Harriot (1786 ship)

Harriot was launched in Liverpool in 1786. For many years she was a West Indiaman, sailing between Liverpool and Barbados. In 1796 a French frigate captured her, but the British Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She became a slave ship. At the beginning of her of her first slave trading voyage a French privateer captured her, and again the Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She made five slave trading voyages in all. Thereafter she traded with South America. She was last listed in 1814 with stale data.

For other ships with the same name, see Harriet (ship).

History
Great Britain
Name: Harriot
Builder: Liverpool
Launched: 1786
Fate: Last listed in 1814
General characteristics
Tons burthen:
  • 1786:140, or 160[1] (pre-1792) (bm)
  • 1792:176, or 187,[2] or 188,[2] or 250[2] (bm)
Complement:
Armament:
  • 1793:18 × 6&4-pounder guns + 2 howitzers + 8 swivel guns[2]
  • 1797:20 × 4-pounder guns
  • 1798:14 × 4&6-pounder guns[2]
  • 1799:16 × 6-pounder guns
  • 1808:14 × 6&9-pounder guns[2]

Career

Harriot first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1789.[1]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1789 W.Hill Alanson Liverpool–Barbados LR
1793 "Caithcn" [Caitcheon][Note 1] Allanson Liverpool–Barbados LR

On 28 February 1793 Captain Robert Hunter Caitcheon acquired a letter of marque.[2] War with France had just broken out and from her armament, though not from the size of her crew, it appears that Harriet was prepared to take prizes should the opportunity to do so occur.

On 11 March Harriet and Speightown, Hall, master, recaptured Camilla, Dunbar, master, of Leith. A French privateer of 14 guns and 75 men had captured Camilla as she was sailing from Salonica to London. Camilla was carrying a cargo of 475 bales of cotton, 25 bales of spunge, 675 boxes of figs, and 12 tons of valonia.[3][Note 2]

On 5 April Harriet became the first privateer from Liverpool to send in to Liverpool a French prize. The prize was the brig Agreeable. P.M.Culler, master, which had been sailing from Port-au-Prince to Bordeaux. Harriet had captured her on 11 March at 48°30′N 12°30′W. Agreeable, of 150 tons burthen, was carrying a cargo of coffee, sugar, indigo, and cotton, and the report of her capture valued vessel and cargo at £6–9000. The report also gave the name of Harriet's owner as Barton.[5] The auctioneers Ewart & Ruston, of Exchange Alley, sold vessel and cargo.[6]

On her next voyage Harriet chased a French Guineaman (slave ship) into Martinique but had to give up the chase when fired upon by the fort there.[6]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1795 "Caithcn" Allanson Liverpool–Barbados LR; lengthened 1792
1797 "Caithcn"
M.May		 Barton & Co. Liverpool–Barbados LR; lengthened 1792 & repaired 1796

In 1796 Harriot was to windward of Barbados when a French frigate captured her. HMS Pelican recaptured her.[7] Harriot was sailing to Barbados from Liverpool and Pelican sent her into Martinique.[8]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1798 M.May
W.Lace		 Barton & Co. Liverpool–Barbados
Liverpool–Africa		 LR; lengthened & repairs 1796

A report in 1798 stated Harriet had made 33 voyages to Barbados in the previous ten years and had taken and retaken several vessels and had been lengthened in that time, "an instance of commercial expedition,... scarcely to be paralleled."[6]

1st slave voyage (1798–1799): Captain William Lace acquired a letter of marque on 24 September 1798. On 29 October Captain Lace sailed from Liverpool, bound for the coast of what is now Angola Harriot acquired her slaves at Ambriz and arrived at Barbados on 12 July 1799 with 313 slaves. She sailed from Barbados on 24 July and arrived back at Liverpool on 3 September. She had left with 36 crew members and suffered two crew deaths on her voyage.[9]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1799 M.May
Davidson		 Clark & Co. Liverpool–Africa LR; lengthened 1792 & repairs 1796
1800 Davidson Clark & Co. Liverpool–Africa LR; lengthened 1792 & repairs 1796

2nd slave voyage (1799–1801): Captain Matthew Cusack sailed from Liverpool on 15 November 1799.[10] Shortly after Cusack set out, a French privateer captured Harriot. A British Royal Navy frigate recaptured Harriot on 3 December, and Harriot came into Cork.[Note 3] Later, Cusack and Harriot returned to their voyage. In late 1800 Harriot and Trident recaptured Jane which had been captured as Jane was sailing from Liverpool to Africa. Her recaptors sent Jane back to Liverpool.[13] Harriot acquired her slaves in the Sierra Leone estuary. She stopped at St Thomas and arrived in the Bahamas in May 1801.[10] There she was sold.[14] From the Bahamas she sailed to Charleston. Harriot, Cusack, master, returned to Liverpool from Charleston on 20 July.[15]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1801 Davidson
J.Flinn		 M'Dowall Liverpool–Sierra Leone LR; lengthened 1792 & repairs 1796

