HMS Garland (1748)

Last updated

History
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svgGreat Britain
NameHMS Garland
Ordered30 November 1744
BuilderJohn Poole, Sheerness Dockyard
Laid down18 November 1745
Launched13 August 1748
FateSold on 2 December 1783
British-Red-Ensign-1707.svgGreat Britain
NameGarland
Acquiredc.1784 by purchase
FateWrecked 24 April 1792
General characteristics [1]
Class and type Garland-class frigate
Tons burthen500, [2] or 5083494, or 525 [3] (bm)
Length
  • Gundeck:113 ft 0 in (34.4 m)
  • Keel:93 ft 4 in (28.4 m)
Beam32 ft 0 in (9.8 m)
Depth of hold11 ft 0 in (3.4 m)
Complement
  • Frigate:160
  • Slaver:50–55
Armament
  • Gundeck: 20 × 9-pounder guns
  • Fc: 2 × 9-pounder guns
  • QD: 2 × 3-pounder guns

HMS Garland was a frigate of the British Royal Navy, launched at Sheerness in 1748. She had an apparently uneventful career in the Royal Navy, not being listed as participating in engagements or battles. She did capture some French and American merchant vessels. Her most important capture in 1782, was that of the privateer Fair American, which had in some two years captured over 40 British vessels. The Navy sold her in 1783 and she became a slave ship, making six full voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was wrecked as she started for home having delivered the captives from her seventh voyage.

Contents

Royal Navy

In her 35 years of serving the Royal Navy, Garland had some 16 captains.

Disposal: The Navy sold Garland on 2 December 1783. [1]

Enslaving

Garland first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1786 with J.Gibbons, master, Dawson & Co., owners, and trade Liverpool-Africa. The entry noted that she was the former man-of-war Garland. [2] However, Garland had already started her enslaving before she appeared in LR.

In the period between 1783 and 1792, John Dawson and his partner Peter Baker, were the largest firm of slave traders in Great Britain. [13] In 1786, Baker and Dawson, had a contract with the Spanish Government to supply slaves to Spanish America. Their vessels delivered more than 11,000 slaves. [14] It was estimated that the captives they provided had a value of £350,000. [15]

1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1784–1785)

Captain James Gibbons sailed from London on 29 January 1784, bound for Angola. Garland acquired her captives primarily at Cabindo, and secondarily at Malemba. She then sailed to Cuba. She sailed from Cuba on 12 May 1785 and arrived at London on 19 June 1785. She had left Liverpool with 49 crew members and lost eight men on her voyage. [3]

2nd voyage transporting enslaved people (1785–1786)

Captain Gibbons sailed from Liverpool on 26 July 1785, bound for Bonny. [16] Captain Gibbons died on 4 January 1786, [17] and Richard Joy replaced him. Garland arrived at Caracas on 1 April 1786 and landed 450 captives. She left Caracas on 21 June and arrived back at Liverpool on 27 July. She had left with 44 crew members and lost 14 on the voyage. [16]

3rd voyage transporting enslaved people (1787)

Captain William Forbes sailed from Liverpool on 20 March 1787, bound for Bonny. She arrived at Havana on 1 October and landed 114 captives. She then sailed to La Guaira, where she landed 490 captives. She sailed from La Guaira on 5 November and arrived back at Liverpool on 26 December. She had left with 52 crew members and lost eight on the voyage. [18]

4th voyage transporting enslaved people (1788–1789)

Captain Forbes sailed from Liverpool on 15 May 1788 for Bonny. Garland landed the captives from Bonny in the Spanish Caribbean and arrived back at Liverpool on 2 April 1789. She had left with 55 crew members and lost seven on her voyage. [19]

The Slave Trade Act 1788 (Dolben's Act) was the first British legislation passed to regulate the shipping of enslaved people. The Act limited the number of enslaved people that British slave ships could transport, based on the ships' tons burthen. At a burthen of 525 tons, the cap would have been 663 captives.

