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Week Three Team Exercise

Editorial history

Created 15/06/14 by CSG

Purpose of page

This page sets our a team exercise which Team Three will we working on in Week Three of the MarineLives 2014 Summer Programme

Suggested links

Virginia tobacco trade in the 1650s

Goals

• To develop our research skills to explore places and material goods, using Virginia and Tobacco as a case example

Search hints

General search hints

Search the three major wikis (in terms of numbers of transcribed and searchable pages)

AnnotateHCA1371 Front_Page
AnnotateHCA1372 Front_Page
AnnotateHCA1373 Front_Page

You may also wish to search

AnnotateHCA1364 Front_Page

Researching Virginia in the Admiralty Court Records

Think about geographical search terms and their spelling variants, e.g.

• Aramack/Achamack
• James River
• Jamestowne/Jamestown/James Towne/James Town
• Nausemum
• Potomack
• Rapahannuck/Rapahannocke
• Rappahannack River
• River of Nansemum/River of Nausemum
• Virginia
• Yorke River/York River

Researching Tobacco in the Admiralty Court Records

Think about orthographical variation of the basic search term for tobacco

• Tobacco
• Tobaccoe
• Tobaccoes
• Virginia Leafe Tobaccoe
• Tobaccoe Plants
• Other variants?
• Tobacconist

Questions to explore

What were the ports of origin of ships visiting Virginia, and what routes did they take?

• Direct voyages from London and Bristol to Virginia?
• Indirect voyages from London (and elsewhere) via Guinea Coast and Angolan Coast of Africa?

Can you identify trading links between Virginia and Barbados, between Virginia and New England, and Virginia and the Bermudas?

• What goods were traded between these places?

When did the London and Bristol ships arrive each year at Virginia? How long did they stay? When did they depart with tobacco for London?

Can you identify ships and merchants from Amsterdam trading with Virginia?

What was the cost of passage for a passenger from London to Virginia, and how did it compare with the cost of passage for a passage for a passenger from Bristol to Virginia?

Can you identify the names of correspondents or agents of London merchants in Virginia?

• Were these correspondents or agents family members? If not, how were they related to the London merchants?

Can you find evidence of private trade in tobacco by officers and ordinary seamen on board ships travelling from Virginia to Europe?

Did tobacco come just from Virginia?

• Antego? Bermudas? Barbados? Brazil? Nevis/Mevis? Spanish West Indies?

How long did it take to load tobacco into a ship in Virginia?

How did merchants and planters in Virginia contract with ship owners and ship masters to freight tobacco to Europe?

How was tobacco transported and stored?

• Hogsheads? barrells? rolls? parcells? Manaco's?

What was the carrying capacity of ships from Virginia to England?

• Hogsheads per ship?
• Hogsheads per tunn of ship's burthen?

What was the role of the cooper in the transportation and storage of tobacco?

- Can you find witness statements by coopers describing what they did with tobacco?

What was the price or value of tobacco in Virginia vs. London?

• Price in sterling?
• Price in sugar equivalent?
• Price in non-sterling currencies?

Did tobacco price changes vary seasonally and/or between years?

How was tobacco distributed and sold once it arrived in London?

• Role of grocers? Role of tobacconists?

Can you find evidence of tobacco sale and use in English ports and towns outside London?

What evidence is there of transhipment of Virginia tobacco via London (and other English ports) to other ports in Europe?

• Spain?
• Canary Islands?
• Mediterranean Ports?
• Other geographical regions?

What goods were traded from Europe to Virginia?

Research hints

Q1: What were the ports of origin of ships visiting Virginia, and what routes did they take?

• Direct voyages from London and Bristol to Virginia?
• Indirect voyages from London (and elsewhere) via Guinea Coast and Angolan Coast of Africa?

- Case: Involving the ship the King of Poland, shipping tobacco from the Bermudas and Virginia to London in 1655 HCA 13/72 f.249r

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Q2: Can you identify trading links between Virginia and Barbados, between Virginia and New England, and Virginia and the Bermudas?

• What goods were traded between these places?

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Q3: When did the London and Bristol ships arrive each year at Virginia? How long did they stay? When did they depart with tobacco for London?

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Q4: Can you identify ships and merchants from Amsterdam trading with Virginia?

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Q5: What was the cost of passage for a passenger from London to Virginia, and how did it compare with the cost of passage for a passage for a passenger from Bristol to Virginia?

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Q6: Can you identify the names of correspondents or agents of London merchants in Virginia?

• Were these correspondents or agents family members? If not, how were they related to the London merchants?

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Q7: Can you find evidence of private trade in tobacco by officers and ordinary seamen on board ships travelling from Virginia to Europe?

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Q8: Did tobacco come just from Virginia?

• Antego? Bermudas? Barbados? Brazil? Nevis/Mevis? Spanish West Indies?

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Q9: How long did it take to load tobacco into a ship in Virginia?

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Q10: How did merchants and planters in Virginia contract with ship owners and ship masters to freight tobacco to Europe?

