Volume 1 of 'Letters of Agency', compiled by the registry of the British New York...

Volume 1 of 'Letters of Agency', compiled by the registry of the British New York Vice-Admiralty Court from 10 Oct 1777.

Each transcript of these letters of attorney lists the names of the naval crew appointing prize agents, and notes any use of a mark instead of a signature, providing an overview of men serving in these waters, and levels of literacy. Other vessels give names of owners and masters.

Prize agents:- John Bremner merchant late of East Florida, now of New York: George Cherry purser of HMS Eagle; Joseph Davies secretary to Admiral Howe; James or Richard Dick secretary to Admiral Gambier; Philip Dumaresqe; Alexander Forteath merchant of New York: Samuel Kemble merchant of New York; Archibald Kirby and James Gilchrist, merchants late of Virginia and now of New York city; John Marr purser of HMS Daphne; Evan Nepean secretary to Admiral Lord Shuldham; Miles Sherbrooke merchant of New York; Walter Spense merchant of New York; John Tench of New York; Alexander Wallace of New York; Hugh Wallace of New York; Henry White merchant of New York city; Edward Winslow.

Transcripts of letters of agency appointing prize agents for:-

• 1) HMS Otter, 1 July 1777: Kirby and Gilchrist;
• 2) HMS Unicorn, 1 Oct 1777: Davies and Cherry;
• 3) HMS Perseus, 21 Sept 1776: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 4) HMS Dispatch, 19 June 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 5) HMS Galatea, 16 Sept 1776: Davies and Cherry;
• 6) HMS Tartar, 4 Jan 1777: Davies, Cherry and White: for the galleys Independence and Spitfire taken in Hudson's River by HMS Phoenix, HMS Roebuck, and HMS Tartar, and all others;
• 7) HMS Greyhound, 5 Sept 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 8) HMS Orpheus, 19 Oct 1776: Davies, Nepean and Marr;
• 9) HMS Orpheus and HMS Kings Fisher, 8 July 1776: Nepean and White: for the prizes Adrian brig, Peggy sloop, Polly brig and the schoooner Fidelity;
• 10) HMS Experiment, 29 Oct 1777: H and A Wallace;
• 11) HMS Cerberus, 6 Oct 1777: White;
• 12) HMS Thames, 5 Feb 1778: White and Marr;
• 13) HMS Orpheus, 19 Oct 1776: Davies, Nepean and Marr;
• 14) HMS Orpheus, 6 July 1777: White and Marr;
• 15) HMS Daphne, March 1778: White and Marr;
• 16) HMS Carysfort, undated: White;
• 17) HMS Camilla, 29 Nov 1776: Davies, Cherry and White: for the prizes George snow, Admiral Montague and Chance sloops, and Polly brig;
• 18) HMS Mermaid, 1 Dec 1777: Kemble;
• 19) HMS Unicorn, 2 Oct 1777: Kemble;
• 20) HMS Roebuck, 19 Dec 1776: Kemble;
• 21) HMS Mermaid, 26 Nov 1776: Kemble: for the prize Shellaly schooner, and their share in two sloops taken jointly with HMS Daphne and HMS Orpheus;
• 22) HMS Bristol, 7 Sept 1777: Kemble;
• 23) HMS Merlin, 10 April 1777: Kemble;
• 24) HMS Mermaid, 8 Dec 1776: Davies and Kemble;
• 25) HMS Perseus, 29 July 1777: Kemble;
• 26) HMS Brune, 13 Sept 1777: Kemble and Sherbrooke;
• 27) HMS Senegal, 10 July 1777: Kemble;
• 28) HMS Camilla, 23 Dec 1776: Kemble;
• 29) HMS Richmond, 1 July 1777: Kemble;
• 30) HMS Maidstone, 21 Dec 1777: Kemble;
• 31) HMS St Albans, 31 Dec 1777: Kemble;
• 32) HMS Ariel, 1 March 1778: Kemble;
• 33) HMS Andromeda, 1 May 1778: Kemble;
• 34) HMS Perseus, 23 Feb 1777: Kemble;
• 35) HMS Roebuck, 9 Dec 1776: Davies and Cherry;
• 36) HMS Falcon, 22 May 1777: Cherry;
• 37) HMS Scorpion, 1776: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 38) HMS Emerald, 19 May 1777 for Davies, Cherry and White;
• 39) HMS Cherokee, 13 Nov 1776: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 40) HMS Diamond, 14 Nov 1777: Cherry;
