her master by a man named William Bushell, who appars to have been a part-owner of the ship. Baylie’s name was the name on the name entered into the London Custom house outwards bound, and it ws his name which appeared on the cocket issued by the London Custom house. Similarly, it required Bayly going ahsore at Gravesend to ensure that the ship ws cleared by the searcher to depart. However, at the Downs, Brown Bushell entered the ship and took command of her. Yet Baylie was unclear whether Brown Bushell exercised that command as Captian or Master.
"Within the tyme arlate the arlate William Bushell hiered this examinate to serve in the arlate shippe the Mary Ann the voyage arlate to goe alonge with Browne Bushell in that shippe but never tolde him whether hee should be master of her or not, but hee sayeth that entryes were made in the Custome house London before the said shippe went from hence that voyage in the name of this examinate and in the cocketts taken out of the Custome house aforesaid it was expressed that this examinate was master of that shippe, and at Gravesend outwardes bounde that voyage the searchers there woulde not cleere her untill this examinate came ashoare there and shee ws there cleered by this examinate as master of her that voyage, and hee was bound for her gunns, and this examinate was the principall man in her untill shee came into the Downes, and then the sarlate Brown Bushell came aboard her and from that tyme tooke uppon him the full comande of the said shippe, but whether it as as captaine or master of her hee knoweth not".[2]
