The Black Ship

by Dudley Pope

  From further experiments made with composition boarding, canvas and a sandbag, the author has no reason to suppose that the description quoted on page 62, beginning ‘The pain in my lungs was more severe, I thought, than on my back. I felt as if I would burst in the internal parts of my body…’ was in any way exaggerated.

  APPENDIX B

  Floggings ordered by Captain Wilkinson in the Hermione January 25-October 12, 1795

  APPENDIX C

  Floggings ordered by Captain Pigot in the Success, October 22, 1794-September 11, 1795

  * Omeburg was flogged round the Fleet: his punishment is not included in the summary given on page 67.

  Details are taken from the Success’s Captain’s log.

  APPENDIX D

  The Men Active in the Mutiny

  Note: Age is that on joining the Hermione. Former Successes are marked with an asterisk, and the eighteen ringleaders with a dagger.

  APPENDIX E

  Recorded trials for mutiny in the Royal Navy for the year 1798

  NOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

  THE MAJORITY of the documents from which the narrative has been written are in the Public Record Office, London, or the Archivo General de Marina (Collection of Don Alvaro de Bazan), Madrid.

  The description of the events leading up to the mutiny, the mutiny itself, and the voyage to La Guaira is taken almost entirely from the minutes of the numerous courts martial held on the mutineers, and from depositions, statements and confessions. The sources for the two exceptions—some of Midshipman Casey’s evidence, and Thomas Nash’s activities in Charleston—are given under the relevant chapter notes.

  All statements and comments contained within quotation marks are taken directly from original letters, trial minutes, confessions etc. Only occasional orders concerned with making sail and reefing are not taken from original material connected with the mutiny; but they are those used in the period, and can be confirmed from contemporary seamanship books.

  To avoid needless repetition of sources, the reader can assume that all material concerning the events surrounding the actual mutiny are taken from the British and Spanish documents listed at the end of the Notes and Bibliography, unless further sources are given under individual chapters. Since the dates of official letters and entries in journals and ships’ logs are given in the narrative, these are not listed chapter by chapter. They can be traced in the list at the end of these Notes, where published sources are also given. Where the brief title of a published work is given under individual chapters, the full title will be found at the end.

  CHAPTER ONE (pages 17 to 35)

  The Jesup episode: taken from the report of the inquiry held into Pigot’s conduct; correspondence between the British Minister in the USA and the Secretary of State; Parker’s Journal, and Dispatches; Admiralty correspondence with Parker; MacDonald’s correspondence is in Historical Manuscripts Commission, Fortescue 6; and the Canada episode in Captains’ Letters, ‘P’, to the Admiralty. Published sources include Pasley, Private Sea Journals; Admiralty, Regulations and Instructions; McArthur, Naval Courts Martial (1813); Phillimore, Life of Parker; The Royal Kalender, 1797;

  The Success, 32-gun frigate, was built by John Sutton at Liverpool to a design by Sir John Williams. Started May 8, 1779, she was launched April io, 1781. Dimensions: length on gundeck 126 ft; extreme beam 32 ft 2 in.; depth 12 ft 2 in. (draught not given); 683 tons. She had a complement of 215 men and carried twenty-six 12-pdrs on maindeck, four 6-pdrs on quarterdeck and two 6-pdrs on fo’c’sle. She cost £13,759 16s. 6d, made up as follows: hull—£8,099 17s. od.; masts and yards—£804 15s. od.; ‘extra

  work’—£236 35. 2d.; boats—£86 10$. od.; rigging—£50. (Details from Admiralty Progress Books, in Admiralty Library.)

  CHAPTER TWO (pages 36 to 41)

  Situation in the West Indies: Parker’s Journal, and Dispatches; Naoal Chronicle; The Spencer Papers (for Spencer correspondence); Parkinson, The Trade Winds; Young, W.L Commonplace Book; Fortescue, Army; Marshall, R.N. Biography; Markham, Naval Career; Turnbull, Naval Surgeon; Phillimore, Parker; Gatty, Scott.

  CHAPTER THREE (pages 42 to 48)

  Wilkinson details: Admiralty Commission and Warrant Books; Her-nüone logs and muster books; Forester, Wetherall; Parker’s Journal, Dispatches.

  Flogging: In Pigot’s time the Regulations and Instructions of 1790, under ‘Discipline, &c,’ Art. IV, said, ‘No commander shall inflict any punishment upon a seaman beyond twelve lashes upon his back with a cat-of-nine-tails’.

  Under the new Regulations and Instructions of 1806, this limit was replaced (Chap, IV, Captain, Regulations for Discipline, etc., Art. XLII) by ‘He is not to suffer the inferior officers or men to be treated with oppression’, and he alone was to order punishment, ‘which he is never to do without sufficient cause, nor ever with greater severity than the offence shall really deserve’.