5th voyage transporting enslaved people (1789–1790)

Captain Forbes sailed from Liverpool on 5 May 1789 for Bonny. Garland arrived at St Kitts on 1 October and landed 605 captives. She arrived back at Liverpool on 20 February 1790. She had left with 50 crew members and lost one crew member on her voyage. [20]

6th voyage transporting enslaved people (1790–1791)

Captain William Sherwood sailed from Liverpool on 24 July 1790, bound for Bonny. Garland arrived at Havana on 28 February 1791. She had left with 659 captives and landed 640, or a mortality rate of 2.9%. She left on 9 April and arrived back at Liverpool on 8 May. She had left with 54 crew members and lost one man on the voyage. [21]

After the passage of Dolben's Act, masters received a bonus of £100 for a mortality rate of under 2%; the ship's surgeon received £50. For a mortality rate between two and three per cent, the bonus was halved. There was no bonus if mortality exceeded 3%. [22] [lower-alpha 1]

7th voyage transporting enslaved people (1791–loss)

Captain Sherwood sailed from Liverpool on 9 July 1791, bound for Bonny. Garland arrived at Barbados on 5 March 1792 and landed 443 captives. She had left Liverpool with 54 crew members and lost four on the voyage. [24]

Fate

Lloyd's List reported on 24 April 1792 that Garland, Shirwood, master, had wrecked on Coblers Rock, Barbados. Her crew were saved. [25]

In 1792, six British enslaving vessels were lost,though this is an underestimate. The source of that data does not show any Guineamen being lost on the homeward leg of their voyage. [26] This is not surprizing as absent detailed data on individual enslaving vessels, it is not always easy to distinguish a returning Guineaman from a returning West Indiaman.

Notes

  1. At the time the monthly wage for a captain of a slave ship out of Bristol was £5 per month. [23]

Citations

  1. 1 2 Winfield (2007), p. 256.
  2. 1 2 LR (1786), Seq.№G6.
  3. 1 2 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Garland voyage #81548.
  4. Pennsylvania Gazette, 1 April 1756.
  5. "No. 9810". The London Gazette . 18 July 1758. p. 3.
  6. Lloyd's List (LL) 11 November 1757, №2279.
  7. 1 2 Charnock (1798), p. 475.
  8. LL 13 August 1762, №2774.
  9. LL 17 August 1762, №2775.
  10. LL 26 October 1762, №2794.
  11. "No. 12290". The London Gazette . 23 April 1782.
  12. "No. 12290". The London Gazette . 23 April 1782. p. 3.
  13. Behrendt (1990), pp. 104–105.
  14. Longmore (2013), p. 50.
  15. Richardson (2007), p. 32.
  16. 1 2 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Garland voyage #81549.
  17. Behrendt (1990), p. 132.
  18. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Garland voyage #81550.
  19. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Garland voyage #81551.
  20. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Garland voyage #81552.
  21. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Garland voyage #81553.
  22. Howley (2008), p. 151.
  23. Behrendt (1990), p. 118, fn 41.
  24. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Garland voyage #81554.
  25. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 2395. 24 April 1792. hdl:2027/uc1.c3049066.
  26. Inikori (1996), p. 62.

Related Research Articles

Princess Royal was launched at Liverpool in 1790. She made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French captured her in 1794 at the beginning of her fifth enslaving voyage.

Elliott was launched at Liverpool in 1783. She made ten voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade, carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West Indies. Next, she made one voyage as a whaler. She then became a merchantman, sailing between England and South America. In November 1807 French privateers captured her.

Iris was launched at Liverpool as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. In all she made eight voyages (1783-1800) transporting captives from West Africa to the Caribbean. She also made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) to Bengal and back (1795-1796). She was condemned in Jamaica in December 1800 as unseaworthy.

Royal Edward was launched in 1782 in France as Alexandre. The British captured her c.1796, and new owners changed her name. She then sailed for a few years as a West Indiaman before completing four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She returned to the West India trade after leaving enslaving, and then traded more generally. She was condemned as unseaworthy and broken up in Bengal in 1815.

Eliza was launched in America in 1780 and taken in prize in 1782. She entered the Liverpool registry in 1783, 1786, and again in 1792. She made nine voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was lost in an explosion on her tenth voyage after she had already embarked her captives. All the captives died, as did her captain and most of her crew. The explosion occurred during a single ship action on 17 December 1797, with a French privateer.

Sarah was launched at Liverpool in 1797. She then made six voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West Indies. A French privateer captured Sarah in 1804 in a single-ship action on her seventh voyage after Sarah had gathered her slaves but before she could deliver them to the West Indies.