3rd slave voyage (1801–1802): Captain John Flinn sailed from Liverpool on 11 November 1801. Harriet acquired her slaves at the Gambia and arrived at Trinidad on 13 April 1802 with 206 slaves. She sailed from Trinidad on 20 June and arrived back at Liverpool on 21 August. She had left Liverpool with 34 crew members and she suffered six crew death on her voyage.[16]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1801 Davidson
R.Everret		 M'Dowall Liverpool–Sierra Leone LR; lengthened 1792 & repairs 1796

4th slave voyage (1802–1804): Captain Richard Everett sailed from Liverpool on 3 October 1802..[17] She arrived at Barbados and then sailed for St Vincent. Harriot finally arrived at Tortola on 12 December 1803 with 186 slaves.[17] She was sold in Tortola.[18] She sailed for Liverpool on 20 June 1804, and arrived back there on 6 August. She had left Liverpool with 20 crew members and she suffered eight crew deaths on her voyage.[17]

5th slave voyage (1804-1805): Captain Everett sailed from Liverpool on 27 October 1804, bound for West Africa. Harriot arrived at St Lucia on 3 Ma 1805 with 219 slaves. She arrived back at Liverpool on 9 November.[19]

When Harriet, Everitt, master returned to Liverpool from Africa and St Lucia her cargo consisted of 176 elephants' teeth, 1900 billets of redwood, 174 hogsheads of sugar, 167 bales of cotton, six cases of coffee, five dozen coconuts, and one barrel of sugar for Everitt's personal account.[20]

Year Master Owner Trade Source & notes
1806 R.Everett
Towerson		 M'Dowall
Stilt & Co.		 Liverpool–Africa
Buenos Aires		 LR; lengthened 1792, repairs 1796, & large repair 1806
1808 E.Towerson W.Stitt & Co. Liverpool–Buenos Aires
Whithaven-Brazils		 LR; large repair 1806

On 21 January 1808 Harriet's cargo from Monte Video was offered for sale. It consisted of 8600 ox and cow hides, and 60 "murquitos" or bales of tallow.[21]

On 8 June 1808 Captain Thomas Hammond acquired a letter of marque. Although neither LR or the Register of Shipping showed a change of master, Lloyds List reported in December 1808 that Harriot, Hammond, master, had arrived at Whitehaven from the Brazils.

Fate

Harriet was last listed in LR in 1814 with data unchanged for over five years.

Notes and citations

Notes

  1. Robert Hunter Caitcheon would also be captain of Dominica Packet, and Cam's Delight.
  2. Sprightstown, Hall, master, of 250 tons burthen, was clearly a privateer. She was armed with sixteen 6-pouder guns and had a crew of 50. Captain Richard Hall had received a letter of marque on 28 February 1793.[4]
  3. News reports gave the name of the British frigate as Amethyst.[11] A prize money announcement in the London Gazette gave the captor as HMS Beaulieu.[12] At the time the two frigates were sailing in company and jointly recaptured several vessels.

Citations

  1. LR (1789), Seq.No.H94.
  2. "Letter of Marque, p.66 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. "News". Diary or Woodfall's Register (London, England), 29 March 1793; Issue 1262.
  4. "Letter of Marque, p.87 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018. LR gave the name of Speightown's owner as Allanson.
  5. "News". London Chronicle (London, England), 9 April – 11 April 1793; Issue 5717.
  6. Williams (1897), pp. 306–307.
  7. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (2870). 8 November 1796. hdl:2027/uc1.c3049068. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. "News". Lloyd's Evening Post (London, England), November 9, 1796 - November 11, 1796; Issue 6118.
  9. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Harriot voyage #81741.
  10. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Harriot voyage #81743.
  11. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (4011). 31 December 1800. hdl:2027/mdp.39015065522503. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  12. "No. 15425". The London Gazette. 7 November 1801. p. 1341.
  13. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (4114). 26 December 1800. hdl:2027/uc1.c3049070. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  14. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (4167). Ship Arrival and departure (SAD) data. 10 July 1801. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  15. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (4171). SAD data data. 24 July 1801. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  16. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Harriot voyage #81744.
  17. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Harriot voyage #81745.
  18. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (4423). SAD data data. 31 January 1804. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735021. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  19. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Harriot voyage #81746.
  20. "SHIP NEWS". Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c. (Lancaster, England), 16 November 1805; Issue 231.
  21. "Multiple Advertisements and Notices". Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c. (Lancaster, England), 9 January 1808; pg. [1]; Issue 343.

References

  • Williams, Gomer (1897). History of the Liverpool Privateers and Letters of Marque: With an Account of the Liverpool Slave Trade. W. Heinemann.
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