St Helena Records 1725-1727

Introduction: This is the eighteenth volume in the series of St Helena Records, which summarises the proceedings of official meetings held by the island’s Governor and Council, during which matters of government, defence, supplies, justice and discipline were discussed and recorded.

Source: Images of the original records can be viewed on the British Library’s website: https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP1364-1-1-19.

Text Transcription This transcription was produced by AI from handwritten document images held on the British Library's website, at about thirty pages per hour. Given the limitations described below, the text should be regarded as unreliable and used only as a search-and-find shortcut: once a relevant section has been located, it must always be checked against the source image via the hyperlinked Film Numbers listed in the main transcription table below.

Three specific problems affected the work. First, AI tends to prioritise meaning and readability at the expense of fidelity to the original, with a strong disposition to normalise spellings, expand abbreviations, and adjust grammar. It is particularly weak with unfamiliar surnames, and scrawled signatures often resist accurate transcription entirely. Transcriptions by eye of documents spanning four centuries have also shown that a single surname could be written in a wide variety of ways: the Crowie family name appears under six different spellings, and the Isaacs family name under sixteen. Searches for surnames are therefore hindered both by genuine variations in the originals and by mistranscriptions introduced by AI, and for this reason are best run phonetically. Second, the AI struggled with the late secretary hand, the script commonly used from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, in which the letter S appears in a form closely resembling a trailing L. Third, occasional passages in these volumes are written in a hand so obscure or poorly formed as to be difficult to read even by eye, sometimes compounded by heavy ink bleed-through from the reverse side or by the loss of sections of pages.

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Modern Summary and Analysis Each section of text was submitted for AI analysis in order to explain the archaic language in clear, modern UK English. These are not direct sentence by sentence replacements, but explanatory interpretations intended to clarify meaning while preserving the substance of the original. Where a specific individual is named within a section of the original text, that person will generally also be identified within the explanatory interpretation. However, where the original consists largely of lists of names, these are not usually repeated in the explanatory text.

Each text modern summary is followed by two forms of AI-generated analysis. The first, an Interpretations section, draws on wider information located on the internet to provide additional commentary on the material. The second, a Speculations section, offers one or more possible reflections on what the document might further suggest. The value of these notes ranges from the profound to the trivial or self-evident; time did not permit deletion of the latter.

Content: No crossed-out sections have been transcribed. Complex tables have also been omitted, replaced instead with simple statements such as Annual Company Slave Census, Annual Islander and Livestock Census, Beef, Pork and Lard Expenses, Company Livestock Census, Diet Expenses, Gaol Account, Government Diet Expenses, and similar headings.

Referencing Text Locations: A dual numbering system has been adopted, combining the British Library film number with the manuscript’s original page number. These are presented in the format: British Library Film No. / Document Page No.

Pagination: The page numbering begins with Film No. 3 and continues sequentially until 183/181. This is followed by five unnumbered blank pages on Film Nos. 184 to 188. Film No. 189 is numbered 189, which reveals a discrepancy in the pagination. It is therefore assumed that the error arises with the first blank page, so that the sequence should be understood as 182/180, 183/181, 184/184, 185/185, 186/186, 187/187, 188/188, 189/189 and so on.

Dates: The earliest date recorded in this volume is a consultation held on 22 June 1725, and the last date is a consultation on 20 June 1727. England and its colonies then followed the Old-Style Julian calendar, in which the legal new year began on 25 March (Lady Day).

The Council meetings were held during the administrations of Captain John Smith (1723–1727) and Edward Byfield (1727-1731).

AI Generated Summary

Introduction

This account covers the government of St Helena across three years, from the middle of 1725 to the middle of 1727. The island was a small and remote possession of the East India Company. It was held not for any trade of its own but as a fortified watering and refreshment station for ships passing between England and the East. This narrow purpose shaped almost everything the council did. [Film No. 3-241]

The record spans a change of government. John Smith presided from 1725 until the spring of 1727, having governed the island since 1722. Edward Byfield then succeeded him and closed the period in the chair. The two men presided in turn with the same small board of councillors, John Alexander and John Goodwin serving throughout, and Byfield himself sitting as a councillor under Smith before his own appointment. The whole civil, military and judicial business of the island therefore ran through a very few hands. [Film No. 3-241]

The evidence comes chiefly from the weekly consultations of the Governor and council, held first at the plantation house and later at Union Castle, together with the monthly accounts of stock and stores, the gunner's registers, and the proceedings of the general courts at the sessions house in James Valley. The material is official and self-justifying. The council recorded its own actions in terms that presented them as measured and lawful, and the voices of soldiers, planters and slaves reach the page only through its summary of them. The record was made by that government for the directors in London, so it reflects the concerns of the rulers rather than the whole life of the island, and its silences deserve as much attention as its entries. [Film No. 3-241]

Much of the later material is raw transcription rather than polished summary, and some of it is damaged, faint or crossed through. Whole leaves are blank, and some passages are marked as illegible, so figures and names are sometimes broken or uncertain. Even so, the record is dense with the ordinary business of a company settlement. It runs from the licensing of an alehouse to the muster of every slave on the island. The account that follows groups the evidence by theme, while keeping events in order within each theme. [Film No. 153-241]

Governance and Administration

Government rested on the weekly consultation, held at the plantation house, at Union Castle or at the sessions house, as business and the Governor's health required. The members read and approved the previous minute, transacted the business before them, and signed the record in their own hands. Their work was reactive rather than deliberative, driven by the ships in the road and the petitions of inhabitants. Authority ran from the directors in London to the Governor and council, and the council's chief task was to carry out instructions and account for what it did. [Film No. 103, 128, 149]

Meetings followed no fixed calendar, and long gaps opened when the Governor was unwell or a councillor was drawn off to other work. No consultation sat between 27 July and 17 August 1725 because Governor Smith was very unwell. A further gap followed when Captain Goodwin was engaged in taking a full inventory of the stores. This reliance on so few men left the government exposed whenever one of them was absent or sick. [Film No. 24-30]

The fragility of the system showed most sharply over the winter of 1725, when Smith fell dangerously ill. No consultation was held between 7 December 1725 and 4 January 1726, because the one man at the head of the government could not sit. The same pattern recurred in 1726. The Governor was too ill to hold any consultation between 30 August and 20 September 1726, and none sat for a stretch before 13 December 1726 while he was much indisposed. With no deputy able to act freely in his place, the Governor's own health could halt the whole machinery of administration for weeks together. [Film No. 53, 67, 140, 162-170]

Much of the council's effort went into building and keeping records. A standing rule required all inventories of dead persons' estates and all indentures of apprenticeship to be registered in a book kept for the purpose. An earlier order had reserved the drawing of any deed, lease or bill of sale to the secretary alone. This concern for paperwork was not mere habit. It followed directly from cases like the fraud of Sergeant Isaac Wood, where the absence of clear title had let Company land be concealed and its timber sold off for years. A central register made such concealment harder to sustain. [Film No. 5]

The council also acted as the local agent of a distant authority, and it took care to record that it was acting under the directors' general letters. When it surveyed a spring for the Company's garden, it noted that the order came from the 46th paragraph of the last general letter. When it handled a mutinous seaman, it first read the paragraph of an earlier letter dealing with a similar case. Grounding its decisions in the directors' own words gave the council cover for actions that might later be questioned in London. [Film No. 18-45]

The council also guarded its own authority with some jealousy. The doctor's mate John Hodgkinson and the gunner John French spread a rumour that the Governor was disordered by sickness and about to be replaced. The council treated their silence towards him as a breach of duty that might tempt the slaves to mischief. Hodgkinson stood in the pillory, while French was set at the garrison gate with a lit match tied to him but no cartridge. The punishment was staged before the garrison so the disgrace should be seen, and it shows how heavily this small community leaned on public shaming to hold its order. [Film No. 80]

Care for the Company's property was a settled charge of government. In June 1726 Captain Goodwin reported that Company goods lay exposed to rats, and that a leaky warehouse needed repair where a broken girder let in the rain. The council at once ordered the necessary counters made and the building mended. This concern for the secure storage of goods, entered plainly in the minutes, reflects the settlement's role as a Company store as much as a colony. [Film No. 125]

The change of government came suddenly in early 1727. On 26 February 1727 the Princess Anne, Captain Gough, arrived from England carrying the Company's packet and the news that the directors had appointed Edward Byfield to succeed as Governor. His commission was published by beat of drum in the usual manner, and the council resolved to follow the directors' orders in their general letter dated 25 November 1726. Byfield took the chair at once, and the record from that point names him as Governor with Alexander and Goodwin as his council. [Film No. 189-190]

The new Governor's first great task was to audit his predecessor's accounts. The council examined Smith's accounts over several meetings and finished them on 1 March 1727. It found abatements under the Company's instructions of £672 5s 11d besides other deductions, and ordered the figures fairly copied and sent home for the directors' satisfaction. This careful reckoning of an outgoing governor's charge shows the Company's insistence that its servants answer for every sum, even at the moment of handing over power. [Film No. 190-191]

Military Affairs and Defence

The island's defence turned on watching the sea and firing the batteries. An alarm was raised whenever a sail was sighted, its distance and bearing carefully noted, so the gunner's monthly account is largely a tally of powder spent on alerts and salutes. An alarm was raised for a single ship 7 leagues off Sugar Loaf on 3 July 1725. Two alarms sounded on 8 July 1725 when the Duke of Cambridge and the Sea Nymph came in together. The gunner kept a monthly register of guns fired, distinguishing salutes, chase guns and the smaller cohorns and falcons, so the store could account for every charge. [Film No. 11-39, 125, 132]

The batteries fired far more often in salute than in earnest. Powder marked arrivals, departures and ceremonial occasions, including the proclamation of King George and a yearly salute for his coronation. In June 1726 the guns honoured Governor Deane going aboard, answered salutes from the Lynn and the Wyndham, and saluted the departure of the homeward fleet of the Houghton, Eyles, Fordwich, Marlborough and Morris together. A French ship arriving that month drew further rounds. The heavy spending on courtesy, rather than combat, reflects the island's real function as a busy port of call whose defences were rarely tested by an enemy. [Film No. 59, 71, 125]

The powder accounts sometimes record more than routine. In December 1725 an unusually heavy charge of 200 pounds was spent when the magazine and loft had to be shifted because of leaks. That figure dwarfs the ordinary charges and hints at the poor state of the island's buildings. In February 1727 alone the guns marked a double alarm, the arrival and departure of the Princess Amelia, the coming of the Grantham and the Princess Anne, and 21 guns for Byfield succeeding to the government. The account, signed by the gunner John French, tallied 94 guns fired against the powder they consumed. [Film No. 59, 71, 196]

The traffic through James Bay was heavy, with ships of the English Company, the Dutch and the Ostend Company all passing the road. In the last days of March 1726 the council watched 19 sail pass under Dutch colours. It exchanged 11-gun salutes with the two sternmost before the fleet bore away. The episode shows St Helena as a watched refreshment station on a crowded ocean highway, where the rival East India companies of Europe brushed against one another even here. [Film No. 87-88]

Discipline in the garrison was a recurring worry, and the twin concerns of drink and duty met in the case of Thomas Free's alehouse. Giles Hayse, a gunner's mate, was drawn from his guard into drinking and gaming. The Governor pressed the point that, had any accident reached the magazine during the disorder, the whole island might have been ruined. This argument lifted a routine licensing matter into a question of the settlement's safety. It shows how thin the line was between the garrison's leisure and its neglect of the powder store it was set to guard. [Film No. 9]

Discipline at the guard posts was enforced with a firm hand. In April 1727 the Governor, suspecting the watch at Munden's Point to be negligent, sent the ensign out at an unexpected hour. He found the officer asleep at midnight, having given his men leave to sleep and then dropped off himself. For this the officer was ordered to ride the wooden horse for two hours. The punishment shows the council treating the neglect of a coastal watch as a serious military failing rather than a small lapse. [Film No. 224]

The great alarm of the period came in May 1727, when war threatened in Europe. On 9 May 1727 the Speedwell arrived from England with a packet warning of a war between England, France and Holland on one side and the Emperor and Spain on the other. The breach was said to arise from the Emperor's support of the Ostend trade, the rival company chartered in the Austrian Netherlands. The council resolved to put the island at once into the best posture of defence, as if war had already been declared. [Film No. 233-234]

The council's response reached both the inhabitants and the shipping in the road. Inhabitants were ordered to attend their posts on every double alarm and to bring all their male slaves, for whom they paid head money. Ship commanders were told to berth so as to guard against attack, to sail only in company of at least three, to agree a commodore before departure and to seek intelligence at the western ports near the Channel. A further order of 10 May 1727 required each ship to land a party on any alarm and hold it ashore until friend or foe was known. [Film No. 234-235]

Settlement, Land and Agriculture

The letting of the Company's waste land was the council's most constant business. Captain Goodwin viewed each parcel and reported whether a grant would harm the neighbourhood, and only then was a lease drawn. Terms were uniform, usually 21 years at 4s 0d the acre with 1s 0d head duty. Grants went to Edmund Nicholls, James Greenwood Long, Captain Goodwin and many others, in valleys across the island from Barrels Valley and Virginley Valley to Ruperts Valley and Sandy Bay. No grant was made until the ground had been inspected. [Film No. 5-46, 128, 131, 140]

Above this ordinary business lay one dominating concern, the preservation of timber. The distilling of arrack from the island's wood had done great damage, and by an advertisement of 13 March 1725 every holder was bound to plant and keep live wood. Timber gave shelter to pasture and fuel to the settlement, so its loss to careless cutting was treated as a serious harm. This anxiety over a scarce and slow-growing resource on a small island runs through the whole record. [Film No. 44-46, 54]

The council pursued the same aim from two directions at once. It let parcels near the Deep Gut and at Patricks Gutt expressly for planting, granting such requests readily, as when Charles Steward asked for ground in August 1726. Yet it reserved the wooded ground itself, refusing a well-wooded parcel in Purgatory to John Harding because the timber was worth more than the rent, declining land at Manatee Bay in August 1726, and keeping ground near the Company's Butts pasture out of grant. The Company sought both to protect the wood it had and to raise more against the future needs of the settlement and its shipping. [Film No. 60-63, 136, 137, 138]

The weight of the planting covenant appears in a departure from ordinary practice. The council granted a parcel to Coward, Wrangham and Nichols for raising wood, and attached a clause promising a further 21 years on a nominal payment. The record reasons that a tenant would spend the labour of raising timber only if assured of holding the ground long enough to reap the benefit. This shows the council using security of tenure as a deliberate instrument of policy. [Film No. 60]

The covenant also gave the council a means of resuming land. In May 1726 Richard Crosby was found to have fenced and accounted for only seven of his 10 acres. The three acres were adjudged forfeited to the Company, and a warrant issued to the marshal. The yearly demand for a true account of lands was therefore no form but an enforceable obligation. [Film No. 102]

Idle land became a growing concern by the late summer of 1726. Many tenants had taken leases of waste land but neglected to enclose or cultivate it. In August 1726 the council ordered that all such land be fenced within a month, on pain of paying the Company double duties for as long as it lay idle. It further ruled that no future lease would be granted unless the tenant paid at once for the lease and measurement. These orders show the council trying to force improvement through penalty rather than persuasion. [Film No. 131, 140, 141]

The winter of 1726 saw a great round of leasing. Captain Goodwin measured many parcels of Company waste ground, and on 8 November 1726 the council executed leases to Benjamin Rodgard, Orlando Bagley, Joshua Johnson, Edmund Nichols and others, all for 21 years at the usual rent. A deed was also granted to Samuel Jessey for 20 acres of free land in Wilkes Valley, once the land of the late John and Jane Mudge and conveyed to him by deed of gift. [Film No. 161-162]

The concern for wood ran on into 1727 and was enforced by survey. On 17 January 1727 the council ordered a full survey of every holding, free and leased, to check whether each tenant had planted wood and gorse in proportion to the land held. Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Joshua Johnson and Edmund Nichols were appointed to view every plantation and report within a month. The surveyors reported on 14 March 1727, listing all 70 holdings in turn. Some tenants had planted well, such as Gabriel Powell with about 30 acres of wood and Francis Wrangham with about 20, while others had neither fenced nor planted at all. [Film No. 181, 200-206]

Enforcement followed once the survey was in hand. On 18 April 1727 the council read the report again and named the defaulters. It summoned them to explain their neglect and warned them that their deeds and leases were subject to forfeiture if they failed to plant and fence. The fines set against each name were small, a few shillings apiece, and those who had lately taken their land were excused. The graded penalty punished neglect while leaving the tenant in possession, and it shows the council using the lease itself as the instrument of cultivation. [Film No. 218-223]

Disputes over wood show the same concern from below. Charles Steward complained that John Bagley senior's sons and slaves had cut and carried off timber from his upper pasture, damaging the shelter his cattle needed. The council bound Bagley's household by a penalty of £5 0s 0d against any future trespass. The plea that the wood had been broken only to close a gap in a fence gave the offence an innocent colour, and the council preferred a caution to a fine. Such cases reveal how far the value of standing timber shaped relations between neighbours. [Film No. 37]

Supply and Provisioning

The island could not feed or supply itself, and depended on the annual store ship from England and on goods sent from the Indian factories. The Grantham, under Captain Simon Tidd, arrived on 3 July 1725 after a long passage with a year's provisions. Her unloading was carefully logged. The council appointed an officer at the landing place to record the weather, the number of boats and the cargo of each, with any delay noted by the marshal. This detailed record was a defence against any later dispute with the ship's master over the time taken to discharge under his charter party. [Film No. 11-12]

The council's letters to the Indian presidencies reveal both its dependence and its weak position. Writing to Fort St George, Bombay and Bengal, the board pressed repeatedly for rice, sugar and good Batavia arrack, and asked that the casks be sound to prevent loss of spirit by leakage. It complained that, short of a steady supply from the factories, it was forced to buy from visiting commanders at dear rates. It pressed Bombay for a fuller share despite that presidency's claim that Bengal already supplied the island cheaply. Reliance on a single source left the island at the mercy of whatever a passing captain chose to charge. [Film No. 19-21]

Rice from Madras and Bengal was the staple import, brought by way of the Cape, with sugar and candles in the same cargoes. The homeward ships Compton and James and Mary both carried rice before sailing for England together in January 1726. One arrival was more than routine. In December 1725 the Eaton Galley, bound for the Guinea coast, made the island by chance, and the medicine her doctor supplied was credited with saving the Governor's life during his illness. The episode shows how much a small settlement depended on the accidents of passing shipping for even the most basic needs. [Film No. 67, 69]

The island fed itself and its shipping from its own herds, and the Company tracked every beast in a monthly return. The account graded neat cattle, sheep, goats and hogs by age and sex, and traced each class through the month under headings for beasts killed, sold, dead and remaining. Goats were the largest flock by far, running to several hundred head. Cattle, sheep and goats were regularly drawn off the running herd to victual the Company's ships, as with the 22 bullocks and other stock sold to shipping in the quarter ending September 1726. [Film No. 66, 133, 142, 152]

The yam was the staple root of the island, feeding both the plantations and the Company's slaves. The monthly account recorded its consumption precisely, often entering a separate figure for the ration served to the slaves quartered at the Fort. In the month to September 1726 some 34,540 lb went to the plantations and a further 7,512 lb to the Fort slaves. The steadiness of this reckoning shows how closely the Company measured the food supply of a settlement wholly dependent on what it could grow and import. [Film No. 133, 142]

Imported provisions made up the rest of the diet and arrived on the Company's ships. Rice, wheat, beef and pork came in bulk for the slaves and the general table, priced and entered under their own heads. Arrack, the distilled spirit of the East, stood as the single heaviest article of the establishment's diet month after month, reaching 168 gallons in one store account. The accounts record this without comment, yet the sheer quantity of spirit speaks plainly of the garrison's habits, and helps explain the drunkenness that so troubled the council. [Film No. 144, 146]

The quality of imported goods was not always sound. In August 1726 Captain Goodwin opened the casks of peas and beans brought by the Carnarvon and found them nearly all rotten, though the casks looked clean and fair outside. He also reported that the brass ware sent out was far dearer than before, the skimmers invoiced so high that they could not be sold at the Company's fixed advance. These complaints, carefully minuted, show the council defending the island against poor and overpriced supply from home. [Film No. 135, 136]

Trade, Shipping and the Store

Shipping was the island's reason for being, and the homeward season crowded its road with East Indiamen. The height of the traffic came at the turn of June 1726, when the homeward fleet of the Houghton, Eyles, Fordwich, Marlborough and Morris sailed together, and the Wyndham arrived soon after. This practice of sailing in convoy gave the richly laden Indiamen mutual protection on the long and hazardous passage to Britain. The gunner's register, which saluted each arrival and departure, offers an incidental but exact record of the ships that called. [Film No. 125]

The council kept firm command of its anchorage, admitting foreign and India ships only on proof of their right to call. The Sea Nymph, bound from London to Bencoolen, was allowed to anchor under Banks and clean only after her boatswain's affidavit and a Mediterranean pass satisfied the board. She was ordered to be gone by Saturday noon. When she failed to sail on time, a shot was fired to move her. This mixture of hospitality and control shows a small government determined to keep the initiative over every vessel that entered its water. [Film No. 12-13]

A dispute with Captain Beckham of the Duke of Cambridge shows the council pressing its judgement on a reluctant master. Alarmed at a reported flaw in his cable, the board offered one of its own spare cables against the loss of the ship and the Company's goods in the road. When Beckham defended his own ground tackle at length, the council surveyed and measured its cable to answer him. The exchange, dense with the vocabulary of bowers, sheet and stream cables, reveals a council unwilling to leave a grave risk in the road to a master's word alone. [Film No. 22-23]

Shipboard discipline reached the island when Captain Tidd of the Grantham brought in the bricklayer John Blundell, charged with mutiny and confined in irons. Blundell was said to have formerly kept company with pirates and to be ready to join them again, which gave the matter its weight in an ocean where piracy was a real danger. The council grounded itself in an earlier directive on the crew of the Eagle and ordered Blundell held and shipped home. It required this only once Tidd gave a written indemnity against the cost, placing the risk with the master who had brought him. [Film No. 18-19]

A single Company store supplied the settlement with almost everything it did not grow, serving at once as draper, grocer and ironmonger. Arrack was always the largest single charge, often exceeding all other goods together, with sugar, bread, flour, tea and tobacco following. The textiles trace the reach of the Company's eastern commerce, with Surat chintz, Bengal taffeta, gingham and plain cottons such as gurrah and doosooties from the Indian factories, and kersey and Norwich stuff from England. A China cargo brought by Captain Glass in March 1726 added chests of bohea and green tea, china ware and china root. [Film No. 56-58, 87]

The trade with the East reached the island directly through 1727. The Grantham arrived from Bencoolen on 22 February 1727 with sugar, green tea and arrack, which the council ordered sold at 6s 4d a gallon and sugar at 6d a pound in March 1727. On 22 March 1727 the Townshend, Captain Philip Worth, arrived from China with tea and china ware, valued in the money of the China trade, taels, mace and candareens, the whole cargo coming to 137 taels 5 mace 9 candareens. The entry shows the island drawing goods from the farthest reach of the Company's commerce. [Film No. 189-192, 212]

The homeward season of 1727 brought a crowd of Bengal ships to the road. Through May the Derby, the King George, the Lyell, the Middlesex and the Mary each arrived from Bengal with sugar and rice valued in rupees, and Captain Goodwin received their cargoes against the invoices. On 30 May 1727 seven ships sailed together for England, plentifully supplied and well pleased with their reception. In June 1727 the Craggs, the Devonshire, the Barrington and the Dawson came in from Bengal and Bombay, discharged their supplies and sailed again. The steady rhythm of arrival, discharge and departure was the settlement's chief business. [Film No. 233-241]

The island's chief service to this traffic was refreshment and supply. Ships were victualled from the island's own herds, and French ships also called and were saluted in the ordinary way. The steady procession of vessels, and the care taken to supply them with fresh meat, marks St Helena's settled place on the maritime highway between Europe and Asia. Its whole economy was geared to serving the ships that paused there on their way home. [Film No. 125, 152]

Economy, Finance and Accounting

The Company store was the island's sole general supplier, and its monthly accounts record the whole material life of the settlement. Goods were issued under separate heads for diet, general charges, the garrison, the fortification, the plantation and the Company's slaves, each carried to its own subtotal before a grand total. This division by function let the council charge every cost to its proper account and answer the directors on the disposal of each parcel of goods. A single monthly reckoning could reach several hundred £, and the quarterly account to 25 September 1725 alone came to over £800. [Film No. 13-51, 166-167]

Arrack dominated every account, plainly the settlement's chief comfort and its largest single expense. In one month it accounted for more than £99 of a store total of £137, and across the September quarter over 1,000 gallons were issued. The scale of this trade explains both the council's constant demand for more arrack from the factories and its anxiety over drunkenness. The same commodity that filled the store's ledgers also filled the alehouses whose disorders the court struggled to check. [Film No. 26-50]

The store carried a wide range of eastern cloth, and the accounts named each kind precisely. Chintz from Madras and Patna, ginghams, doosooties, shelloes, salampores and a piece of Bengal taffeta all appear among the textiles sold. Kersey and durance came from the English woollen trade, alongside a gold-laced hat and a scarlet cloth. Successive reckonings ran to grand totals of £275, £374 and £358, mixing bulk provisions and oils with Indian textiles and English ironmongery, spades, hoes and nails. This variety shows the reach of a commerce that brought the printed cottons of India and the woollens of the West Country together in a single island store. [Film No. 127, 134, 135, 143, 145]

The livestock accounts were kept with the same care. They traced every kind of animal through purchase, birth, slaughter, sale, theft and death from one month's total to the next. Neat cattle, sheep, goats and hogs were counted alongside poultry and horses, and the yams consumed in feeding them were charged to the proper account. Animals sold to ships in the road were entered apart from those killed for the table, since a beast sold earned the Company a return while one eaten did not. A separate line for stock stolen from the open range recorded a persistent quiet loss. [Film No. 15-48]

Money was reckoned throughout in £ s d, and accounts were checked line by line before approval. Each month the councillors and the gunner delivered their accounts, which were examined and approved in consultation, the totals struck with care and brought over from leaf to leaf. This meticulous accounting served the Company's central interest in oversight from a great distance. Every charge was recorded so that the directors in London could follow, and if need be question, the disposal of their goods and money. [Film No. 141, 145]

Coin was scarce, so much business was done in bonds and running accounts tied to the arrival of ships. When Jonathan Mudge owed a creditor reported dead in India, his bonds fixed payment at £25 0s 0d on the arrival of one ship and £50 0s 0d on the next. A bond formerly given by Richard Swallow was delivered to Benjamin Greentree before he left the island, though its face value of £50 0s 0d stood at only £20 0s 0d by the book of accounts. The gap between the sum named on an instrument and the sum truly owed was a recurring feature, and the council leaned on its own books to settle what was actually due. [Film No. 17-22, 75, 77]

Value moved between the island and England through bills of exchange. Officers and inhabitants paid cash notes into the bank of the Governor or of a ship, and took bills drawn on the Company in return. In March 1727 three sets of bills were drawn by the Grantham for John Bazett, Richard Goodwin and Francis Wrangham, totalling £545 18s 0d. Later, Captain Alexander paid in £216 and Mr Powell £80 for bills of the same kind. This mechanism let money cross the sea without shipping coin, the Governor being made debtor for each sum in the journal. [Film No. 210-241]

The Judiciary and Legal Practice

Justice on the island was administered by the same men who governed it, partly in the weekly consultation and partly in courts held at the sessions house in James Valley. The general court sat under the Governor as judge, with the councillors as assistants and a jury of 12 drawn from the settled planters. Its procedure followed English forms closely, with sworn juries, indictments read in the king's name and formal declarations by the parties. No separate bench existed, and the council's minute book served at once as the record of government, of property and of law. [Film No. 6-40, 128, 149]

The court was willing to supply a rule where island law was silent. In the dispute between Thomas Free and Richard Swallow over a partition wall, the jury viewed the wall in person. Finding no law fixing the lawful height of such a wall, it declared 9 feet reasonable and offered the finding as a guide for future quarrels between neighbours. This shows a small court consciously making precedent. It turned a single verdict into a standard because no existing rule covered the case. [Film No. 7]

