Virginia tobacco trade in the 1650s
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)
Contents
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
Date of deposition: XXXX
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
Transcriber: Elio Calcagno
Case: Titus Complayne against John Brandlin John Blomfeilde and Alexander Scott
Deposition: 7. Thomas Coclough of the parish of Saint Christopher neere the stocks London Grocer aged 36 or 37 or 38
Date of deposition: 01/05/1656
Details: Key people - Thomas Coclough (Grocer); Titus Complayne; William Marsh (master of the Primrose); John Appleton (servant of Thomas Coclough); Brandling
Commodities: Tobbacoe...
Folio: HCA 13/71 f.199r
Transcriber: Laura Seymour
Case: Warner against the Alexander and against hXXXX
Deposition: Jacob van ?Zeiden of the Cowes in the Ile of Wight Chyrugeon, aged 21 yeares;
Deposition date:
Details: Virginia
Commodities: Tobaccoe
Folio: HCA 13/71 ff.215r-215v
Transcriber: Not yet transcribed (just summarised)
Case: XXXX against the shipp the Alexander whereof William Watson was Master and her tackle furniture and against Alexander Howe coming a factor in interest in the sayd shipp and against the sayd William Watson
Deposition: 2. Captaine John Miller of Ratcliffe in the parish of Stepney & County of Middlesex Mariner aged 44
Deposition date: 25/05/1656
Details:
Commodities: Tobaccoe
Folio: HCA 13/71 ff.228r-229r
Transcriber: Janet Few
Case: XXXX against the shipp the Alexander whereof William Watson was Master and her tackle furniture and against Alexander Howe coming a factor in interest in the sayd shipp and against the sayd William Watson
Deposition:
3. George Swanley of Bromley neere Bowe in the County of Middlesex Mariner aged 39
Deposition date: ?
Details: Mentions An officer of the HCA; George Swanley (signator of deposition); Mentions Virginia; Yorke River; Rapahannock River in Virginia
Commodities: Tobaccoe
Folio: HCA 13/71 f.229v
Transcriber: Not yet transcribed (allocated to Alex Jackson)
Case: ?
Deposition: ?
Deposition date:
Details: The ship the Eve
Commodities: Tobbacoe; Spanish wines and fruites; Arus raisens; wines;
Folio: HCA 13/71 f.237r
Transcriber: William Kellett
Case: On the behalfe of Moses Goodier and Timothy Alsop touching the hester of Plimouth;
Deposition: Richard Bone in the County of devon Mariner aged 36 and George Strode servant to Mr Moses Goodier of London merchant aged 20;
Deposition date: 10/06/1656
Details: People mentioned - Mr Moses Goodier (merchant); Timothy Alsop; Richard Bone; George Strode (servant of Moses Goodier); Mr Timothy Mapp of Plimouth (merchant); Ships mentioned - The Hester; Places mentioned - County of Devon; London; Plimouth; Saint Ives in Cornwall; Venice; the Vare of Messina; Tholon (i.e. Toulon)
Commodities: Pilchards; tobaccoe; peaces of stuff; worsted stockings;
Folio: HCA 13/71 f.241r
Transcriber: Philip Hnatkovich
Case: ?
Deposition: Josiah Elfroth of Wapping in the parish of Stepney and the County of Middlesex Mariner Masters cheife Mate of the shipp the King of Poland aged 37
Deposition date: 17/06/1656
Details: Places mentioned: Virginia; Bermudas;
Commodities: Tobacco
Folio: ff.252v-254r
Transcriber: David Pashley (ff.242v-253r); Jill Wilcox (ff.253v-254r)
Case: Examined upon an allegation on the behalfe of the sayd Tilley Vanden=Posl and Company.
Deposition: Deposition of William Anderson of Stockdon within the Bishoprick of Durham, late Gunner of the sayd shipp the Fortune
Deposition date: 03/04/1656
Details: Voyage to Barbary from Port of London in the ship the ffortune
Commodities: gunnes, or fowling peices, iron, tobaććo lead bales of Cloath and other goods
Folio: HCA 13/71 ff.131r-131v
Transcriber: Colin Greenstreet
Case:
Deposition:
Deposition date:
Details:
Commodities:
Folio:
Transcriber:
Case:
Deposition:
Deposition date:
Details:
Commodities:
Folio:
Transcriber:
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
...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 ...
...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 ...
... //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 ...
...and pitch, but also sugar and tobacco. Many of the ships referred ...
Other HCA references to tobacco (non HCA 13/71)
...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 ...
...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
