Record revealed
Letters from the curator of St Vincent Botanic Gardens
Discover how plants travelled across the British Empire in the 19th century and the effect this has on our natural environment, and eating habits, today.
Item
High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Blair (master Thomas Periam). Capture history:...
Catalogue reference: HCA 32/283/3
What’s it about?
This record is about the High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Blair (master Thomas Periam). Capture history:... dating from 1777 Jul 7 in the series High Court of Admiralty: Prize Court: Prize Papers. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
Is it available online?
No, this record is not available online. However, you can order a copy. Other ways to view it.
Can I see it in person?
Yes, this record is held at The National Archives and is available to see in person. How to view it.
Full description and record details
-
Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- HCA 32/283/3
-
Date (When the record was created)
- 1777 Jul 7
-
Description (What the record is about)
-
High Court of Admiralty.
Captured ship: Blair (master Thomas Periam).
Capture history: an American merchant ship (brigantine, 180 tons, 10 men - American and English) bound from Dartmouth, Massachusetts via Charleston, South Carolina to Bordeaux, laden with rice; taken on 7 July 1777 in the Bay of Biscay by HMS Valiant (John Leveson Gower commanding), and brought into Portsmouth.
Intended voyage: from the United States to France.
Court papers numbered CP 1-6:-
- [CP 1]: attestation as to papers (numbered 1-10) brought in by the prize master Isaac Prescott, first lieutenant, [30 July 1777], endorsed by the court"See No 1 among the Ship Books"
- [CP 2]: standing and additional interrogatories,
- [CP 3]: three depositions of Thomas Periam of New York City, Frederick Bolton of Bridgwater, New England [Massachusetts], and Andrew Hunter of Glasgow, North Britain [Scotland], commissioners' affidavit;
- [CP 4]: covering letter from the commissioners; forwarding the ship's papers, 30 May 1777.
- [CP 5]: a contemporary court note"Blair Thomas Periam master. Ship Book brought in 1 August 1777'';
- [CP 6]: allegation, 4 September 1777.
Ships Papers numbered SP 1-10, including mail in transit:-
- SP 1: log or journal kept by Frederick Bolton the mate of the Blair from 21 March 1777 to 6 July 1777, with a drawing of two ships and fortifications [possibly of Charleston] flying a unique version of the American flag, with the cross of St George and the stripes [moved here from HCA 30/715/1 in July 2023];
- SP 2: owners instructions from Archibald Blair and James Jarvis, Bedford, to Periam, 25 February 1777;
- SP 3: crew list and agreement;
- SP 4: owners instructions (enclosing SP 5) from Archibald Blair and William Erskine, Boston, 27 March 1777;
- SP 5: business letter from Archibald Blair and William Erskine, Boston, to Messrs Samuel and Hants Delap, merchants at Bordeaux, 27 March 1777;
- SP 6: owners instructions from Archibald Blair and William Erskine, Boston, 14 April 1777;
- SP 7: business letter from Archibald Blair and William Erskine, Boston, to Messrs Samuel and Hanse Delap, merchants at Bordeaux, trusting on their intorudcution by Messrs Conningham Nesbitt 7 Co and Mr Andrew Caldwell of Philadelphia, 25 February 1777;
- SP 8: business letter from Archibald Blair and William Erskine, Boston, to Messrs Samuel and Hanse Delap, merchants at Bordeaux, 14 April 1777;
- SP 9: business letter from James Jarvis, Dartmouth, to Messrs Samuel and Hans Delap, merchants at Bordeaux, 21 March 1777;
- SP 10: small paper notes for a navigational log, from 4 June 1777 to the day of capture, 7 July 1777.
[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-9; Ship's papers: 10-18 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2024].
-
Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
-
Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
- HCA 32/281/20/1-7
-
Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
-
Language (The language of the record)
- English
-
Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
-
Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
-
Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C13505103/
How to order it
- View this record page in our current catalogue
- Check viewing and downloading options
- Select an option and follow instructions
Series information
HCA 32
High Court of Admiralty: Prize Court: Prize Papers
See the series level description for more information about this record.
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
109,109 records
Within the department: HCA
Records of the High Court of Admiralty and colonial Vice-Admiralty courts
37,247 records
Within the series: HCA 32
High Court of Admiralty: Prize Court: Prize Papers
17 records
Within the piece: HCA 32/283
Captured ships with names beginning with B. (Described at item level)
You are currently looking at the item: HCA 32/283/3
High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Blair (master Thomas Periam). Capture history:...
You may be interested in
-
-
Focus on
The corsair state of Rabat-Salé
On the Atlantic coast of Morocco are two cities that became one of the most substantial Islamic ports of the 17th Century. -
Record revealed
Photograph of the Jubilee Singers
This photo shows an African American student choir who toured the UK and whose performances were attended by Queen Victoria and the Prime Minister.
Related records
Records that share similar topics with this record.