John Witchells
| John Witchells | |
|---|---|
| Person | John Witchells |
| Title | |
| First name | John |
| Middle name(s) | |
| Last name | Witchells |
| Suffix | |
| Spouse of | |
| Widow of | |
| Occupation | Mariner |
| Secondary shorebased occupation | |
| Mariner occupation | Gunner |
| Associated with ship(s) | Plough (Master: Philip Noyes) |
| Training | Not apprentice |
| Is apprentice of | |
| Was apprentice of | |
| Had apprentice(s) | |
| Citizen | Unknown |
| Literacy | Marke |
| Has opening text | John Witchells |
| Has signoff text | I |
| 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 | Limehouse |
| Res parish | Stepney |
| Res town | |
| Res county | Middlesex |
| Res province | |
| Res country | England |
| Birth year | 1617 |
| Marriage year | |
| Death year | |
| Probate date | |
| First deposition age | 40 |
| Primary sources | |
| Act book start page(s) | |
| Personal answer start page(s) | |
| Allegation start page(s) | |
| Interrogatories page(s) | |
| Deposition start page(s) | HCA 13/71 f.573r 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) | Mar 6 1657 |
| 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
John Witchells (b. ca. 1617; d. ?). Mariner.
Gunner of the ship the Plough (Master: Philip Noyes).
Resident in Limehouse in the parish of Stepney.
Evidence from High Court of Admiralty
Forty year old John Witchells deposed on March 6th 1657 in the High Court of Admiralty.[1] He was examined on an allegation in "A business of examination of wittnesses ad perpetuam rei memoriam touching certaine stormes which happened to the shipp called the Plough of which Philip Noyes is or was master and whatsoever goods on board the same lately brought in the sayd shipp from the Westerne Islands to this Port of London promoted by the sayd Noyes against all who have or pretend interest in the sayd shipp and her ladeing"[2]
John Witchells stated that the ship the Plough was en route from the Westerne Islands to London when she met with "much stormie and tempestious weather". On January 7th 1657 "shee mett with such a storme of winde hayle and rayne (that lasted for above twenty fower houres) that shee thereby shipped much water the sea breaking often over her with that violence that this deponent and others were up to the knees in water upon deck, and one sea brake in at the sterage (sic) doore and runne downe into the Gunne roome and the sayd shipp and ladeing by reason of the violence of the sayd storme was in great danger of perishing
as alsoe were the lives of her Company."[3]
