No 34. Captured ship:: St John of Bruges (master Malliart Jacobson), laden with linseed,...

No 34.

Captured ship:: St John of Bruges (master Malliart Jacobson), laden with linseed, walnut planks.

History: a Flemish (Spanish Netherlands) merchant ship (40 tons, 4 men), bound from Bordeaux to Ostend, laden with linseed, walnut planks, and chestnuts; taken on 16/26 December 1672 by the privateer Prosperous (Anthony Morin commanding) and brought into Dover.

Court paper:- Allegation and claim of Martin Buckquoy and Bastian Buckquoy, Bruges merchants, and subjects of Spain, 7 January 1672/3. They are owners of ship, bound from Bordeaux to Ostend, laden at Bordeaux by their agent in November 1672. John Bart, navigator/mate, also laded chestnuts on his own and the master's accounts. The ship met bad weather and contrary winds, became leaky and therefore anchored for safety in Dover road at 10pm on 15/25 Dec 1672, intending to go into port at Dover in the morning but they were boarded by Morin in a boat in the morning, who took the master ashore and imprisoned him, then took the ship and brought her into port. The witness John Bruar, examined at Dover, was got drunk by the crew of the captor Prosperous, who manipulated him and promised to reward him if he would give false testimony. Bruart was not aboard or did not serve in the ship until 12 days before she left Bordeaux; he was not an officer and was not trusted with cargo papers. Bruart falsely deposed that the cargo was on the account of the owners' agent, Bernard van Schooneaker, and was bound to Zeeland. This agent had lived with his wife children and family at Bordeaux for 7-20 years and is a naturalised subject of France.

The claimants refer to the following papers (all these papers were probably restored):-

• 6 schedules attached, numbered 1-6;
• 5 letters in Dutch and an attestation in Dutch dated 17 January 1673, all Bernard van Schooneaker, the owner's agent at Bordeaux, to Francis Tyson, their correspondent in London, with translations by Edward Arnold;
• 7 other attachments;
• 3 other schedules, numbered A-C, respectively: duplicate seabrief, invoice for linseed and planking, duplicate of bill of lading;
• 4 attestations, numbered D-G, all dated 17 January 1673, plus attestation at Ghent, 19 January 1673.

Further information:-

• See HCA 32/1949/12 for further court papers;
• See IND 1/9012, f. 40: ship and lading restored, 27 January 1672/1673.