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British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Fancy (master Nathan Pettis)....

Catalogue reference: HCA 32/329/9

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This record is about the British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Fancy (master Nathan Pettis).... dating from 1781 Oct 9 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 32/329/9
Date
1781 Oct 9
Description

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Fancy (master Nathan Pettis).

History: an American merchant ship (sloop, 50 tons, 6 guns, 6 men) bound from Newport, Rhode Island to Virginia, laden with onions, cider, cheese; taken on 9 October 1781 about 30 leagues off Sandy Hook [New Jersey] by HMS Torbay (John Lewis Gidoin commanding) and HMS Prince William (George Wilkinson commanding), and brought into New York.

Court papers numbered CP 1-4:-

  • [CP 1]: affidavit of papers brought in by the prize master Daniel Burdwood, master's mate of HMS Torbay, 15 October 1781;
  • [CP 2]: libel in Advocate General at the relation of Gidoin v the sloop Fancy, 17 October 1781;
  • [CP 3]: monition, 17 October 1781;
  • [CP 4]: inventory of the furniture of the rebel sloop Fancy, 9 October 1781, with list of freight at Salem on reverse (a ship's paper);

[Decision: condemned, if no response to the monition by 7 November 1781].

Ship's Papers numbered SP 1-11:-

  • SP 1: clearance from Middletown, Connecticut, 25 August 1781;
  • SP 2: clearance from Newport, Rhode Island, 4 October 1781;
  • SP 3: ship's register, Rhode Island, 4 October 1781
  • SP 4: bill of sale for the Fanny, from Ethan Clarke and Benjamin Easton of Rhode Island to Nathan Pettis of Connecticut, 20 April 1781;
  • SP 5: owners' instructions of George Gibbs & Co to Pettis, to proceed to the French fleet in Virginia, sell the cargo and the vessel, and invest in French bills, Newport, 5 October 1781.
  • SP 6-SP 9: accounts and memoranda;
  • SP 10: wrapper for ship's papers;
  • SP 11: Isaac Williams' book 1774: a very detailed notebook of horses traded in Grenada, 1774.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-3; Ship's papers: 4-15 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025].

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
HCA 32/329/9/1-15
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
English
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C13505743/

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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

28 records

Within the piece: HCA 32/329

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

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British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Fancy (master Nathan Pettis)....

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