Week Three Team Exercise
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
Contents
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 pages transcribed and searchable)
AnnotateHCA1371 Front_Page
AnnotateHCA1372 Front_Page
AnnotateHCA1373 Front_Page
You may also wish to search
Researching Virginia in the Admiralty Court Records
Think about geographical search terms and their spelling variants, e.g.
- Aramack
- James River
- Jamestowne/Jamestown/James Towne/James Town
- Nausemum
- Potomack
- Rapahannuck
- 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
- Other variants?
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?
- Spanish West Indies? Bermudas? Barbados?
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?
What was the carrying capacity of ships gfrom 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?
Interesting cases
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
- Swanley and Company against certaine hogsheads of Tobaccoe brought from Virginia and against George Johnson for his interest in 34 hogsheads
HCA 13/72
- John Jeffreyes and Robert Lewellin against Jacob Moulson
- Warren against Watson and How
HCA 13/73
[INSERT DATA]
Interesting individuals
William Claybourne the Secretary of State in Virginia
John Jefferies of London Merchant aged forty yeares
Interesting ships
Alexander of London (1654)
Anne
Anne Claere of London
Beare of Bristol
James
Golden Lyon
John and Katherine
King of Poland
Peter and jane of London
Providence of London
Sea horse
William of London (1654 & 1655)
Synthesis: Virginia
[INSERT DATA]
Synthesis: Tobacco
[INSERT DATA]