Inheritance disputes exposed the reach of the Company's authority over island land. When Robert Gurling and John Long claimed a share of Samuel Defountain's estate, the court read his will against a Company decree of 20 March 1697 governing the settling of land. It found the will's disposal of the real estate contrary to that decree, and the jury awarded half the estate to the coheirs and half to the Company. The metropolitan decree overrode the dead man's wishes, and the conflict opened the estate to the Company's prior right. Similar claims on the estate of Samuel Dou were sent to a jury as the proper route for contested titles. [Film No. 38-40]

The difficulty of tracing title runs through several cases. John Colgrove sued Captain John Alexander over six acres and a disputed inheritance, and the jury would not decide outright, asking to see the widow Margaret Colgrove's will and enquiring whether an earlier jury had settled part of the claim. Alexander rested part of his defence on a promised marriage settlement of 20 acres that was never put in writing, because Arthur Colgrove died before the deed was drawn. Registration of conveyances had long been imperfect, and the council pressed inhabitants constantly to enter their bills of sale for better security. The care taken over the descent of a few small holdings shows how much uncertainty a defective record could create. [Film No. 72, 85, 98-100]

The council also settled the ordinary disputes and assaults of island life. In August 1726 Sampson Turnbull complained that the cooper Andrew Bergue had beaten and bruised him without provocation. The council heard both parties, found Bergue the aggressor, and ordered him to pay all charges and make satisfaction for the torn clothes. This summary handling of a minor assault shows the council acting as a court of first instance for the whole community. It weighed the evidence, fixed the fault, and imposed a practical remedy in a single sitting. [Film No. 128]

A dispute over the keeping of a child ran across several consultations in the autumn of 1726. Mary Sheave, a widow, complained that John Aldrick had never paid her for four years of boarding and clothing his son. The council first ordered Aldrick to pay £24, but the matter reopened when Mrs Thewr refused to give the boy up so that Aldrick might take him. The council then reversed its view, holding that since she kept the child against the father's wish, she must maintain him at her own charge. The shifting judgement shows the council reasoning case by case, adjusting its ruling as new facts emerged. [Film No. 138, 148]

The council took firm steps to protect the parish from the cost of illegitimate children. In October 1726 the church wardens reported that the widow Martha Bodley was with child of a bastard, and asked how the parish might be indemnified. On oath she named a soldier as the father. The Governor at once issued a warrant to seize the man's cattle and a slave belonging to him as security against any charge. This swift and practical response shows how the burden of poor relief shaped the council's justice, the parish purse weighing heavily in its decisions. [Film No. 150]

The council registered wills and settled the estates of the dead as part of its ordinary business. On 13 December 1726 it proved the will of Martha Thomson, widow, on the oaths of the witnesses, and ordered an inventory of her estate entered in the record. Later, on 20 June 1727, it proved the will of William Lee on the oaths of Richard Beale and Caleb Davis. Registration gave these transfers a permanent public record and secured the descent of property on a small island where title was easily disputed. [Film No. 170-241]

The Governor also moved to raise revenue from the retail of liquor. On 18 April 1727 he observed that several people had long sold strong liquors without paying the Company for the liberty, and thought it reasonable they should pay as at other factories. Those in the trade agreed to pay £5 0s 0d each for a licence, and an order was published forbidding unlicensed selling under a penalty of £10 0s 0d for a first offence, half to the Company and half to the informer. The measure turned a long-standing free trade into a source of income and a matter of control. [Film No. 223]

Slavery and Coerced Labour

Slavery underpinned the whole economy of the island, and slaves appear throughout the record chiefly as property and labour. The store accounts include a distinct head for the Company's slaves, which regularly drew the heaviest charge of provisions and clothing after the establishment itself. A single month's issue of piece goods reached nearly £93, and a rice charge ran to over £96, the bulk supply for feeding and clothing the labour force. Slaves are counted and provisioned in the same ledgers as cattle and tools, which reflects the brutal logic of the establishment that held them. [Film No. 14-51, 127, 135, 145]

Individual slaves surface only in brief notices of birth, death and work, recorded because they affected the Company's stock of labour. The council noted the death of Daniel, a slave carpenter, and the training of a boy named Dick to take his place. It recorded the births of children named Rugby, Margaret and Magdalen to slave women at the plantation house and the Fort, and the sudden death of a girl named Grace at the Fort in the same flat manner. These fragments are almost all the record allows of people whose inner lives it never sought to preserve. [Film No. 5-30]

The record noted births plantation by plantation so the directors might follow the increase of the labour force. A girl called Fanny was born to the Company slave Sarah, a girl called Ellen at Coffin's plantation, and a child to Margaret. In August 1726 Captain Byfield reported that a slave woman named Moll Gruer, belonging to the plantation house, had borne a girl named Betty. In the same weeks a slave named Gunshaw, a goldsmith lately sent from Bombay aboard the Morris, died of a lingering illness, declaring he had been poisoned, and a black boy named Skinny died at the plantation house in September 1726. The plainness of these entries, set among the counts of cattle and goats, marks the logic by which the record reckoned human increase alongside animal stock. [Film No. 58, 69, 71, 89, 135, 140]

The demands of Company work also shaped the movement of slave labour between settlements. When the West Coast station at Bencoolen looked to draw its usual share of slaves from the island, the council declined to send any by the Grantham. It explained that a pressing course of work then in hand left no hands to spare. The refusal shows slaves treated purely as a resource to be allocated where the Company's needs were greatest, their disposal decided without any reference to themselves. [Film No. 20-21]

The punishment of slaves was far harsher than that of free offenders. A slave named Pompey was convicted of breaking into a house and stealing provisions. He was sentenced to 100 lashes, branded on the cheek with the letter R, and clogged with an iron weight of 30 pounds. At the same court, free men were fined a few shillings for assault, and a second offender named Sampson received the usual severe punishment reserved for repeated crime. The council also treated the slaves as objects of anxiety, reasoning more than once that a failure of duty among the officers might encourage them to mischief. This fear betrays an awareness that the whole settlement rested on a coerced majority whose obedience could not be taken for granted. [Film No. 74, 80, 101]

One entry hints at the disorder and abuse within the slave quarters, though the record is guarded. In August 1726 the minute noted that the boy of a ship was found upon one of the slaves in the black house. The council entered the matter obliquely, and its full meaning is hard to recover at this distance. The very reticence of the record is telling. Where the Company's property and convenience were concerned the accounts are precise, but the inner life and suffering of the slaves surface only in fragments, half hidden in the margins of a document kept for other ends. [Film No. 130]

The cost of maintaining the slaves weighed on the Governor's mind. His review of the accounts in March 1727 found that beef and pork issued to the slaves between 28 May 1723 and 24 September 1726 came to £1,958 7s 4d. He judged the sum so heavy that he resolved to replace the meat ration with fish, fitting out the boats and contracting a hand to keep the slaves at work and teach them fishing. The change measures how far the slaves were treated as a charge to be reduced rather than as people to be provided for. [Film No. 191]

The fullest record of the slaves is the muster of 13 March 1727, when every man, woman and child was called before the Governor and council one by one. Their names, ages, employments and fitness for work were written down as they passed in review. The list set out 117 men, 42 women, 25 boys and 31 girls, a grand total of 215. Each was rated from very good down to good for nothing, and the sick, the lame and the superannuated were noted apart. The muster reduced human beings to a schedule of labour value, which lays bare the brutal logic of the establishment. [Film No. 206-209]

The muster also shows how the slaves were spread across the island's work. Men laboured at the New Plantation, the Wood, the Great Plantation, Perkins and the limekiln, and at handicrafts as carpenters, tailors and smiths. Others manned the fishing boats or tended the garden and the house. Women washed, kept the dairy, minded poultry and fetched wood, while most boys looked after cattle, sheep, goats and hogs. The record names individuals only through their tasks and their worth to the Company, and it preserves nothing of their own lives. [Film No. 207-208]

The Company also disposed of slave children by binding them out to private keepers to save the cost of their maintenance. On 4 April 1727 the Governor put out a slave girl, Betty Gruer, aged 12, to Richard Durling for seven years, Durling binding himself to keep her with meat, drink, washing, lodging and decent apparel. On 18 April 1727 three more girls were bound out on the same footing, Mary and Sarah among them, under bonds of £16 each. The practice treated slave children purely as a charge to be shifted onto others. [Film No. 214-222]

Social Order, Crime and Punishment

The government took a close interest in the moral conduct of the settlement, treating private vice as a threat to the Company's credit and the peace of families. The clearest case was the alehouse of Thomas Free, whose bowling alley and game of ninepins drew the garrison from duty into drunken gaming. The Governor revoked Free's licence, seized the bowls and pins, and prosecuted him at the general court. Free was convicted on two indictments and fined over £16 in all. That he sent into the country for fresh pins within hours of the seizure was treated as a defiance of government rather than mere disorder, and charged as a graver offence. [Film No. 3-10]

Assaults and quarrels among the inhabitants filled the lesser business of the court, usually settled by a fine and a bond for future good conduct. William Simpson was found the aggressor in beating Thomas Clew Montross and ordered to pay £5 0s 0d. John French and Joshua Addis beat and bound John Cotgrove and tore his clothes, and each was ordered to pay him 10s 0d, the modest satisfaction weighed against a plea of provocation. These penalty bonds were the council's favoured device. They held a man to peaceable behaviour by the threat of a forfeit rather than punishing a first offence outright, and they appear in case after case. [Film No. 29-43, 53]

The disputes between neighbours give a vivid picture of daily friction in a cramped settlement. A recurring quarrel set Sutton Isaake against Robert Free, whose houses stood close together in James Valley. Isaake complained that Free diverted water through his garden, ordered his slaves to empty chamber pots into the channel, and built a wall cutting off part of his fence. When the matter reached court it was framed as a nuisance dangerous to health. The court gave practical orders, requiring every inhabitant to keep a clear watercourse and directing Free to fit a spout, fixing the physical cause of the harm rather than merely compensating for it. [Film No. 65, 73-74]

Wandering goats were another common grievance. Riping Wills and the widow Mary Shreeve complained repeatedly that Joseph Bates allowed his flock to damage their plantations. An order made in November 1725 went unenforced, and the animals continued their harm until the council at last directed the flock removed to another range. The episode shows the limits of an order not backed by effective enforcement. Schooling, by contrast, drew a rare note of social provision. Richard Beale found many families too poor to have their children taught reading and writing, and was granted leave to teach such children without charge in return for the usual Company allowance. The brevity of that entry, set against the detail lavished on cattle and cloth, reflects the priorities of a record made for a trading company. [Film No. 62, 63, 65]

Apprenticeship and the Duties of Service

The court enforced the obligations of apprenticeship where masters failed their bound servants. John Cotgrove complained that after 12 years bound to the carpenter John Bagley senior he had been kept digging in the plantations and never taught the trade. The jury ordered Bagley either to teach him within one year at full maintenance or pay him £20 0s 0d at Cotgrove's own choice. The remedy answered a real failure to deliver the skill the bond had promised, and it put the decision in the wronged apprentice's hands. [Film No. 10-11]

The same duties bound both sides, and the court weighed complaints of ill-treatment against complaints of idleness. When Henry Steward fled the carpenter Draper's service under repeated beating, Draper called the boy stubborn and asked to be discharged. The Governor pressed patience and a further trial by fair means, while a bystander offered to find the boy a new master. The concern was to keep the apprenticeship alive rather than cast a child loose without a place, since a dissolved bond left the boy with no one to answer for him. [Film No. 46]

Personalities and Distinctive Episodes

No individual dominates the record more than Thomas Wignall, the island's sole surgeon, whose disgrace runs through the whole of 1726. He was a habitual drunkard whose neglect of duty had been complained of repeatedly. Having been suspended and then readmitted on solemn promises of amendment, he broke them almost at once. He came to the Governor's table scandalously drunk and behaved with great rudeness, and in July 1726 the council dismissed him from the table altogether. His repeated relapses had by then exhausted the council's patience. [Film No. 130, 132]

Wignall's worst neglect fell on the very slaves he was charged to treat. In August 1726, while the Company's slaves lay dangerously ill, he was drunk for a week together and failed to attend them. When the Governor himself fell ill one evening and sent for him, the guards found him only after a long search, almost dead drunk at a game in the valley. The council ordered him and his mate John Hodgkinson to visit the sick slaves every morning and evening, and to ride into the country twice a week for the same purpose. Commander Nicholls also brought an action against him for boasting that he could at pleasure have carnal knowledge of Nicholls's wife, and the jury found for the plaintiff, adding their belief that Wignall was drunk when he made the boast. [Film No. 100-101, 130]

The council's handling of Wignall exposes the practical trap his conduct created. The island had no other surgeon, so his skill could not simply be dispensed with, however gross his failings. The matter came to a head in April 1726, when Wignall, granted leave to visit a patient, instead drank himself drunk in a punch house and struck the cooper a blow that cost him the sight of an eye. The council at last agreed to procure another surgeon, yet its long endurance of so unfit an officer shows how few choices a remote station had. His removal was finally settled on 25 October 1726, when he was discharged from the Company's service, though he lingered and had to be forbidden on 4 April 1727 to practise without the Governor's leave after the new surgeon Gibson complained he was still practising and slandering him. [Film No. 68-69, 91, 159-215]

Benjamin Hawkes and Margaret Tovey, a widow, were having an affair, and she had a child by him. In July 1725 the Governor formally ordered them to have nothing more to do with each other. They ignored him. Tovey hid herself at another woman's house (a Mrs Free) and secretly met Hawkes there while a ship bound for England was being loaded in the harbour.

The affair was only part of the problem. The real trouble was that the pair were attacking the island's government in writing. Tovey passed around letters that insulted the Governor, calling him a dishonest old scoundrel, and mocked the council as idiots. For that, the council skipped the normal step of putting her before a jury and simply had her jailed on its own authority.

Hawkes did something more serious than insults. He kept a notebook of complaints he was compiling to send to the Company's directors in London, the men the local government answered to. To make the complaints look credible, he attached the names of two councillors, Captain Alexander and Captain Goodwin, as if they backed him, which they had not agreed to. He also faked an official inventory (a stock or property list) to support his case. In effect, he was trying to discredit the island's leadership to their bosses using forged evidence.

The punishment was deliberately public and humiliating. The council stripped Hawkes of his rank, banned him from ever working for the Company again, and subjected him to two forms of public shaming in front of the soldiers: the "wooden horse" (a punishment device you were forced to sit astride) and the pillory (the wooden frame that locks the head and hands while onlookers jeer). They put Tovey in the pillory next to him for the same hour, staging the two of them together to punish both their smear campaign and their affair in one go.

His case dragged on for months and ended only when he was shipped back to England - and he was allowed to leave only on condition that he made financial provision for the child. The wider point is how far this government reached into people's private lives. On a small, isolated island where everyone was watched, the authorities treated a private affair as legitimately their business, right alongside the forgery and libel.

The most striking episode of the whole period was the arrival of a slaving ship under close examination. On 13 June 1727 a vessel was brought to at Banks and reported she came from Madagascar, on which the Governor ordered her held in Rupert Bay until her business was known. Her commander, Charles Burnham, produced a tripartite indenture under the Company's seal, dated 22 June 1726, between the Company, the South Sea Company and himself. It showed the ship the St Michael, of 370 tons, 30 guns and 65 men, licensed to fetch slaves from Madagascar under a royal commission. A ship from that coast, a known haunt of pirates, was treated with caution until her papers proved her lawful, and once satisfied the board admitted her to the road and allowed refreshment, but cautioned her to make haste and be gone. [Film No. 240]

Conclusion

Taken together, these three years present St Helena as a small, dependent society organised wholly around the passing trade of the East India Company. Its government watched the sea, victualled the ships, granted and policed land, and kept the peace among a handful of planters. The rhythm of alarms, arrivals and departures set the pace of every consultation. The same small group of men sat in council, on the bench and over the store, and the same leading planters filled the juries, so the island's public life turned on a narrow circle. Their chief instruments were the register, the penalty bond, the lease covenant and the graded fine. [Film No. 3-241]

The change of government in 1727 was managed without any break in this routine. The council passed smoothly from Smith to Byfield, and the same councillors carried on the weekly round of leases, accounts and petitions. Their chief concerns held steady throughout: the supply of the island, the preservation and planting of its timber, and the maintenance of moral and military discipline in a time of threatened war. The continuity of persons gave the government its stability, even as a single illness could halt its business for weeks. [Film No. 159-241]

The evidence must be read with its makers in mind, and with the damage to the later leaves in view. Much of the transcription is faint or broken, so precise sums should be treated with caution. The council wrote to justify itself to the directors in London, and its record presents seizures, prosecutions, musters and audits as measured and lawful acts. The interests of the slave, the common soldier and the bound apprentice appear only where they touched the Company's own concerns, and the voices of Free, Hawkes and Tovey reach the reader framed as defiance. [Film No. 3-241]

Yet the very fullness of the accounts, in their careful tallies of arrack, cattle and cloth, betrays what the official narrative would not state outright. This was a settlement wholly dependent on distant supply and on coerced labour, its order maintained by a handful of men over a scattered and often unwilling population. The great labour lavished on counts of cattle, goats and cloth stands against the brevity of what it says about schooling, worship or the inner life of the slaves who did most of the work. That so much was nonetheless recorded, month by month, is a testament to the discipline the Company imposed at a distance of half a world. It leaves a partial but valuable window onto how a remote imperial possession was governed in the early eighteenth century. [Film No. 3-241]

Film

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OCR Transcription

Modern Summary with Analysis

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EAP 1364 St Helena

Document Name and Date St Helena Records 1725-1727

Photographer Shelley

Date photographed 15.11.2021

Additional comments

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Book cover

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1

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 22d day of

June 1725 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Governr &c

Edward Byfield

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation tread & approved

The Govr made the following Report concerning great

Disorders frequently committed at the House of Thomas Free

Disorders Several Complaints have been made to Me, that great

at the House Complaints have been made at the House of Thomas Free dispensed to

Sell strong Liquors, by Suffering Unlawfull Tipling & Gaming

in his Hod for & Entertaining the Garrison & others & Unreasonable

times & Supplying them with Liquor after they had Drank to

Such Excess that they didn't know what they did or said, & that he

might the more effectually debauch, & Entice People to Squander

away their Money which Several have lately done & this in circumstan[...]

considerd in a very profuse & Scandalous Manner he has lately

Sett up a Bowling Alley & Suffered People to Play for Punch at ye

time when they have been so much intoxicated that they could hardly

Stand particularly Free himself declared to me before you all on

Tuesday last that Richard Yurling Played for Punch in this drunken

Condition & lost Six Bowles On Wednesday last Complaint was

again made to me that Several frays & Quarrells had that day

happend at his House among Several of the Garrison vizt Henry

Johnson, Sergeant Whaley, Giles Hayne Gunr Snak & Wm Mudge

& Some of em entertained by the said Free though actually upon

Guard who being tempted & Seduced by this nety Game left their

Post & went up there to Drink & Play at Nine Pins at which

they Quarrelled being first Drunk & Beat one the other in a very

Shamefull Manner; Henry Johnson having almost lost one of

his Eyes & thereby hinderd from attending this Duty. To put an

End therefore to these Disorders & to prevent for the time to come the

ill Consequence of Such Practices which have so direct a tendency to

Corrupt young People & naturally leads them into all manner of Vice

Prophaneness & Debauchery & be often attended not only with the

Ruin & Destruction of particular Persons but of whole Families; I

issued my Warrant to the Marshal to Seize the One & have Revoked

the Lycence I formerly Granted the said Free, There being forbear

taking Notice of one Case of Extortion & Imposition of which

the said Free has been Guilty in the Case of Richard Yurling who

only in three or four times that he has been at the said Free's Hou[...]

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 June 1725 at Union Castle.

Present: John Smith Esquire, Governor; Edward Byfield; John Alexander; John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Governor Smith made the following report concerning great disorders frequently committed at the house of Thomas Free. Several complaints had been made to him that great disorders were occasioned at that house. Thomas Free had been licensed to sell strong liquors. He had abused the licence by allowing unlawful tippling and gaming in his house. He had entertained the garrison and others at unreasonable hours. He had supplied them with liquor after they had already drunk to such excess that they no longer knew what they did or said. By this means he tempted people to squander away the money that several had lately earned. The Governor considered the house run in a profuse and scandalous manner.

Free had lately set up a bowling alley. He had allowed people to play for punch there at times when they were already so intoxicated they could hardly stand. The Governor stated that Free himself had declared, before him and the council on the previous Tuesday, that Richard Gurling had played for punch while in that drunken condition and had lost 6 bowls.

A further complaint was made on the previous Wednesday. Several affrays and quarrels had occurred that day at Free's house among members of the garrison. Those named were Henry Johnson, Sergeant Whaley, Giles Hayse the gunner's mate, and Mrs Mudge. Some of them had been entertained by Free, though they were actually on guard duty. Being tempted and seduced by the new game, they had left their posts. They went up to the house to drink and play at nine pins. There they became very drunk and beat one another in a shameful manner. Henry Johnson had almost left one of his posts, and was thereby hindered from attending his duty.

Governor Smith moved to put a stop to these disorders and to prevent the ill consequences of such practices in future. Such conduct led directly to a tendency to corrupt young people. It naturally drew them into all manner of vice, profaneness and debauchery. It often ended not only in the ruin and destruction of particular persons but of whole families. The Governor reported that he had therefore issued his warrant to the marshal to seize the wine. He had also revoked the licence formerly granted to Free. He had further forbidden the taking of any excise or imposition, of which Free had been guilty in the case of Richard Gurling, and only in three or four instances that he had been at the house [...]

Interpretations

The entry opens the consultations of 22 June 1725, the bench reduced to Governor Smith with three councillors, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin. Thomas Free was a long-standing and troublesome figure in the record, the licensed victualler whose earlier disputes with the government run back many years. The complaint here fixes on his house as a centre of disorder, the bowling alley and the game of nine pins named as the fresh temptation drawing the garrison from duty.

The report is careful to build a record justifying the Governor's summary action against the licence. Two grounds are set out. The gaming for punch drew men into drunken losses, Richard Gurling's loss of 6 bowls given as the worked example, and the entertaining of sentries on guard, Henry Johnson among them, threatened the security of the posts. The naming of Sergeant Whaley, Giles Hayse the gunner's mate and Mrs Mudge alongside Johnson shows the disorder reached into the garrison's non-commissioned ranks.

Speculations

The measures recorded show a deliberate handling of a defined problem rather than a simple punishment. The Governor did three distinct things: he seized the wine by warrant to the marshal, he revoked Free's licence to remove the source of the trouble, and he barred the further taking of the imposition Free had levied in the Gurling matter. The structure suggests a governor closing off each avenue by which the house had caused harm, the revocation striking at the licence itself while the seizure and the ban on the imposition addressed the immediate abuses.

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House though usually alone & always Drunk yet Frees Demands

for Punch pretended to be drank by the said Yurling when in that

Condition amount to upwards of £13 & I doubt not but he has

been Guilty of the like Exaction upon others

The Governr also made the following Report relating to the

fraudulent Concealment of Sundry Acres of the Honble Compys Land

by Sergeant Isaac Wood &c

I have received Information from Severl Persons that

Isaac Wood Sergeant has for Year past fraudulently Ingrossed &

Enjoyed Severl Acres of the Honble Compys Land & Cutt & sawn

Loads of Rafters & other Wood off the Premisses & Sold the same

to Severall People applying the Profit thereof to his own use, but

not content & Satisfied with the Clandestine Detention of the Land

in case he could farther impose upon the Honble Company & make a

more Considerable Advantage of it he has at Severall times Sold

Wood to them amounting to a large Sum which upon Examinacion

appears to have been their own. The severall Persons acquainted

with this Affair I able to prove the Same have been warned to

attend & are now without & therefore should have this business

immediately enquired ⅄ into ⅄ if it be found true I will take Care

& pursue my Order & make him accountable not only for the Money

which he has received by this foule Practice & Converted to his own

use, but also for the Profits of the Land which by this fraudulent

concealment have been lost to the Company & to make

an Example of him to all others

Richard Harding Soldier being Sworn Sayth that when

he was Apprentice to Cuthbird Swallow Carpr deceased he & his fellow

apprentice John Bagley cutt ten or twenty Rafters off of that

Land lying under the Main Ridge called Angellico Gutt & Severall

more Speces off the Land called Footing Blasters they were putt all

together the Compys Blacks fetched the Wood away

John Bagley Junr Carpr being Sworne Sayth that there

were about ten or twenty Ps Cutt in Ilean Angellico Gutt & Severll

more on the Land called Footing & that Mr Wood told Sadlaw

they had Cutt Severall Ps in his Land

Thomas Harper Sworn Sayth he was on the Main

Ridge with Bush & Harding at a time when Mr Wood was there

with them & Said to em they had Cutt Some Wood on his Land &

forbid them Cutting any more

Giles Hayse Sworn Sayth he knows the Compys had

Several Rafters & other Ps of Mr Wood when the Store House

was built

Free's house, though usually alone always drunk, yet Free demanded punch of him. Free pretended to be drunk by Gurling when in that condition, amounting to upwards of £3 0s 0d, and no doubt but he had been guilty of the like exaction upon others.

Governor Smith also made the following report relating to the fraudulent concealment of Sergeant Isaac Wood's use of the Honourable Company's land by Sergeant Isaac Wood. He had received information that Isaac Wood, sergeant, had for years past fraudulently possessed and enjoyed several acres of the Honourable Company's land, and had cut many loads of rafters and other wood off the premises. He had sold the same to several people, applying the profit to his own use. Not content and satisfied with this clandestine detention of the land, and so that he could further impose upon the Honourable Company and make a more considerable advantage of it, he had at several times sold wood to them, amounting to a large sum. On examination this appeared to have been their own. The several persons acquainted with this affair were able to prove the same, and had been warned to attend, and were now present. The Governor moved that this business be immediately enquired into, and if it be found true, full punishment given. He resolved to pursue his order and make Wood accountable, not only for the money he had received by this foul practice and converted to his own use, but also for the profit of the land which by this fraudulent concealment had been lost to the Company. He would make an example of him to all others.

Richard Harding, soldier, being sworn, said that when he was apprentice to Richard Swallow, carpenter, deceased, he and his fellow apprentice John Bagley cut ten or twenty rafters off that land lying under the Main Ridge called Angileos Gutt. Several more spells of wood off the land called Tobys were cut. Blacks were put all together to fetch the wood away.

John Bagley junior, carpenter, being sworn, said that there were about ten or twenty rafters cut in Mean Angileos Gutt, and several more on the land called Tobys. Mr Wood told Sarelaw they had cut several in his land.

Thomas Harper, sworn, said he was on the Main Ridge with Bush and Harding at a time when Mr Wood was there with them, and said to them they had cut some wood on his land, and forbade them cutting any more.

Giles Hayse, sworn, said he knows the Company had several rafters and other pieces of Mr Wood's wood when the north house was built.

John [...]

Interpretations

This page continues the consultations of 22 June 1725, running on from the first sheet without a break in the record. The opening lines close the earlier report on Thomas Free, confirming Richard Gurling's losses at above £3 0s 0d and noting the Governor's suspicion that Free had practised the like exaction on others. The bench then turns to a second and distinct matter, the fraudulent concealment of the Honourable Company's land by Sergeant Isaac Wood, a person named in the master reference as a corporal and later sergeant, a freeholder and buyer of land from John Alexander.

The charge against Wood was double. He had for years held and enjoyed Company land without title, cutting and selling its wood for his own profit. He had then compounded the offence by selling to the Company its own timber, drawing a payment for wood the Company already owned. Governor Smith framed the enquiry as a test of proof, the several witnesses warned and present, and set out his intended remedy in advance, to charge Wood both for the money taken and for the profit of the land lost to the Company.

The sworn evidence of four witnesses follows. Richard Harding and John Bagley junior, both former apprentices to the late carpenter Richard Swallow, spoke to the cutting of rafters at Angileos Gutt and the land called Tobys. Thomas Harper placed Wood on the Main Ridge forbidding further cutting, and Giles Hayse tied the timber to the Company's building of the north house. The consistency of the accounts builds a clear case that the wood taken and sold was not Wood's to sell.

