Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period. Various
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or his substitute or substitutes shall lawfully doe, or Cause or procure to bee donne, in and about the premisses, by vertue of these presents; In witnesse whereof the said Sir William Davidson hath signed, sealed and delivered these presents;
Thus donne and passed at London aforesaid in the presence of Captaine John Tailor of London, merchant,[3] and Mr. Nicholas Corsellis alsoe of London, merchant, as witnesses hereunto required.
| John Taylor. | William Davidson. |
| Nicolas Corsellis. |
In testimonium veritatis
Wm. Allen, Not's Pub'cus,
1664
[1] Mass. Archives, vol. 60, pp. 259–261. In the Calendar of State Papers, Colonial, 1661–1668, p. 284, appears a letter from King Charles II. to the governor of Jamaica, March 1, 1665, in which he speaks of Douglas's piratical seizure of Davidson's ship, and declares that he (the king) has written to the governor and council at Boston to apprehend the pirate, but has heard nothing of them.
[2] Deputy-governor of Massachusetts 1665–1671.
[3] Willoughby's father-in-law. Waters, Genealogical Gleanings, pp. 970–977. Corsellis was a Dutch merchant in London.
THE PROVIDENCE.
28. Certificate of Cornelius de Lincourt. April 12/22, 1673. [1]
Lett it bee knowne to all kings, princes and potentates in Christendom and to all those that it may Concerne, how that upon the 21th day of aprill 1673 before the River of Virginia have taken and overmastered Under the Comition of his highness my lord prince William the third of Oringe, taken a Cetch called Dergens [?] Coming from Boston out of new england, goeing to the River of Virginia, whearof was skiper John Cox, which ketch I was intended for to burne or to sinck, but after severall Considerations I doe give the same ketch and all that belongs unto her freely and liberaly unto the honorable Capt. Thomas Raddon and Mr. Joseph Fox, whoe both likewise weare taken by mee, to have and to hold as their owne Ketch and to dispose thereof to their owne Content.
Signed by mee in the Ship Called Slanswelvarn at sea the 22th day of Aprill 1673.
| Stierman, Stierman, bootsman,[2] Constapel,[3] Schyman,[4] | Cornelis de lincourt. Jan Cornelisse. Pieter Gerritsz. Thomas Severs. Antoni Fero. Jacob Walle. |
I the underwritten do acknowledge that this above mentioned act is done and signed in the presence of my officers and signed by them before skiper Cox, Master of the above mentioned ketch, dated as above.
| Copia vera. | Cornelious Delincourt. G. Sweringen. |
[1] Suffolk Court Files, Boston, no. 1257, paper 11. There was war between England and the United Provinces, 1672–1674. The Dutch privateer 's Landswelvaren (Commonweal) captures the Providence on April 4/14, 1673, and puts on board her a prize crew. The two vessels become separated. On April 1½1 the 's Landswelvaren makes prize of the ketch mentioned in this document, in which Captain de Lincourt presents the ketch, by way of consolation, to the master of the Providence. On April 12/22 the prize crew of the Providence, by a ruse, possesses itself of the Little Barkley, but presently both English crews separately recover possession of their vessels, and they separately make their way to Boston. Raddon, master of the Providence, arrives there later.
[2] Boatswain.
[3] Gunner.
[4] Boatswain's mate.
29. Deposition of John Johnson and Henry Harris. April 26, 1673. [1]
The depositions of John Johnson, aged 18 yeers, steersman, and Henry Harris, aged about 24 yeers:
These depon'ts testifie and say that they these deponts together with severall other seamen belonging unto Flushing, under the comand of Capt. Cornelious Lincort, Comand'r of the shipp Slandt Welvaeren, in English the Comonwelth, by vertu of a Comisson from his highness the prince of orange, we came up with the Providence of Falmouth (who was bound to Virginia) in the Latitude of 36: and 40: and tooke her, which when taken these depon'ts and ten more were put on bord her to Keepe and secure her, and after wee had been on bord some hours, in the night wee lost our own shipp and saw them no more, and about seven dayes after wee came up with a Londoner and thinking to take him, four of our company went on bord in the night but never returned, and the next day after the English that belonged to the sd Ship Providence, and some of the other ship before mencioned that wee had on bord with us prisoners, rose and retook her and suppressed us and have brought sd shipp and us into Piscattay River.
Grt Island[2] the 26th April 1673. taken upon oath by the persons above named before me
Elias Stileman, Comisr.[3]
[1] Suffolk Court Files, Boston, no. 1257, paper 19.
[2] Great Island, lying in the mouth of the Piscataqua River; at that time a part of Portsmouth, now New Castle, N.H.
[3] From 1658 to 1679, under the Massachusetts government of New Hampshire, Elias Stileman was a magistrate and county commissioner for Portsmouth.
30. Petition of Edward Bant. About April 28, 1673. [1]
To the Honorable County Court now sitting in Boston The humble petition of Edward Bant on the Behalf of himself and the rest of the Company belonging unto the Ship called the Little Barklay, being five men in number, Humbly sheweth
That they your Hon'rs petitioners, with the sd ship, were taken about Eighty Leagues East and by North from the Capes of Virginia by a Prize formerly taken by Capt. Cornelius Lincoint, commander of a ship belonging to Flushing called in English the Commonwealth. And the next day following the Commander of the said prize went on board the said Barkley, intending to have taken out her goods to put them