  CHAPTER FOUR (pages 49 to 58)

  Pigot family material supplied by Brig. General Sir Robert Pigot, Bt, DSO, MC.

  Hugh Pigot of Peplow (b. 1630) married Elizabeth Diahin (b. 1637). Their son Richard (1679–1726) married Frances Godde and their children were: Richard, died in infancy; George (1719–77), later Lonl Pigot; Robert (1721–96), later Lt-Gen. Sir Robert Pigot, Bt; Hugh (1722–92), later Admiral of the White.

  Sir Robert Pigot (b. 1801), fourth baronet, subsequently sold Patshull to the Earl of Dartmouth, in whose family it has remained.

  Several names and dates given in the Dictionary of National Biography for Lord Pigot, Sir Robert, Admiral Hugh Pigot and Captain Hugh Pigot are incorrect. Captain (later Admiral) Hugh Pigot’s family consisted of:

  By his first wife Elizabeth Le Nere—Henry (1751–84), later a general; Isabella (‘Belle’) (1750–1812).

  By his second wife Frances, daughter of Sir Richard Wrottesley, who had married Lady Mary Croker, sister of the Marquis of Stafford—

  Hugh (1769–97), the subject of this book; Frances, died unmarried

  1812; Caroline, married die Rev, Lord Henry Fitzroy, eldest son of the Duke of Grafton by his second marriage.

  Admiral Pigot was buried at Walcott Church, Bath, not Bristol, as in the D.N.B.

  All dates referring to Captain Hugh Pigot (the Admiral’s son) in D.N.B. should be ignored for historical purposes. It gives, for example, the date of Pigot joining the Hermione as July, 1797. The Hermione’s Captain’s log says Pigot read his commission on board on Feb. 10.

  Hugh Pigot’s appointments, taken from the Admiralty C.W. Books, were:

  July 15, 1790 5th Lt Colossus (74), Capt. H. C, Christian

  Oct. 17, 1790 4th Lt Colossus (74), Capt. H. Harvey

  Jan. 7, 1791 3rd Lt Colossus (74), Capt. H. Harvey

  April 24, 1792 4th Lt Assistance (50), Capt. N. Brunton

  Jan. 28, 1793 3rd Lt Assistance (50), Capt. N. Brunton

  April 5, 1793 4th Lt London (98), Capt. R. Keats

  Jan. 11, 1794 1st Lt Latona (38), Capt. E. Thornbrough

  Feb. 10, 1794 in command Incendiary (14-gun fireship)

  Feb. 21, 1794 in command Swan (14-gun sloop)

  Sept. 4, 1794 in command Success (32)

  Feb. 10, 1797 in command Hermione (32)

  CHAPTER FIVE (pages 59 to 70)

  Details of Success and Pigot: ship’s logs, muster books; and Progress Books, Admiralty; trial of Redman.

  The cat-o’-nine-tails referred to was used to flog a man on board the steam-corvette Malacca, commanded by Captain Oldfield, in 1867. Admiral Swinton Holland, then a midshipman, obtained the cat from the boatswain’s mate, and later gave it to Lt-Col Harold Wyllie, OBE, who allowed the author to experiment with it.

  Punishment: Romilly, Memoirs; Manwaring and Dobree, Floating Republic; and Masefield, Sea Life.

  Use of capstan: Midshipman Casey of the Hermione, later flogged on Pigot’s orders, wrote, ‘I was seized to the capstern [sic], the usual place of punishment.’ In fact it was more usual in bigger ships to seize the

  victim
to a grating up-ended on one of the gangways. Several of the Hermione’s men referred later at courts martial to being flogged ‘at the capstan’.

  CHAPTER SIX (pages 71 to 76)

  Operations in W. Indies, Parker, and executions: Gatty, Scott; None, Naval Gazetteer; Hermione logs, muster book; Parker, Journal and Dispatches; Jackson, Perilous Adventures.

  Pigot in Hermione: ship’s logs, muster book; Success muster book; trial of Redman and others.

  The muster book, Success, lists Redman’s birthplace as London and says he joined the ship March 28, 1796 from the ship Hester as a volunteer aged twenty-three; but the Hermione’s muster book for Feb. 29–May 1, 1797, gives his birthplace as Helford, Cornwall. The final muster book, however, lists him as from London.

  As soon as the Success arrived in Portsmouth the Admiralty on April 11, 1797 (PRO, Adm. 3/118, Board Minutes) ordered her to be docked, and a report made on her condition and time needed to put her ‘in a state for service’. On April 19 Wilkinson was ordered to cause the defects to be made good ‘with the utmost dispatch’ and provisions taken on for four months’ home service. Major repairs were not carried out until the late autumn, the ship docking at Plymouth on Oct. 6. The repairs, completed on Nov. 2, cost £1,120. (Progress Books, Success, Admiralty Library).

