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High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Essex of Newburyport, Massachusetts (commander...

Catalogue reference: HCA 32/325/13

What’s it about?

This record is about the High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Essex of Newburyport, Massachusetts (commander... dating from 1781 Jun 3 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 32/325/13
Date
1781 Jun 3
Description

High Court of Admiralty.

Captured ship: Essex of Newburyport, Massachusetts (commander John Cathcart).

History: an American privateer (200 tons, 20 guns, 134 men) bound from Boston and Salem to Bilbao, on a cruise; taken on 3 June 1781 about 40 leagues W of Cape Clear by the privateer Queen Charlotte of London (James Harrick commanding), and brought into Kinsale, Ireland.

Court papers numbered CP 1-2:-

  • [CP 1]: attestation as to papers (numbered 1-4.) brought in by Harrick, Kinsale, 20 June 1781;
  • [CP 2]: standing interrogatories, depositions of John Cathcart of Boston, Ebenezer Thayer first lieutenant, and Benjamin Peck, carpenter's mate, and commissioners' affidavit, taken at Kinsale, 20 June 1781.

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-4:-

  • SP 1: printed privateer commission, 14 April 1781, with descriptions of Cathcart and Thayer on reverse;
  • SP 2: printed instructions of Congress, 2 May 1780;
  • SP 3: detailed letter of introduction for Cathcart and the Essex, from George Cabot, Beverly, to Messrs Joseph Gardoqui & Sons merchants, Bilbao, setting out requirements for his support, 20 April 1781;
  • SP 4: detailed instructions to Cathcart from Thomas Lee, agent (the owners are named in SP 3 as George Cabot, Jonathan Jackson, Joseph Lee and Samuel Cabot), 20 April 1781.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-6; Ship's papers: 7-10 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
HCA 32/325/13/1-10
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
English
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C13505693/

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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

18 records

Within the piece: HCA 32/325

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

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High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Essex of Newburyport, Massachusetts (commander...

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