British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Betsey (master Constant Church,...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Betsey (master Constant Church, otherwise Constantine Church).

History: an American merchant ship (40 or 70 tons, 12 men) bound from Cap François, Saint Domingue to Newborn [New Bern], North Carolina, laden with sugar, coffee; taken on 13 April 1781 in latitude 35°N by HMS Cormorant (Robert McEvoy commanding), and brought into New York.

Court papers numbered CP 1-4:-

• [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master John Bell, master's mate, 25 April 1781;
• [CP 2]: libel in Advocate General at the relation of McEvoy v The schooner Betsey, 25 April 1781;
• [CP 3]: depositions of John Peters, 26 April 1781;
• [CP 4]: monition, 24 April 1781.

[Decision: condemned, if no response to the monition by 15 May 1781].

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-59: the master's archive of Constant Church on three ships, 1778-1781:-

1778 papers:-
• SP 1-SP 4: four letters, all owners instructions to Church as master of the brig Mermaid, from Joseph Atkinson and Nathaniel Fairs, Charleston, June to December 1778;
• SP 5-SP 6: two small personal accounts;

1779 papers:-
• SP 7-SP 10: personal invoices and receipts;
• SP 11: clearance of the schooner Betsey (master Thomas Kelley) belonging to Richard Blackled for a voyage from Beaufort, North Carolina to St Eustatius, 4 June 1779;
• SP 12: letter to Church, no longer in the hands of the enemy, from William Gibbs, at Bogue, November 1779; SP 13: bill of lading on the schooner Reprisal, master Constant Church, from Leogane, Saint Domingue to New Bern, 27 December 1779;

1780 papers:
• SP 14: small page with draft log and annotations;
• SP 15: an IOU.

1780 papers:-
• SP 16: letter to Church, on the schooner Reprisal at Cape Lookout, from Richard and James Ellis, New Bern, 29 January 1780;
• SP 17: complaint by Church that Mr Ellis forcibly took goods from the Reprisal that Church had shipped as freight, 21 February 1780;
• SP 18: list of crew, March-May 1780;
• SP 19-SP 22: four letters to Church, master of the schooner Betsey, loading at Bogue for St Eustatius, from Isaac Guion owner, Benjamin Hawkins and Barz[illai] Grant, New Bern, March- May 1780;
• SP 23: itemised account from Church to Guion, of work done on and supplies for the Betsey, payments for labour (including people described as e.g. 'Negroe Cesar') and provisions, 13 July 1780;
• SP 24: clearance of the schooner Betsey (master Constant Church) belonging to Isaac Guion & Co for a voyage from Beaufort for the West Indies, 13 July 1780;
• SP 25-SP 32: personal invoices, receipts and accounts for clothes etc, St Eustatius, 7-21 August 1780;

• SP 33: draft log, 25 August-1 September 1780;
• SP 34: receipt, New Bern, 8 September 1780;
• SP 35: unpaid [triplicate] bill of exchange from William Bull, New Bern, 16 October 1780 for 3,000 Continental dollars, to be paid to Church by William Vernon, Boston;
• SP 36: letter from William Bull, New Bern, October [17]80, to Friend Christopher Townsend, Rhode Island [about a slave]: "this morning I had the disagreable sight of seeing your boy Cudjo tyd up to a ladder and flagolated by a French Marquis who intends makeing him his property. Mr J[ohn] Cook can with your power take him from the French Bu-ger, he is worth (if your conscience will admit of selling him) £70 sterling. Ths will be handed you by Cap Church who returns here again and can direct you particularly where he is" [not delivered to Townsend?];
• SP 37-SP 39: receipts;
• SP 40: receipt by George Babcock for 8,000 Continental dollars from Constant Church, to be delivered to Susannah Church, 29 December 1780.

1781 papers:-
• SP 40-SP 41: owners instructions from Robert Singleton & Co, Dr Guion and Captain Anthony, New Bern, and separately from Isacc Guion, both 11 January 1781;
• SP 42: receipt for tobacco from Jacob Millegan for Church to sell in St Eustatius, and the returns to be invested in goods for Philadelphia;
• SP 43: receipt for turpentine and flour from Thomas McLin for Church to sell in St Eustatius, and the returns to be invested in goods.

Undated:-
• SP 44: a brown leather pocket book and wallet, including two small pieces of cream silk;
• SP 45-SP 57: invoices, notes, memoranda, receipts;
• SP 58-SP 59: two undated owners instructions to Church from Guion.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-3; Ship's papers: 4-63 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2024].