Bolton (1792 ship)

Bolton was launched at Liverpool in 1792. She then made 10 voyages as a slave ship. During her career she repelled one attack by a French privateer, was captured on a later voyage by another before being recaptured by the Royal Navy, and then was captured on her tenth voyage by yet another privateer after Bolton had gathered her slaves but before she was able to deliver them to the West Indies.

History
Great Britain
Name: Bolton
Builder: Liverpool
Launched: 1792
Captured: 1803
General characteristics
Tons burthen: 298[1] (bm)
Complement:
Armament:
  • 1793:18 × 6-pounder guns[1]
  • 1797:22 × 4&6-pounder guns[1]
  • 1800:18 × 9-pounder guns[1]
  • 1801:18 × 6-pounder guns[1]
  • 1803:16 × 6-pounder guns[1]

Career

Bolton first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) with Jame Hird, master, Bolton & Co., owners, and trade Liverpool–Africa.[2]

1st slave trading voyage (1792–1793)

Captain James Hird sailed from Liverpool on 26 November 1792. Bolton acquired her slaves at Bonny. She arrived at Dominica on 13 June 1793 with 351 slaves. She sailed from Dominica on 18 August and arrived back at Liverpool on 1 October 1793. She had left with 32 crew members and she suffered 9 crew deaths on her voyage.[3]

2nd slave trading voyage (1793–1794)

War with France had broken out while Bolton was at Africa on her first voyage. Captain Roger Lee acquired a letter of marque on 23 October 1793.[1] Bolton sailed from Liverpool on 17 November. Bolton arrived at Kingston, Jamaica on 17 April 1794. She had embarked 432 slaves and she arrived with 431, having suffered only one slave death on the Middle Passage. She arrived back at Liverpool on 16 September 1794. She had left Liverpool with 49 crew members and she suffered eight crew deaths on the voyage.[4]

3rd slave trading voyage (1794–1795)

Captain Lee sailed from Liverpool on 5 December 1794, bound to the Congo River area. Bolton started gathering her slaves on 22 February 1795. She departed Africa on 20 May and arrived at Kingston on 30 June. She had embarked 432 slaves, had arrived with 432, and landed 430, having suffered two slave deaths on the voyage. At some point Captain Richard Hart replaced Lee. Bolton sailed from Kingston on 22 September.[5]

Bolton, Hart, master, sailed in company with Union, a London ship with 20 guns and 40 men. On the 27th the two were off Cape Corrientes in a dead calm when a French privateer of eighteen guns and 140 men under the command of Captain O'Brien, an Irishman, approached using 24 sweeps (long, large oars). An exchange of gunfire between Bolton and the privateer ensued and lasted for an hour and a half. The privateer had come up in such a way that Bolton was between the privateer and Union, which therefore could not bring her guns to bear. When a breeze came up the privateer sailed away. Bolton arrived back at Liverpool on 8 November.[6][Note 1]

Bolton had left Liverpool with 34 men and had suffered five crew deaths during her voyage.[5]

4th slave trading voyage (1796–1797)

Captain Hart sailed from Liverpool on 25 February 1796. She arrived at Demerara on 8 January 1797. She sailed from Demerara on 6 May and arrived back at Liverpool on 10 July. She had left Liverpool with 33 crew members and she had suffered nine crew deaths on her voyage.[9]

5th slave trading voyage (1797–1798)

Captain Timothy Boardman acquired a letter of marque on 18 September 1797.[1] Bolton sailed from Liverpool on 5 October. She arrived at Martinique on 3 July 1798 with 431 slaves. She sailed from Martinique on 27 July and arrived back at Liverpool on 16 September. She had left Liverpool with 48 crew members and she had suffered six crew deaths on her voyage.[10]

6th slave trading voyage (1798–1799)

Captain Boardman sailed from Liverpool on 12 November 1798. Bolton gathered her slaves at Bonny and arrived at St Vincent 29 July 1799 with 372 slaves. She sailed from St Vincent on 1 August and arrived back at Liverpool on 14 October. She had left Liverpool with 46 crew members and she had suffered nine crew deaths on her voyage.[11]

7th slave trading voyage (1800–1801)

Captain John Watson acquired a letter of marque on 28 April 1800.[1] He sailed from Liverpool on 22 May 1800, bound for the Gold Coast. Bolton arrived at Demerara on 28 November with 266 slaves.[12]

Around 15 January 1801, Bolton sailed from Demerara in company with Union,[13] Mollett, master, and Dart, Hensley, master.[14] Both were slave ships with letters of marque; John Bolton, Bolton's owner, also owned Dart. All were carrying sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton. During the voyage Union started to take on water so her crew transferred to Bolton. Then Bolton and Dart parted company in a gale.[15] (Dart arrived back at Liverpool on 11 March.)