Hercules was launched at the Province of Georgia in 1777. She appeared in Lloyd's Register in 1782 as a West Indiaman. From 1786 she made three voyages from London as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was lost in 1792 as she was returning to England after having delivered captives at Jamaica.

Old Dick was launched at Bermuda in 1789. She sailed to England and was lengthened in 1792. From 1792 on she made two full voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her second she recaptured two British merchant ships. She was lost in 1796 at Jamaica after having landed her third cargo of captives.

Vulture was built in France 1777 and captured. By early 1779 she was sailing as a privateer out of Liverpool. She then became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made 10 voyages transporting enslaved people and was captured in 1795 on her 11th such voyage.

Prince was launched at Bristol in 1785 as Alexander and then made two complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Her owners changed her name to Prince in 1787. As Prince, she made six more complete voyages as an enslaving ship. She sailed on enslaving voyages for owners in Bristol, Liverpool, and London. She foundered in 1800 as she was returning to England from her ninth, having delivered captives to Jamaica.

John Dawson was a Liverpool slave trader.

Betsey was launched in 1790 at Liverpool as a slave ship. She made six complete voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her second such voyage she, together with five other slave ships, bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for captives. A French privateer captured her in 1799 after she had delivered her captives on her seventh voyage.

Liverpool Hero was built in France in 1777, probably as Jeune Emilia. She was taken in prize in 1780. In 1781 she entered into the triangular trade in enslaved people. From 1781 she made six complete voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship. On her fourth enslaving voyage she suffered an exceptionally high mortality rate among the captives she had embarked. Her third voyage had been marred by high mortality, but on the fourth 330 captives, 59% of the number she had embarked, died. She was lost in 1794 off the coast of Africa on her seventh voyage, probably with her crew and captives.

Ranger was launched in Liverpool in 1789. She made four complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. A French privateer captured her in 1796 in a single ship action during her fifth voyage transporting enslaved people. She was recaptured, but thereafter disappears from online records.

Molly was launched at Liverpool in 1778 as a slave ship. Between 1778 and 1807 she made 18 complete voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. During this period she also suffered one major maritime incident and captured two ships. After the end of Britain's involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Molly became a merchantman trading with the West Indies, Africa, Brazil, Nova Scotia, and Africa again. She was last listed in 1832, giving her a 54-year career.

Mosley Hill, was a slave ship launched at Liverpool in 1782. Between 1782 and 1790 she made eight complete voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. For the voyages between 1785 and 1789, she sailed under an asiento that gave her a right to bring and sell captives in Spanish territories. She was last listed in 1790; reportedly she had been lost.

Young Hero was launched at Liverpool in 1785. She made six complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her first and second voyages she sailed under an asiento, that permitted her owners to bring and sell captives in Spanish territories. She was seized and condemned in 1794 after having landed the captives from her seventh voyage.

True Briton was launched at Liverpool in 1775. She made two voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During the second of these voyages there was an unsuccessful insurrection by the captives she was carrying. Then in 1777–1778 she made another enslaving voyage, this time under the name John. On her return to Liverpool, she became the privateer Bellona, and succeeded in taking several prizes. Bellona then made three enslaving voyages. In 1786 her ownership changed, and so did her name. She became Lord Stanley, and under that name proceeded to make 11 more enslaving voyages. In 1794, at Havana, a deadly fever spread through the vessel, apparently after she had landed her captives. On her last voyage the captain acted with such brutality towards a black crew member that the man, who providentially survived, sued the captain when the vessel arrived at Liverpool and won substantial damages.

Brothers was launched in 1782 at Liverpool as a Guineaman. She made seven complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. A French privateer captured her in 1795, on her eighth voyage after she had embarked her captives. In a highly unusual move, the privateer sold Brothers and the captives she was carrying to the master of a Spanish vessel that the privateer had captured. The purchaser then took Brothers into Havana.

Doe was built in 1780, in the Thirteen Colonies, possibly under another name. She was taken in prize. Between 1783 and 1786 Doe made three complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. New owners in 1787 renamed Doe to Ellen. Ellen was registered in Liverpool in 1787. Between 1789 and 1792, she made two complete enslaving voyages. A French privateer captured her in 1793 as she was on her way to the West Indies having embarked captives in Africa on her sixth slaving voyage.

References