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
British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Choptank (master Benjamin Gardener)....
Catalogue reference: HCA 32/293/10
What’s it about?
This record is about the British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Choptank (master Benjamin Gardener).... dating from 1777 Sep 16 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 32/293/10
-
Date (When the record was created)
- 1777 Sep 16
-
Description (What the record is about)
-
British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.
Captured ship: Choptank (master Benjamin Gardener).
Capture history: an American merchant ship with a letter of marque (ship, 210 or 300 tons, 15 men, formerly the British ship Choptank, master Charles Lennox, bound from Mobile, Florida to 'the Granadoes' when taken on 3 March 1777 by the American privateer Rattlesnake, David McCullough commanding [Pennsylvania State Navy], and brought into Martinique), now bound from Port Royal, Martinique to Charleston, South Carolina, laden with coal, salt, rum; taken on 16 or 19 September 1777 in the Gulf Stream about 50 or 60 leagues from Charleston in latitude 32°N, longitude 70°W by HMS Brune (James Ferguson commanding), and brought into New York.
Intended voyage: from the Caribbean Islands to the United States.
Court papers numbered CP 1-6:-
- [CP 1]: affidavit of papers (numbered 1-10) brought in by Ferguson, 6 October 1777;
- [CP 2]: libel in Ferguson v The ship Choptank and her cargo, 6 October 1777;
- [CP 3-CP 4]: two depositions of Benjamin Gardner and Andrew Thompson, 11 October 1777;
- [CP 5]: accounts of sale of the Choptank for £505, less expenses of £169 17s, 6 December 1777;
- [CP 6]: answer and claim of David Laird on behalf of Christopher Court & Co, merchants of London, owners, for salvage, 7 February 1778.
Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-10 (Mobile papers):-
- SP 1-SP 4: official ships papers, for Charles Lennox, Mobile, 3 March 1777;
- SP 5: instructions to Benjamin Gardener from David McCullouch or McCulloch, to proceed from Martinique to Charleston, 19 August 1777;
- SP 6: [wanting];
- SP 7: British pass for Maryland, 14 March 1772;
- SP 8: printed privateer commission issued to the Rattle Snake and McCullough by Congress; a copy with the manuscript appointment of Gardener to the Choptank by McCullough, Martinique, 19 August 1777;
- SP 9-SP 10: official ship's papers (Martinique papers).
[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-5; Ship's papers: 6-14 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025. CP 5 added from HCA 49/91 in 2024].
-
Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
-
Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
- HCA 32/293/10/1-14
-
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/C13505266/
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
20 records
Within the piece: HCA 32/293
Captured ships with names beginning with C. (Described at item level)
You are currently looking at the item: HCA 32/293/10
British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Choptank (master Benjamin Gardener)....
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.