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British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Adventure (master James Simpson,...

Catalogue reference: HCA 32/262/3

What’s it about?

This record is about the British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Adventure (master James Simpson,... dating from 1781 Jun 22 in the series High Court of Admiralty: Prize Court: Prize Papers. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.

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Full description and record details

Reference

HCA 32/262/3

Date

1781 Jun 22

Description

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Adventure (master James Simpson, American prize master Silas Atkins).

Capture history: an English merchant ship (brigantine, 80 tons, 6 people including 4 Americans) bound from Tortola to Halifax, Nova Scotia laden with rum and salt; taken on 21 June 1781 by the American privateer Expedition (Ephraim Lombard commanding), retaken on 22 June 1781 off Bermuda by HMS Amphitrite (Robert Biggs commanding), and brought into New York.

Intended voyage: from the Caribbean Islands to North America.

Court papers numbered CP 1-12:-

  • [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master William Loman, midshipman, 10 July 1781;
  • [CP 2]: libel in Advocate General at the relation of Biggs v The brigantine Adventure and her cargo, 10 July 1781;
  • [CP 3]: monition, 18 July 1781;
  • [CP 4]: deposition of Dennis Swiney, 19 July 1781;
  • [CP 5-CP 6]: commission of appraisement, and appraisement, 15-22 August 1781;
  • [CP 7]: sale of the cargo, 22 December 1781;
  • [CP 8-CP 9]: power of attorney and instructions from Tortola, 6 February and 8 March 1782;
  • [CP 10-CP 12]: claims by William Kenyon of New York on behalf of William Johnson junior and John Rymer of Tortola

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-11 (Virgin Islands papers):-

  • SP 1-SP 3: official ship's papers;
  • SP 4: crew list [no men named];
  • SP 5-SP 9: bills of lading;
  • SP 10-SP 11: notes on the capture by the Expedition.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-8; Ship's papers: 9-23 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2024].

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference

HCA 32/262/3/1-23

Legal status

Public Record(s)

Language

English

Closure status

Open Document, Open Description

Subjects
Topics
Shipping
International
Litigation
Trade and commerce
Caribbean
Conflict
Piracy and privateering
Food and drink
Navy
Crime
Americas
Armed Forces (General Administration)
Operations, battles and campaigns
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C13504754/

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Series information

HCA 32

High Court of Admiralty: Prize Court: Prize Papers

See the series level description for more information about this record.

View series description

Catalogue hierarchy

Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

108,802 records

Within the department: HCA

Records of the High Court of Admiralty and colonial Vice-Admiralty courts

37,116 records

Within the series: HCA 32

High Court of Admiralty: Prize Court: Prize Papers

25 records

Within the piece: HCA 32/262

Captured ships with names beginning with A; dated by date of capture. (Described...

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British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Adventure (master James Simpson,...

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