Lapwing (1794 ship)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Lapwing |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Bristol[1] |
| Launched | 1794[1] |
| Captured | 11 December 1801 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | |
| Complement | 45[3] |
| Armament | 22 × 9&6-pounder guns[3] |
Lapwing was launched at Bristol in 1794, and lengthened in 1797. She was a West Indiaman until in 1801 she became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. However, on her first enslaving voyage a Spanish privateer captured her. Although the Spanish authorities ordered her restitution to her owners, it is not clear that the order was anything but moot.
Career
[edit]Lapwing was first listed in Lloyd's List (LR) in 1794.[2]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1794 | D.Brown | G.Fisher | Bristol–St. Vincent | LR |
| 1796 | D.Brown P.Leyson | G.Fisher | Bristol–St. Vincent | LR |
| 1797 | J.Duncan | G.Fisher | Bristol–Tobago | LR |
| 1801 | J.Duncan R.Curran | G&J.Fisher C.Anderson | Bristol–Tobago | LR; lengthened 1797 |
Transporting enslaved people (1801): Captain Robert Curran acquired a letter of marque on 21 March 1801.[3] He sailed from Bristol on 13 April 1801.[4] On 19 May Lapwing, Corran, master, was "all well" at Cape Mount. On 20 October she was at Cape Coast Castle.[5]
On 11 December as Lapwing, of Bristol, Curran, master, was on her way to Demerara from Africa, a Spanish privateer captured her off Demerara and took her into Orinoco.[6] She was carrying 330 captives, 4480 pounds of ivory, 215 ounces of gold, and some trade goods.[7] Lapwing was condemned and sold.[5]
The Spanish Government ordered her returned to her owner, with damages. The privateer had captured Lapwing one day after the end of hostilities.[8] Her value at the time of capture was estimated at £43,800.[5] It is not clear how much her owners recovered, given that she had been sold and payments disbursed.
Anderson had insured Lapwing for £26,500. In 1806 Anderson petitioned the British Government and gave his losses as £57,511 15s 6d, including interest. The wording of his petition is such that it is not clear whether the claim was net of the proceeds of insurance or not.[7]
In 1801, 23 British ships in the trade in enslaved people had been lost. Ten had been lost in the Middle Passage, sailing between Africa and the West Indies.[9] During the period 1793 to 1807, war, rather than maritime hazards or resistance by the captives, was the greatest cause of vessel losses among British vessels carrying enslaved people.[10]
Citations
[edit]- ^ a b Farr (1950), p. 239.
- ^ a b LR (1794), Seq.NO.389.
- ^ a b c d "Letter of Marque, p.72 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Lapwing voyage #18245.
- ^ a b c Richardson (1996), p. 258.
- ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4239. 19 March 1802. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735020.
- ^ a b Inikori (2002), pp. 358–359.
- ^ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4351. 20 May 1803. hdl:2027/hvd.32044050633072.
- ^ Inikori (1996), p. 62.
- ^ Inikori (1996), p. 58.
References
[edit]- Farr, Grahame E., ed. (1950). Records of Bristol Ships, 1800-1838 (vessels over 150 tons). Vol. 15. Bristol Record Society. OCLC 602853041.
- Inikori, Joseph (1996). "Measuring the unmeasured hazards of the Atlantic slave trade: Documents relating to the British trade". Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer. 83 (312): 53–92.
- Inikori, Joseph E. (2002). Africans and the Industrial Revolution in England: A Study in International Trade and Economic Development. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521010795.
- Richardson, David, ed. (1996). Bristol, Africa, and the Eighteenth-Century Slave Trade to America, Vo. 4 The Final Years, 1770-1807. Bristol Record Society, c/o Department of Historical Studies, Univ. of Bristol. ISBN 0-901538-17-5.