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British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Escape (master Edward Elmes)....

Catalogue reference: HCA 32/323/9

What’s it about?

This record is about the British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Escape (master Edward Elmes).... dating from 1779 Apr 23 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 32/323/9
Date
1779 Apr 23
Description

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Escape (master Edward Elmes).

History: an English merchant ship (schooner, 40 or 50 tons, 8 men, formerly the American schooner Sancho, taken by HMS Ambuscade (John Munro commanding) and condemned in the Vice-Admiralty Court of Newfoundland), now bound from St Kitts to Newfoundland, laden with rum, sugar, molasses, limes, tea; taken by the American privateer Tyrannicide (Allen Hallet commanding) on 12 April 1779 and sent in for Boston, Massachusetts, retaken on 23 April 1779 in latitude 41°N, longitude 68°W off Georges Banks by HMS Renown (George Dawson commanding), and brought into New York.

Court papers numbered CP 1-3:-

  • [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master Alexander Matheson, midshipman, 30 June 1779;
  • [CP 2]: libel in Dawson v The schooner Escape and her cargo, 30 June 1779;
  • [CP 3]: deposition of Bryan Clarke, of Ireland, 21 November 1779.

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-13 (Newfoundland and St Kitts papers):-

  • SP 1: ship's register, 5 March 1779;
  • SP 2: clearance from Newfoundland;
  • SP 3-SP 11: customs, clearance etc, St Kitts;
  • SP 12: manusript copy of the privateer commission of the Tyrannicide, Massachusetts, 9 July 1778, endorsed 12 April 1779;
  • SP 13: wrapper.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-3; Ship's papers: 4-16 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
HCA 32/323/9/1-16
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
English
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C13505663/

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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.

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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

16 records

Within the piece: HCA 32/323

Captured ships with names beginning with E. Described at item level

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British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Escape (master Edward Elmes)....

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