Captured ship: Francis or Pelican (master Richard Bowers alias John Robinson). History:...

Captured ship: Francis or Pelican (master Richard Bowers alias John Robinson).

History: an English or French or Jacobite merchant vessel bound from Newfoundland to a port in England or France, laden with fish; seized on 26 November / 6 December 1690 in the harbour of Ferryland, Newfoundland by the privateer Sarah (Richard Beasant commanding) and brought into Ilfracombe. The captors alleged that the ship previously sailed from La Rochelle and St Martin to Newfoundland with colourable ship's papers and that the vessel had previously been captured by a French privateer and taken to Brest, where a prize court restored the ship at the urging of James II.

Documents:-

Court Papers:

• [CP 1]: Note accompanying examinations taken at Ilfracombe [not here];
• [CP 2-CP 5/9]: attestation as to the apparently French origin of the ship's cargo, a bond by Richard Bowers stating that he carried no French goods and had no association with James II, docket, nine exhibits, including letters to Richard Bowers and one of the ship's owners, Samuel Shephard, bills of exchange and accounts, some exhibits are copies;
• [CP 6-CP 7]: two sets of interrogatories;
• [CP 8]: first allegation;
• [CP 9]: claim to the ship and cargo on behalf of merchants in London;
• [CP 10]: second allegation;
• [CP 11]: interrogatories;
• [CP 12-CP 13]: inventory, commission of appraisement;
• [CP 14-CP 27]: documents relating to the sale of the ship and cargo at Ilfracombe, including a commission, accounts of the sale, letters from the customs house, some of them alleging irregularities in the sale, two affidavits relating to ownership of the ship and cargo;
• [CP 28-CP 30]: rough drafts of documents relative to the cause;
• [CP 31]: docket for the ship's papers [not here].

[Decision: ship and cargo condemned 22 May 1691, appealed].