Captured ship: Fortune of Nieuwpoort, otherwise Fortuin (master and sole owner Cornelis...

Captured ship: Fortune of Nieuwpoort, otherwise Fortuin (master and sole owner Cornelis Valckenier of Nieuwpoort, otherwise Cornelius Valckrenijer, Valckenijer, Valkeneer).

History: a Flemish (Spanish Netherlands) merchant ship (bilander, 26 tons, bought by master at Nieuwpoort about 22 months before), bound from London to Rotterdam (via Nieuwpoort for 4 days), laden with serges and Monmouth caps, some of which were plundered by the captor, molasses, and some beer; taken, whilst on passage from Nieuwpoort to Rotterdam, on 19/29 April 1673 about 4 leagues off Walcheren by HMS Happy Return ([John Stansby?] commanding), and brought into Great Yarmouth.

Court Papers, numbered CP 1-7:-

• [CP 1]: three examinations taken at Great Yarmouth, 23 April 1673;
• [CP 2]: abstract of 20 ship's papers;
• [CP 3]: abstract of customs dockets;
• [CP 4-CP 6]: 3 duplicate lists of claims.
• [CP 7]: letter in English from Samuel Tucker [at Rotterdam], concerning the ship, 9 May 1673.

Ships Papers, numbered SP 1, 3-20:- ships papers numbered 1 to 20: 2 is missing. Some items have 2 numbers: continuous sequence in use (in the abstracts) are numbers in top right corner. Numbering here follows the top right HCA scheme.

• SP 1, 3-10: English customs dockets;
• SP 11: Nieuwpoort baptismal extract (29 August 1623), certified copy 9 February 1673, enclosure in SP 12;
• SP 12: letter to Rotterdam, in Dutch, originally enclosing SP 11 and SP 16;
• SP 13: bill of lading;
• SP 14: enclosure, Dutch, in SP 15;
• SP 15: letter to Rotterdam, enclosing SP 14;
• SP 16: enclosure in SP 12;
• SP 17-SP 20: bills of lading in English and Dutch.

Extra information:-

• See IND 1/9012, f.26v: restored 14 May 1673;
• See HCA 30/882, p. 61: 20 papers received 3 May 1673.