On 5 (or 12) March 1801 Bolton encountered the French privateer Gironde.[Note 2] Gironde was armed with 26 guns and had a complement of 260 men; reportedly, Bolton had 70 people (including passengers – presumably most of them the crew from Union), aboard her. Small arms fire from Gironde helped her overwhelm Bolton's; Gironde then ran into Bolton and captured her. The engagement, which lasted about an hour, caused considerable damage to both ships. Two passengers on Bolton were killed, and six of her crew, including Captain Watson, were wounded; Gironde had no casualties. Bolton was also had a tiger, and a large collection of birds and monkeys on her.[17]

On 12 March HMS Leda recaptured Bolton,[18] as Bolton was on her way to Bordeaux. Leda sent Bolton into Plymouth.[17] Bolton arrived at Plymouth on 14 March.[19] Bolton arrived back at Liverpool on 10 April. Bolton had left Liverpool with 48 crew members and she suffered four crew deaths on her voyage.[12]

8th slave trading voyage (1801–1802)

Captain John Reddie sailed from Liverpool on 21 June 1801. Bolton arrived at St Vincent on 10 December. She sailed from St vincent on 10 January 1802 and arrived back at Liverpool on 20 February. She had sailed from Liverpool with 39 men and had suffered no crew deaths on her voyage.[20]

9th slave trading voyage (1802–1803)

Captain John Reddie acquired a letter of marque on 26 May 1802.[1] Captain Reddie sailed from Liverpool on 20 May 1802, bound for Bonny. She arrived at Barbados on 16 November with 265 slaves. She sailed from Barbados on 1 December and arrived back at Liverpool on 28 January 1803. She had left Liverpool with 29 crew members and she suffered no crew deaths on the voyage.[21]

10th slave trading voyage (1803)

Captain John Spence acquired a letter of marque on 23 May 1803. He sailed from Liverpool on 3 June 1803.[22]

Fate

The Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c. reported on 14 January 1804 that a French privateer had captured Bolton, Spence, master, 50 leagues windward of Barbados. In the two-and-a-half hour engagement that preceded her capture Spence and a seaman were killed, and four seamen were dangerously wounded. The privateer was armed with 40 guns and had a crew of 150 men. She took Bolton into Point Petre, Guadeloupe.[23]

Bolton arrived at Montevideo on 17 December 1803 with 271 slaves.[22]

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

  1. Union was the former HMS Squirrel. She was under the command of Captain James Thomson.[7] Hackman confuses this Union with the Union that was the former HMS Terror.[8]
  2. Gironde had been commissioned in 1801 in Bordeaux under François Avesou.[16]

Citations

  1. "Letter of Marque, p.53 – accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. LR (1792), Seq.№B548.
  3. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80599.
  4. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80600.
  5. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80601.
  6. Williams (2011), p. 336.
  7. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Union voyage #83903.
  8. Hackman (2001), p. 245.
  9. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80602.
  10. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80603.
  11. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80604.
  12. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80605.
  13. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Union voyage #83897.
  14. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Dart voyage #80967.
  15. Naval Chronicle, Vol. 5, p.275.
  16. Demerliac (2004), №2273, p.285.
  17. Williams (2011), pp. 383–384.
  18. "No. 15362". The London Gazette. 5 May 1801. p. 498.
  19. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (41364, ship arrival and departure (SAD) data). 14 March 1801. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  20. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80606.
  21. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80607.
  22. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Bolton voyage #80608.
  23. "SHIP NEWS". Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c. (Lancaster, England), 14 January 1804; Issue 135.

References

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