Lord Nelson (1798 ship)
 United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lord Nelson |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Liverpool |
| Launched | 1798 |
| Captured | January 1806 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 237,[1][2] 250,[3] or 271 (bm) |
| Complement | |
| Armament | |
Lord Nelson was launched i 1798 at Liverpool and subsequently made five voyages carrying slaves from West Africa to the West Indies in the triangular trade in enslaved people. A French naval squadron captured her off Sierra Leone on her sixth voyage, before she had embarked any slaves.
Career
Lord Nelson appears in Lloyd's Register for 1799 with J.Kendall, master, J.Bold, owner, and trade Liverpool–Africa.[3]
Slave voyage #1 (1799-1800): Reportedly, Captain Hugh Stephens sailed from Liverpool on 7 March 1799, bound for West Central Africa.[4] However, by May 1799 when Lord Nelson had reached Cabinda, John Kendall was master. While she was there, Trelawney arrived and started acquiring slaves. In the morning of 2 August the 85 slaves aboard Trelawney rose up against their captors. They wounded two sailors; the rest escaped in the boats and made their way to Lord Nelson, leaving the ship in the rebels's hands. Captain Kendall started firing on Lord Trelawney and sent his men to retake her. The men from Lord Nelson succeeded in subduing the uprising. Kendall then went aboard Trelawney, forcing her captain and crew to come with him. Kendall sued Trelawney's owners for salvage. The judge of the High Court of Admiralty awarded the plaintiff 10% of the estimated value of Trelawney, her cargo, and freight, approximately £10,000, plus the salvor's expenses. The award was less than would be awarded by application of the Prize Act, as the judge ruled that the two vessels had a duty of mutual assistance.[5]
Lord Nelson gathered her slaves at the Congo River, Cabinda, and Ambriz. She arrived at Kingston, Jamaica, on 2 February 1800 with 360 slaves. She left Jamaica on 2 April, and arrived back at Liverpool on 7 June. She had left with 49 crew members and had suffered six crew deaths on the voyage.[4]
Slave voyage #2 (1800-1801): Captain John Wilson sailed from Liverpool on 13 November 1800, bound for the Windward Coast. Lord Nelson gathered her slaves at Grand Cape Mount and left Africa on 4 February 1801. She arrived at Demerara on 7 March. She had embarked 284 slaves and she landed 255. At some point Captain Armstrong replaced Wilson. She left Demerara 3 April and arrived at Liverpool on 1 June. She had left Liverpool with a crew of 41 men and she suffered one crew death on the voyage.[6]
Slave voyage #3 (1801-1802): Captain Francis Darnoult sailed from Liverpool on 3 September 1801. Lord Nelson arrived at Trinidad on 23 February 1802. She had embarked 301 slaves and she landed 271, for a loss rate of 10%. She left Trinidad on 8 March and arrived back at Liverpool on 20 April. She had left Liverpool with 40 crew members and suffered six crew deaths on the voyage.[7][a]
Slave voyage #4 (1802-1803): Captain Isaac Westron sailed from Liverpool 31 August 1802. Lord Nelson left Africa on 30 January 1803 and arrived at the Bahamas on 23 March. She had embarked 278 slaves and she landed 250, for a loss rate of 10.1%. She arrived back at Liverpool on 1 September 1803. She had left Liverpool with 34 crew members and she suffered five crew deaths on the voyage.[9]
Slave voyage #5 (1804-1805): Captain Thomas Omen acquired a letter of marque on 11 July 1804.[1] He sailed from Liverpool on 15 August 1804 for the Windward Coast. Lord Nelson gathered her slaves at Grand Cape Mount and arrived at Dutch Guiana on 10 January 1805. She had embarked 413 slaves and she landed 371, for a loss rate of 10.2%. She left Dutch Guiana on 19 April and arrived back at Liverpool on 11 June. She had left Liverpool with 45 crew members and she suffered 11 crew deaths on the voyage.[10]
Fate
Captain Francis Darnoult was again captain of Lord Nelson on what was to be her sixth slave voyage. He acquired a letter of marque on 29 October 1805.[1] He and 38 crew members left Liverpool on 3 November 1805.[11]
Lloyd's List reported on 8 April 1806 that a French squadron consisting of an 84-gun ship-of-the-line and three frigates had captured Lord Nelson, Trio, and the sloop-of-war HMS Favourite off the coast of Africa.[12]
Lloyd's List reported that prior to 26 January L'Hermite's squadron of the French Navy captured off the coast of Africa Lord Nelson, Darnault, master, Laurel, Hume, master, Ponsonby, Brown, master, Juverna, Brassey, master, Wells, Hughes, master, and Active, of London, Wiley, master. The French put all the captured crews on Active and sent her back to England.[13] The squadron burnt the other vessels that they had captured. The captains arrived at Waterford on 12 May on the cartel Active.[14]
The same squadron also captured Sarah, Otway, Mary, Adams, master, and Nelson, Meath, master.[15]
Notes, citation, and references
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Letter of Marque, p.74 - accessed 25 July 2017.
- ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade database - Voyages: Lord Nelson, Voyages #82346-51.
- ^ a b Lloyd's Register (1799), Seq.№L.310.
- ^ a b Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Lord Nelson voyage #82346.
- ^ Reports of Cases Argued and Determined, 1798-1850, in the High Court of Admiralty (1853), Volume 2, pp.223–228.
- ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Lord Nelson voyage #82347.
- ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Lord Nelson voyage #82348.
- ^ Behrendt (1990), p. 97.
- ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Lord Nelson voyage #82349.
- ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Lord Nelson voyage #82350.
- ^ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Lord Nelson voyage #82351.
- ^ Lloyd's List №4042.
- ^ Lloyd's List №4052.
- ^ "LONDON-MAY 12.", 15 May 1806, Caledonian Mercury (Edinburgh, Scotland) Issue: 13161.
- ^ Lloyd's List №4060.
References
- Behrendt, Stephen D. (1990). "The Captains in the British slave trade from 1785 to 1807" (PDF). Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire. 140.