Captured ship: True Love of London, otherwise Getrouwe Liefde , or Vrai Amour , suspected...

Captured ship: True Love of London, otherwise Getrouwe Liefde, or Vrai Amour, suspected of Rotterdam (master John Pitman of Poole, otherwise Pittman, Pikeman, Pikman).

History: an English merchant ship (40-70 tons, 5 men, built at Kingston upon Hull, formerly of Hull; owner Anthony Officiall of Great Yarmouth, resident of Rotterdam; hired by Samuel Tucker at Rotterdam about December 1671), now bound from Rotterdam to Jersey (where goods for St Malo were to be trans-shipped), thence to Falmouth, Morlaix, Lyme, and Ostend on charterer's instructions, laden with tobacco, tobacco pipes, bricks, steel, deal boards, tar, brass frying pans, sugar, cod roe, seeds, lamblack, pepper, cheeses etc by Samuel Tucker of Rotterdam, brother of Walter Tucker of Lyme; seized about 22 August/1 September 1672 while anchored in Jersey road by HMS Hatton ketch [this hired captor ship is also given otherwise here as HMS Guernsey ketch] (Isaac White commanding), [but was ordered released on bail, 4/14 October].

The ship had been arrested at Rotterdam, with other English ships, on the outbreak of war in March 1672, but was released according to the terms of the 1667 peace, by general order of the States-General, 14 June 1672, and was issued a pass by order of the Prince of Orange, 7 August 1672.

Court Papers, numbered CP 1-40:-

• PART 1: comprising CP1-19A:-
  • [CP 1]: five depositions of crew [taken at Jersey], 24 August 1672;
  • [CP 2]: standing interrogatories and three examinations taken at Portsmouth, 2 October 1672;
  • [CP 3]: special interrogatories and three examinations taken at Portsmouth, 2 October 1672;
  • [CP 4]: affidavit of Thomas Morgan, governor of Jersey, 1 October 1672;
  • [CP 5-CP 12]: notes of claims and cover;
  • [CP 13]: commission, 4 October 1672;
  • [CP 14]: affidavit of Richard Davey, 4 October 1672;
  • [CP 15-CP 17]: 3 letters from Walter Tucker to Richard Davey (4, 18 and 23 September 1672) endorsed as exhibited 4 October 1672;
  • [CP 18]: certificate (29 October 1672);
  • [CP 19-CP 19A]: 2 affidavits of Walter Tucker and John Pittman, Lyme, 14 October 1672;
• PART 2: comprising CP 20-26, in a semi-bound bundle:-
  • [CP 20]: attorney Robert Chapman, cover 7 December 1672;
  • [CP 21]: commission;
  • [CP 22]: five depositions taken at Lyme (27 November 1672, 12 December 1672);
  • [CP 23-CP 24]: two sets of special interrogatories;
  • [CP 25]: claim in detail, 27 November 1672, with 5 numbered papers, all written at Rotterdam, submitted as exhibits;
    • 1/ letter of Samuel Tucker, 12 March 1672;
    • 2-3/ bills of lading for Morlaix, 3 February & 18 March 1672;
    • 4-5/ invoices for the goods in the bills.
  • [CP26]: commission, 27 November 1673;
• PART 3: comprising CP 27-38:-
  • [CP 27-CP 28]: commission 25 November 1672 and list of claims;
  • [CP 29-CP 30]: 2 sets of special interrogatories;
  • [CP 31]: claims in detail;
  • [CP 32]: commission (to St Malo), 27 November 1672;
  • [CP 33]: translation (into French) of commission, annotated by Admiralty of Brittany, 18 February [1673];
  • [CP 34]: translation (into French)of claims in detail;
  • [CP 35]: list of claims;
  • [CP 36]: translation of pass of Prince of Orange, 7 August 1672;
  • [CP 37-CP 38]: translations of 2 letters from St Malo, 5 and 11 November 1672;
• PART 4: comprising booklets:-
  • [CP 39]: proceedings of Admiralty Court of Brittany, St Malo, 4, 6, 8, and 16-18 February 1673 [84 pages];
  • [CP 40]: translation of CP 39, foliated to f.119 [total 124];

Ships Papers, [PART 5] numbered SP 1-21:-

• SP 1: Rotterdam admiralty pass for Falmouth, 25 May 1672;
• SP 2: Rotterdam admiralty, note of prize commisioner and provost-martial release of ship, 28 May 1672;
• SP 3: Prince of Orange pass for Falmouth, 7 August 1672;
• SP 4: Rotterdam admiralty pass for England, 16 August 1672 [damaged];
• SP 5-SP 12 customs passes, Rotterdam/Brill, 1671-1672 [in date order];
• SP 13-SP 14: two bills of lading;
• SP 15: note of lading;
• SP 16-SP 18: ship's expenses;
• SP 19-SP 21: three letters from Rotterdam to Morlaix.

Extra information:-

• For the allegation and claim of French merchants of St Malo, see HCA 24/147/73.
• See IND 1/9012 f.83v: ship and some goods ordered released on bail, 4 October 1672. St Malo merchants' goods ordered released on bail, 12 November 1672.
• See also Calendar of State Papers Domestic 1672, pp. 471, 568 (Walter Tucker to Williamson, 4 September 1672).
• For the (hired) captor ship HMS Hatton, see Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714, p. 276, She seems to have acquired the additional name of HMS Guernsey, not given in this source, from her station (from 1671), Guernsey.