Speculations

The report shows a governor managing a specific fraud through a structured accounting remedy rather than a simple penalty. The distinction drawn between the two heads of loss, the money wrongly received and the profit of the concealed land, points to a deliberate intention to recover both the direct gain and the value of the ground withheld over the years. The gathering and warning of the witnesses before the report suggests the Governor had prepared the evidentiary ground so that the enquiry could proceed to judgement in a single hearing.

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3

John Coulson Planter being Sworne Sayth that he had Sixn

Rafters & Dogwood Cinders to Repair his House of Yorkwood & that on

the Same day he Cutt the Binders he see thn said Wood in the Gutt called

Angellico Gutt with an Ax Cutting of Rafters & Joyce which he

Supposed to be Part of them that were Sold that thn Honble Company for

building the Store House in Governr Cizes time

John Bradley being Sworn Sayth that he Understood Mr

Wood by his own dyscourse when they had a dispute about the hired

Land under Sandy Bay Ridge that he Claimed the Gutt called

Angellico Gutt & heard him forbid Richard Harding & Thos Harper

Cutting any Wood or Trees there

Wherefore Ordered that the said Isaac Wood be fined to

the Use of the Honble Company in the Sum off Five Pounds five Shill

for his Clandestine Cutting & Sawing the Wood aforesaid & unjustly

Claiming & Detaining about One acre & half of the Honble Compys

Land ever since the 10th October 1710 being near 15 Years

The Governr Reports that Daniel thn Black Carpr died last

Week & that he hath Ordered a lusty Boy Named Dick to be Trained

up & learn the Carpenters Trade in his Stead

Mr Byfeld Report that a Black Wench Named Sober

belonging to & House was delivered last Week of a Boy Named

Rigby & also that on an other Wench Named Ellen was delivered of a

Girle Named Margaret

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has viewed the Land Petitiond

for by Edmund Nickolls in the preceding Consultation & that

Letting the same will not be detrimentale to the Neighbourhood

Ordered that the said Land be accordingly Measured & that

a Lease for 21 Yrs be Granted to the Sd Nichols at the Usual

Rent but he is not to take Possession thereof tie the Lease be

delivered to him

Ordered that all Inventories of Deceased Persons Estate be

hereafter Registred in a Book to be kept for that Purpose &

that all Indentures of Apprenticeship be likewise Registred

Matthew Mudge having Sent his Black to & so on the

Lord Day with Loads Contrary to Severl former Orders

Ordered thn he being a poor Man be only fined 2/6 to the

Use of the Church

Ordered that an Advertisement be Published to give Notice

that the Reckoning with the Garrison due for the present Quarter

will begin on Wednesday the 30th Instant

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

John Coulson, planter, being sworn, said that he had cut several rafters and dogwood cinders to repair his house of gumwood, and that on the same day he cut the timber he saw on the land wood in the gutt called Angileos Gutt. There was an act of cutting of rafters and gorse, which he supposed to be part of those that were sold to the Company for the building of the north house in Governor Byfield's time.

John Bradley, being sworn, said that he understood Mr Wood by his own discourse, when they had a dispute about the hired land under Sandy Bay Ridge, that he claimed the gutt called Angileos Gutt. He heard him forbid Richard Harding and Thomas Harper cutting any wood or gorse there.

The council ordered that Isaac Wood be fined to the use of the Honourable Company in the sum of £4 0s 0d for still, for his clandestine cutting and selling the wood aforesaid, and unjustly claiming and detaining about 1½ acres of the Honourable Company's land ever since the 10th October 1710, being near 15 years.

Governor Smith reported that Daniel the black carpenter died the previous week, and that he had ordered a lusty boy named Dick to be trained up and learn the carpenter's trade in his stead.

Mr Byfield reported that a black wench named Sober, belonging to the Company's house, was delivered the previous week of a boy named Rugby, and also that another wench named Ellen was delivered of a girl named Margaret.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had viewed the land petitioned for by Edmund Nicholls in the preceding consultation, and that letting the same would not be detrimental to the neighbourhood.

The council ordered that the land be accordingly measured, and that a lease for 21 years be granted to Nicholls at the usual rent, but that he not take possession thereof until the lease be delivered to him.

The council ordered that all inventories of deceased persons' estates be henceforth registered in a book kept for that purpose, and that all indentures of apprenticeship be likewise registered.

Matthew Mudge, having sent his black to work on the Lord's day with a load of gorse contrary to a former order.

The council ordered that he, being a poor man, be only fined 2s 6d to the use of the church.

The council ordered that an advertisement be published to give notice that the reckoning with the garrison due for the present quarter would begin on Wednesday the 30th instant.

John Smith, John Alexander, John Goodwin, Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

This page closes the consultations of 22 June 1725 and carries the signatures of Governor Smith and the three councillors. The first part completes the enquiry into Sergeant Isaac Wood, with two further sworn witnesses and the council's judgement. John Coulson and John Bradley confirmed the earlier evidence, Bradley reporting that Wood had himself claimed Angileos Gutt while forbidding Richard Harding and Thomas Harper to cut there.

The judgement fixed the offence and its duration precisely. Wood was fined £4 0s 0d for the clandestine cutting and selling of the wood and for the unjust detention of about 1½ acres of Company land held since 10 October 1710, a period the record reckons at near 15 years. The dating of the concealment to a fixed day fifteen years earlier shows the council treating the detention as a continuing wrong rather than a single act.

The remainder of the entry gathers routine business. Two notices of the Company's slaves are recorded, the death of Daniel the black carpenter and his replacement by the boy Dick set to learn the trade, and the births of a boy named Rugby to Sober and a girl named Margaret to Ellen. Edmund Nicholls was granted his petitioned land on a 21-year lease at the usual rent, possession withheld until the lease was delivered. Two standing rules followed, the registration of all deceased persons' estate inventories and apprenticeship indentures in a book kept for the purpose. Matthew Mudge was fined 2s 6d for sending his slave to work on a Sunday, and an advertisement was ordered for the quarter's reckoning with the garrison to begin on Wednesday 30 June 1725.

Speculations

The Wood judgement shows the active management of a loss to the Company through a remedy tied to a defined period. The council anchored the detention to 10 October 1710 and measured it at near 15 years, which suggests a deliberate reckoning of the ground withheld rather than a penalty for the cutting alone. The fine addressed the immediate fraud, while the finding on the 1½ acres established the Company's title against the concealment.

The order to register all estate inventories and apprenticeship indentures points to a considered response to the kind of concealment the Wood affair had exposed. A central register of property writings would make future detentions of Company land and disputes over apprentices harder to hide. The same concern for record-keeping had governed the earlier rule of 15 December 1724 that no deed, lease or bill of sale be drawn by anyone but the secretary.

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4

At a General Sessions of the Peace held on Friday

the 25th day of June 1725 at the Sessions House in James

Valley

Present John Smith Esqr Govr & Judge

Richard Byfield

John Alexander Assistants

John Goodwin

The Court being Opned in the Usual Manner the followg

Persons were Appointed Jurors Vizt

1 John French Gunr Foreman 7 Edmond Nicholls

2 Jonathan Doveton 8 Francis Funge

3 Joshua Johnson 9 Richard Mason

4 Francis Wrangham 10 Robert Gurling

5 Richard Beale 11 Stephen Lufkin

6 Charles Steward 12 John Worrall

Thomas Free delivered a Declaration against Richd

Swallow Setting forth that the said Swallow was indebted

to him in the Sum of £15 6s so much being his Share of

the Charge of Building a Partition Wall between their two

Yards & Gardens which the said Swallow promised to Pay when

the same was finished which Debt the said Complainant hath

accordingly demanded of the said Swallow but he refuseth to

Pay the same, wherefore the said Free Prayed Judgment agt

the said Swallow to the End he might reciev Satisfaction for

the trouble & Charge he has been at in Building the said Walle

Richard Swallow being heard acknowledges that there had

been Some discourse formerly between Free & him concerning

the Building of the Partition Wall now in Dispute & beleeves

he Sd tell the said Free that he was willing to build the said

Wall whenever he the said Free would go about it Provided the

said Free gave him timely Notice before he began Or if he

would not furnish his Part of the Materials, Labour and

Workmanship that he would Pay for his Share but the said

Free hath began the Same in an Arbitrary manner after his

own way after his own way without giving the least Notice

thereof to the said Swallow who did not Know any thing of

the Matter till the Wall was near half built & therefore thought

himself under no Obligation to bear any Part of the Charges

but as the said Free began it of his own head & for his own

Conveniency he ought to Pay the whole & insisted that Building

the Sd Wall to so great a hight was a Nusance to his House

& that part of it should be taken down

At a general sessions of the peace held on Friday 25 June 1725 at the sessions house in James Valley.

Present: John Smith Esquire, Governor and Judge; Richard Beale, John Alexander, John Goodwin, assistants.

The court was opened in the usual manner. The following persons were appointed jurors: John French, gunner, foreman; Jonathan Doveton; Joshua Johnson; Francis Wrangham; Richard Beale; Charles Steward; Edmund Nicholls; Francis Funge; Richard Mason; Robert Gurling; Stephen Lufkin; John Worrall.

Thomas Free delivered a declaration against Richard Swallow. He set forth that Swallow was indebted to him in the sum of £1 5s 6d. This was Swallow's share of the charge of building a partition wall between their two yards or gardens. Swallow had promised to pay it when the wall was finished. Free had accordingly demanded the sum, but Swallow refused to pay it. Free therefore prayed judgement against Swallow, so that he might obtain satisfaction for the trouble and charge he had been at in building the wall.

Richard Swallow was heard in answer. He acknowledged that there had been some discourse earlier between himself and Free about the building of the partition wall now in dispute. He had told Free that he was willing to build the wall whenever Free would go about it, provided that Free gave him timely notice before he began, or else that he did not furnish his part of the materials, labour and workmanship. In that case Swallow would pay for his share. But Free had begun the wall in an arbitrary manner, after his own way, without giving Swallow the least notice of it. Swallow knew nothing of the matter until the wall was near half built. He therefore thought himself under no obligation to bear any part of the charge. Free had begun it of his own accord and for his own convenience, and ought to pay for the whole. Swallow further alleged that building the wall to so great a height was a nuisance to his house, and that part of it should be taken down.

Interpretations

This page opens a general sessions of the peace held on 25 June 1725, three days after the consultations of the preceding sheets. Governor Smith sat as judge with Richard Beale, John Alexander and John Goodwin as assistants. A jury of twelve was empanelled, John French the gunner serving as foreman, the others drawn from the settled planters and freeholders of the island.

The single cause recorded is a civil dispute between Thomas Free and Richard Swallow over a partition wall dividing their yards. Free claimed £1 5s 6d as Swallow's share of the cost, and prayed judgement for the sum. Swallow answered that Free had built the wall unilaterally, without the agreed notice that would have let him supply his own share of the materials and labour. He denied any obligation to pay and added a counter-complaint that the wall's height was a nuisance to his house.

The record is notable for placing Thomas Free as a plaintiff, three days after the same bench had stripped him of his victualling licence for the disorders at his house. Richard Swallow appears here as the carpenter and neighbour, distinct from the deceased Richard Swallow named in the Isaac Wood enquiry of 22 June 1725.

Speculations

The dispute turned on a genuine question of contract rather than a simple debt. Swallow's defence rested on a conditional agreement, that he would pay his share only if given notice and the chance to furnish his own labour and materials. Free's decision to build the wall on his own initiative, if proved, would defeat the claim by depriving Swallow of the choice the agreement reserved to him. The counter-complaint about the wall's height introduced a second and separate issue, the nuisance, which the court would have to weigh against the debt claimed.

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5

Neither of them producing any Witnesses about the matter, ye

Judge desired the Jury to withdraw & view the said Wall which they

accordingly did & being returned found for the Defendant allow

him full Cost of Suit, Yet at the same time delivered their Opinion

(which may be of Use hereafter to prevent disputes between Neighbours

about the height of Partition Walls there being at present no

Law to Afsertain the same) that the height thereof was reasonable

the same being about nine Foot high

Then the following Inditement agt Thos Free was read

Thomas Free/ You Stand indicted by the Name of Thomas

Free of the Island St Helena of Severall Crimes & Misdemeanours

for that like the said Thomas Free have at Sundry times kept Vice

Rule & Disorder in Your House & Suffered Severall Persons to afsemble

there & Use and Play at divers Unlawfull Games & have when to suffer

them to remain Tipling & Drinking therein at Unlawfull and

Unseasonable hours to great & Scandalous Excefs & particularly on

Wednesday the 16th day of the instant June divrs Persons as well

those belonging to the Garrison were afsembled at Your House

& then & there Use Unlawfull Gaming & were Suffered to remain

Tipling & Drinking therein til Sevral of them were therewith

Drunk & Intoxicated in which Condition great Quarrels, Riots &

Disorders were Committed & the Persons of Henry Johnson, Serjt

Whaley & Martha Mudge grievously hurt wounded all which

Sd Unlawfull Practices have not only a tendency to Seduce &

Corrupt the Youth & others of the Place & lead them into all

manner of Vice Prophaneness & Debauchery but are a notorious

Violation of the Laws & Constitutions of this Island & against

the Peace of Our Sovereign Lord the King his Crown & Dignity

To prove that he has been Guilty of the severall Misdemeanrs

Laid to his Charge the severall Persons foll[...] were Sworn & Exam[...]

Henry Johnson being Sworn Sayth that he was there the

day mentioned in the Inditement, that he did Play at Nine Pins, that

he was Drunk when he did Play, that he lost Six or Seven Shillings

at Play & that he did fight with Serjeant Whaley & received a dangerous

hurt in his Eye

Serjeant Whaley being Sworne Sayth that he was there at the same

time, that he was alsoe in Liquor, that he Playd at Nine Pins & Sprnt

& Lost Money there, but how much he cant remember, Thos Free

being afked how much Money this Deponent Spent or lost that day

afswerd ten Shillings & 4d Sence

Neither of them producing any witnesses about the matter, the judge desired the jury to withdraw and view the wall which they accordingly did. Being returned, they found for the defendant, allowing him full cost of suit. At the same time they delivered their opinion, which might be of use hereafter to prevent disputes between neighbours about the height of partition walls, there being at present no law to ascertain the same, that the height thereof was reasonable, the same being about 9 foot high.

Then the following indictment against Thomas Free was read.

Thomas Free, you stand indicted by the name of Thomas Free of the island of St Helena, of several crimes and misdemeanours. For that you, the said Thomas Free, have at sundry times kept vice, rule and disorder in your house, and suffered several persons to assemble there and use and play at divers unlawful games. You have likewise suffered them to remain tippling and drinking therein at unlawful and unreasonable hours, to great and scandalous excess, and particularly on Wednesday the 16th day of this instant June. Divers persons, as well those belonging to the garrison, were assembled at your house, and then and there used unlawful gaming, and were suffered to remain tippling and drinking therein till several of them were therewith drunk and intoxicated. In which condition great quarrels, riots and disorders were committed, and the persons of Henry Johnson, Sergeant Whaley and Martha Mudge grievously hurt and wounded. All which unlawful practices have not only a tendency to seduce and corrupt the youth and others of the place, and lead them into all manner of vice, profaneness and debauchery, but are a notorious violation of the laws and constitutions of this island, and against the peace of our sovereign lord the king, his crown and dignity.

To prove that he had been guilty of the several misdemeanours laid to his charge, the several persons following were sworn and examined.

Henry Johnson, being sworn, said that he was there the day mentioned in the indictment, that he did play at nine pins, that he was drunk when he did play, that he lost six or seven shillings at play, and that he did fight with Sergeant Whaley and received a hurt in his eye.

Sergeant Whaley, being sworn, said that he was there at the same time, that he was also in liquor, that he played at nine pins and lost money there, but how much he cannot remember. Thomas Free being asked how much money this deponent spent or lost that day, answered 10s 0d and 4s 6d.

Interpretations

This page continued the general sessions of 25 June 1725. It closed the civil cause between Thomas Free and Richard Swallow and opened the criminal indictment against Free. Neither party in the wall dispute produced witnesses, so the judge had the jury view the wall in person. The jury found for Swallow, the defendant, and awarded him full costs.

The jury added an opinion of lasting value. There was at present no island law fixing the lawful height of a partition wall between neighbours. The jury declared the wall's height reasonable at about 9 foot, and offered the finding as a guide for future disputes of the kind.

The indictment against Thomas Free set out his offences in the form of a charge to the court. He had kept disorder in his house, allowed unlawful gaming, and suffered drinking to excess at unreasonable hours. The particular occasion named was Wednesday 16 June 1725, when members of the garrison assembled, gamed and drank until several were drunk. Quarrels followed, and Henry Johnson, Sergeant Whaley and Martha Mudge were hurt in the affrays. The charge framed the conduct as a corruption of the island's youth and a breach of the peace of the crown.

The first two witnesses were themselves participants. Henry Johnson admitted playing at nine pins while drunk, losing six or seven shillings, and fighting Sergeant Whaley, who struck him in the eye. Whaley confirmed his own presence and drinking but could not recall his losses, which Free put at 10s 0d and 4s 6d.

Speculations

The jury's finding on the wall showed a court supplying a rule where the island's law was silent. The absence of any fixed standard for partition-wall height had left the dispute without a measure, so the jury viewed the wall and set 9 foot as reasonable. By recording the finding as guidance for future cases, the bench turned a single verdict into a working precedent for neighbour disputes.

The indictment drew its evidence from the very men who had offended alongside Free. Calling Henry Johnson and Sergeant Whaley as sworn witnesses against the licensee, while they admitted their own drunkenness and losses, showed a deliberate choice to build the case from participant testimony. Their admissions established both the unlawful gaming and the resulting affrays that the charge required.

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Giles Hayse deposeth Gunner Mate (then upon Guard)

that he was there, that he Playd about two Shilling &

Quarrelled & fought with Matthew Mudge

Matthew Mudge Sworn Sayth that he was there & Spent

two Shillings that Giles Hayse & he Quarelled & fought, & that he

this Deponent was very much Beat & Bruized

John Hodgkinson Deposeth that he was alsoe there & Playd

& lost two Shillings

Benjamin Gruntree deposeth that he was there & Playd

& lost three Shillings & One two Shillings

William Lee deposeth that he was there but didnt Play there not

being Room

Thos Bazette being Sworn Sayth that he was there but neither

Playd or Spent any thing

Samuel Jessey deposeth that he was there & See Hayse &

Mudge fighting

John Martin van Oosten being alsoe Sworn Sayth

that he was there & Playd

Then the following Inditement agt the Sd Free was read

Thos Free. You Stand Indited by the Name of Thos Free

of the Island St Helena of severall Crimes & Misdemeanours for

that You the said Thomas Free, not having the fear of God before

Your Eyes, but moved by the Instigation of the Devill did after

Your Lycense for Retailing Strong Liquor was Revorked by the

Worshipfull John Smith Esqr Governr for Severall Base &

Drunken Disorders & keeping Gaming at divrs times practised

Used & Practiced at Your House & after the said Worshipfull the

Governr had Suppressed the Nine Pin alley by Your Unlawfull

Practices, & for the more effectuall Suppression of Gaming Ordered

the Bowles & Pins to be Seized & taken away, Yet You the said

Thomas Free did on Wednesday Night the 16th instant a few

hours after the said Pins were seized & Carried away, And abt

Nine o Clock at Night from Your House in the Fort Valley

into the Cuntry for other Bowls & Pins which were accordingly

Sent & delivrd to You & You have since Suffred Sevrall Persons

unlawfully to Play therewith at Your said House, all wch said

Practices are against the Peace of Our Sovereign Lord the King

his Crown & Dignity are a most impudent & notorious breach of the

Laws & Constitution of this Island Swore by You Committed &

Contrived with a wicked Malicious & Seditious Intent to Insult

Disturb & Subvert the Governmt itself

To wch he Likewise Pleaded not Guilty

Giles Hayse, gunner's mate, deposed that he was on guard at the time. He admitted playing and losing 2s 0d. He also quarrelled and fought with Matthew Mudge.

Matthew Mudge, sworn, said that he was present and lost 2s 0d. He confirmed that Giles Hayse had quarrelled and fought with him, and that he himself was badly beaten and bruised.

John Hodgkinson deposed that he too was there and played, losing 2s 0d.

Benjamin Greentree deposed that he was present and played, losing 3s 0d on one occasion and 2s 0d on another.

William Lee deposed that he was present but did not play, since there was no room.

Thomas Bazett, sworn, said that he was present but neither played nor spent anything.

Samuel Jessey deposed that he was there and saw Hayse and Mudge fighting.

John Martin Van Oosten, also sworn, said that he was present and played.

Then the following second indictment against Thomas Free was read.

Thomas Free, you stand indicted by the name of Thomas Free of the island of St Helena, of several crimes and misdemeanours. For that you, the said Thomas Free, not having the fear of God before your eyes, but moved by the instigation of the devil, did, after your licence for retailing strong liquor was revoked by the worshipful John Smith Esquire, Governor, for several drunken disorders and gaming used and practised at your house, and after the said Governor had suppressed the nine pin alley by law lawfully erected, and for the more effectual suppression of gaming ordered the bowls and pins to be seized and taken away, yet you, the said Thomas Free, did on Wednesday night the 16th instant, a few hours after they were seized and carried away, and about nine of the clock at night, from your house in the Fort valley, into the country, fetch other bowls and pins. These were accordingly sent and delivered to you, and you have since suffered several persons unlawfully to play therewith at your house. All which unlawful practices are against the peace of our sovereign lord the king, his crown and dignity, and are a most impudent and notorious breach of the laws and constitution of this island by you committed, and contrived with a wicked, malicious and seditious intent to insult, disturb and subvert the government itself.

To which he likewise pleaded not guilty.

Interpretations

This page carried the general sessions of 25 June 1725 further, completing the witness evidence on the first indictment and reading out a second. Six more men who had been at Thomas Free's house on 16 June 1725 gave their accounts. Most admitted to gaming and small losses, while John Hodgkinson, Benjamin Greentree, Thomas Bazett, Samuel Jessey and John Martin Van Oosten each added detail on their own part. Samuel Jessey confirmed the fight between Giles Hayse and Matthew Mudge that the earlier witnesses had described.

The second indictment charged a graver offence than mere disorder. Governor Smith had already revoked Free's liquor licence and had ordered the nine-pin alley suppressed, with the bowls and pins seized and removed. Within hours of that seizure, on the night of 16 June 1725, Free sent into the country for fresh bowls and pins and resumed the games at his house. The charge cast this as a deliberate defiance of the Governor's authority, framed as a malicious and seditious attempt to subvert the government.

Speculations

The two indictments reflected a considered decision to separate the disorder from the defiance. The first charge addressed the drunkenness, gaming and affrays as breaches of good order in a licensed house. The second treated Free's replacement of the seized equipment as a distinct and more serious matter, a direct challenge to the Governor's suppression of the gaming rather than a further instance of it.

The language of the second charge shows the bench elevating the offence beyond a licensing breach. By naming a seditious intent to subvert the government, the indictment framed Free's swift resumption of the games not as private stubbornness but as an affront to the Governor's authority. This distinction gave the court grounds to punish the defiance more heavily than the underlying disorder would have warranted.

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To Support the Charge as Laid in the Inditement the folly Persons

were called & Sworne Vizt

Richard Mason Sworne Sayth that he See van Oosten

at the said Frees next Morning Playing with the said Pins

Daniel Griffith being Sworne Sayth that the Pins were

there that he Sett them up & he and van Oosten Played with them

the next Morning after the other Pins were Seized

John Martin Van Oosten being Sworne &

Confronted by the Sd Daniel Griffith, Sayth that he did Play with the

said Pins at the time by him Mentioned

Thomas Free being Examined acknowledged that he wrote

the following Note to Mr Giles Smith Carpr the Same Night his

Pins were Seized

Mr Smith/ Pray fail you not to Send by the Bearers

My Servants the Nine Pins & Bowles (if any made) which

shall be a Satisfaction to me. Pray dont faile of this & Youll

oblige So Your Freind & Servt Thoms Free

June 16th 1726

Abt 9 o Clock Eve

P.S. Pray let them be down abt three or four o Clock in the

Morning & Send them down the Fort Hill

The said Free having nothing farther to say Except

in General Denying or Evading the Charge

The Judge then Sumd up the Evidence to the Jury &

Observed to them that he had Positive Orders from the Honble Compy

to Suppress all Such Disorders Mentioned in the Inditent which are

not only against the Laws of this Cuntry but expresly Prohibited

by Severall Clauses in his Lycence &c which he then broke through

in every Shamefull Manner by Suffering People to Play & eat for

Liquor & always Supplying them with what they called for though

forged & Drunk beforehand, that one of the Slaves then Entertaind

was Giles Hayse a Gunners Mate then upon Guard who if there had

been any Ocasion, Occasion to have gone into the Magazine might

in this Disorder have destroyed the Island & every body both it, & fortin

took Notice of the ill Consequence of these things which not only

Tempt & Seduce People to Misspend their time & Squander away their

Money but are often time attended with the totall Ruin & Destruction

both

7: To support the charge laid in the indictment, the council called and swore the four witnesses.

Richard Mason, on oath, stated that he had seen Van Oosten at French's house the next morning gaming with the pins.

Daniel Griffith, on oath, stated that the pins had been there, that he had set them up, and that he and Van Oosten had played with them the morning after the other pins were seized.

John Martin Van Oosten, on oath and examined, admitted to Daniel Griffith that he had played with the pins at the time Griffith described.

Thomas Free, on examination, admitted that he had written the following note to Mr Smith the cutler the same night his pins were seized.

The note asked Smith without fail to send by the bearer, Free's servant, the new pins and bowls if any were made, for which Free would be obliged, and would take it as a favour. It was signed by Thomas Free as Smith's friend and servant and dated 16 June 1726 at about nine o'clock in the evening. A postscript asked that the pins be set down at about three or four o'clock in the morning and sent down to the Fort alley.

Free, having nothing further to say, merely denied and evaded the charge.

Governor Smith then summed up the evidence to the jury. He observed that he had received firm orders from the Honourable Company to suppress such disorders as the indictment set out, which ran not only against the interest of the country but against the express bar in his own licence, breached in every possible way. He had allowed customers to game and drink together, supplying them with what they called punch until they were drunk. One of the offenders, Giles Hayse, a gunner's mate then on guard, could have caused the ruin of everyone had any accident given occasion to reach the magazine during the disorder. The trade of these houses not only tempted and drew people into disorder, prompting them to waste their money, but often ended in their total ruin and destruction, both [...].

Interpretations

The pins and bowls in the note were the equipment of ninepins or a similar skittle game, played for stakes. Their supply from a cutler, and the seizure of an earlier set, show the council treating the gaming apparatus itself as the material to be suppressed, not merely the act of play.

The Fort alley named as the delivery point was the lane of drinking and gaming houses in the first valley, the same ground behind the earlier order barring the gunner French from keeping a tippling house at the consultation of 15 June 1725.

The Governor's charge rested on the licence as an instrument of control. A retailer of strong liquors held the trade only on conditions written into the licence, and breach of those conditions, gaming, drunkenness and the drawing in of Company servants, exposed the holder to forfeiture and prosecution. The magazine point sharpened this, since a gunner's mate drawn from his guard into drink placed the powder store at risk.

Speculations

The Governor pressed the danger to the magazine rather than resting on the plain breach of the licence conditions already proved. The obvious course was to try the case as an ordinary licensing offence of gaming and drink. Instead he tied the disorder to the guard duty of Giles Hayse and the powder store, raising a routine prosecution of a tippling house into a matter of the island's safety, because the presence of an armed man on duty among the drinkers gave the charge a graver public weight than mere disorder would carry.