  CHAPTER SEVEN (pages 77 to 88)

  Pigot and crew of Hermione: Hermione’s logs, muster book; trial of Johnson; Casey, Memorandum; Parker’s Journal. The trial of the previous Boatswain is referred to in the Jesup inquiry—‘… the Boatswain was at the time [of the Mercury-Success collision] under confinement and since dismissed the ship by the sentence of a court martial.’

  Details of ship: The Hermione was built by Teast, Tombs & Co. at Bristol, June 1780–Sept. 1782, to a design by Edward Hunt. Her dimensions were: 129ft on the gundeck; 35 ft 5½ in. extreme beam; 9 ft 2 in.–15 ft 3 in. light draught. She was docked and her hull copper sheathed Sept. 1782 and sailed Jan. 1783. Hauled out at Northfleet Oct. 1790, her copper sheathing was removed for ‘great repairs’ and she was not launched again until June 1792, when she sailed for Chatham for docking (Sept.) and coppering (Oct.). She was fitted out and sailed Jan. 1793. (Progress Books, and List of Ships, Admiralty Library.)

  Operations: Parker’s Journal and Dispatches; ships’ logs; Pigot’s letters in Parker’s Dispatches.

  CHAPTER EIGHT (pages 88 to 99)

  Events in Hermione: Trials of Redman and Leech (for desertion); American Consul’s correspondence in Parker’s Journal and Dispatches.

  Operations: Parker’s Journal; Pigot’s letters enclosed in Parker’s Dispatches; ships’ logs.

  CHAPTER NINE (pages 100 to 113)

  The Ceres episode: Pigot’s and Otway’s letters in Parker’s Dispatches; Casey, Memorandum; trial of Lt John Harris (which gives all the dialogue referring to the grounding).

  Parker-Bligh dispute: Parker’s Dispatches (May 1798); Spencer Papers, letters of June 4, 1799, and May 11, 1800.

  CHAPTER TEN (pages 114 to 121)

  Court martial: trial of Lt John Harris; Casey, Memorandum. The court comprised, in addition to Bligh, Captains J. Ferrier, W. G. Rutherford, H. Jenkins, and J. Whyte.

  The Ceres’s refit: The Ceres was fortunate: the 38-gun Undaunted (formerly the French Aréthuse) had been wrecked on the Morant Cays in Aug. 1796 and her 18-pdr guns salvaged. The Renommée (captured from the French July, 1796) had been found to be capable of carrying 18-pdrs instead of her own 12-pdrs, so they were exchanged. The Renommée’s 12-pdrs were thus available in the dockyard for the Ceres which had, of course, jettisoned her own.

  Promotions in Hermione: Parker’s Journal; Admiralty C.W. Books; Casey Memorandum.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN (pages 122 to 129)

  Spithead and Nore mutinies: Rear-Admiral Harvey’s Dispatches; Admiralty to Parker, Harvey; Spencer Papers; Annual Register, 1797; magistrates’ reports in Neale, History of the Mutiny; Admirals’ Dispatches, Nore; Manwaring and Dobree, Floating Republic.

  Operations: logs of Diligence; Hermione muster book; trial of J. Folliard (Fulga); Parker’s Journal and Dispatches.

  CHAPTER TWELVE (pages 130 to 143)

  Casey: Diligence logs; Casey Memorandum; Jackson, Adventures.

  Diligence, and blind man episode: Diligence logs; trials of Watson, Stewart, Duncan.

  Surgeon Sansum: Trials of Hayes, Brown, Duncan, Watson.

  The death falls: Casey, Memorandum; Hermione muster book; Examination of John Mason (enclosed in Parker’s Dispatches); James, Naval History; Trial of Brown; Brown’s confession.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN (pages 144 to 153)

  Events in London: The Evening Mail (British Museum, Burney Collection), September 21 and 22.

  Punishment of topmen: Casey, Memorandum; Brown’s Confession.

  Eve of mutiny: Trials of Marco, Johnson, Holford, Duncan, Perrett, Irwin, Brown, and evidence of loyal officers at various courts martial.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN (pages 154 to 165)

  The mutiny: evidence at trials of all the mutineers (listed below); Brown’s confession; Forester’s confession in Naval Chronicle, VII, 350; Montell’s Confession; Mason’s Examination; Casey, Memorandum.

  Crawley’s cry, ‘What, four against one…’ is given in Naval Chronicle, IV, 156, and must have been from private information: it is not given in the minutes of Crawley’s trial. The Naval Chronicle says he used a bayonet but all other accounts refer to a cutlass.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN (pages 166 to 173)

  The mutiny: as for Chapter Fourteen.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN (pages 174 to 187)

  Aftermath of mutiny: as for mutiny in Chapter Fourteen; Hermione’s muster book.