• 41) HMS Preston, 2 May 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 42) HMS Raven, 13 Nov 1776: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 43) John Linzee late commander of HMS Falcon, 7 Aug 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 44) George Keith Elphinstone late commander of HMS Pearl, 13 Aug 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 45) HMS Pearl, 12 Aug 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 46) HMS Ambuscade (captain, master, warrant officers, petty officers and mariners), 26 Oct 1776: Davies and Cherry: for the prize sloop Wolf (Captain Freeman), a new England privateer, a joint capture with HMS Diamond and HMS Unicorn;
• 47) HMS Ambuscade (lieutenants and Marine lieutenant), 30 Oct 1776: Davies and Cherry: for the Wolf;
• 48) HMS Falcon, 15 Sept 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 49) HMS Falcon, 27 Jan 1778: Cherry: the prize sloop Schuyler;
• 50) HMS Brune, 17 March 1777: Davies, Cherry and White: for the prize ship Farmer, a joint capture with HMS Preston;
• 51) John Linzee late commander of HMS Camilla, 10 Aug 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 52) HMS Camilla, 18 Aug 1777: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 53) HMS Haarlem, 21 July 1777: Davies, Cherry and White; ;
• 54) HMS Solebay, 22 Oct 1776: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 55) HMS Lively, 5 Nov 1776: Davies, Cherry and White;
• 56) HMS Galatea, 1 Dec 1777: White;
• 57) HMS Halifax, 13 Nov 1776: Nepean: for the prize schooner Rose Noble taken 2 July 1776;
• 58) HMS Sphynx, 9 Jan 1778: White: for the prize brig Rochester;
• 59) HMS Apollo, 2 Oct 1777: White: for the prize privateer brig Freedom;
• 60) HMS Daphne, 19 Oct 1776: Davies, Nepean and Marr;
• 61) the privateer Rose (Duncan), 23 Jul 1777: Winslow and Dumaresque;
• 62) HMS Dispatch, 15 May 1778: Davies and Cherry;
• 63) the privateer Tonyn's Revenge of East Florida (Bachop), 1 April 1778: Spense;
• 64) HMS Lizard, 1 May 1778: Kemble;
• 65) HMS Lizard, 28 April 1778: Kemble and Bremner: for the prizes L'André ship (condemned in the Vice-Admiralty Court of East Florida), Diana snow, L'Aimable Julie snow, and Sukey schooner;
• 66) HMS Greyhound, 23 May 1778: Kemble;
• 67) HMS Renown, 27 July 1778: Kemble and Davies;
• 68) the privateer General Howe (Ceary), 24 April 1778:Tench: for the prize St Jago;
• 69) HMS Ariel, 1 July 1778: Kemble;
• 70) HMS Nautilus, 20 March 1778: Kemble;
• 71) HMS Preston, 6 April 1778: Kemble;
• 72) HMS Solebay, 1778: White;
• 73) HMS Swift, 20 Oct 1778: J Dick;
• 74) merchant ships Cambden, Empress of Russia, Sovereign, Britannia and Thames, with letters of marque, 15 October 1778: J Dick: for the prize Amitié snow;
• 75) HMS Daphne, Aug 1778: White and H Wallace;
• 76) HMS Delaware, 3 Oct 1778: R Dick;
• 77) letter of marque schooner Betsy, 20 June 1778: Forteath;
• 78) HMS Daphne, 29 Oct 1778: J Dick 'secretary to Gambier', White and H Wallace;
• 79) HMS Halifax, 30 Oct 1778: J Dick, 'purser of HMS Ardent';
• 80) HMS Lyoness, 5 Oct 1778: H and A Wallace;
• 81) HMS Fowey, 1 Oct 1778: Kemble;
• 82) HMS Emerald, 9 July 1778: H and A Wallace.

These are the records described by Charles M Andrews, Guide to the Materials for American History, to 1783, in the Public Record Office of Great Britain, Vol II (Washington, 1914), p 330, no 1824.

Topics

Archives and libraries

Litigation

Trade and commerce

Asia

Europe and Russia

Piracy and privateering

Navy

Americas

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Africa