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both of themselves & Families & Exhorted them to Cheque

& Discountenance these vice before it Spreads farther by Admonishing

their Children & Servants not to frequent such Disorderly Places

Then the Jury withdrew & being returned, after about

a Quarter of an Hour's Stay brought him in Guilty of both

Indictments, but at the same time both he & his Wife being

very Ancient & infirm recommended him to the Pity & Clemency

of the Court, which the Judge taking into Consideration & being

more desireous to Reform them, being unwilling only fined for

the first Indictment Eight & Eight Pence & for the Second Ten

& Ten Pence

John Cotgrove Likewise delivered a Declaration &

Complaint against John Bagley Senr Carpenter Setting forth

that the said Cotgrove was bound Apprentice to the said Bagley

to learn the Art Mystery & Trade of a Carpenter, that the Sd

Bagley in Consideration of the Sum of Money agreed to him

already Recd did engage to Instruct the Compt in the said Trade

that the Compt hath Servd the said Bagley now twelve Years

& is now out of his time but unable to Exercise or get a Livelihood

his said Care Master having never taught or Instructed him in

the said Trade but constantly Employed him to Dig in

his Plantations or drudge Drudgery he pray relating to the

said Trade & therefore humbly Prayed the Court would take

his Unhappy Case into Consideration to the End he might

reciev Redress & Satisfaction from his said Master

The said John Bagley being called & Examined Acknowledges

the Charge to be true as Setforth by the Declaration alledging the

Excuse that the Sd Cotgrove for the first Year or five Years was

too Young & little to learn that Since the said Bagley hath

been hindred from Instructing him in the said Trade partly

by Sickness with which he the Sd Bagley was a long time Visited

& partly by want of Business & Employment but was willing

to the said Cotgrove reasonable Satisfaction &c

Neither Party having any thing farther to offer the Jury

withdrew & being returned Delivered their Verdict That that the Sd

Bagley should either Employ & teach the said Cotgrove during

the

8: The Governor closed by warning that these houses ruined both the men themselves and their families, and that the disorder would spread further if unchecked. He admonished the customs officers and the Company's servants to keep away from such disorderly places.

The jury then withdrew. After about a quarter of an hour they returned and found Thomas Free guilty on both indictments. At the same time, his wife being very old and infirm, they recommended him to the mercy and compassion of the court. The judge, taking this into consideration, chose to lessen the fine. He set the penalty at £8 8s 0d on the first indictment and £8 10s 0d on the second.

John Cotgrove next presented a declaration and complaint against John Bagley senior, carpenter. It set out that Cotgrove had been bound apprentice to Bagley to learn the craft and trade of a carpenter. In return for a sum of money Bagley had already received, he had undertaken to instruct Cotgrove in that trade. Cotgrove stated that he had served Bagley twelve years and was now out of his time, yet could not set up on his own or earn a living. He complained that his master had never taught or instructed him in the trade, but had instead kept him employed digging in his plantations. Cotgrove therefore humbly begged the court to weigh his unhappy circumstances, that he might receive redress and satisfaction from his master.

John Bagley, called and examined, admitted the declaration to be true. He argued in his own defence that Cotgrove had been very young and small when first bound, too young to learn much at the outset. He added that Bagley himself had for a long time been prevented from instructing Cotgrove, partly through illness and partly through want of business and employment. He was nonetheless willing to give Cotgrove reasonable satisfaction.

Neither party having anything further to add, they withdrew. The jury returned its verdict that Bagley should either employ and teach Cotgrove during the [...].

Interpretations

The two fines on Thomas Free show the court grading the punishment by indictment while tempering it for the wife's condition. The first offence carried £8 8s 0d and the second £8 10s 0d, a deliberate softening from a heavier sum on the jury's plea for compassion.

The Cotgrove complaint turned on the substance of an apprenticeship rather than its form. A premium had been paid and a term of twelve years served, yet the apprentice emerged without the skill the bond promised. The court treated the failure to instruct as a breach the master had to make good, whether by resumed teaching or by compensation.

Speculations

Bagley met the complaint by shifting the ground from the plain failure to teach onto excuses of circumstance. The direct charge was that twelve years had produced no tradesman. He answered with the apprentice's youth at binding, his own sickness and a shortage of work, framing the neglect as misfortune rather than default, while conceding enough to offer satisfaction and so avoid a harder finding against him.

11

9

the Space of one Year as much of the Carpenters Trade as he

could allowing him two Shillings & 4d Pence & Diet during the

said time & unless he refuse Meat Drink Washing & Lodging, or immediatly

Pay the said Cotgrove the Sum of Twentyfive Pounds at the

Choice & Election of him the said Cotgrove

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Saturday the 3 of

July 1725 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

This Morning about Eleven We had an Alarm for

one Ship about Seven Leagues distant off Stone Top & at Seven

in the Evening arrived the Grantham Capt Jamo Trad

Commander from England with a Cargo of Goods & Merchandize

for the Use of this Island

The Packet from the Honble Masters being brought

on Shore We opend the Same & read over their Genll Letter

dated 12th February last as also the Invoice of their Cargo

Ordent that an Order be drawn out & delivered

Capt Field on Monday Morning next for the delivery of the

said Cargo & to insert therein that if he wants any Afsistance

Wee are ready to Serve him

Farther Orderd that Mr Bazette Afsistant to

the Storekeepr be appointed to attend at the Landing Place

in Order to reciev the Goods on Shore & that he keep an

Exact Acct of the Weather when any high Surf or when Smooth

Sea, if & when any & what Boates come on Shore each day

with the Quantity of Goods brought in each boat & if any

Delay of time in the Ship People to take Notice thereof

9: The jury directed that Bagley teach Cotgrove as much of the carpenter's trade as he could within one year, allowing him 2s 6d a day for his diet during that time, together with meat, drink, washing and lodging, or else immediately pay Cotgrove the sum of £20 0s 0d at Cotgrove's choice and election.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Saturday 3 July 1725 at Union Castle, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

This morning at about eleven o'clock the island had an alarm for one ship about seven leagues distant off Sugar Loaf. At seven in the evening the Grantham, Captain Simon Tidd commander, arrived from England with a cargo of goods and merchandise for the use of the island.

The packet from the Honourable Masters was brought ashore. On opening it the council read their general letter dated 12 February last, together with the invoice of the ship's cargo.

The council ordered that an order be drawn out and delivered to Captain Tidd on Monday morning next for the delivery of the cargo. It was to state that if he wanted any assistance the council stood ready to serve him.

The council further ordered that Mr Bazett, assistant to the storekeeper, be appointed to attend at the landing place to receive the goods ashore. He was to keep an exact account of the weather when any high surf occurred and when it was smooth, of how many boats came ashore on each day and what they were, and of the quantity of goods brought in by each boat. Any delay of time by the ship's crew was to be noted by the marshal.

Interpretations

The Cotgrove award set a clear alternative that put the choice in the apprentice's hands. Bagley could complete a year's instruction with full maintenance at 2s 6d a day, or discharge the whole matter by a cash payment of £20 0s 0d, whichever Cotgrove preferred. The remedy answered the earlier finding that the apprenticeship had failed to deliver the promised skill.

The signatures fix the council for this period as Governor Smith with Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin, the same board recorded through the consultations of the summer of 1725.

The order to log the Grantham's unloading continued a standing practice against ships' masters. A daily record of weather, boats and cargo, with delays noted by the marshal, gave the council the documentary basis to answer any later dispute over discharge time under the charter party.

Speculations

The council built a defensive record of the Grantham's discharge before any dispute had arisen. The simple task was to receive the goods and store them. Instead it appointed Mr Bazett to enter the weather, the boats, the daily cargo and any delay by the crew, because a detailed contemporaneous account protected the Company if the master later contested the time taken to unload against his charter party.

12

10

thereof & Report the same to Us

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Thursday the 8th July

1725 at Union Castle in James Valley

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

This Morning We had two Alarms One in the Morng

for the Duke Cambridge 1725 arrived about Noon from Bombay

but brought Us neither Letter nor any thing else from Some

for the Use of this Place, the other at about Eleven for a

Single Ship seen directly off the East Standing into the Road

in the Evening the Boatswain came on Shore to give an

Acct what She was & Reports That She is called the Sea

Nymph of an 100 Tons for Cary & Co Wm Cleaven

Fifty two Officrs & men from London to Buenos on the Coast of

Guinea but by an Imported Cause of the Currents Drifted

their Port & had this Place Refusing Refreshment to leave

to come in & Clean the Ship, & it appearing by his Affidavit

as well as the Boatswains he produced an Cocket Cegulon

Mediterranean Cafs of Enrique that he was abroad upon

an honest Acct he his Leave to bring to Under Bankses

but Orderd to be gone again by Saturday Noon

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 13th

day July 1725 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

The Govr

10: The viewers were to inspect the goods and report the result to the council. The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Thursday 8 July 1725 at Union Castle in James Valley, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

This morning the island had two alarms. The first, at about noon, was for the Duke of Cambridge, which arrived from Bombay but brought neither letters nor any other news of value to the island. The second, at about eleven o'clock, was for a single ship seen directly off the east, standing in toward the road. In the evening the boatswain came ashore to give an account of her. He reported that she was the Sea Nymph, an East India ship, Captain John Cross commander, of about 50 guns, last from London bound for Bencoolen on the coast of Guinea. By an imported clause of the charter party she was to refresh at the island, take in refreshment and clean the ship. It appeared from his affidavit, together with a Mediterranean pass he produced under the name Creighton, that the ship was allowed to call. The council gave her leave to anchor under Banks and clean, but ordered her to be gone again by Saturday noon.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 July 1725 at Union Castle, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Interpretations

The Sea Nymph's call rested on a clause written into her charter party allowing her to refresh at the island. Her boatswain's account, sworn on affidavit and backed by a Mediterranean pass under the name Creighton, satisfied the council of her right to anchor. The bench granted leave to lie under Banks and clean, but fixed a firm departure by Saturday noon.

The order limiting the stay continued the council's practice of controlling the road. A foreign or India ship might refresh and clean, yet the bench set the anchorage and the sailing time to keep command of its harbour.

Speculations

The council weighed the Sea Nymph's papers before admitting her rather than turning her away or letting her lie at will. The plain choice was to accept the boatswain's word or refuse the call. Instead the bench tested the affidavit against the Mediterranean pass and the charter-party clause, then granted a bounded leave under Banks with a fixed departure, because a documented right of call had to be verified before the road was opened to a ship from outside the Company's own fleet.

13

11

The Governr Reports that the Ship Sea Nymph not Sailing

by Saturday Noon the time Limited for his Departure he

Orderd to be fired at upon which he Weighed Anchor & Sailed

Mr Byfeld, Capt Goodwin, Mr French, & Mr

Crispe delivered each of them their Monthly Acct for June last

which were Severally Examined Approved & are as follow Vizt

Collection Store Goods Sold & delld in the Month June

1725

117 5/8 Galls Arrack

37 4 11½

365 lb Sugar

9 2 6½

10 lb Bread

2 1

8 1/2 lb Soap

12 1½

8 1/2 lb Candy

8 6

3 Galls Rape Oyle

18

3 lb Bohea Tea

18

6 Catties Green d[itto]

1 4

24 Soldiers Coats with Loops

36 2 6

1 China Bowle

11

29 Sneakers

4

24 Small Cups

4

8 Cups & Saucers

4 6

1 Tea Pott

3 6

2 yds Sirge

4 8

1 lb Chelloe

17

1 C. White Desotees

10

10 P. Dungree

3 8 6

36 P. White Gurrahs

1 1 3

1 lb Maddrass Chint

5 6

10 Allampore

5 6

1 Iron Pott

1 6

4 1/2 lb Shoe Thread

3 9

3 Chelloe Shirt

9

5 White d[itto]

12 6

1 lb Cotton Stockings

2 6

1 Smale Quilt

4 6

3/4 yd Broad Cloth

16 9

17 1/4 yd Kersey

11 8

8 Laws Sorted

5 10

2 pr Womens Spanish Leather Shoes

11 6

1 lb Hair Powder

2

3 lb 10d Nails

1 6

2 lb 6d d[itto]

1 3 6

1 Suit Fill Locks

3 6

1/2 lb Whited Brown Thread

3 9

1/2 lb d[itto]

9

1/4 lb Coloured d[itto]

9

1 1/2 Needles

1 2

1 M Pins

3 1

3 lb Tape

1

6 d[itto]

6 10

1 Long ord 3 Lace

10½

6 Short Thribb Silk

13

75 6 oz Mens Gloves

3 5

3 lb Yorkshire Buttons

[...]

9 1/2 4½ Sowing

Totall to Inhabts £103 [...] 0

11: The Governor reported that the Sea Nymph had not sailed by Saturday noon, the time fixed for her departure. He ordered a shot fired at her, on which she weighed anchor and sailed.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe each delivered their monthly account for June last. The accounts were examined and approved and stand as follows.

Account of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants in the month of June 1725:

117 5/8 gallons of arrack

£37 4s 11½d

365 pounds of sugar

£9 2s 6d

10 pounds of bread

0s 2s 1½d

8½ pounds of soap

0s 12s 1½d

8½ pounds of candy

0s 8s 6d

3 gallons of rape oil

0s 18s 0d

3 pounds of bohea tea

0s 18s 0d

6 catties of green tea

£1 4s 0d

24 soldiers' coats with loops

£36 2s 6d

1 china bowl

0s 11s 0d

29 sneakers

0s 4s 1d

24 small cups

0s 4s 1d

8 cups and saucers

0s 4s 6d

1 teapot

0s 3s 8d

2 yards of serge

0s 4s 8d

1 piece of chelloe

0s 17s 0d

1 piece of white doreas

0s 10s 0d

10 pieces of dungaree

£3 8s 6d

36 pieces of white guinea

£1 1s 3d

1 piece of Madras chintz

0s 5s 6d

1 piece of allampore

0s 5s 6d

1 iron pot

£1 6s 6d

4½ pounds of shoe thread

0s 3s 9d

3 chelloe shirts

0s 9s 0d

5 white shirts

0s 12s 6d

1 pound of cotton stockings

0s 2s 6d

1 small quilt

0s 4s 6d

3/4 yard of broadcloth

0s 16s 9d

17½ yards of kersey

0s 11s 8d

8 skins sorted

0s 5s 10d

2 pairs of women's Spanish leather shoes

0s 11s 6d

1 pound of hair powder

0s 2s 6d

3 pounds of tenpenny nails

0s 1s 6d

2 pounds of eightpenny nails

0s 1s 3d

1 suit of gilt locks

0s 3s 6d

½ pound of whited-brown thread

0s 3s 9d

½ pound of green thread

0s 1s 9d

1/4 pound of coloured thread

0s 1s 2d

1½ ounces of pins

0s 1s 3d

1 pound of tape

0s 3s 1d

1 piece of tape

[...]

1 long and short lace

0s 10s 4d

6 ounces of short thread silk

0s 13s 0d

75 pairs of men's gloves

[...]

3½ dozen coat buttons

0s 3s 5d

9½ dozen breast buttons

[...]

Total to the inhabitants

£103 0s 0d

Interpretations

The account recorded the store's monthly sales to the inhabitants for June 1725. Arrack led every other item at £37 4s 11½d for 117 5/8 gallons, and the 24 soldiers' coats at £36 2s 6d formed the next largest charge. The two together made up more than two-thirds of the month's total of £103 0s 0d.

The great spread of goods showed the Company store acting as the island's sole general supplier. Spirits, sugar, tea, textiles from India and England, ironware, shoes, thread, buttons and tableware all passed through the same monthly reckoning to the inhabitants.

Speculations

The account divided every sale by class of commodity and carried each to its own priced line before the single total. The plain course would have been to record a running charge to each buyer. Instead the storekeeper set out the month's issues item by item under quantity and value, because a commodity breakdown let the council measure demand, verify stock against sale and answer the directors on the disposal of each parcel of goods.

14

12

Diet Expences Dr to Octobr£

103 9 3½

1 Cask Beef £13 -

1 pr Beast 5 5

2 lb Copper

1 Bott Ple oyle 7 6

1 Bott Cor B Tea 12

1 d[itto] 6

Genll Charges Dr

due to Wignall

19 12 6

4 Casks Arrack £5 1 4

1 d[itto] Rape Oyle 1 6

Blank Blank 15

1 lb Bohea Bread 6

2 Marts Tin 6 4½

1 Marts Frenpt Byd 9

1 d[itto] 2 3

1 d[itto] 4d 9

1 Cupboard Lock 2 7

2 lb 5 Prales 1 3

1 lb 7d d[itto] 1 8

1 lb 8d Cotton Bread

Garrison Dr

2 16 7

10 Catties of Bacct d[itto]

3 3/4 Galls Rape Oyle 1 8 6

5 lb 6d Soap 6 9

1 lb Brown Thread 5

2 9d Ps 14 6

Fortification Dr

4 11 1

7 Longls in 13 3/4 3 4

10 lb Rape d[itto] 5 5

1 d[itto] Rape Oyle 1 6 1½

1 d[itto] Sheath 2 4½

18 Ditap 20 7d 3 2 5

14 Nelves 14

1 Spoke m d[itto] 7 6

3 Brick Trowells 7

3 lb Small fised 10 Aloy 3 3

1 lb d[itto] Nall 7

3 3 30d 7 9

8 lb 20d 7 6

2 lb 4d 1 3

2 lb 8d 1 4

Plantation Dr

7 - 1½

4 Galls Toy £1 4

37 1/2 lb d[itto] Oyle 2 9

Hon Compy Blacks Dr

3 4 9

1725

1116 Piece £38 19

5 lb 3d d[itto] 8 9

7 Chew Shirt 1 7

12 Butchers d[itto] 11

6 pr Hemp Stockings 6

18 lb 6oz Coy Bo 6

4 lb Wht Brown Th 3 9

4 lb Cold d[itto] 9

1/2 lb Shoe W[hite] 1 3

1 Smale Blank[et] 5 9

148 13 6

£ 289 7 9½

12: Diet expenses, debtor to store

Total £103 9s 3½d

1 cask of beef

£13 4s 0d

1 pound of bread

0s 5s 5d

2 pounds of pepper

0s 4s 0d

1 bottle of rape oil

0s 7s 6d

1 pound of bohea tea

0s 12s 0d

1 [...]

0s 6s 0d

General charges, debtor to store

Total £19 12s 6d

4 gallons of arrack

£1 5s 4d

1 gallon of rape oil

0s 1s 6d

Black cloth

0s 15s 0d

18 pounds of dark bread

0s 4s 9d

2 quarts of gin

0s 4s 1½d

10 iron frigg staves

0s 2s 9d

1 [...]

0s 2s 3d

1 [...]

0s 2s 9d

1 cupboard lock

0s 2s 7d

2 pounds 5 ounces of nails

0s 1s 3d

18 pounds of [...] nails

0s 3s 9d

18 pounds of oakum board

0s 1s 8d

Garrison, debtor to store

Total £2 16s 7d

10 catties of bohea tea

0s 2s 6d

3½ gallons of rape oil

£1 8s 6d

5 pounds of soap

0s 6s 9d

18 pounds of brown thread

0s 5s 0d

2 quarts of gin

0s 14s 6d

7 lengths of tin [...]

0s 3s 4d

Fortification, debtor to store

Total £4 11s 1d

10 pounds of powder

0s 5s 0d

1 gallon of rape oil

0s 1s 6½d

1 gallon of shot

0s 2s 4½d

18 iron caps at 7¼d

0s 9s 4½d

14 knives

0s 14s 0d

1 spade at 11d

0s 7s 9d

3 brick trowels

0s 7s 6d

6 pounds of small field or hoop iron

0s 3s 9d

12 pounds of tenpenny nails

0s 7s 0d

3 pounds of threepenny nails

0s 1s 9d

8 pounds of twopenny nails

0s 2s 0d

2 pounds of fourpenny nails

0s 1s 3d

2 pounds of eightpenny nails

0s 1s 4d

Plantation, debtor to store

Total £7 0s 1½d

4 gallons of oil

£1 4s 0d

37½ pounds of [...]

£2 0s 9d

Honourable Company's blacks, debtor to store

Total £3 4s 9d

11,116 pieces of [...]

£38 19s 0d

5 pounds of [...] at 3s 6d

0s 18s 9d

7 chelloe shirts

£1 1s 0d

12 butchers' knives

0s 11s 0d

6 pounds of green tea

0s 6s 0d

12 pieces of blue guinea

£6 0s 0d

4 pounds of coloured thread

0s 3s 9d

1 pound of coloured thread

0s 9s 0d

4 pounds of white thread

0s 1s 3d

1 small blanket

0s 5s 9d

Total £148 13s 6d

Grand total £289 7s 9½d

Interpretations

The account divided the store's June issues among the several charges of the establishment. The diet expenses at £103 9s 3½d and the Honourable Company's blacks at £148 13s 6d formed the two heaviest heads, together with the general charges, garrison, fortification and plantation. The whole month reached a grand total of £289 7s 9½d.

The single largest item under the Company's blacks was a great parcel of piece goods valued at £38 19s 0d, the bulk cloth for clothing the slave force. Powder, shot, nails, iron and tools ran through the fortification head, marking the maintenance of the island's defences.

Speculations

The account set each supply against the head of charge it served rather than gathering the month's goods into one list. The simple course would have been a single running total of issues. Instead the storekeeper carried the diet, the general charges, the garrison, the fortification, the plantation and the slaves each to its own subtotal, because a division by function let the council charge every cost to its proper account and answer the directors on the disposal of the whole.

15

13

Gunrs Stores Expd in the Month June 1725

1725

June 2d

Muster day

10

For the Funerall of James Doveton

12

Expence for the Guards

2 3

Cartridge Papr Expendend for the Guards Powr

1

d[itto] for Sundry Cartridges

1

Sponge Stav for Flag at Sugar Loaf

1

Match

14

14 1 2

Expence of the Genll Table in June 1725

48 lb Salt Beef 2/6

6 4

2 d[itto] Pork

3 19 4

142 lb Bread

1 13 6

147 lb Sugar

1 13 6

43 Galls Arrack for Table

13 12 4

7 lb d[itto] Working Black

12 6

27 Fowles

7 5 6

136 lb Oats

1 3 4

19 Bott Mountain

17 2

5 d[itto] Port

12 6

36 d[itto] Cape

1 15

115 lb Flower

18 3

174 lb Beef

2 3 6

8 Duck

16

79 lb Butter

3 19 4

d[itto]

8 1

9 Sheep

2 8

3 Goat

1 10

27 Days Green

1 5

D. Crispe

£ 66 15 6

13: Gunner's stores expended in the month of June 1725

2 June, muster day

10 pounds of powder

29 June, upon the arrival of James Doveton

12 pounds of powder

Expended for the guards

Powder 1 pound, 23 pounds

Cartridge powder expended for the guards

For the [...] cartridges

1 pound

Sponge staves for [...] at Sugar Loaf

1 pound

Match

14 pounds

Total 14 pounds 1s 2d

Expense of the General Table in June 1725

48 pounds of beef at 2s 6d

£6 0s 4d

2 pounds of pork

£3 19s 4d

142 pounds of bread

£1 13s 6d

147 pounds of sugar

£13 13s 6d

43 gallons of arrack for punch

£13 12s 4d

2 pounds of bohea for [...] blacks

£7 12s 6d

97 fowls

£1 5s 6d

136 pounds of oatmeal

£3 5s 0d

19 pounds of Betty Mountain

0s 17s 6d

5 pounds of pork

£1 2s 6d

368 pounds of [...]

£1 15s 0d

116 pounds of pilongo

£1 18s 0d

174 pounds of beef

£2 3s 6d

8 ducks

0s 16s 0d

7 pounds 9 ounces of butter

£3 19s 0d

9 [...]

0s 8s 1d

9 sheep

£2 8s 0d

3 goats

£1 10s 0d

2 dozen greens

£1 5s 0d

Signed D. Crispe

Total £66 15s 6d

Interpretations

The gunner's account recorded the powder and stores spent in June 1725, chiefly on ceremony and the guards. Ten pounds went on the muster day of 2 June and 12 pounds on the arrival of James Doveton on 29 June, with further charges for cartridges, sponge staves and match. The whole came to 14 pounds with a value of 1s 2d.

The General Table account set out the food and drink consumed at the Company's own table for the month. Sugar at £13 13s 6d and arrack for punch at £13 12s 4d were the two heaviest items, together with beef, bread, oatmeal, fowls, sheep and other provisions. The account, signed by D. Crispe, reached a total of £66 15s 6d.

Speculations

The gunner tied each charge of powder to the occasion that consumed it rather than entering a single monthly quantity. The plain course would have been to record the total spent. Instead he set the muster day, the arrival of James Doveton, the guards and the cartridges each against its own charge, because a powder account matched to named events let the council check every expenditure of a controlled and dangerous store.

16

14

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry &c Horses

Remns Ult May

Bullock 18

Cowes 35

Heifer 32

Steers 10

Yearlgs 5

Calve 33

Bull 5

Totall 138

Ewes 42

Wethers 19

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 78

Ewes 119

Wethers 53

Kilb 43

Rams 7

Totall 222

Sows 9

Shoats 5

Boars 1

Pig 25

Totall 40

Turkey 40

Fowles 182

Ducks 9

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 5

Mares 2

Totall 7

Bt in do

Bullock 4

Turkey 18

Encreased in do

Yearlgs 5

Lamb 5

Horses 1

Totall 1

Bullock 22

Cowes 35

Heifer 32

Steers 10

Yearlgs 5

Calve 38

Bull 5

Totall 147

Ewes 42

Wethers 19

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 78

Ewes 119

Wethers 53

Kilb 43

Rams 7

Totall 222

Sows 9

Shoats 5

Boars 1

Pig 25

Totall 40

Turkey 40

Fowles 200

Ducks 9

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 6

Mares 2

Totall 8

Killed in do

Bullock 1

Heifer 0

Calve 1

Ewes 2

Lamb 2

Ewes 3

Totall 3

Dead in do & this Season

Bullock 21

Cowes 35

Heifer 32

Steers 10

Yearlgs 5

Calve 38

Bull 5

Totall 146

Ewes 42

Wethers 17

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 76

Ewes 119

Wethers 50

Kilb 43

Rams 7

Totall 219

Sows 9

Shoats 5

Boars 1

Pig 25

Totall 40

Turkey 40

Fowles 200

Ducks 9

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 6

Mares 2

Totall 8

broke her Neck

Heifer 1

Calve 1

Ewes 1

Lamb 2

Ewes 3

Wethers 2

Totall 2

Ducks 1

Remns 26th June

Bullock 21

Cowes 35

Heifer 31

Steers 10

Yearlgs 5

Calve 38

Bull 5

Totall 146

Ewes 42

Wethers 16

Lamb 12

Rams 3

Totall 73

Ewes 17

Wethers 50

Kilb 43

Rams 7

Totall 217

Sows 9

Shoats 5

Boars 1

Pig 25

Totall 40

Turkey 40

Fowles 200

Ducks 8

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 6

Mares 2

Totall 8

Yams Expended for the Hogs & Poultry 3814 lb

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

14: Account of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses.

Remaining last May: 18 bullocks, 35 cows, 32 heifers, 10 steers, 5 yearlings, 5 calves, 33 bulls, totalling 138 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 19 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, totalling 78 sheep; 119 she-goats, 53 wethers, 43 kids, 7 rams, totalling 222 goats; 9 sows, 5 shoats, 1 boar, 25 pigs, totalling 40 hogs; 40 turkeys, 182 fowls, 9 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese, totalling poultry; 5 horses, 2 mares, totalling 7 horses.

Bought in the month: 4 bullocks.

Increased in the month: 5 calves; 5 lambs; 18 fowls; 1 horse, totalling 1.

Sum after purchase and increase: 22 bullocks, 35 cows, 32 heifers, 10 steers, 5 yearlings, 38 calves, 5 bulls, totalling 147 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 19 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, totalling 78 sheep; 119 she-goats, 53 wethers, 43 kids, 7 rams, totalling 222 goats; 9 sows, 5 shoats, 1 boar, 25 pigs, totalling 40 hogs; 40 turkeys, 200 fowls, 9 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 6 horses, 2 mares, totalling 8.

Killed in the month: 1 bullock; 0; 1 calf; 2 ewes, 2 lambs, totalling 3 sheep; 3 goats.

Remaining after kills and deaths: 21 bullocks, 35 cows, 32 heifers, 10 steers, 5 yearlings, 38 calves, 5 bulls, totalling 146 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 17 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, totalling 76 sheep; 119 she-goats, 50 wethers, 43 kids, 7 rams, totalling 219 goats; 9 sows, 5 shoats, 1 boar, 25 pigs, totalling 40 hogs; 40 turkeys, 200 fowls, 9 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 6 horses, 2 mares, totalling 8.

