John Dawson | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1812 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Ship's captain and owner of slave ships |
John Dawson (died 1812) was a Liverpool slave trader and captain. [1] Between 1783 and 1792, Dawson and his business partner Peter Baker were the largest slave traders in Great Britain. [2]
In 1790, Dawson owned 19 slave ships, with an average value of £10,000 [3] (about £1.5 million today). By the early 1790s, the partners' vessels had completed over 100 voyages. Baker & Dawson became one of the biggest slave-trading partnerships in late 18th-century Liverpool.[ citation needed ]
In 1786, Baker and Dawson, entered into a contract with the Spanish Government to supply slaves to Spanish America. Their vessels delivered more than 11,000 slaves. [4] It was estimated that the slaves were valued at £350,000. [5]
During one of his voyages Dawson, captured the French East Indiaman Carnatic. When Carnatic came into Liverpool, she was said to be worth £135,000 and the richest prize ever taken and brought safe into port by a Liverpool privateer. Part of the value was due to a box of diamonds that had been found on her. [6] Dawson married the daughter of Peter Baker, the shipbuilder who owned Mentor, and became a partner in the firm of Baker and Dawson. [4]
Baker and Dawson were the largest firm of slave traders in England. Vessels they owned, individually or together, included:
Sisters, of 252 tons (bm), was launched at Liverpool in 1786. [7] Captain John Elworthy sailed from Liverpool on 16 October 1786. She acquired captives at Bonny. On 22 September 1788 Sisters was declared to have been lost. [7] She disappeared on the coast of Africa or on her way to the West Indies, together with her crew and any captives on board. [8]
In January 1782 Dawson employed James Irving as a surgeon on his slave ship Prosperity, captained by James Murphy and based in Liverpool. [9]
Baker and Dawson often re-employed the same captains for their slave voyages. From 1785 to 1795 Thomas Molyneux captained six voyages, Joseph Withers and William Forbes five voyages, and Joseph Fayrer four. [2]
The contract that Baker and Dawson with the Spanish government to supply slaves to Spanish America caused the partners to over-reach themselves. [4] During the credit crisis of 1793, [10] Dawson was declared bankrupt in 1793, owing £500,000 (about £74 million today). [4] [11]