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Reposted by The Prize Papers Project

The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

Ship's Papers Used in Court (HCA/32/111C/2 and 3):
Every time a ship was captured by the British, all documents that could be found on board were confiscated to be used as evidence in court (read more below) #earlymodern #history #maritimehistory #skystorians

Prize Papers Project, National Archives, ref. HCA 32/111C/2/SP6A. Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, UK. Photographer: Maria Cardamone

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

The text and metadata were produced by Alejandro Salamanca - @desvelandooriente.com Prize Papers Project, National Archives, ref. HCA 32/111C/2/SP6A. Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, UK. Photographer: Maria Cardamone

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

SP6A: Charterparties were contracts between ship owners and merchants who wanted to hire or charter them. They specify the rights and duties of each of the parts, the prize agreed for the transport, and other conditions of the travel.

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

age (specially if they intended to desert at some point), these documents provide essential information about workers on board.

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

and a short physical description of all crew members. It also indicates if any of the sailors deserted, and where and when.
Tip of researchers: Muster rolls offer valuable information for historians of labour and migration. Even though crew members could perfectly lie about their name, origins or...

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

SP4: Most ships had a muster roll, a book with information about the different crew members. The roll of the Fort de Nantes follows the conventions used by most Spanish ships of the time: it includes the occupation, name, origin, age, name of the father...

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

The Fort de Nantes was hired by Francisco Sánchez de Madrid as a cargo ship, but it had a French letter of Marque and it was ready for combat, although that did not save it from being captured.

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

... a risky but profitable investment. To distinguish themselves from pirates, privateers needed to observe a series of rules and hold a letter of marque, a document issued by European states that proved their status.

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

SP2: In the Early Modern period, some ship owners and captains decided to make an extra profit in times of war by becoming privateers. Privateers were non-military ships with authorization of a state to capture vessels on their name, allowing them to keep part of the cargo or even the ship. It was..

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

... the muster roll (SP4), the charterparty (SP6A) or several bills of lading (SP8-33).
See below for some selected documents:

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

This week, we release the documents that were included in the court process for the Fort de Nantes, the so-called ship’s papers. These documents allowed the judges to determine the ownership or the cargo and the story of the ship, and they include a French letter of marque (SP2)...

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

Since captured ships were almost always from non-English speaking nations, the seized documents needed to be translated by an official notary-translator...

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

Some ships only had a handful of papers, others carried thousands of letters and other documents, although most of these papers were not useful for the courts, which were only interested in who owned the cargo and the ship in order to rule whether the capture had been lawful or not...

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 11h

Ship's Papers Used in Court (HCA/32/111C/2 and 3):
Every time a ship was captured by the British, all documents that could be found on board were confiscated to be used as evidence in court (read more below) #earlymodern #history #maritimehistory #skystorians

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 1d

Order the Book here: www.routledge.com/A-Microhisto...

A Microhistory of Early Modern Transatlantic Migration: The Frigate Agata (1747)

This microhistory of early modern transatlantic migration follows the journey of the Agata, a Dutch frigate hired by Spanish merchants in 1747 to travel between Cádiz and Veracruz. Manned by migrants ...

www.routledge.com

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 1d

I am happy to announce that our dear colleague and associated researcher in the Prize Papers project Alejandro Salamanca @desvelandooriente.com has just published a new book: A Microhistory of Early Modern Transatlantic Migration
The Frigate Agata (1747). Congratulations!
#earlymodern #history

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Reposted by The Prize Papers Project

The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 6d

From today, we will release the documents related to the Fort de Nantes, a French ship chartered by Francisco Sánchez de Madrid, a merchant from Cádiz, to travel to Veracruz and Havana. It was captured by two ships of the British Navy on January 5 1747, on its journey back and taken to Plymouth.

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 6d

The text and metadata were produced by Alejandro Salamanca - @esvelandooriente.com. Prize Papers Project, National Archives, ref. HCA 32/111C/1/CP6. Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, UK. Photographer: Maria Cardamone

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 6d

Interrogations might be a useful and interesting source for historians. They are a set of standardized questions, most of them related to the ownership of the ship and cargo in which the deponents travelled, but some of them offer details about their personal lives.

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 6d

Selected documents: Interrogations of Le Depencier (CP1) and Ortiz (CP6); papers restored to Francisco Ortiz (CP13)

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 6d

(the French captain, Guillaume de la Guentrie (second mate), Richard Albert de Pollville (first lieutenant), Francisco Ortiz (the Spanish master or supercargo), and Miguel de Cepeda (clerk of the cargo). The Fort de Nantes carried many documents, including the personal archives of several passengers

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 6d

This week, we are releasing the so-called Court Papers: documents produced by the British High Court of Admiralty related to the case against the ship including the customary interrogations to relevant crew members: Jean Le Depencier

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 6d

From today, we will release the documents related to the Fort de Nantes, a French ship chartered by Francisco Sánchez de Madrid, a merchant from Cádiz, to travel to Veracruz and Havana. It was captured by two ships of the British Navy on January 5 1747, on its journey back and taken to Plymouth.

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 7d

Prize Papers Project, National Archives, ref. HCA 32/132/3. Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, UK. Photographer: Maria Cardamone

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The Prize Papers Project @prizepapers.bsky.social · 7d

Together, these documents offer detailed insights into life aboard a Spanish merchant ship and highlight the wide-ranging responsibilities of its captain.

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