Dead in the month, and one that broke her neck: 3 sheep; 1 heifer; 1 lamb; 2 goats; 1 duck.

Remaining 26 June: 21 bullocks, 35 cows, 31 heifers, 10 steers, 5 yearlings, 38 calves, 5 bulls, totalling 146 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 16 wethers, 12 lambs, 3 rams, totalling 73 sheep; 117 she-goats, 50 wethers, 43 kids, 7 rams, totalling 217 goats; 9 sows, 5 shoats, 1 boar, 25 pigs, totalling 40 hogs; 40 turkeys, 200 fowls, 8 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 6 horses, 2 mares, totalling 8.

Yams expended for the hogs and poultry: 3,814 pounds.

Signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The account set out the Company's live stock at the plantation for June 1725, tracing each kind from the May total through purchases, increase, kills and deaths to the count of 26 June. The neat cattle stood at 146, the sheep at 73, the goats at 217 and the hogs at 40, with poultry, horses and mares recorded apart.

The month's changes were small and closely tracked. Four bullocks were bought and calves, lambs and fowls born, against losses to slaughter for the table and to death, including a heifer that broke its neck. A charge of 3,814 pounds of yams was set against the feeding of the hogs and poultry.

Speculations

The account followed every category of stock through each cause of change rather than stating only the opening and closing numbers. The plain course would have been to record the count at each date. Instead the overseer carried each kind through purchase, birth, slaughter and death to its new total, because a full reckoning of every gain and loss let the council verify the herd and charge the yams consumed to the proper account.

17

15

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 20th day

July 1725 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

On Fryday the 16th instant about Noon the Ship

Duke of Cambridge sailed hence for Great Britain

On Saturday the 17th instant We delivered Our Letters

for Fort St George, Bombay Bengale & Bencoolen to Capt Jamo Field

Commander of the Grantham

This day We finished Reckoning with the Garrison

which We defered tile now the Storeship Arrival & viewing her Cargo

preventing Our going on with it

Samuel Bazeck who upon Acct of his ill State of Health was left

here out of the London being now well again Presented a Petition Praying

leave to go to Bencoolen on board the Grantham

Granted James Draper Planter Presented a Bill of Sale for

One Acre of Land he bought of Sutton Isaac part of the Lott Land

of Sutton Isaac Senr Praying the same might be Registered

Ordrd that the same be accordingly Registred

Loans forr vizt

Isaac Leech to Compleat the Payment of his Sd Bond &c 30 lb£ Loan

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

15: At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 July 1725 at Union Castle, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

On Friday 16 July, at about noon, the Duke of Cambridge sailed from the island for Great Britain.

On Saturday 17 July the council delivered its letters for Fort St George, Bombay, Bengal and Bencoolen to Captain Simon Tidd, commander of the Grantham.

This day the council finished its reckoning with the gunner, which it had deferred until the store ship's arrival, her cargo having prevented the work going forward.

Samuel Bazett, left at the island on account of his ill state of health when the London sailed, now being well again, presented a petition begging leave to go to Bencoolen aboard the Grantham. The council granted it.

James Draper, planter, presented a bill of sale for one acre of land bought of Sutton Isaake, part of the lot land of Sutton Isaake senior, and prayed that it be registered. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

Bonds given, namely: Isaac Leech, to complete the payment of his own bond, £30 0s 0d.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The council recorded the departure of two ships and the delivery of its India correspondence to the Grantham. The letters for Fort St George, Bombay, Bengal and Bencoolen went to Captain Tidd on 17 July 1725, the settlement's yearly dispatch to the eastern stations.

Samuel Bazett's petition marked the resumption of a passage interrupted by sickness. Set ashore ill when the London sailed, he was now recovered and granted leave to continue to Bencoolen aboard the Grantham.

The Draper registration continued the practice of recording land transfers on the council book. The acre bought of Sutton Isaake, part of the elder Sutton Isaake's lot land, was entered to secure the buyer's title.

Speculations

The council held its reckoning with the gunner until the store ship had come and gone rather than closing the account on the usual day. The plain course would have been to settle at the month's end. Instead the bench deferred the work while the Grantham's cargo occupied the establishment, because the receipt and storage of a whole year's supply took precedence over the routine audit of the gunner's stores.

18

16

At a Consultation held on Saturday the 24th day of

June 1725 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

The Govr acquainted Us that he called this Consultation

at the Request of Capt Field who Presented the following Letter

Worshipfull Sir & Gent

In England I Shipped John Blundle on board the Grantham

in order to proceed the Voyage to India but he having proved a dangerous

Unruly fellow & been Guilty of Mutiny on board my Ship & threatning

to do farther Mischeif it was Determined to keep him in Irons tile We

reached this Place in Order to be Proceeded against according to Law

Therefore desire Yr Worship & ye Councill will be pleased to take

this Matter into Your Consideration to the end he may tryed & receiv either as

Suitable to his Merit, both my Ship & the Honble Compys Estate on board he

being alike exposed to danger if such a fellow should be Suffered to Croud

the Voyage, he being already daring in villany & Capable to attempt any thing

that is bad, & besides ill Behaviour may Corrupt the whole Ships Company

he was formerly among the Pyrates & has given me just Cause to Suspect

if he had an Opportunity he would be with them again. I am

Worshipfull Sir & Gent

Yr Most humble Servt

Jno Field

Which being taken into Consideration the Honble Compys 27 Paragraph of

their Genll Letter & Ship Catherine relating to the Punishment of the

Men belonging to the Eagle being first read We sent him the follg

Answer

Sr We have Perused & Considered of Your Letter dated

22d instant relating to Your Complaint against Jno Blundele

one of Your Men, & as You have good reason to Suspect it would be

of dangerous Consequence for him to Proceed the Voyage & remaining

before to this Day that he has been formerly among the Pyrates

We

16: At a consultation held on Saturday 24 July 1725 at Union Castle, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that he had called this consultation at the request of Captain Tidd, who presented the following letter.

The letter was addressed to the Governor and his agent. It stated that in England the writer had shipped John Blundell aboard the Grantham to proceed as a bricklayer to India. Blundell had since proved a dangerous and unruly fellow, guilty of mutiny aboard the ship and threatening to do further mischief. The writer had therefore determined to keep him in irons until the ship reached the island, so that he might be proceeded against according to law.

The writer asked the Governor and council to take the matter into their consideration, to the end that Blundell might be tried, proved or otherwise dealt with as suited his case, both aboard the ship and in the service of the Honourable Company. He was alike a danger if a fellow of his kind should be allowed to continue the voyage, being an unruly and daring villain and capable of attempting any wicked thing. His ill behaviour might corrupt the whole ship's company. He had formerly kept company with the pirates, and there was just cause to suspect that, given the opportunity, he would join them again. The letter closed with the writer subscribing himself the Governor's most humble servant, Simon Tidd.

The council took the matter into consideration. The 27th paragraph of the Honourable Company's general letter, brought by the ship Catherine, touching the punishment of the men belonging to the Eagle, was first read. The council then sent Captain Tidd the following answer.

The answer stated that the council had perused and considered his letter of the 22nd instant relating to his complaint against Blundell, one of his men. It agreed that he had good reason to argue it would be of dangerous consequence for Blundell to continue the voyage, having proved before this day that he had formerly kept company with the pirates.

Interpretations

The letter from Captain Tidd set out a shipboard discipline problem carried to the island for a legal remedy. Blundell had been engaged in England as a bricklayer for India, but was charged with mutiny aboard the Grantham and confined in irons. The master sought the council's authority to try or otherwise dispose of him rather than carry a dangerous man onward.

The reference to the 27th paragraph of the general letter brought by the Catherine shows the council grounding its response in the directors' own instructions. That paragraph concerned the punishment of the crew of the Eagle, an earlier case of shipboard mutiny, and gave the bench a settled precedent for handling Blundell.

The charge that Blundell had formerly kept company with pirates gave the complaint its gravest weight. A mutinous tradesman was a shipboard matter, but a suspected returning pirate touched the security of the whole voyage and the Company's shipping.

Speculations

The council opened its reckoning by reading the directors' paragraph on the Eagle men before framing any answer to Captain Tidd. The plain course would have been to respond to the master's complaint on its own facts. Instead the bench anchored its reply in the general letter brought by the Catherine, because a disciplinary decision touching mutiny and piracy was safer resting on the Honourable Company's express instruction than on the council's own discretion.

19

17

We think it proper for the Security of Your Ship & the Honble Compys Effects

on board to continue him the said Blundele in Close Custody in Order

to be sent to England by the next returning Shipping Provided You will

Indemnify the said Honble Company from any Charge that may accrue

by his being so Sent, which We think will be the most Effectuall Method

of proceeding & desire Your Answer accordingly. We are

Sr Yr Hum: Servt

J Smith

E Byfeld

J Alexander

J Goodwin

To which he Replyed as follow vizt

Worshipfull Sir & Gent

I engage to Indemnify the Company from any Charge

that may accrue to them upon Acct of detaining John Blundele &

Prison upon this Island & Sending him to England by the next

returning Shipping. I am obliged to you for the trouble You have given

Your Selves in that affair. I am

Worshipfull Sir & Gent

Yr Most humble Servt

Jno Field

St Helena 24th July 1725

Copies of the Scole Letters Sent to India vizt

To the Honble James Macra Esqr President & ye Councill

At Fort St George

Our Last to You was by the James & Mary Ship Thos Aubine Comr

under date of the 12th June 1724 to which We hope hath since come safe to hand

This achra by the Grantham Capt Jamo Field Comr to be

arrived here after a Long & tedious Voyage from England with Stores &

Provisions for the Use of this Island hon the 3d instant

By the inclosed List of Shipping which We Send in

Compliance to Your Requests & desire Yould find those departed from

You last year have arrived, with as I brought Us the severall Letters We

were favoured with & Invoices Containing the Goods & Stores You loaded

on each Ship which Were very acceptable so that We need not trouble

You with their dates or Particulars the Ships by which they came

Rice & Sugar being allways very usefull to Us & the Inhabitants

17: The council thought it proper, for the security of his ship and the Honourable Company's goods aboard, that Blundell be kept in close confinement and sent to England by the next returning ship. It required Captain Tidd first to indemnify the Company against any charge that might arise from sending him home. This it judged the most suitable course, and gave him its answer accordingly. The letter was subscribed by the council as his most humble servants, Byfield, Alexander and Goodwin.

Captain Tidd replied as follows. Addressing the Governor and his agent, he undertook to indemnify the Company against any charge that might fall on it from detaining John Blundell as a prisoner on the island and sending him to England by the next returning ship. He thanked the council for the trouble it had taken in the affair, subscribing himself its most humble servant, Simon Tidd, dated at St Helena 24 July 1725.

Copies of the store letters sent to India, namely: to the Honourable James Macrae Esquire, President, and the council at Fort St George.

The letter stated that the council's last to them went by the Sarah Galley, Captain John Nolan commander, under date of 12 June 1725, to which the writers referred for the past year, since which none of theirs had come to hand. This present letter went by the Grantham, Captain Simon Tidd commander, which arrived at the island after a long and tedious passage from England with a store of provisions for the use of the island on 3 July [1725]. By the enclosed list of shipping the council sent word of those that had departed the island. Their last year's ships had arrived and had brought the several letters, which were favoured with invoices of the goods and stores loaded on each ship, all very acceptable. The council therefore did not trouble them with the dates or particulars of the ships by which they came. Rice and sugar were always very useful to the island and its inhabitants.

Interpretations

The council settled Blundell's case by confinement and transport home rather than trial on the island, requiring the master to bear the risk. Captain Tidd's written indemnity protected the Company against any cost of holding and shipping him. The exchange closed a shipboard mutiny matter through a documented transfer of liability from the Company to the ship.

The store letters mark the settlement's yearly correspondence with the Company's eastern presidencies. The letter to President James Macrae and the council at Fort St George recorded the ships that had come and gone and pointed to an enclosed list of shipping. Rice and sugar were singled out as the supplies most wanted at the island.

Speculations

The council required Captain Tidd's indemnity before agreeing to hold and ship Blundell rather than simply accepting the prisoner. The plain course would have been to take the man and send him home. Instead the bench made its consent conditional on a written undertaking to cover any charge, because the cost and risk of confining and transporting a prisoner belonged with the master who brought him, not with the Company.

20

18

of this Island, We beg the Continuance of Supplying Us by each Ship with

the like Or by Cwt & the Usuall Quantity of Good Batavia Arrack & desire

the Cask may be Sound & good to prevent Leakage

We heartily Congratulate Good Manra to the Accession of the

Government wishing You all health & Prosperity & that Our Honble Masters

Affair may flourish under You. We are

Union Castle St Helena 27th July

Certifying about Contemporary the

Same verbatim as ye James & Mary

Honble Sir & Sir

Yr Most humble Servts

J EB JA JG

To the Honble Wm Phipps Esqr President & ye Councill

At Bombay

Honble Sir & Sirs

Our Last to Your Own by the James & Mary Capt Thos

Auben Comr under date of the 12th of June 1724 which We hope hath Since

come to hand

This come by the Grantham Capt Jamo Field Comr who

arrived here after a Long & tedious Voyage from England with Stores & Provision

for the Use of this Island & the returning Shipping on the 3d instant

By the inclosed List of Shipping formerly desired You will

perceive what Ships have arrived & departed thence Since Our Last & am also

Cask of goods, & as We have received no Invoice of Stores or Croothing from

the like by the Marp ova & What by the Prince Frederick, We beg Your

Consider We cant be Supplyed on this Class with any Quantity of Gyrkin, but

what We have from India & the small Quantities, for want of any frequent

Supply from each Factory particularly from Bombay, We are obliged

to buy of the Commanders at dear Rates & that Wherefore Yould Ought to

Send Us as much as possibly You can, by each Ship notwithstanding what

You formerly Mentioned of our being better & Cheaper Supplyed from

Bengale, & likewise three or four hogsheads of Goa Arrack desired in Our

Last & beg it may be of the best Sort

We have not farther to add but to wish You health, & Good

Success & that Our Honble Masters Affair may flourish under You. We are

Honble Sir & Sirs

Yr most hum: Servts

J EB JA JG

To the Honble Jno Deane Esqr President & ye Councill at Bengale

Honble Sir & Sirs

Our Last to You was by the James & Mary Capt

Thomas Auben, Comr bearing date the 12th of June 1724 which We hope hath Since

Since come to hand. This come by the Grantham Capt Jamo Field Comr who

after a Long & tedious Voyage arrived here from England with a Cargo of Stores

18: The council asked that the supply of the island continue by each ship with the same quantity of good Batavia arrack, and that care be taken to see the casks sound and good to prevent leakage.

The letter closed with the council heartily congratulating President Macrae on his accession to the government, wishing him health and prosperity and that its affairs might flourish under him. It was subscribed by the council as his most humble servants, J. B., J. A., J. G., dated at Union Castle, St Helena, 27 July 1725. A note recorded that the Prince Frederick was written to, the same in substance as the Prince of Wales and the James and Mary.

To the Honourable William Phipps Esquire, President, and the council at Bombay.

The letter stated that the council's last to them went by the James and Mary, Captain Uphill commander, under date of 12 June 1725, which the writers hoped had since come to hand. This present letter went by the Grantham, Captain Simon Tidd commander, which arrived at the island after a long and tedious passage from England with a store of provisions for the use of the island on the 3rd instant. By the enclosed list of shipping the council sent word of the ships that had arrived and departed since its last. The council had received no invoice of stores or goods sent by the Prince of Wales by the Marlborough, and asked what came by the Prince Frederick. It begged to be supplied on this island with any quantity of arrack, but held what came from India in small quantity. Being in want of a sufficient supply from each factory, particularly from Bombay, the council was obliged to buy of the commanders at dear rates. It therefore asked them to send as much as possible by each ship, notwithstanding what they had formerly stated of the island being well and cheaply supplied from Bengal, together with three or four hogsheads of good arrack asked for in the council's last, and begged it might be of the best sort.

The council had nothing further to add, but to wish them health and that the Honourable Company's affairs might flourish under them. It subscribed itself their most humble servants, J. B., J. A., J. G.

To the Honourable John Deane Esquire, President, and the council at Bengal.

The letter stated that the council's last to them went by the James and Mary, Captain Thomas Uphill commander, bearing date 12 June 1725, which the writers hoped had since come to hand. This present letter went by the Grantham, Captain Simon Tidd commander, who arrived at the island after a long and tedious passage from England with a cargo of stores.

Interpretations

The letters continued the council's yearly correspondence with the Company's eastern presidencies at Bombay and Bengal. Each recorded the ships that had come and gone, pointed to an enclosed list of shipping, and pressed for supply. The addresses to Presidents Phipps at Bombay and Deane at Bengal fixed the chain of command the island answered to across the Indian stations.

The repeated demand for arrack revealed the island's dependence and its weak bargaining position. Short of a steady supply from the factories, the council was forced to buy from visiting commanders at high prices. It pressed Bombay for a fuller consignment despite that presidency's claim that Bengal already supplied the island well and cheaply.

Speculations

The council pressed Bombay for arrack even after that presidency had argued the island was already well supplied from Bengal. The plain course would have been to accept the direction to Bengal and look no further. Instead the bench asked each factory for its own consignment, because reliance on a single source left it buying from ships' captains at dear rates whenever that supply fell short.

21

19

Commander under Date of the 19th of June 1724 & having Wrote therein

what did then Occur We refer you thereto

This come directly to You by the Grantham, Capt

Timothy Field Comr who after a tedious Voyage arrived here from England

with a Cargo of Stores & Provision for the Use of this Place on the 3d instant

In our aforesaid Letter We desired You would procure & Send Us as

great a Quantity of Rice & Sugar as possibly You could it being always very

acceptable to Us & the Inhabitants of this Place in General which Request

We now renew & that Yould oblige Us in sending what Quantity You can

by this Ship. We forbear sending You any Slave of Our Honble Masters

Slaves by the Ship We having several new Cargo of Vagent & Increasing Wch

in hand being to Procure to compleat them as fast as possible We cannot

conveniently Spare any & have acquainted Our Honble Masters therewith

in Our by the Duke of Cambridge

Inclosed We Send the Ship Grantham Charter Party according

to Our Honble Masters Orders

We have not farther to add at present but to wish Success

Our Honble Masters Affairs & Your Selves Health & Prosperity, &c

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

Yr most hum: Servts

J EB JA JG

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

19: The letter continued that the Grantham had brought provisions for the use of the island and for the returning ships from India. By the enclosed list of shipping, sent in compliance with the council's earlier request, they would see all those that had been dispatched from the island as well as those from the other factories of India that had arrived, each of which had been received. The council had been favoured with several letters and with invoices of the sundry goods and stores loaded on each ship for the use of the island. It therefore did not trouble them with the dates or the ships by which they came. It returned thanks for the good care taken in the cargoes, which came all very acceptable. Since rice and sugar were very useful to the island and its inhabitants, the council begged the continuance of that supply, asking the same quantity be sent by each ship, with a large quantity of good Batavia arrack, and that care be taken to see the casks sound to prevent leakage.

The council had nothing further to add but to wish them health and prosperity, and that the Honourable Company's affairs might flourish under them. It subscribed itself their most humble servants, dated 27 July [1725].

To the Honourable the Deputy Governor and council on the West Coast.

The letter stated that the council's last to them went by the James and Mary, Captain Thomas Uphill commander, under date of 12 June 1725, to which the writers referred for the past year. This present letter went by the Grantham, Captain Simon Tidd commander, who arrived at the island after a tedious passage with a cargo of stores and provisions for the use of the island on the 3rd instant.

The letter noted that in the council's earlier letter it had asked them to procure a great quantity of rice and sugar, since these were always very acceptable to the island and its inhabitants in general. It renewed that request and asked what quantity they could send by this ship. The council did not trouble the Honourable Masters for any share of slaves by the ship, its own establishment being already supplied. Having received a course of urgent and pressing work in hand, and pressing to complete it as fast as possible, the council could not conveniently spare any. It acquainted the Honourable Masters of this in its letter by the Duke of Cambridge.

The council enclosed the Grantham's charter party, according to the Honourable Masters' orders. It had nothing further to add but to wish success to the Honourable Company's affairs and health and prosperity to them. It subscribed itself their most humble servants, J. B., J. A., J. G., signed by John Alexander, John Goodwin, John Smith and Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The letters closed the council's yearly round of correspondence with the Company's eastern stations, addressed here to Bengal and to the Deputy Governor and council on the West Coast at Bencoolen. Each recorded the arrival of the Grantham, referred to an enclosed list of shipping, and pressed again for rice, sugar and Batavia arrack. The repeated demand for sound casks marked the persistent loss of spirit to leakage on the long passage.

The letter to Bencoolen enclosed the Grantham's charter party under the directors' express orders. This gave the receiving station the contractual terms of the ship's engagement, allowing any dispute over her service to be settled against the agreement.

Speculations

The council declined to send any slaves to Bencoolen by the Grantham, though the West Coast station regularly drew labour from the island. The plain course would have been to forward a share as in other years. Instead the bench held its people back, because a pressing course of work then in hand at the island left no hands to spare for the eastern settlement.

22

20

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 27th day July 1725

at Union Castle in James Valley

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Benjamin Greentree desired to have a Bond of £54 &c

formerly given by Richd Swallow which being Said as appears by the

Books of Acct & he being now going off the Island

Ordered that the said Bond be accordingly delivered

Copie of Letters to & from Capt Bochey Comr of the Ship Duke of Cambridg

Sr

The Governr having Reported to Us that in the Survey

he yesterday made of Your Ship he Observed great Defects in Your Cable

by which in Case You Should be obliged by Necessity or Stress of Weather to

Anchor both the Ship & the Honble Compys Estate on board will be in great danger

to prevent which, We recommend it to You as Our Advice & desire that You

would take Anew one here We having One of twelve Inches which though they

is fit for Your Purpose as We could vent yet in Case of Accidents may be

a Means to Save the Ship. We cannot think You will in turn any Blame from

Your Owners in taking one, it not being proper in Our Opinion, to Leave

Matters of Such Consequence to Hazard. We desire You will take this into

Consideration & give Us Yr Answer. We are

Margin Notes:

Memdm

This Letter not to be Sent the

Cable being Since found to be very bad

14th July 1725

Sir Yr hum: Servt

J S: EB: JA: JG

Capt Bochey Answer vizt

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs/

Yours I have received in Answer to which cant think

there is any reason to alarm my Ship wanting in Ground Tackling my Sheet

Cable haveing never ben Cut to yet & a full 16½ Inches. My best Bower is off

the same Size & but likewise it was my Sheet Cable at Bombay & tride it

him the Wear at the Cape & has given us at Sufficient Reason to think it very

good, haveing Rid the Time Cable to in violent hard Gale there at N x NW

N.W. & to my Small Bower a the Govr observed when in board t[...]

20: At a consultation held on Tuesday 27 July 1725 at Union Castle in James Valley, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Benjamin Greentree asked to have a bond of £50 0s 0d formerly given by Richard Swallow. The bond stood at £20 0s 0d by the book of accounts, and Greentree was about to leave the island. The council ordered that the bond be delivered to him accordingly.

Copies of letters to and from Captain Beckham, commander of the ship Duke of Cambridge.

The letter, addressed to Captain Beckham, recorded that the Governor had reported to the council the great defect in his cable which he had discovered the day before, during the summer season his ship had experienced. By that defect he might be forced through necessity, or by stress of weather, to anchor both the ship and the Honourable Company's goods aboard her in great danger. To prevent this the council recommended and asked that he take one of its own cables, being one of twelve which, though old, might yet serve his purpose. The council did not wish, in case of any accident, to be without a means to save the ship. It did not think he would in turn incur any blame from his owners for taking one. Holding it improper to leave matters of such consequence to hazard, the council asked him to take the offer into consideration, and gave him its answer accordingly. It was dated 14 July 1725 and subscribed by the council, J. S., E. B., J. A., J. G.

A margin note recorded that a Monday-morning shop letter was not to be sent, the cable being one that, though old, might serve.

Captain Beckham answered as follows. Addressing the Governor and the council, he stated that he had received their letter, in answer to which he could not think there was any reason to argue his ship wanting a ground cable. His sheet cable had never been out and stood at a full 6½ inches. His best bower was of the same size, and he thought as well of it as of his sheet cable. At Bombay he had tried it against the weather at the Cape, which had given him sufficient reason to think it very good, having ridden the Prince Augusta in eight or nine gales there at north-north-west and north-west. As to his small bower, he had observed when aboard that [...].

Interpretations

The Greentree bond turned on a gap between the sum named on the instrument and the sum recorded in the accounts. The bond read £50 0s 0d, but the book of accounts showed only £20 0s 0d outstanding. With Greentree about to leave the island, the council released the instrument to him to close the matter before his departure.

The correspondence with Captain Beckham concerned the safety of the Duke of Cambridge at anchor. The council, alarmed at a reported flaw in the ship's cable, offered one of its own spare cables to guard against the loss of the vessel and the Company's goods aboard her. Beckham replied that his ground tackle was sound, citing the size of his sheet cable and best bower and their proven service in heavy weather.

Speculations

The council pressed a spare cable on Captain Beckham rather than leaving the ship's ground tackle to his own judgement. The plain course would have been to treat the cable as the master's concern. Instead the bench offered one of its old cables and urged him to take it, because the loss of a ship and the Company's goods in the road was too grave a risk to leave to chance on a cable reported defective.

23

21

be a well-worn Cable, all People that follow the Sea will know a Small

Bower is of no Shiftey from one to an other, & not expected to affs[...]

will to the Sizr, farther that Part which the Govr see was the Extra Barb

which allways will look rough & shaggd & so to the twelve Inch Cable wch

You propose for my Use in Case of Necessity I know of no Extremity neither

can I think of any that will give the Room to imagine that such a Cable

will ever bring up Our Ship when Anckd Our Bower & Sheet Cable, of which

God forbid Whilst You propose being little better than a Stream Cable for

Our Ship My present Stream Cable is ten Inches & Your but feable

Your Proposals I should candidly receive will it a Sizr proper for a Ship

of Our Burthen. I am

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs Yr Most hum: Servt

W Bochey

Govr & Councills Reply vizt

Sr

In Answer to Yours concerning the Defects in Your Cable

We must Observe to You that Your Ship haveing been a long time out ye

hot Countries Your Cable must of Necessity be Dry Rotten, tho they may

look Fair to the Eye. Your best Bower Cable was in the Ship last Voyage

to India, & Your best Bower Cable being so reduced now to a capable

Bower & neither fit to be trusted to Yet possibly as You say Your

best Bower Rid You out in a hard Gale which lasted but a Short time

in which Your Small Bower parted. We have Since Perused the Cable We

recommended to You & find it to be 13½ Inches & are therefore Still of

Opinion that Notwithstanding Your Reason to the contrary it is highly

Necessary both for the Security of Your Ship & the Compys Effects on

board that You would Supply Your Self therewith We desire Your

farther Answer & are

Sr Yr humbl Servts

J S: EB: JA JG

14th July 1725

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

21: Captain Beckham continued that his small bower was a well-worn cable. All seamen knew that a small bower shifted constantly from one duty to another and could not be expected to answer as well as the sheet cable. He argued that the part of the cable the council had seen was the outer bower, which always looked rough and chafed. As to the twelve spare cables the council had offered for his use in case of necessity, he knew of no defect in his own, and could not think of any that would give ground to imagine that such a cable, which God forbid, could ever bring up his ship if the two bowers and the sheet cable failed. The cable the council proposed was little better than a stream cable for his ship. His present stream cable stood at 10 inches, and he thought as well of it as of the council's offer. He would candidly accept the offer as a proper thing for a ship of his burden. He subscribed himself the council's most humble servant, W. Beckham.

