John Withers
| John Withers | |
|---|---|
| Person | John Withers |
| Title | |
| First name | John |
| Middle name(s) | |
| Last name | Withers |
| Suffix | |
| Spouse of | |
| Widow of | |
| Occupation | Mariner |
| Secondary shorebased occupation | |
| Mariner occupation | Presumably common man |
| Associated with ship(s) | Love (Master: Richard Thompson) |
| Training | Not apprentice |
| Is apprentice of | |
| Was apprentice of | |
| Had apprentice(s) | |
| Citizen | Unknown |
| Literacy | Marke |
| Has opening text | John Withers |
| Has signoff text | IW |
| 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 | Wapping |
| Res parish | |
| Res town | |
| Res county | Middlesex |
| Res province | |
| Res country | England |
| Birth year | 1610 |
| Marriage year | |
| Death year | |
| Probate date | |
| First deposition age | 45 |
| Primary sources | |
| Act book start page(s) | |
| Personal answer start page(s) | |
| Allegation start page(s) | |
| Interrogatories page(s) | |
| Deposition start page(s) | HCA 13/70 f.441r 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) | Jul 10 1655 |
| 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 Withers (b. ca. 1610; d. ?). Mariner.
Appears to have been a commonman or foremastman.
"One of the company of the vessell the Love arlate now called the Mary (whereof the arlate Richard Thompson was and is Master)"[1]
Resident in 1655 in Wapping.
Evidence from High Court of Admiralty
Forty-five year old John Withers deposed on July 10th 1655 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on an allegation dated July 6th 1655 on behalf of Richard Thompson and Company in the cause "Cooke and company and Bludworth and company against Richard Thompson and company".[2]
The case concered the collision of the ship the Love (Master: Richard Thompson) with the second ship the Rebecca. The collision happened on June 22nd 1655 at about two o'clock in the morning. The Love was coming up the River Thames between Blackwall and Greenwich on an ebbing tide, close to shore and with little wind. The Rebecca was coming down the river, but despite the ebb was close to shore and came near the Love.[3]
John Withers stated that Richard Thompson called out to the Master and Company of the REbecca, and the "he Master of the Rebecca or some of his company
spake to the sayd Thompson and first bidd him starboard his helme, and then imediately bid him port his helme, and the sayd Thompson being him selfe at the helme of the Love, did first starrboard her, and afterwards port her as was desyre, and steered her as neere the shoare as possible hee could without running her aground". Despite his actions, the Rebecca came foul of the Love in a glancing blow, and appeared to experience no damage.[4]