  John Brown and Holford later gave the authorities individual lists of names of men they considered ringleaders. The lists do not coincide completely.

  The statistics are taken from the evidence given at the trials of all the mutineers and are therefore corroborated from many sources.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (pages 188 to 196)

  Aftermath of the mutiny: as for mutiny in Chapter Fourteen. The trial reports describe the adoption of aliases etc.

  Division of officer’s property: Trial of Irwin, evidence of Holford, who says ‘between twenty or thirty entered their names for that purpose’: but forty-five names are listed with the inventory of Pigot’s plate, etc., in the papers with the Redman Trial minutes. Redman’s name is missing from the list. It carries a note at the foot of the page, ‘Theys is the peple that received the property of the capstan head, September the 24th 1797’.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (pages 197 to 207)

  Arriving at La Guaira: Trials of Leech, Poulson, Barnett, Irwin, Marco; Brown’s Confession; Mason’s Examination; Hermione muster book.

  Spanish authorities: Carbonell’s letters to Parker in Parker’s Dispatches.

  Spanish correspondence and activities: Archivo General de Marina, Madrid, Collection of Don Alvaro de Bazan, Section Corso y Presas, Bazan 9 (Juntas of Oct. 3 and Nov. 18); Bazan 13.

  Intendant System: see Fisher, Intendant System.

  Activities of Hermione’s mutineers and loyal men: trials of all the mutineers.

  The San Antonio: report by Mends, cited below in Chapter Nineteen.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN (pages 208 to 216)

  The Diligence: captain’s and master’s logs; copies of Mends’s letter to Parker enclosed in minutes of most of trials, e.g. of Marco.

  Parker’s activities: Parker’s Journal and Dispatches; Admiralty Index to courts martial; Norway, History of P.O. Packets.

  Other reports of mutiny: Evening Mail; Admirals’ Dispatches, Admiral Lord St Vincent, Dec. 22, 1797.

  CHAPTER TWENTY (pages 217 to 225)

  Parker-Carbonell correspondence: Translations in Parker’s Dispatches; Madrid, Corso y Presas, Bazan 69.

  Activities of Britons in Caracas: evidence at trials of Barnett, Irwin, Pearce, Mason, Marco, Johnson, Bower, Benives, Hill, Duncan; Mason’s Examination; Montell’s Confession.

&nbs
p; CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (pages 226 to 235)

  Capture of mutineers: Carne’s letter to Parker in minutes of trial of Marco; Parker’s Dispatches; Mason’s Examination: Gatty, Scott.

  Parker-Carbonell correspondence: translations in Parker’s Dispatches.

  Parker’s orders to Ricketts, etc.: Parker’s Journal and copies in Parker’s Dispatches.

  Parker to Lausser: copies of letter and reply in Parker’s Dispatches.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (pages 236 to 245)

  Spanish correspondence: Madrid, Corso y Presas, Bazan 84 for all letters between Caracas and Madrid, and Carbonell and Parker; translations in Parker’s Dispatches.

  Trials of mutineers: copy of Harvey’s letters to Admiralty enclosed in Parker’s Dispatches; trials of Leech, Mason, Benives, Hill, Mason’s Examination and Brown’s Confession.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (pages 246 to 255)

  Spanish correspondence: all in Madrid, Corso y Presas, Bazan 5, 9, 11, 13, 26.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (pages 256 to 273)

  Trials: These are listed below. Also Osler, Exmouth.

  Parker and Bligh: Spencer Papers, Parker’s letter of June 4, 1799 and Spencer to Parker, May 11, 1800.

  References to capture of mutineers: Board letters relating to courts martial; Captain J. West to Parker enclosed in Irwin trial; Captain Leaf to Board, Jan. 20, 1799; Queen’s captain’s log; Williams’s petition to Sir Peter Parker enclosed in his trial report; Captain Donelly to Parker in Parker’s Dispatches; Parker’s Journal.

  Miscellaneous: Bryant, The Years of Endurance.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (pages 274 to 285)

  Capture of Nash: Portlock’s affidavit sworn before Federal Clerk, Federal Court of District of S. Carolina, February 20, 1799; reports in the newspaper Timothy’s; Letters of a South Carolina Planter on the Case of Jonathan Rabbins (British Museum copy); Nash’s description in advertisement of Governor of Antigua; description of Nash in jail given by Sasportas at Nash’s habeas corpus hearing; Forbes’s deposition sworn before Judge Bee at Charleston, April 18, 1799; Hermione’s log and muster book; Nash’s affidavit sworn before Federal Clerk at Charleston, July 25, 1799; Moodie’s letter to Judge Bee about Ker dated November 12, 1799; MacDonald’s letters in HMC, Fortescue 6, dated October 24 and 29, 1800.