The council replied as follows. In answer to his letter concerning the defect in his cable, it observed that his ship, having been a long time out in a hot country, his cable might through slackness lie dry-rotted, so that it might look fair to the eye. His best bower cable, now aboard the ship outward bound to India, and his best bower cable itself, might be reduced or otherwise unfit to be trusted. Nor could his best bower, possibly, as he had said, ride him out in a hard gale, which lasted but a short time, in which his small bower parted. The council had since surveyed the cable it had recommended, and found it to be 13½ inches. It was therefore still of the opinion that, notwithstanding his argument to the contrary, it was highly necessary, both for the safety of his ship and the Company's goods aboard, that he supply himself with it. It asked his further answer. The letter was dated 14 July 1725 and subscribed by the council as his humble servants, J. S., E. B., J. A., J. G., signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The exchange turned on a disagreement over the soundness of the Duke of Cambridge's ground tackle. Beckham defended his own cables, distinguishing the worn outer bower the council had seen from his sound sheet and stream cables, and treated the offered cable as no better than a light stream cable. The council pressed the danger of hidden dry rot, arguing that a cable long carried in a hot climate might look fair yet fail under strain.

The dispute exposed the technical vocabulary of a ship's anchoring gear. The bower cables were the working anchors in daily use, the sheet cable the heaviest reserve, and the stream cable a lighter line for moderate conditions. The council's survey fixing its offered cable at 13½ inches, against Beckham's stream cable of 10 inches, gave the bench a concrete measure to support its case that the heavier line was the safer choice.

Speculations

The council surveyed and measured its own cable at 13½ inches before renewing its pressure on Beckham, rather than resting on the general offer already made. The plain course would have been to leave the master to his judgement once he had declined. Instead the bench measured the line to answer his claim that it was no better than a stream cable, because a documented advantage in size gave its argument for the safety of ship and goods a weight that mere recommendation could not.

24

22

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 17th day August

1725 at Plantation House Prest John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

The Govr having been very much indisposed is the reason no Consultation

has been held Since the 27th day July 1725

On Saturday 24th July last the Ship Grantham Capt

Timothy Field Comr Sailed hence for Bencoolen

Mr Wignall Presented the following Petition

To the Worshipfull Jno Smith Esqr Govr & ye Countll

the humble Petition of Thos Wignall

Sheweth/ That William Dyer Gent Passenger on board the

Ship King George that arrived here on the first of March last, being

in a very weakly Sickly Condition desired to putt himself under Your

Petrs Care in hopes to recover from an ill Distemper with which he at that

time was Unhappily Afflicted

That Your Petr accordingly received him into his House

about the 5th or 6th of March 1723/4 from which time till the 17th April folg

Yr Petr not only gave his daily attendance but also provided Subsistence both

for him & for such Persons as at his desire attended him during his Sickness

That the said Mr Dyer to Yr Petrs great Concern dyed on or

about the 17th day of Aprile without making Your Petr any Satisfaction

either for his Attendance, or for the Charge he has been at, in Providing

necessary Provision for him during the time of his Indisposition

That Yr Petr is informed that Benjamin Hawkes without

any Legall Authority to empower him to do the received all the Effects

lately belonging to the said Mr Dyer deceased & Refuses to payment or Yr

Petr for his just Demands amounting to the Sum of £26 3s 9 to which

an Inventory of the said Mr Dyers Effects will & Yied by Yr Petr

Yr Petr therefore humbly Prays Yr Worship & ye Countll will be

pleased to take the Cognizen into Consideration to the End the Payment of his

Debt may be Secured to him & that the said Mr Hawkes who has presumed

to Conduct part of the Effects of the said Mr Dyer to his own Use & Purpose

of some of the rest to Yr Gen Cargo for his own Advantage be obliged to Yeild

to Yr Worship & ye an Exact Inventory of the Effects lately belong & to

his said Mr Dyer And Yr Petr as in Duty ye Wdate &c

Thos Wignall

17th August

22: At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 August 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor having been very much unwell was the reason no consultation had been held since 27 July 1725.

On Saturday 24 July last the ship Grantham, Captain Simon Tidd commander, sailed from the island for Bencoolen.

Mr Wignall presented the following petition, addressed to John Smith Esquire, Governor, and the council. It was the petition of Mr Wignall.

It set out that William Dyer, gentleman, a passenger aboard the ship King George that arrived at the island on 1 March last, was in a very weak and sickly condition and asked to place himself under Wignall's care to recover from the illness with which he was at that time unhappily afflicted.

It stated that Wignall accordingly took him into his house about 5 or 6 March 1725. From that time until 17 April, Wignall not only gave Dyer his daily attendance but also provided subsistence, both for him and for those persons who by his desire attended him during his sickness.

It stated that Dyer, to Wignall's great concern, died on or about 17 April without making Wignall any satisfaction, either for his attendance or for the charge he had been at in providing necessary provision for him during the time of his illness.

It stated that Wignall was informed that Benjamin Hawkes, without any legal authority to empower him to do so, had received all the effects belonging to the late Dyer, and had refused to pay Wignall his just demands, amounting to £26 7s 9d, and to deliver an inventory of Dyer's effects then held by Hawkes.

It therefore asked that the council take the matter into consideration, to the end the payment of the debt might be secured to Wignall, and that Hawkes, who had presumed to convert part of Dyer's effects to his own use and to dispose of the rest to his own advantage, be obliged to deliver to the council an exact inventory of the effects lately belonging to the late Dyer. It was subscribed by Wignall and dated 17 August.

Interpretations

The petition set out a claim for an unpaid debt against the effects of a dead passenger. Wignall, the garrison surgeon, had housed, treated and fed William Dyer during his final illness, and sought £26 7s 9d for that care after Dyer died intestate aboard the island. The claim rested on the ordinary principle that a creditor might look to a dead man's estate for satisfaction.

The complaint against Benjamin Hawkes turned on the want of lawful authority to handle the estate. Hawkes had taken Dyer's effects without any grant of administration, and was accused of converting part to his own use. Wignall asked the council to compel an exact inventory, the necessary first step to fixing the value of the estate and securing his debt against it.

The background of Hawkes gives the charge added weight. He had been dismissed from the store and suspended from the council on 24 November 1724 over his conduct and his connection with the widow Margaret Tovey, and remained under the Governor's displeasure into 1725.

Speculations

Wignall sought an inventory of Dyer's effects rather than moving at once for payment of his £26 7s 9d. The plain course would have been to press the debt alone. Instead the petition asked the council to compel a full account of the estate held by Hawkes, because a creditor could not secure his claim against a dead man's goods until their extent was fixed and the unauthorised holder made to disclose them.

25

23

Ordered that the said Mr Hawkes be Summond to attend next Consultation day

& that he have Notice given him to bring in an Inventory then of the Goods &

Effects belonging to the said Mr Dyer deceased

Mr Byfeld Capt Goodwin Mr French & Mr Crispe delivered each

of them their Monthly Acct for July last wch were Severally Examd & approved

& are as follows vizt

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry &c Horses

Remns 26 June

Bullock 21

Cowes 35

Heifer 31

Steers 10

Yearlings 6

Calves 33

Bulls 6

Totall 145

Ewes 42

Wethers 16

Kilb 12

Rams 3

Totall 73

Ewes 147

Wethers 50

Kilb 43

Rams 7

Totall 247

Sows 9

Shoats 5

Boars 1

Pig 25

Totall 40

Turkey 40

Fowles 200

Ducks 8

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 6

Mares 2

Totall 8

Encreased in July

Bullock 6

Cowes 14

Calves 25

Wethers 10

Rams 10

Wethers 11

Kilb 23

Totall 34

Shoats 6

Turkey 6

Ducks 3

Horses 1

Totall 1

Bullock 27

Cowes 49

Heifer 31

Steers 10

Yearlings 5

Calves 38

Bulls 5

Totall 170

Ewes 42

Wethers 16

Kilb 22

Rams 3

Totall 83

Ewes 147

Wethers 61

Kilb 66

Rams 7

Totall 261

Sows 9

Shoats 11

Boars 1

Pig 25

Totall 46

Turkey 40

Fowles 203

Ducks 8

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Killed in do

Wethers 4

Kilb 4

Shoats 1

Totall 1

Fowles 18

Sold to Ship in do

Bullock 27

Cowes 49

Heifer 31

Steers 10

Yearlings 5

Calves 38

Bulls 6

Totall 170

Ewes 42

Wethers 16

Kilb 22

Rams 3

Totall 83

Ewes 147

Wethers 67

Kilb 66

Rams 7

Totall 247

Sows 9

Shoats 10

Boars 1

Pig 25

Totall 46

Turkey 40

Fowles 185

Ducks 8

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Bullock 1

Bulls 1

Totall 1

Cattle & Hogs this Season

Bullock 28

Cowes 49

Heifer 31

Steers 10

Yearlings 5

Calves 38

Bulls 6

Totall 169

Ewes 42

Wethers 16

Kilb 22

Rams 3

Totall 83

Ewes 147

Wethers 67

Kilb 66

Rams 7

Totall 247

Sows 9

Shoats 10

Boars 1

Pig 26

Totall 46

Turkey 40

Fowles 185

Ducks 8

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Heifer 13

Steers 3

Yearlings 1

Calves 2

Bulls 1

Totall 20

Pig 6

Totall 6

Dead in ditto

Bullock 28

Cowes 49

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 36

Bulls 4

Totall 149

Ewes 42

Wethers 16

Kilb 22

Rams 3

Totall 83

Ewes 147

Wethers 67

Kilb 66

Rams 7

Totall 247

Sows 9

Shoats 10

Boars 1

Pig 19

Totall 39

Turkey 40

Fowles 185

Ducks 8

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Shoats 1

Pig 1

Totall 1

Bullock 28

Cowes 49

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 36

Bulls 4

Totall 149

Ewes 42

Wethers 16

Kilb 22

Rams 3

Totall 83

Ewes 147

Wethers 67

Kilb 66

Rams 7

Totall 247

Sows 9

Shoats 10

Boars 1

Pig 18

Totall 38

Turkey 40

Fowles 185

Ducks 7

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantacions 36867 lb

23: The council ordered that Hawkes be summoned to attend the next consultation day, and that notice be given him to bring in an inventory of the goods and effects belonging to the late Dyer.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe each delivered their monthly account for July last. The accounts were examined and approved and stand as follows.

Account of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses.

Remaining 26 June: 21 bullocks, 35 cows, 31 heifers, 10 steers, 6 yearlings, 33 calves, 6 bulls, total 145 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 16 wethers, 12 kids, 3 rams, total 73 sheep; 117 she-goats, 50 wethers, 43 kids, 7 rams, total 217 goats; 9 sows, 5 shoats, 1 boar, 25 pigs, total 40 hogs; 40 turkeys, 200 fowls, 8 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese, total poultry; 6 horses, 2 mares, total 8

Increased in July: 6 bullocks, 14 cows, 2 yearlings, total 25 neat cattle; 10 kids, 10 sheep; 11 wethers, 23 kids, total 34 goats; 6 shoats, total 6 hogs; 3 fowls; 1 horse, total 1

Sum: 27 bullocks, 49 cows, 31 heifers, 10 steers, 5 yearlings, 38 calves, 5 bulls, total 170 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 16 wethers, 22 kids, 3 rams, total 83 sheep; 117 she-goats, 61 wethers, 66 kids, 7 rams, total 251 goats; 9 sows, 11 shoats, 1 boar, 25 pigs, total 46 hogs; 40 turkeys, 203 fowls, 8 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Killed in the month: 4 kids, total 4 sheep; 4 goats; 1 shoat, total 1 hog; 18 fowls

Remaining after kills: 27 bullocks, 49 cows, 31 heifers, 10 steers, 5 yearlings, 38 calves, 6 bulls, total 170 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 16 wethers, 22 kids, 3 rams, total 83 sheep; 117 she-goats, 57 wethers, 66 kids, 7 rams, total 247 goats; 9 sows, 10 shoats, 1 boar, 25 pigs, total 45 hogs; 40 turkeys, 185 fowls, 8 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Sold to shipping in the month: 1 bullock, total 1 neat cattle

Remaining after sale: 28 bullocks, 49 cows, 31 heifers, 10 steers, 5 yearlings, 38 calves, 6 bulls, total 169 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 16 wethers, 22 kids, 3 rams, total 83 sheep; 117 she-goats, 57 wethers, 66 kids, 7 rams, total 247 goats; 9 sows, 10 shoats, 1 boar, 25 pigs, total 45 hogs; 40 turkeys, 185 fowls, 8 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Cattle and hogs killed in the month: 13 heifers, 3 steers, 1 yearling, 2 calves, 1 bull, total 20

Remaining after this: 28 bullocks, 49 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 36 calves, 4 bulls, total 149 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 16 wethers, 22 kids, 3 rams, total 83 sheep; 117 she-goats, 57 wethers, 66 kids, 7 rams, total 247 goats; 9 sows, 10 shoats, 1 boar, 19 pigs, total 39 hogs; 40 turkeys, 185 fowls, 8 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Dead in the month: 1 pig, total 1 hog

Remaining 26 July: 28 bullocks, 49 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 36 calves, 4 bulls, total 149 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 16 wethers, 22 kids, 3 rams, total 83 sheep; 117 she-goats, 57 wethers, 66 kids, 7 rams, total 247 goats; 9 sows, 10 shoats, 1 boar, 18 pigs, total 38 hogs; 40 turkeys, 185 fowls, 7 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations: 36,867 pounds

Interpretations

The account traced the Company's live stock at the several plantations for July 1725, following each kind through purchase, increase, slaughter, sale and death. The neat cattle rose to 149 at the close of the month, the sheep to 83, the goats to 247 and the hogs to 38. A charge of 36,867 pounds of yams was set against the feeding of the stock across the plantations.

The month showed heavier movement than the June account. Cattle were both bought in and killed for the table, one bullock was sold to the shipping in the road, and a further parcel of cattle and hogs was slaughtered. The large yam charge, roughly ten times that of the previous month, reflected the fuller herd and the demands of the season.

Speculations

The account set the cattle sold to the shipping apart from those killed for the table, giving the single bullock its own line and running total. The plain course would have been to enter all reductions together as stock consumed. Instead the overseer distinguished the sale to the road from the slaughter for the establishment, because a beast sold to a ship earned the Company a return and had to be charged to a different account from one eaten at its own table.

26

24

Collection of Store Goods Sold to the Inhabitants between 25th June & 25th

July 1725

313 7/8 Galls Arrack 6/4

99 7 6 19½

660 lb Sugar

6 lb Candy

8 1½

270 lb Bread

3 2

198 lb Flower

8 6

19 lb Soap

1 11

6 lb Starch

4 6

1 lb Copper

1 6

9 oz Indigo

1 6

1 lb Bohea Tea

6

1 Catty Green Tea

16 3

1 lb Cutt Tobacco

8 6½

12 Pipes

1 Smale Cup

12 Sneakers

6½

5 Bowles

6 6

2 White Chink

5

3 1/2 Galls Rape oyle

1 8 1½

1 lb Hair Powder

1

2 1/2 P. Desotees

5 6

3 P. Chink

15

1 P. Gingham

18

6 Gurrahs

7 6

1 P. Long Taffety

16

26 yds Canvas

1 3 6

3 yds Kersey

6 8

5 Flannail

11 4

1 Common Prayr book

2 1

18 lb Shoe Thread

9 3

Wine Glass

2

1 lb Steele

2 6

1 Tea Kettle

15

1 Chamber Pott

1 4

3 Corningers

4 6

1 doz Spoons

1 6

1 lb Slippers

9 3

1 Winding Lanthorn

2

1 Smale d[itto]

1 6

1 Funnell

1½

1 Corninger

10

1 Hair Comb

2

8 Budding d[itto]

3 4

Ivory d[itto] & 12

2 8

1 d[itto] 14

1 10

1 d[itto] 15

4

9 d[itto] 16

Carried Over

137 15 3

24: Account of store goods sold to the inhabitants between 25 June and 25 July 1725.

313 7/8 gallons of arrack at 6s 4d, £99 7s 10½d

660 pounds of sugar, £9 8s 1½d

6 pounds of candy, £0 8s 1½d

270 pounds of bread, £0 8s 6d

198 pounds of flour, £0 6s 11d

19 pounds of soap, £0 4s 6d

6 pounds of starch, £0 1s 6d

1 pound of pepper, £0 1s 6d

9 ounces of indigo, £0 1s 6d

1 pound of bohea tea, £0 6s 0d

4 catties of green tea, £0 16s 0d

1 pound of tobacco, £0 3s 0d

12 pipes, £0 0s 8d

1 small cup, £0 0s 6½d

12 quart cups, £0 6s 0d

5 bowls, £0 12s 0d

2 white shirts, £0 5s 0d

3½ gallons of rape oil, £1 1s 0d

1 pound of hair powder, £0 1s 6d

1 piece of doreas, £0 15s 0d

1 pound of thread, £0 5s 0d

3 pieces of guinea, £0 15s 0d

1 piece of gingham, £0 7s 8d

6 cubits of gurrah, £0 6s 6d

1 piece of long taffeta, £0 16s 0d

26 yards of canvas, £1 3s 4d

3 pieces of [...], £0 5s 0d

5 pieces of flannel, £0 11s 8d

1 common prayer book, £0 2s 3d

18 pounds of shoe thread, £0 2s 1d

1 [...], £0 2s 6d

1 pound of [...], £0 2s 0d

1 tea kettle, £0 15s 0d

1 chamber pot, £0 1s 4d

3 [...], £0 6s 6d

1 dozen pounds of [...], £0 6s 0d

1 piece of [...], £0 9s 3d

9 riding lanterns, £0 9s 0d

1 small [...], £0 1s 6d

1 funnel, £0 1s 6d

1 [...], £0 1s 7½d

1 hair comb, £0 0s 6d

3 budding [...], £0 3s 9d

ivory at 4s per dozen, £0 2s 8d

1 dozen at 14, £0 1s 4d

1 dozen at 15, £0 1s 10d

9 dozen at 16, £0 0s 4d

Carried over, £137 15s 3d

Interpretations

The account recorded the store's sales to the inhabitants over the month to 25 July 1725. Arrack dominated at £99 7s 10½d for 313 7/8 gallons, more than two-thirds of the running total of £137 15s 3d carried over to the next page. Sugar at £9 8s 1½d formed the next largest charge, with the remaining scores of items each amounting to a few shillings.

The spread of goods showed the Company store supplying the island's every ordinary want. Spirits, sugar, tea, tobacco, textiles from India and England, oil, tableware, a prayer book, combs and lanterns all passed through the same monthly reckoning to the inhabitants.

Several textile terms recorded the store's stock of Indian piece goods. Doreas, gurrah, long taffeta and gingham were cotton or silk cloths woven in the Company's eastern factories and shipped to the island for sale, the staple trade goods of the Indian settlements alongside the arrack and sugar.

27

25

Brought Over

137 15 3

2 lb 4d Nails

1 8

1 lb 6d d[itto]

9 6

2 Thimble

6

3 pr Colar Leth Shoes

13 6

8 pr Spanish Leth d[itto]

17 8

1 d[itto] with Silvr Cris

8 6

3 Womens Colvr Leth

1 6

1 pr Girle d[itto]

6 3

1 Morocco d[itto]

8 5

6 lb Bodice old Cargo

7 1

1 Bodice Coat

1 8

1 pr Stays

1 10

1 pr d[itto] Stock

4 8

1 pr d[itto]

4 8

1 d[itto]

2 7

1 Womens d[itto]

9

3 Mens d[itto]

13

1 Silk d[itto]

16 6

2 Boys Hatts No 1

6 9

2 Filling d[itto]

6

7 Lace Sorted

6 7

1 Hair Brush

6 8

1 Chest Lock

3 8

1 Iron Bomb d[itto]

4 1

1 lb 6 Wing

1 6

1 Hammer

2 lb Thread Cold & Brown

8 2

12 lb Whited Brown d[itto]

8 3

1 lb d[itto]

2 lb d[itto]

1 4

2 oz Silver Thread 1/7

13 2

17 lb d[itto] 1/8

18 6

1 oz d[itto]

13 4

2 oz d[itto]

5 4

2 M Pins

1

3 M d[itto]

4

10 M d[itto]

10

10 M d[itto]

3 6

20 Thread Laces

6

5 1/4 yds Sowsting

9 3

14 oz Sowing Silk

1 6

2 P. Tape

6

1 d[itto]

6 4

Sum Totall to Inhabts£

157 3 9

Brought over, £137 15s 3d

2 pounds of nails, £0 1s 8d

1 pound of nails, £0 1s 9d

2 thimbles, £0 0s 4d

3 pairs of women's leather shoes, £0 13s 6d

8 pairs of Spanish leather shoes, £0 17s 6d

1 dozen with silver [...], £0 8s 0d

3 women's calves' leather shoes, £1 6s 0d

1 pair of [...] leather, £0 3s 6d

1 morocco [...], £0 3s 5d

6 bodices of old cargo, £1 7s 0d

1 bodice, £1 1s 8d

1 pair of stays, £1 10s 0d

1 pair of stockings, £0 4s 4d

1 pair of stockings, £0 4s 8d

1 pair of stockings, £0 4s 2d

1 pair of women's stockings, £0 2s 9d

3 pairs of men's stockings, £0 4s 6d

1 silk [...], £0 13s 0d

2 boys' hats, number 3, £1 6s 6d

2 milled caps, £0 6s 9d

7 skins sorted, £0 6s 7d

1 hair brush, £0 2s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 3s 8d

1 iron rimmed lock, £0 4s 1d

6 [...], £1 1s 6d

1 hammer, £0 0s 6d

2 pounds of coloured and brown thread, £0 8s 2d

12 pounds of whited brown thread, £0 2s 3d

1 pound of thread, £0 2s 9d

1 pound of thread, £1 12s 0d

2 ounces of shoe thread at 1s 7d, £0 3s 2d

1½ pounds of thread at 1s 8d, £0 18s 4d

1 ounce of thread, £0 2s 6d

1 pound of pins, £0 5s 4d

3 [...] pins, £0 1s 4d

10 [...], £0 0s 10d

21 [...] laces, £0 3s 6d

5¼ yards of [...], £0 2s 9d

14 ounces of China silk, £0 1s 3d

2 [...], £0 1s 6d

1 [...], £0 5s 4d

Total to the inhabitants, £157 3s 9d

Interpretations

The account closed the store's sales to the inhabitants for the month to 25 July 1725, carrying the running total from £137 15s 3d up to a final £157 3s 9d. The second page ran to smaller goods, chiefly footwear, thread, stockings, stays and other haberdashery, each amounting to a few shillings.

The stock revealed the store as supplier of finished garments and sewing materials as well as bulk provisions. Leather and Spanish shoes, bodices, stays, milled caps, boys' hats and quantities of thread and pins all passed through the same monthly reckoning, clothing the settlement from a single source.

28

26

Diet Expence Dr

Brought Over

157 3 9

160 Galls Arrack

50 13 4

151 lb Sugar

3 15 6

1 Cask Bread

4 13

1 d[itto] Flower

4 1

5 Bott a Cafenade

3 1 3

Genll Charges Dr

1 Cask d[itto] Pea

6

50 lb Sugar

3 10 10

2 1/2 Galls Linseed Oyle

1 6 6

9 lb White Lead

1 9

1 lb Cwt Thread

2 8

9 dozn Wine Glass

18

1 Melass

1 lb Corn Long Cutt

2

2 Iron Tea Kettle

10 6

8 Hay Broom

2 Large Glass Lanthorns

1 12

2 Small d[itto]

1 6 6

2 Large Dormond d[itto]

1 6

2 Longstt Tin Sauce Corn

4 6

2 d[itto] Cafse Cotty

4 6

1/2 lb Round head Tack

1 6

12 Cupp & Saucers

6

Plantation Dr

3 3/4 Galls Oyle

1 13 4

1 Lyne d[itto] & 14

1 3 4

Honble Compys Blacks

7498 Blue

92 19 3

18 1/2 doz Kilb Sorted

93 16 4½

766 d[itto] d[itto]

4

2 lb Sugar

11 6

1 d[itto] Cotton

Garrison Dr

13 Catties Green Tea

2 12

4 1/2 Galls Rape Oyle

1 7

Great Wood

4 lb 6d Nails

3

343 13 11½

Diet expense, debtor to store

Total £157 3s 9d

160 gallons of arrack, £50 13s 4d

151 pounds of sugar, £3 15s 6d

1 cask of bread, £4 13s 6d

1 pound of flour, £4 4s 0d

5 pounds and a catty of tea, £3 1s 3d

General charges, debtor to store

1 catty of tea, £0 6s 0d

50 pounds of sugar, £0 10s 10d

2½ gallons of linseed oil, £1 6s 6d

9 pounds of white lead, £0 6s 6d

1 cask of dark bread, £0 12s 9d

4 pounds of tin nails, £0 2s 8d

9 dozen tin plates, £0 18s 0d

1 melon glass, £0 6s 0d

1 piece of coarse long cloth, £2 0s 0d

2 iron tea kettles, £0 10s 6d

6 hair brooms, £0 1s 0d

2 large glass lanterns, £1 12s 0d

2 small glass lanterns, £1 6s 6d

2 large dormant lanterns, £1 6s 6d

2 sponge tin sauce cans, £0 4s 6d

2 dozen chelloe cloth, £0 4s 6d

½ pound of round head tacks, £0 1s 6d

12 cups and saucers, £0 6s 0d

Plantation, debtor to store

3¾ gallons of oil, £1 3s 4d

1 piece of guinea at 4s per yard, £0 13s 4d

Honourable Company's blacks, debtor to store

7,498 pieces of blue [...], £92 19s 3d

19½ pounds of thread sorted, £0 3s 10½d

100 pounds of [...], £0 16s 4d

2 pounds of [...], £0 4s 0d

2 catties of tea, £0 11s 6d

Garrison, debtor to store

13 catties of green tea, £2 1s 0d

4½ gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

Great Wood

4 catties of nails, £0 0s 3d

Total £343 13s 11d

Interpretations

The account divided the store's July issues among the several heads of the establishment. The diet expense at £157 3s 9d and the Honourable Company's blacks were the two heaviest charges, together with the general charges, plantation, garrison and a small item for the Great Wood. The whole reached a total of £343 13s 11d.

The single largest issue under the Company's blacks was a great parcel of blue piece goods valued at £92 19s 3d, the bulk cloth for clothing the slave force. The general charges ran to household and store equipment, including glass and dormant lanterns, tin plates, tea kettles and white lead for paintwork.

29

27

Gunrs Stores Expd in July 1725

July 3d

An Alarm

Arived the Grantham Capt Field

4 4

Muster day

9 9

An Alarm

12

Do for a Ship to the Leeward

4

Arived the Duke Cambridge Capt Bochey

4 14

An Alarm

15 4

Arived Sea Nymph Capt Cleaver

4 4

To Fire Capt Cleaver out from Mundens Pt

8 2 4 3

To an fired Salut from d[itto] Cambridge

2 9 14

Departed d[itto] Cambridge

9

Departed Grantham

9 9

Cerem for the Guard

13

Sold two Allis

1

Musquet Balls for Guard

1 61 2 4 67 111

Cartridge Papr

1

Match

21

21 1 1

Expence of ye Genll Table in the Mo July 1725

26 lb Salt Beef 2/6

3 5 9 7

28 lb Pork

1 18 3

153 lb Bread

1 19 4

186 lb Sugar

1 13 6

53 1/2 Galls Arr for Table

16 18 10

23 1/4 lb Fish & Labourig Black

7 5 8

12 Botts Mountaind

2 6

29 d[itto] Port

2 15

19 d[itto] Sherry

15

41 lb Candy

4 6 9

5 lb Kersey

2 18

9 Botts Sack

2

26 lb Bay

1 15 6

80 lb Flowry

1 1

31 Days Greens

1 11

99 lb Butter

4 12

64 lb Oat

7 1

313 lb Beef

3 18 3

4 Ducks

5 6

199 lb Bread

4 19 6

55 12 4 9

27: Gunner's stores expended in July 1725.

3 July, an alarm on the arrival of the Grantham, Captain Tidd: 4 pounds of powder

Muster day: 10 pounds of powder

7 July, an alarm: 6 pounds of powder

8 July, to a ship sailing to the leeward: 6 pounds of powder

Arrival of the Duke of Cambridge, Captain Beckham: 15 pounds of powder

An alarm: 4 pounds of powder

Arrival of the Sea Nymph, Captain Cross: 8 pounds of powder

10 July, to fire, Captain Cross sailing out from Munden's Point: 2 pounds of powder

13 July, to inward salute, Duke of Cambridge: 9 pounds of powder

16 July, departed the Duke of Cambridge: 9 pounds of powder

31 July, departed the Grantham: 9 pounds of powder

Expended for the guard: 13 pounds of powder

Sold to Mr Allis: 1 pound of powder

Total: 61 pounds 2s 4d, 67 pounds, 111

Musket balls for the guard: 1 pound

Cartridge paper: 1 pound

Match: 21 pounds

Total: 21 pounds 1s 1d

Expense of the General Table in the month of July 1725.