• According to the books of account of the supra cargo on the ship the Alexander, which was contracted to carry tobacco from Virginia to England, freight per tonne of tobacco varied between £8 per tonne and £10 per tonne in 1654 HCA 13/71 f.402r
• John Jefferey's Virginia correspondents switched transportation of Virginia tobacco from the ship the Alexander to the ship the Providence, when (allegedly) forty shillings per tonne more than agreed was requested for freight of tobacco on the Alexander HCA 13/71 f.236r

Q11: How was tobacco transported and stored?

• Hogsheads? barrells? rolls? parcells? Manaco's?

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Q12: What was the carrying capacity of ships from Virginia to England?

• Hogsheads per ship?
• Hogsheads per tunn of ship's burthen?

- Case: Warner against Howe and Watson
--[William Watson was master of the ship the Alexander in 1653 and 1654, and contracted with Armiger Warner "and lett him the sayd shipp to ffreight for a voyage to bee made from ffalmouth in England to Corke in Ireland and thense to Yorke River or Rapahannack in Virgina thense to London and to lade in Virginia and bring thense to London three hundred tonnes of Tobaccoe accompting fower Virginia hogsheads to every tonne"HCA 13/71 f.401v

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Q13: What was the role of the cooper in the transportation and storage of tobacco?

• Can you find witness statements by coopers describing what they did with tobacco?

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Q14: What was the price or value of tobacco in Virginia vs. London?

• Price in sterling?
• Price in sugar equivalent?
• Price in non-sterling currencies?

Q15: Did tobacco price changes vary seasonally and/or between years?

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Q16: How was tobacco distributed and sold once it arrived in London?

• Role of grocers? Role of tobacconists?

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Q17: Can you find evidence of tobacco sale and use in English ports and towns outside London?

[INSERT DATA]

Q18: What evidence is there of transhipment of Virginia tobacco via London (and other English ports) to other ports in Europe?

• Spain?
• Canary Islands?
• Mediterranean Ports?
• Other geographical regions?

[INSERT DATA]

Q18: What goods were traded from Europe to Virginia?

[INSERT DATA]

Interesting cases

To find cases by case name (with their associated depositions) in HCA 13/72 try browsing:

HCA 13/72 Cases and depositions

Equivalent pages for HCA 13/71 and HCA 13/73 have not yet been populated with data

HCA 13/71

• A Busines of Examination of wittnesses on the behalfe of Thomas Allen Anthony Peniston and Company Owners of the shipp the King of Poland whereof ffrederick Johnson is Master) against John Wright Jasper White Perient Trott Thomas Tomlinson John Butts Richard Chandler and George Watermann
• Ewer against Watts
• Naphthalia White John Thomas and others marines of the shipp the delight of Plymouth against John Griddon master of the sayd shipp
• On the behalfe of Moses Goodier and Timothy Alsop touching the hester of Plimouth
• Swanley and Company against certaine hogsheads of Tobaccoe brought from Virginia and against George Johnson for his interest in 34 hogsheads
• Titus Complayne against John Brandlin John Blomfeilde and Alexander Scott
• Warner against Howe and Watson

HCA 13/72

• John Jeffreyes and Robert Lewellin against Jacob Moulson
• Warren against Watson and How

HCA 13/73

• Claime of the said van hulten and others in the Mary
• Harris and Beomont against the Fortune and against Carlton
• Thomas Taylor and Loijs his wife against the Shipp the Summer Islands Merchant and against John Jenkins Master of the said Ship

Interesting individuals

London Merchants

John Jefferis/Jefferies, London merchant, dealing in tobacco with Virginia
- Grocer
- b. 1614, d. ca. XXX
- J.R.Woodhead Profile of JEFFREYS, John (B)
- Deposition by John Jefferies of London merchant HCA 13/71 f.235v
-- Deponent "hath for divers yeares last past used the trade of a Merchant to Virginia"

Perient Trott
- Grocer
- Traded in tobacco with Virginia
- Brother of Nicholas Trott, merchant of Yorke Towne, Virginia
- Case: Involving the ship the King of Poland, shipping tobacco from the Bermudas and Virginia to London in 1655 HCA 13/72 f.249r

Virginia Merchants

David Sellick, merchant of Aramack, Virginia
- Merchant
- b.1614. d. before 1654
- Profile of David Sellick

Nicholas Trott, merchant of Yorke Towne, Virginia

Planters

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Politicians

William Clayborne/Claybourne the Secretary of State in Virginia [HCA 13/71 f.230v]

Interesting ships

Alexander of London (1654)
Anne of London
Anne Claere of London/Anne Cleeve of London
Beare of Bristol
Honour of London (1659)
James
Golden Lyon
John and Katherine
King of Poland
Peter and Jane of London
Providence of London
Sea horse
Summer Islands Merchant
Thomas and Anne (1659)
William of London (1654 & 1655)

Synthesis: Virginia

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Synthesis: Tobacco

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