26 pounds of salt beef at 2s 6d, £3 9s 7d

28 pounds of pork, £1 18s 0d

153 pounds of bread, £1 13s 0d

186 pounds of sugar, £1 19s 0d

53½ gallons of arrack for the table, £16 18s 10d

23 pounds of tea for attending blacks, £7 5s 8d

12 pounds of Betty Mountain, £0 2s 6d

99 pounds of pork, £2 15s 0d

19 pounds of Betty [...], £0 6s 6d

41 pounds of candy, £4 9s 0d

6 turkeys, £0 18s 0d

9 ducks, £0 2s 6d

1 bottle of sack, £0 4s 0d

28 pounds of oatmeal, £1 15s 6d

80 pounds of flour, £0 6s 8d

31 dozen greens, £1 11s 0d

9 pounds of butter, £4 12s 0d

64 pounds of pork, £0 7s 6d

313 pounds of beef, £3 18s 0d

4 fowls, £0 5s 6d

199 pounds of bread, £4 19s 6d

Total £55 12s 9d

Interpretations

The gunner's account recorded the powder and stores spent in July 1725, chiefly on salutes and alarms as ships came and went. The arrival of the Duke of Cambridge took 15 pounds of powder, the largest single charge, and further quantities marked the coming and going of the Grantham, the Sea Nymph and the guards.

The General Table account set out the food and drink consumed at the Company's own table for the month. Arrack for the table at £16 18s 10d and tea for the attending blacks at £7 5s 8d were the two heaviest items, together with beef, pork, bread, sugar and other provisions, reaching a total of £55 12s 9d.

30

28

The Govr Reports that a Black Girle of the Honble Compys Named Grace

dyed Suddenly at the fort a[...] a fortnight Since

Mr Byfeld Reports that a Wench of the Honble Compys Named Morgan

was brought to Bed last Week of a Girle Named Magdalene

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 24th day August

1725 at Plantation House Prest John Smith Esqr Govr

Edwd Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Mr Byfeld & the rest appeared to Day Pursuant to the Order in the

preceding Consultation to Answer to the Petition of Thos Wignall Surgeon

Delivered in an Inventory of Mr Willm Dyer Effects, that is both immediatly

after his Death & Say it is a true Inventory & of his own hand Writing

Mr Wignall presented his Bill of Medicine Expended & for Attendance &

Provision during the Sickness amtg to £22 2s d of which he has already recd

£7 to the Balance being Liste, Mr Hawkes promises to Satisfy the said

Mr Wignall as soon as he has sold the of Mr Dyers Effects & gets in the Money

John, Hubbard Serjt made Complaint against Thos Wignall Surgeon

Striking him on the Head on Saturday Sennight

The said Mr Wignall alledges the reason why he Struck the said

Hubbard was because he provoked him by giving him the lye

Ordrd That if the said Mr Wignall do at any time hereafter Strike or

Afsault the said Hubbard he to then Owed the Summ of five Pounds & that he

now acknowledge himself in fault for Striking the said Hubbard wch

he accordingly did

Orlando Bagley Senr Carpr for Leave to dispose of Some Land

which he at present held by Lease from the Honble Company

Granted Provided the approve of the Sent to whom he made disposse thereof

as aforesaid

Ordrd that an Advertisement be Published to give Notice

that Good & Store will be delld to the Inhabts every day the Week tile Saturday

Night from which time till the 25th Sept next they will be Shut in Order to

take an Inventory of the Remaining Stores that Persons are to take Notice

hereof to the End they may Supply themselves accordingly

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

28: The Governor reported that a black girl of the Honourable Company named Grace had died suddenly at the Fort about a fortnight earlier.

Mr Byfield reported that a black of the Honourable Company named Morgan had been brought to bed the week before of a girl named Magdalen.

The consultation was signed by John Alexander, John Smith, John Goodwin and Edward Byfield.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 24 August 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Mr Hawkes appeared today under the order in the preceding consultation to answer the petition of Mr Wignall, surgeon. He delivered an inventory of William Dyer's effects, swearing it a true inventory made in his own hand immediately after Dyer's death.

Mr Wignall presented his bill for medicines given to Dyer and for the provisions supplied during his sickness, amounting to £22 2s 0d. He had already received £2, leaving a balance of £20. Mr Hawkes promised to satisfy Wignall as soon as he had sold Dyer's effects and taken them into the money.

John Hubbard, Company servant, complained against Thomas Wignall, surgeon, for striking him on the head the Saturday night before.

Wignall answered that he had struck Hubbard because Hubbard had provoked him by giving him the lie.

The council ordered that if Wignall struck or assaulted Hubbard at any time in future he would then owe the sum of £5 0s 0d, and that he now acknowledge himself at fault for striking Hubbard, which he did accordingly.

Orlando Bagley, Company servant, asked leave to dispose of some land he presently held by lease from the Honourable Company. The council granted it, provided the Fort approved the person to whom he might sell.

The council ordered that an advertisement be published giving notice that goods and store would be delivered to the Fort every day but the last Saturday night of each month. From that night until the 25th of the next month no goods would be issued, so that an inventory of the remaining stores could be taken. Notice was given so that inhabitants might supply themselves accordingly.

The consultation was signed by John Alexander, John Goodwin, John Smith and Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The Wignall claim closed on a fixed figure once Hawkes produced the inventory the council had ordered. Wignall's bill for medicines and provisions stood at £22 2s 0d, reduced by £2 already paid to a balance of £20. Hawkes undertook to settle once he had sold Dyer's effects and converted them to cash.

The order against Wignall for striking Hubbard set a penalty bond to secure future good conduct. Wignall admitted the blow and was bound to pay £5 0s 0d should he strike Hubbard again, a common device by which the council held a man to peaceable behaviour without further punishment for a first offence.

The advertisement on store issues fixed a monthly closure to allow stocktaking. Goods would be issued daily except from the last Saturday night of each month to the 25th of the next, a suspension that let the storekeeper reckon the remaining stores against the accounts.

Speculations

The council bound Wignall by a £5 0s 0d penalty for any future blow rather than punishing the assault on Hubbard at once. The plain course would have been to fine or discipline him for the strike already admitted. Instead the bench took only his acknowledgement of fault and held the penalty over his future conduct, because a surgeon needed at the garrison was more useful kept in service under a bond than punished for a quarrel provoked by the other man.

31

29

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 14th day Septr 1725 at Plantation House

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin haveing been fully Employd in takeing an Inventory of

the Remaining Stores We were unwilling to take him off which is the Reason no

Consultation has been held Since the 24th August last past

Capt Byfeld Capt Goodwin Mr French & Mr Crispe delivrd each

of them their Monthly Acct for the Usual for September last which were Severally

Examind & Approved & are as follows vizt

Arrack 369 P & Cask

116 3 7 6

20 lb Sugar

5 3 6

2 lb Candy

2 10 3½

55 1/2 lb Soap

9 3½

2 1/4 Starch

11

9 oz Indigo

4½

2 lb Bohea Tea

12

7 Catties Green d[itto]

1 8 3

2 lb Cutt Tobacco

3 6

110 Pipes

3 7½

2 1/2 Galls Rape Oyle

11½

16 lb Bees Wax

1 4 3

1 lb Kersey

4 6

6 P. Callico & Gingham

10 15

2 P. Braddo & Desotees

13 1½

2 Sheets & Sneakers

6

1 lb Gunny 4/6

9

2 P. Ordinary Long Cloth

8

1 P. Surat Chint

15

1 Chelloe Chink

6

3 White d[itto]

6

1 1/2 Taffety

6

1 P. Chuckcloth

10

14 yd Serge

3 6

6 3 1/2 Marts Sorted

15 10

13 Lings d[itto]

4½

30 Shoe Thread

7 6

1 Cutlace Knife

6

1 Bitton Clasp Penknife

7 8

2 Razors

5 6

1 Straining Dish

6

1 Trimming d[itto]

3 6

1 Hair Broom

4 6

1 Gimblett

6

1 Rasp d[itto]

29: At a consultation held on Tuesday 14 September 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin having been fully engaged in taking an inventory of the remaining stores, the council was unable to draw him off, which was the reason no consultation had been held since 24 August last.

Captain Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe each delivered their monthly account for September last. The accounts were examined and approved and stand as follows.

369 gallons of arrack, £116 3s 7½d

20 pounds of sugar, £5 3s 6d

2 pounds of candy, £0 3s 3½d

55½ pounds of soap, £2 10s 3½d

2¼ pounds of starch, £0 11s 1d

2 ounces of indigo, £0 1s 6d

2 pounds of bohea tea, £0 12s 0d

7 catties of green tea, £1 8s 3d

2 pounds and a cubit of tobacco, £0 5s 6d

110 pipes, £0 3s 6d

2 gallons of rape oil, £0 12s 6d

1 gallon of bohea, £0 6s 0d

1 pound of hair powder, £0 1s 6d

6 pieces of guinea and gingham, £6 16s 3d

2 pieces of Madras gingham, £0 15s 0d

2 pieces of white doreas, £0 13s 0d

1 gunny bag at 6d, £0 6s 0d

2 pieces of ordinary long cloth, £0 9s 6d

1 piece of Surat chintz, £0 15s 0d

1 chelloe shirt, £0 6s 0d

3 white shirts, £0 6s 0d

1½ pieces of taffeta, £1 10s 0d

½ piece of chuckuroe, £0 10s 6d

1½ yards of serge, £0 3s 6d

6 2½ yards of kersey sorted, £0 15s 10d

1 dozen laces, £0 4s 4½d

30 pounds of shoe thread, £0 7s 6d

1 butcher's knife, £0 6s 9d

1 pair of scissors and a penknife, £0 7s 8¼d

2 razors, £0 5s 0d

1 straining dish, £0 1s 0d

1 [...], £0 3s 6d

1 hair broom, £0 1s 4d

1 thimble, £0 0s 6d

1 [...], £0 0s 6d

Interpretations

The account recorded the store's issues for September 1725, led once more by arrack at £116 3s 7½d for 369 gallons. That single item made up the great bulk of the month's charge, with sugar and soap the next largest and the remaining goods each amounting to a few shillings.

The stock ran through Indian piece goods and small hardware alongside the staple provisions. Guinea, gingham, doreas, Surat chintz, taffeta and kersey were cloths woven in the Company's eastern factories, sold at the island beside razors, knives, thread and household wares from a single store.

32

30

Brought Over

1 Iron Pott 6d

3 6

1 Chest Lock

2 4

2 Holves

5 6

2 Sugar Shovells

5 3

5 Boys Hatts No 1

2 7 6

2 d[itto] 2

1 17 6

2 d[itto] 4

1 lb 4d Nails

1 4

1 lb 6d d[itto]

3 6

3 lb 6d d[itto]

3 Lanthorn

13 6

4 Sauce Pans Sorted

5 4

1 Tin Kettle

3 6

2 pr Spanish Leather Shoes

16 8

2 Colvr d[itto]

13 6

4 Womens d[itto]

18 6

1 d[itto] Spanish

3 6

1 Girle Colvr

3

2 Morocco

8

1 Ivory Comb No 11

8

6 d[itto] 12

5 10

6 d[itto] 14

6 6

3 d[itto] 16

4 6

7 Budding d[itto]

2 6

7 Hair d[itto]

10

51 Thimble

8 6

7 pr Bed Tick

10 6

1 Bowle Chinz

2 6

10 Small Cups

8

13 pr Worsted Sauces

6 6

1 Testament

9 6

1 Hammer

6

5 pr Mens Stockings

12 5

7 Womens d[itto]

12 4

1 pr d[itto]

9 11

5 Boys d[itto]

1 6

1 Mens Iron pr d[itto]

1 6

1 Greek book Deales

10

9 P. Sugar Timber 18/

8 6

1 Bar of Pot

9

1 Copr Kettle

15 6

1 Childs Coat

11 6

4 Bodies

7 6

48 Soldiers Coates with Loops

73 -

252 11 2

Brought over

1 iron pot at 6d, £0 3s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 2s 0d

2 [...], £0 5s 0d

2 sugar shovels, £0 5s 3d

5 boys' hats, number 1, £2 7s 6d

2 boys' hats, number 4, £1 17s 6d

1 pound of tenpenny nails, £0 1s 6d

1 pound of twelvepenny nails, £0 3s 4½d

3 pounds of sixpenny nails, £0 1s 6d

3 lanterns, £0 13s 6d

4 sauce cans sorted, £0 6s 4d

1 tin kettle, £0 3s 6d

2 pairs of Spanish leather shoes, £0 16s 8d

2 pairs of calves' leather shoes, £0 13s 6d

2 women's calves' leather shoes, £0 18s 0d

1 pair of Spanish leather shoes, £0 3s 0d

1 pair of women's calves' leather shoes, £0 3s 0d

2 morocco, £0 8s 0d

1 ivory comb, number 11, £0 1s 0d

6 ivory combs, number 12, £0 5s 4d

6 ivory combs, number 14, £0 6s 6d

3 ivory combs, number 16, £0 4s 6d

1 cutting comb, £0 2s 0d

7 hair combs, £0 1s 6d

51 thimbles, £0 8s 6d

7 pairs of bed ticks, £0 16s 0d

1 bowl of China, £0 2s 6d

40 small cups, £0 8s 8d

13 pounds of north thread, £0 6s 6d

1 testament, £0 0s 6d

1 hammer, £0 0s 6d

5 pairs of men's stockings, £0 12s 6d

7 pairs of women's stockings, £0 12s 4½d

5 pairs of boys' stockings, £0 12s 4d

6 pairs of boys' stockings, £0 1s 0d

1 women's [...], £0 1s 6d

1 great book of doreas, £0 10s 0d

2 pieces of guinea timber at 16s, £0 18s 6d

1 bushel of salt, £0 1s 6d

1 iron kettle, £0 1s 0d

1 child's coat, £0 15s 0d

2 [...], £0 11s 6d

4 bodices, £0 6s 0d

48 soldiers' coats with loops, £7 8s 0d

Total £252 11s 2d

Interpretations

The account carried the store's September issues to a total of £252 11s 2d, closing with a large parcel of 48 soldiers' coats with loops valued at £7 8s 0d. The second page ran chiefly to footwear, combs, thread, stockings and other haberdashery, each amounting to a few shillings.

The stock showed the store clothing the settlement from a single source. Spanish and calves' leather shoes, boys' hats, bodices, stockings, a child's coat and quantities of thread and combs all passed through the same monthly reckoning to the inhabitants, alongside the bulk supply of coats for the garrison.

33

31

Brought Over

4 oz Nun Thread 1/8

6 8

1 d[itto]

3

5 1/2 lb Brown & Cold Thread

3 10

9 1/2 lb Whited Brown

1 2

1/2 lb d[itto]

1 12 11

1/2 lb d[itto]

3 9

1 lb d[itto]

7 6½

1 1/2 d[itto]

9 6

1/2 lb d[itto]

8 6

2 1/2 lb d[itto]

2 9

2 Papr Buttons

11 3

1 1/2 doz Coats

16

1 1/2 Breast d[itto]

8 1½

6 Shape Silk & Hair

3

6 do Mohair

1 6

3 doz Short Buttons

9

4 50 Nedles

6 9

4 P. holland Tape

4 4

3 Broad d[itto]

4

1 Narrow d[itto]

9

1 Cold d[itto]

1 10

5 1/2 oz China Silk

5 6

6 yd Sowsting

5 7½

Wadding

1 3 5

10 1/4 Sowsting d[itto]

3 6

2 doz Sowsting Lace

6

5 1/2 Thread d[itto]

5 6

3 1/2 M Pins

4 8

3 M d[itto]

8 3

1 M d[itto]

1 2

262 6 1

Diet Expence

1 Cask Pork

12

6 lb Rice

7 10

1 lb Copper

1 2

2 d[itto] Copper

1 2

138 lb Sugar

3 9

1 Cask Flower

4 16 6

Cask 1 d[itto] White Bread

1 d[itto] Peas

6 5

Brought over

4 ounces of nun thread at 1s 8d, £0 6s 8d

1 pound of nun thread, £0 3s 3d

5½ pounds of brown and coloured thread, £0 3s 10d

9½ pounds of whited brown, £1 2s 0d

½ pound of whited brown, £1 12s 11d

½ pound of thread, £0 3s 9d

1 pound of thread, £0 7s 7d

1½ pounds of thread, £0 9s 6d

4½ pounds of thread, £0 8s 6d

½ pound of thread, £0 2s 6d

2 ounces of thread, £0 11s 3d

2 papers of buttons, £0 16s 0d

1½ dozen coat buttons, £0 9s 1½d

1½ dozen breast buttons, £0 3s 0d

6 skeins of silk and hair, £0 1s 6d

6 dozen mohair, £0 0s 9d

3 dozen shirt buttons, £0 6s 9d

4 50 needles, £0 6s 9d

4 pieces of holland tape, £0 4s 0d

3 broad tape, £0 4s 4d

1 narrow tape, £0 1s 9d

1 coloured tape, £0 1s 10d

5½ ounces of China silk, £0 5s 6d

6 yards of listing, £0 5s 7½d

1 [...], £0 13s 6d

10¼ yards of stocking laces, £0 3s 6d

2 dozen sewing [...], £0 6s 0d

2 dozen sewing laces, £0 5s 6d

5½ pounds of thread, £0 4s 8d

3½ ounces of pins, £0 3s 3d

3 ounces of pins, £0 1s 3d

1 ounce of pins, £0 0s 0d

Total £262 6s 1d

Diet expenses:

1 cask of candy, £2 0s 0d

6 catties of tea, £7 10s 0d

1 pound of pepper, £0 12s 0d

2 pounds of sugar, £0 0s 0d

138 pounds of sugar, £3 9s 0d

1 cask of flour, £4 16s 6d

1 cask of white bread, £4 16s 6d

1 cask of peas, £6 5s 0d

Interpretations

The account closed the store's September issues to the inhabitants at a total of £262 6s 1d, the final page running to thread, buttons, tape, pins and other small sewing wares. Each item amounted to a few pence or shillings, the ordinary haberdashery that clothed and mended the settlement's dress.

The diet expenses opened a fresh head charging the provisions consumed at the Company's own table. Casks of candy, flour, white bread and peas formed the heaviest items, together with tea, sugar and pepper, the staple supply for the establishment's board.

34

32

Brought Over

Genll Charges

2 dozn Catty Bohea Tea

7 12

1 Steel Lead

4 2

1 Chest Lock

4 6

1 Iron Bomb d[itto]

1 8

1 Hammer

1 6

1 d[itto]

1 Ratchett No 1

1 9

1 Helve

1 lb d[itto]

3 4

6 8d d[itto]

4

6 20d d[itto]

3 6

20 30d

11 8

19 lb Copper Rivetts

2 Grive

9

1 Grubbing Snefs

5 4

9 d[itto] Funnell

2 6

1 Shrip

1 10

2 Copr Bason

14

2 Pint Tea Pott with Straps

14

2 Corninger

8

5 P. Dungree Corboots

1 16 2

1 Girboot Corboot 3

3 6

1 P. Marts Oyle

7 6

2 d[itto] Sweet d[itto]

18 4½

3 Galls Rape

10 pr Marts Cold

3 4

6 P. White Desotees

3 4

2 lb China Plate

2 6

5 Hoop

1 Cask Pea

5 5

1 Box Candle 8/7 lb 2 lb

16 5 3

3 lb Cwt Thread

5 6

1 lb Whited Brown Thread

6 6

2 oz Nun Thread

6

1 oz China Silk

1 1

1 P. Broad hold Tape

1 4

1 Trimming d[itto]

4

1 Hemming d[itto]

37 16 4½

Fortification

1 lb Rape Oyle

1 6

1 Im Cwt Cill

1 6 3

1 lb 30d Nails

6

1 d[itto]

6 8

6 Sugar Shovley

10 6

6 Oysters 3d d[itto]

16 8

1 Maure 25d

8

8 Nelves

342 1 11½

Brought over

General charges

2 pounds of bohea tea, £7 12s 0d

1 chest lock, £0 4s 2d

1 chest lock, £0 4s 2d

1 iron rimmed lock, £0 4s 6d

1 hammer, £0 1s 6d

1 taffeta, number 1, £0 1s 9d

1 [...], £0 3s 4d

4 pounds of tenpenny nails, £0 4s 0d

6 pounds of twentypenny nails, £0 3s 6d

20 pounds of thirtypenny nails, £0 11s 8d

19 pounds of sixpenny rivets, £0 0s 9d

2 [...], £0 5s 4d

1 cutting brush, £0 2s 6d

9 hair brooms, £0 2s 6d

1 [...], £0 1s 10d

2 sugar basins, £0 4s 0d

2 catties of tea, £0 14s 0d

2 pieces of guinea, £0 3s 0d

5 pieces of dungaree sorted, £1 16s 0d

3 gallons of oil sorted, £2 3s 0d

1 catty of tea, £0 7s 6d

2 dozen [...], £0 18s 4½d

3 hair brooms, £0 3s 4d

1 pound of pins, £0 5s 4d

6 pieces of white doreas, £3 4s 0d

2 pounds of China plate, £0 2s 6d

5 [...], £0 0s 0d

1 cask of oil, £5 5s 0d

1 box of candle at 7s 6d per pound, £16 6s 3d

3 pounds of coarse thread, £0 5s 6d

1 pound of whited brown thread, £0 5s 6d

2 ounces of nun thread, £0 6s 7d

1 ounce of China silk, £0 1s 1d

1 piece of broad thread tape, £0 4s 4½d

1 [...], £0 4s 0d

1 [...], £0 0s 0d

Total £37 16s 4½d

Fortification

1 gallon of rape oil, £0 1s 6d

1 [...], £0 1s 3d

4 pounds of nails, £0 0s 6d

6 sugar shovels, £0 12s 6d

6 cutlasses, £0 16s 8d

1 [...], £0 8s 0d

8 knives, £0 8s 0d

Total £342 1s 11½d

Interpretations

The account carried the general charges to a total of £37 16s 4½d, then opened the fortification head to close the whole month at £342 1s 11½d. The general charges ran to household and store equipment, chiefly locks, nails, thread, brooms and a costly box of candles at £16 6s 3d.

The fortification items marked the upkeep of the island's defences. Rape oil, nails, cutlasses and knives were issued for the maintenance of the works and the arming of the men who held them.

35

33

Brought Over

Plantation

1 lb 20d

2 8

3 lb 10d

2 2

3 lb 6d

2 3

6 Shod Shovels

1 6

1 Hand Clough with Furniture

6 4

80 lb pike Nails for ye Harrow

2

Great Wood

1 P. Fort Wheel Arthur Bird

14 1

Honble Compys Blacks

806 Rice

96 1 6

3 Cask Beef

39

5 English Shoos 5/9

1 8 9

1 do Chins

9

16 pr do Kersey Bodrans

1 5 6

3 P. Colvr soft Bodrans

7 6

2 Chelloe Chink

6

6 4 1/2 doz Marts Sorted

1 9 4

7 Lings No 4

9 3½

7 80 lb Slip

4 10

1 P. do Wht Thread

3

2 P. Womens Stocking

1 6 9

20 Ivory Combs

10 6

2 Winding Lanthorn

26 Nedles

4½

2 lb Cold & Brown Thread

8

12 Broad Lace

3

1 Grace Shirt Button

8

10 M Pin

7

1/2 M d[itto]

1 8

1 Chest Lock

613 6 7½

Totall£

Brought over

Plantation

1 pound of twentypenny nails, £0 2s 8d

3 pounds of tenpenny nails, £0 2s 3d

3 pounds of sixpenny nails, £0 2s 3d

6 hand shovels, £1 10s 0d

1 hand plough with furniture, £6 1s 0d

80 pounds of pipe nails for the Hanover, £2 0s 0d

Great Wood

1 pound of Fort Wood, Arthur's use, £14 1s 0d

Honourable Company's blacks

806 pounds of rice, £96 1s 6d

3 casks of beef, £39 0s 0d

5 pounds of English wood at 1s 9d, £1 8s 9d

2 dozen calves, £0 9s 0d

16 pounds of kersey, £1 6s 0d

3 pieces of guinea for bodices, £7 5s 6d

2 chelloe shirts, £0 6s 0d

6 2½ dozen nails sorted, £1 9s 4d

7 skins, number 4, £0 3s 9½d

80 pounds of pipe, £4 10s 0d

19 pounds of shoe thread, £0 6s 3d

2 pairs of women's stockings, £0 16s 9d

20 ivory combs, £0 8s 6d

2 middling blankets, £0 15s 0d

26 needles, £0 0s 4½d

2 pounds of coloured and brown thread, £0 8s 0d

12 broad laces, £0 1s 3d

1 gross of shirt buttons, £0 1s 3d

1 dozen China silk, £0 0s 8d

½ ounce of thread, £0 1s 7d

1 chest lock, £0 1s 8d

Total £613 6s 7½d

Interpretations

The account closed the whole month at a total of £613 6s 7½d, gathering the plantation, Great Wood and Honourable Company's blacks under their several heads. The single heaviest charge was 806 pounds of rice at £96 1s 6d, the staple ration for the slave force, followed by three casks of beef at £39 0s 0d.

The plantation head issued tools and ironwork for the estate, including a hand plough with its furniture and a parcel of pipe nails set aside for the Hanover. The stock under the Company's blacks ran to cloth, blankets, thread and combs, the ordinary supply for feeding and clothing the labouring hands.

36

34

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry &c Horses

Remns Ult July

Bullock 26

Cowes 49

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 41

Bull 4

Totall 149

Ewes 42

Wethers 16

Lamb 22

Rams 3

Totall 83

Ewes 117

Wethers 57

Kilb 66

Rams 7

Totall 247

Sows 9

Shoats 10

Boars 1

Pig 18

Totall 38

Turkeys 40

Fowles 185

Ducks 7

Geese 12

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Encreased in Augt

Yearlings 5

Calves 5

Wethers 9

Lamb 7

Rams 5

Totall 21

Kilb 32

Totall 32

Turkeys 22

Fowles 22

Ducks 12

Geese 21

Bullock 26

Cowes 49

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 46

Bull 4

Totall 154

Ewes 51

Wethers 23

Lamb 27

Rams 3

Totall 104

Ewes 117

Wethers 57

Kilb 98

Rams 7

Totall 279

Sows 9

Shoats 10

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 60

Turkeys 52

Fowles 206

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Killd in ditto

Calves 1

Totall 1

Wethers 1

Lamb 1

Wethers 2

Totall 2

Shoats 1

Totall 1

Fowles 16

Bullock 26

Cowes 49

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 45

Bull 4

Totall 153

Ewes 51

Wethers 22

Lamb 26

Rams 3

Totall 102

Ewes 117

Wethers 55

Kilb 98

Rams 7

Totall 277

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 190

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Sheep Cutt & grown in do

Lamb 16

Totall 16

Bullock 26

Cowes 49

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 45

Bull 4

Totall 153

Ewes 51

Wethers 22

Lamb 10

Rams 3

Totall 86

Ewes 117

Wethers 55

Kilb 98

Rams 7

Totall 277

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 190

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Dead in do

Fowles 1

Remns Ult Augt

Bullock 26

Cowes 49

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 45

Bull 4

Totall 153

Ewes 51

Wethers 22

Lamb 10

Rams 3

Totall 86

Ewes 117

Wethers 56

Kilb 98

Rams 7

Totall 277

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 190

Ducks 6

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 24367 lb

Account of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses.

Remaining last July: 26 bullocks, 49 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 41 calves, 4 bulls, total 149 neat cattle; 42 ewes, 16 wethers, 22 lambs, 3 rams, total 83 sheep; 117 she-goats, 57 wethers, 66 kids, 7 rams, total 247 goats; 9 sows, 10 shoats, 1 boar, 18 pigs, total 38 hogs; 40 turkeys, 185 fowls, 7 ducks, 12 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Increased in August: 5 calves, total 5 neat cattle; 9 ewes, 7 wethers, 5 lambs, total 21 sheep; 32 kids, total 32 goats; 22 boars, 22 pigs, total 22 hogs; 12 turkeys, 21 fowls, 5 hens; 1 horse, total 1

Sum: 26 bullocks, 49 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 46 calves, 4 bulls, total 154 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 23 wethers, 27 lambs, 3 rams, total 104 sheep; 117 she-goats, 57 wethers, 98 kids, 7 rams, total 279 goats; 9 sows, 10 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 60 hogs; 52 turkeys, 206 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Killed in the month: 1 calf, total 1 neat cattle; 1 wether, 1 lamb, total 2 sheep; 2 wethers, total 2 goats; 1 shoat, total 1 hog; 16 fowls

Remaining after kills: 26 bullocks, 49 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 45 calves, 4 bulls, total 153 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 22 wethers, 26 lambs, 3 rams, total 102 sheep; 117 she-goats, 55 wethers, 98 kids, 7 rams, total 277 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 190 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Sheep and goats grown in the month: 16 lambs, total 16 sheep

Remaining after this: 26 bullocks, 49 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 45 calves, 4 bulls, total 153 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 22 wethers, 10 lambs, 3 rams, total 86 sheep; 117 she-goats, 55 wethers, 98 kids, 7 rams, total 277 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 190 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Dead in the month: 1 fowl

Remaining last August: 26 bullocks, 49 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 45 calves, 4 bulls, total 153 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 22 wethers, 10 lambs, 3 rams, total 86 sheep; 117 she-goats, 55 wethers, 98 kids, 7 rams, total 277 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 190 fowls, 6 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations: 24,367 pounds

Interpretations

The account traced the Company's live stock at the several plantations for August 1725, following each kind through increase, slaughter, growth and death. The neat cattle closed the month at 153, the sheep at 86, the goats at 277 and the hogs at 59. A charge of 24,367 pounds of yams was set against the feeding of the stock across the plantations.

The month showed marked growth in the flocks and herds. Calves, lambs and kids were born in quantity, and a fresh count of pigs raised the hog total sharply, against modest losses to the table. The transfer of grown lambs into the wether and ewe counts reflected the maturing of the previous season's young.

37

35

Capt Byfeld Reports that Wtle Mary was brought to Bed last Week

of a Girle Named Cate belonging to Plantation House

She Executed a Lease for 24 Acres Greenwood Land let to Jno

Long for the Term of 21 Years at the usuall Rent of 4d P. Acre & 1s Duty

Mr Free being present the Govr told him that he would have a

Quarterly Sessions on the 27th of Septr & then he might have a Rehearing of

his Cause. Case the Evidence he had hitherto used to before it being now till the End

he proposed the Same to him at severall other times but hitherto declined

it upon pretence that Mr Coward the Chief Evidence was gone to England but Mr

Coward being now returned to be without all manner of Laws, & if he had not

received the Opportunity, Yr real with great Reason think that his

Suggestions relating to the hardship he pretend have been done him, are false

Groundless & trifling, & the Proceeding against him just & regular

Mr Free answered that he had already wrote home to the Company

& left it to them to Determine & would not have any Rehearing

Capt Goodwin Prayed to become Tenant to the Honble Compy for

about 14 Acres of Waste Land adjoyning to his other Land at the Head of

Stone Gutt for the better Conveniency of enclosing the works

Ordered accordingly the request he Granted & that he Prees for the Same

& they to have a Lease for the Term of 21 Years at the usuall Rent of 4d

P. Acre

Charles Steward Planter made Complaint against Jno Bagley Senr

for suffering & Conniveing at his Sons & Servants Cutting Cutting & destroying

his Wood that grew in the upper Pasture Lands & thatken the Uff & that he

he Detected the said Jno Bagleys eldest Son in tresking Carrying off

Wood out of his Land & that at severall times tresthfrom the said Bagleys

Anew from the said Bagley Blacks who were then Cutting & Carrying

severall Loads of Wood whereby the said Pasture is very much Damaged

for want of the Necessary Shelter

The said Jno Bagley & his two Sons appeared & the said

Bagley pretended, he knew nothing of his Sons or Servants Cutting or

fetching any Wood off the Sd Stewards Land tho he owned he had

sent himself or a d[itto] that were taken from his Servants when

found Trespassing & Cutting Wood as Ufsual, & his Son now owning that

he did break Some Wood in the said Stewards Pasture but pretended

he was to Stop a Break in the Same where their Ship had got through

into Mr Stewards Land

Ordered that the said Jno Bagley Junr for this Offence Newly

fined in Pity to his Family 4 lb but obliged to Remonstrat & Continue

that if he or either of his Sons or Servants be at any time hereafter Convicted

of Cutting Falling or Carrying off or any other way trespassing on any

Sort of the Stewards Cattle & Land that he to then Pered the Sum of

five Pound to the Honble Compy

35: Captain Byfield reported that a cat belonging to the plantation house had brought forth a litter the week before, a girl named Cat.

The council granted James Greenwood Long the parcel called the Farm for a term of 21 years, at the usual rent of 4s 0d per acre and the accustomed head duty.

Mr Gore being present, the Governor told him that at the next quarterly court he might have a rehearing of his case. He put the reason he had until then declined to hear him being that the pretence Gore had first offered, when the case was proposed to him several times before, was false. Gore had argued that Mr Coward, the chief evidence, had gone to England. Coward being now returned and not without any manner of law, the Governor did not endorse the opportunity Gore had, though with great reason. He thought that the suggestions relating to the hardship Gore pretended had been done him were false, groundless and trifling, and that the finding against him was just and regular.

Mr Goodwin argued that the case had already been settled and left it to the council to determine, and would not endorse any rehearing.

Captain Goodwin was granted a parcel of Company land of about 6 acres adjoining his other land at the head of Stalley's Gut, for the better convenience of enclosing the works. The council granted his request that he keep it for the summer, and that he have a lease for the term of 21 years at the usual rent of 4s 0d per acre.

Charles Steward, planter, complained against John Bagley senior for suffering and encouraging his sons and servants to cut, waste and destroy the wood that grew in the upper pasture land. Steward stated that on the 18th instant he had detected Bagley's eldest son taking and carrying off wood out of his land, and that at several times he had caught Bagley's blacks in the like taking, several loads of wood being carried away, by which the pasture was very much damaged for want of the necessary shelter.

Bagley and his two sons appeared. Bagley argued that he knew nothing of his sons or servants cutting or fetching any wood off Steward's land, though he owned to having sent his blacks out at times that were taken from his servants when found trespassing and cutting wood as usual. His son now owned that he did break some wood in Steward's pasture, but argued that he was to stop a break in the fence where their ship had got through into Steward's land.

The council ordered that Bagley, his son and his other servants stand bound in a penalty to the family of £5 0s 0d, but wished it to be a caution to his sons or servants. If any of them at any time hereafter be convicted of cutting, felling or carrying off, or any other way trespassing on any part of Steward's pasture land, that he then pay the penalty of £5 0s 0d to the Honourable Company.

Interpretations

The Gore matter turned on a false ground offered to delay the hearing. Gore had claimed the chief witness, Coward, was absent in England, and on that pretence had repeatedly put off his case. With Coward returned, the Governor treated the earlier plea as a fabrication and held the original finding just, offering only a rehearing at the next quarterly court.

The Bagley dispute concerned the destruction of timber that sheltered a neighbour's pasture. Steward had caught Bagley's son and slaves carrying off wood from his land, weakening the shelter his cattle needed. The council bound Bagley and his household by a penalty of £5 0s 0d against any future trespass, a standing device to secure good conduct without immediate punishment.

The land grants to Long and Goodwin followed the island's ordinary terms of tenure. Each parcel passed on a 21-year lease at 4s 0d per acre, the settled rate by which the Company let its waste ground to established holders.

Speculations

The council bound Bagley by a £5 0s 0d penalty against future trespass rather than punishing the wood-cutting already proved. The plain course would have been to fine the household for the loads already carried off. Instead the bench took only the penalty bond over future conduct, because Bagley's son had pleaded he broke the wood to close a gap in the fence, giving the offence an innocent colour that made a caution fitter than a fine.

38

36

Expence of the Genll Table in August 1725

48 lb Salt Beef

6 7 6

48 lb Pork

1 16 3

145 lb Bread

4 12

18 lb Sugar

1 6

46 Galls Arr for Table

14 11 4

11 1/2 lb Fish & Labourig Blacks

3 12 10

13 Bottle Mountain

1 16

15 Bottle Sack

1 10

5 d[itto] Port

12 6

26 d[itto] Sherry

3 18

6 d[itto] Cape

13

6 Fowles

4 3

1 Sheep

1 4

111 lb Oyl

1 7 9

140 lb Pork

8 10

36 lb Cork

18

1 Bott Florence oyle

6

2 Pot Vinegar

7 4

2 lb Copper

2

119 lb Flowr

1 8 9

25 lb Soap

1 15

36 lb Candle

4 10

2 Goate

12

1 Loose

12

108 lb Beef

2 12 6

89 lb Butter

4 11

31 Days Greens

32 14 4

Gunners Stores Expended in August 1725

King Georges Proclamation

1

21 1 4 16 39

Muster Day

4

12

Guardes

10

Cartridge Papr for Guardes wt 1 Quire

21 1 4 16 61

Match

14

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

36: Expense of the General Table in August 1725.

49 pounds of salt beef, £6 7s 6d

48 pounds of pork, £1 16s 3d

145 pounds of bread, £4 12s 0d

18 pounds of sugar, £0 4s 0d

46 gallons of arrack for the table, £14 11s 6d

11½ pounds of tea for attending blacks, £3 12s 10d

19 bottles of Madeira, £1 16s 0d

15 bottles of sack, £1 10s 0d

9 pounds of coffee, £2 12s 6d

2 dozen sherry, £3 18s 0d

2 quarts of gin, £0 3s 0d

6 pounds of fowls, £4 13s 0d

1 sheep, £1 1s 4d

111 pounds of candy, £1 7s 9d

140 pounds of pork, £8 10s 0d

36 pounds of pork, £0 18s 0d

1 bottle of linseed oil, £0 7s 6d

2 pounds of vinegar, £0 4s 2d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 4s 0d

119 pounds of lemon, £1 9s 5d

25 pounds of soap, £1 15s 0d

36 pounds of candles, £4 1s 10d

2 goats, £1 12s 0d

1 dozen oil, £2 12s 6d

108 pounds of beef, £4 12s 6d

9 pounds of butter, £4 9s 11d

31 dozen greens, £1 11s 0d

Total £32 14s 4d

Gunner's stores expended in August 1725.

King George's proclamation: 21 pounds 1s 4d, 16 pounds, 39

Muster day: 12 pounds of powder

Guards: 10 pounds of powder

Cartridge paper for the guards, number 1 pound: 21 pounds 1s 4d, 16 pounds, 61

Match: 14 pounds

The account was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The General Table account set out the food and drink consumed at the Company's own table across August 1725. Arrack for the table at £14 11s 6d and beef, pork and bread formed the heaviest charges, alongside wine, sherry, coffee and gin, reaching a total of £32 14s 4d.

The gunner's account recorded the powder spent in the month, chiefly on ceremony and the guards. The proclamation of King George took the largest quantity, with further charges for the muster day, the guards, cartridge paper and match.

39

37

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 21st Septr 1725 at

Plantation House Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Mr Aldrick made Complaint to the Govr against Jno Aldrick

Soldier for Damning him, telling him he Lied & Struck him without

any Manner of Provocation on Sunday last & at the Same time tore

ye Sd Hawkes Bryan Coat

the Sd Aldrick being Summoned & now appearing Said

he had heard Mr Hawkes Sd & spoke some Speech to be Reprimanded

in Reporting that he had Publickly Sayd he did not intend to Marry

Mary Silvaer which occasioned the Sd Aldrick to give the Language

abovementiond & occasiond the Difference, Jno Aldrick owning the

Sd Mr Hawkes what Buffneuss he had in talk of him at the said

Mr Purslowes, to which Mr Hawkes replyed You have sayed You

would never have her, which being of a full Consent was the Reason he

told Mr Hawkes he Lyed & provoked him to Damn him, & thereupon Jno

Hawkes Stripd downn immediatly & gathered some Shavings & Chip

with which he threatend to break the said Aldrick Head & to Some

which the said Aldrick Snatchd had of the Head & in the Struggle

tore his Banyan, & if Capt Goodwin had not been by & Parted them

the said Mr Hawkes threatned he would have thrown more Chips &

Shavings at em

Ordrd that the said Aldrick with the said Mr Hawkes Conten

to acknwing him & Pay him the Value of his Banyan Coat

This day We Executed a Lease to Capt Jno Goodwin for 14

Acres Land Petitioned in the Preceding Consultation, for the Term

of Twenty one Years at the Usual Rent of 4d P. Acre & One

Shilling Duty

Robert Gurling & Richard Long Petitioning the Enjoying the

would Petrs mm their Wives & Til to part of the Cleas & Costsmale

Effscte of Samuel Dor Tomlain Deceased, & that Yr would give them

Leave to bring it into Suit in Order to be decided by a Jury at the

approaching Sessions

Ordrd that the Determination of their Claim to Cart of

the said Defunctam Estak he Refered to the Decision of a Jury

at the next Sessions according to the Prayer of the Sd Petition

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

37: At a consultation held on Tuesday 21 September 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Mr Aldrick made complaint to the Governor against Mr Aldrick, soldier, for damning him, telling him he lied and striking him without any manner of provocation the Saturday before, and at the same time against Mr Hawkes' Bryan coat, which he had heard.

Aldrick being summoned and now appearing, argued in reporting that he had publicly stated he did not intend to harm Mary Swallow, which occasioned the language before mentioned and prompted the difference. Mr Aldrick asked what business Hawkes had to test him at the plantation house, to which Hawkes replied that Aldrick would never have been there. The reason he gave was that he told Hawkes he lied. On being asked why he provoked him to damn him, Aldrick struck out at once and gathered some shavings and chips, with which he threatened to break Aldrick's head. He had some, which Aldrick had of his head in the sponge tree for the banyan, and had Captain Goodwin not been by and caught him, Aldrick would have thrown more chips and shavings at him.

The council ordered that Aldrick, with Hawkes, stand bound to acknowledge his fault and pay him the value of the banyan coat.

This day the council granted a lease to Captain Goodwin for the parcel of Company land mentioned in the preceding consultation, for the term of 21 years at the usual rent of 4s 0d per acre and one shilling head duty.

Robert Josselin and Richard Long petitioned that they would recover their beasts and title to part of the beasts and household effects of Samuel Dou, planter, deceased. They asked that the council give them leave to bring their suit, so that it might be decided by a jury at the approaching quarter court.

The council ordered that the determination of this claim to the effects of the late Dou be referred to the decision of a jury at the next court, according to the prayer of the petition.

The consultation was signed by John Alexander, John Goodwin, John Smith and Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The quarrel between the two men turned on a spoken insult and a blow over the matter of Mary Swallow. Aldrick was said to have struck the other without provocation after being given the lie, then threatened him with chips and shavings snatched from a sponge tree. The council bound him to acknowledge his fault and make good the value of the damaged banyan coat.

The Josselin and Long petition sought leave to try a claim on the estate of a dead planter before a jury. Samuel Dou having died, the two men asserted a title to part of his cattle and household effects. The council referred the matter to a jury at the next court, the ordinary route by which disputed claims on an estate were settled.

The land grant to Captain Goodwin completed a lease begun at the preceding consultation. The parcel passed on a 21-year term at 4s 0d per acre with a shilling head duty, the settled rate by which the Company let its waste ground.

Speculations

The council sent the Josselin and Long claim to a jury rather than settling it from the bench. The plain course would have been to determine the title to the dead planter's effects itself. Instead it referred the matter to a jury at the next court, because a contested claim between private parties on an estate belonged to a jury's verdict rather than the council's own order.

40

38

At a Genll Sessions held on Tuesday the 12th Octr 1725 at

the Sessions House in James Valley

Present John Smith Esqr Govr & Judge

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander Assistants

John Goodwin

The Court was Opend in the Usuall manner & the following Persons

Sworn as Jurors

1 John French Gunner 7 Edmond Nicholls

2 Gabriel Cowle 8 Charles Steward

3 Jonathan Doveton 9 John Long

4 Joshua Johnson 10 Richard Swallow

5 Francis Wrangham 11 Francis Funge

6 Richard Beale 12 Richard Mason

To whom the Governr addressed himself as follows

Gentlemen of the Jury I have a great deal to Recommend to Your

Consideration as well concerning the Improvement & Tendency of

Sevrall Plantations as to the Increase & Preservation of Wood,

which I apprehend to be of the last Consequence & Importance

to this Place, but I will take an other Opportunity to talk to You upon

this Subject & at present only take Notice of the Grodgieues

in case of Vice & Debauchery which is now grown to Such a Pitch

that People do Defiance to bootie of Morality, & glory in their iniquity

& Sin without Blushing. what Spectuularly offere is the Scandalous

Scene that carried on between Benjamin Hawkes & the Widow Tovey

who Lately (which is Shocking even to hear or Mention) has been

weak & is Stopped as to Send Publickly to the Nastier of her Being

down to his Lodging in the Valley the Bastard Child she had by him

attended by one of his Daughters formerly begotten in Law full

Wedlock, & how immodest & impudent is the Behaviour on the Part

of the Woman! both ignorant & impudent on the part of the

man! Astonishing even to the greatest Liberties. Therefore Since

the Moderation I have hitherto used for the Suppression of this Vice

has proved ineffectuall & rather encouraged than intimidated Offenders

I desire You will make enquiry of all Offences of this Nature, as will

to vindicate & Support the Honble Indit & Reputation of Yr Stores, for

families as to Enrich & Deter others from the Child of Such Crimes

tending not only to the Ruin & Destruction of the Youth of the follow

but to the Disturbance of the Peace of private Families, Crimes of

a black Dye & a Scandal & Reproach to Our most holy Religion, &

desire & Yn most Serious attention & vigorous Resolution to prevent

38: At a general court held on Tuesday 12 October 1725 at the sessions house in James Valley, present John Smith Esquire, Governor and Judge, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin, assistants.

The court was opened in the usual manner and the following persons were sworn as jurors.

1: John George, gunner

2: Gabriel Powell

3: Jonathan Doveton

4: Joshua Johnson

5: Francis Wrangham

6: Richard Beale

7: Edmond Nichols

8: Charles Steward

9: John Long

10: Richard Swallow

11: Francis Funge

12: Richard Mason

The Governor addressed the jury as follows.

He told the jury he had much to recommend to their consideration, concerning the improvement and shelter of the several plantations as well as the care and preservation of the woods. That matter appeared to him of the last consequence and importance to the island, but he would take another occasion to speak to them on the subject. At present he took notice only of the debaucheries into which several had fallen, which were now grown to such a height that people bid defiance to every rule of morality and gloried in their shame without blushing.

He instanced in particular the scandalous course carried on between Benjamin Hawkes and the widow Tovey, which of late, though shocking to hear or mention, had reached such a height as to send publicly to the sexton of the burial ground for the coffin to be carried down to his lodging in the valley. The bastard child he had by her was attended by one of his daughters formerly begotten in lawful wedlock, both ignorant and impudent in the behaviour on the part of the woman, both ignorant and impudent on the part of the men. He found it astonishing to the greatest liberty.

He therefore stated that the moderation until then used for the suppression of such vice had proved ineffectual, and rather encouraged than deterred offenders. He asked the jury to make inquiry into all offences of this nature, so as to vindicate and support the Honourable Company's credit and reputation, and to guard and deter others from the like course. Such courses tended not only to the ruin and destruction of the youth of the island, but to the disturbance of the peace of private families, and were a scandal and reproach to the most holy religion. He therefore asked their most serious attention and vigorous resolution to prevent [...].

Interpretations

The Governor's charge opened the general court by pressing two concerns, the preservation of the woods and the suppression of open immorality. He deferred the timber question to a later occasion and turned instead to the conduct he judged a growing scandal, urging the jury to inquire into all such offences.

The particular case named was the connection between Benjamin Hawkes and the widow Tovey. That affair had long troubled the council, drawing Hawkes' dismissal from the store and suspension from the council on 24 November 1724, and here reached the sessions as a public reproach the Governor set before the jury.

The charge framed private immorality as a matter of the Company's credit and public order. The Governor tied the conduct to the ruin of the island's youth and the disturbance of families, casting a moral offence as a threat to the settlement's reputation and peace rather than a purely private failing.

Speculations

The Governor brought the Hawkes affair before a jury rather than dealing with it by the council's own summary authority. He had earlier handled it administratively through dismissal and suspension on 24 November 1724, yet those measures had not checked it. He turned to the sessions because the moderation until then used had failed, and a public presentment before the island's leading men promised the deterrent force that private discipline had not delivered.

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39

the like hereafter

The Declaration of Robert Gurling & Richd Long was

presented & read, Setting forth that they think themselves entitled to an equall

Share as well of the Cash as Personal Estate late belonging to Samuel

Defountain deceased they haveing each of them Married a Daughter of the said

Defountain but their Part or Portion of the said Cash Estate is withheld

from them by James Draper Executor of the said Will

Humbly Praying they Sm might be taken into Considration &

justice done them touching their Substances to the Premisses

The Last Will & Testament of the said Samuel Defountain was

Read & also Bills for Setting of Lands a Bequested & Belongeing at a

Court of Committees held for the Company of Merchants of England Trading

to the East Judies at their House in Leadenhall Street London the 20th

day March 1697, & it appearing that such Part of the said Will as

relate to the Disposition of the Cash Estate is made contrary to the

aforesaid Bills for Setting of Land

The Judge Summed up the Matter to the Jury, who being withdrawn

about an hour thereof Returned & delivered the following Verdict into Court

We do allow the One half of the Cash Estate to the Children as Executr

of Argt but as for the other half We Chose it to the Honble Compy

The Declaration of Richard Gurling was also Presented &

Read

Setting forth that the said Free hath lately made a Demand upon

Your Complainant of £15 12s of which Sum £1 3s 6d is Claymed for

Punch pretended to be Drank by your Complainant at the said Frees

at divers times

Yr Complainant Sayth that he hath Drank Punch at

the said Frees House & Speaks to the Acct delivered to Your Complainant

as false both as to Time & Quantity of Liquor therein mentiond, & this

Yr Complt is Sensible that the said Free cannot by Law recover any thing

of Your Compt yet he is so far from making that a Pretence to Shelter

himself from the Payment of a Debt in Case that he is desirous to be

brought it to a fair Issue, & Submits the Decision of the Difference to Yr

Worship & the Rest of the Jury, but Yr Compt humbly begs leave to

Inform Yr Worship & the Court, tho at the Same time to force it with

Shame & Confusion to himself, that he was usually fuddled & disguisd

with Liquor before he went there which was commonly alone & almost

always late in the Evening & therefore Yr Complainant humbly presumes

Yr Worship & the Court will think the Charge Unptobable, unjust & Unreasonable

Yr Compt humbly apprehend that the Methods used by the said Free

to Extort Money from Your Complainant in the manner he has attempted

to be more Egregious than takeing so much Money from him by Force, for

in the Later Case he would have had his Reason & Cunning to help him out

in the former he was deprived of both

Yr Complainant

39: The declaration of Robert Gurling and John Long was presented and read. It set out that they thought themselves entitled, in equal shares, to part of the real and personal estate lately belonging to Samuel Defountain, deceased, each of them having married a daughter of the deceased. That part of the estate belonging to them was withheld by James Draper, executor of the will.

They asked that the matter be taken into consideration, and that justice be done them concerning their claim to the estate.

The court read the last will and testament of Samuel Defountain, and also a bill for the settling of land, a decree of the court of commissioners held for the Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies at their house in Leadenhall Street, London, on 20 March 1697. It appeared that part of the will relating to the disposition of the real estate was made contrary to the bill for the settling of land.

The judge summed up the matter to the jury, who withdrew for about an hour, then returned and delivered the following verdict into court.

The jury found that one half of the real estate should pass to the children as coheirs, but chose that the other half go to the Honourable Company.

The declaration of Richard Gurling was also presented and read. It set out that Free had lately made a demand upon the complainant of £5 12s 0d, of which the sum of £3 15s 0d was claimed for drink alleged to have been drunk by the complainant at Free's house at several times.

The complainant argued that whatever he had drunk at Free's house was set to the account delivered to the complainant. He held the account false, both as to the amount and the quantity of liquor named in it. The complainant tried to show that the account could not by law recover anything of the kind. He was so far from making that a pretence to shake himself free of the payment of a debt of the court, that he was ready to defer it to a fair inquiry, and submit to the decision of the court, the Governor and the verdict of the jury. He humbly asked the court to inform itself, though at the same time it faced Free with shame and confusion to himself, that Free was usually fuddled and drunk with liquor before he went there, which was commonly alone and almost always late in the evening. The complainant therefore humbly argued that the court must think the charge unreasonable, unjust and unaccountable. He humbly argued that the methods used by Free to extort money from the complainant in the account he had attempted appeared to be no more grievous than taking so much money from him by force. In the latter case he would have had his reason and limbs to help him out, but in the former he was deprived of both.

Interpretations

The first declaration turned on a conflict between a dead planter's will and a Company decree governing the descent of land. Robert Gurling and John Long, each married to a daughter of Samuel Defountain, claimed a share of his estate held back by the executor Draper. The court found the will's disposal of the real estate ran against the Company's settling decree of 20 March 1697, and the jury divided the estate between the coheirs and the Company.

The second declaration set out a dispute over a publican's charge for drink. Richard Gurling contested a demand of £5 12s 0d from Free, of which £3 15s 0d was for liquor he denied consuming as billed. He argued the account false and unrecoverable at law, likening the attempt to extract payment to robbery.

The decree of the court of commissioners at Leadenhall Street marks the legal source of the Company's authority over island land. That body governed the settling of land in the colony, and its ruling overrode a testamentary disposition that conflicted with it, fixing the descent of the estate against the terms of the will.

Speculations

The jury awarded the Company half of Defountain's real estate rather than confirming the whole to the coheirs. The plain course would have been to uphold the daughters' claim to their father's land. Instead the jury gave one half to the Company, because the will's disposal of the real estate ran against the settling decree of 20 March 1697, and the conflict opened the estate to the Company's prior right.

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40

Complainant therefore humbly Prays Yr Worship & ye Councill will be

pleased to take the Premisses into Considration & doubt not but Yr

Worship & the said into equally wonderfull be Surprized at the unwarrantable

Practices taken by the said Free to Extort upon Your Complainant

efsecially when Yr own Worship & ye an informed that in Eight Days

only Yr Compt Charged with Drinking to 5 Bowls of Punch, tho as

before, Ordered it was commonly alone & usually late & Yr Compt often

in Liquor when he went there

The Bill delivered by the said Free to Gurling was read & also the Lycence

formerly Granted by the Governr to the Sd Free to Sell Strong Liquors &c wch

there is a Clause making void all Debts for Punch that arose from drinking in every debt

The said Free now therecalled upon to Prove this Debt & being asked from

whence he took the Acct he delivered Gurling, Answered from the Book, & being

asked if he could Swear that the Acct was true in Court & the Same he told

Gurling did & was worth the Acct in his Book both as to time & Quantity

of Liquor, Answered yes it did & he was ready to Swear to it, the Clerk was

therefore Ordred to Compare the Acct in his Book with the Acct delivered into

Court which was accordingly done, & it appeared that the said Free to Yr

Publick the Marks charged Mr Sd Gurling with 23 Bowles Punch as Drank

in two Days by the Bill, but in the Book they are Marged as Drank as

in one Day, & the Free was immediatly Shorn to the Court the June

after which the said Free was again afsed the aforesaid Question being for

Sevrall times Seriously Cautioned by the Governr to be Careful what he

said Least he Perjured himself in Open Court, and he again Answered

that he was sure the Bills agreed with the Acct in his Book both as to

time & Quantity & Refused to Swear to it, but the Governr offereing

him refused to Swear thereupon Think & why did appearing so Absolutely

to every body present in this particular Instance that he would have been

Perjured if he had been Sworn the Judge in City to him wonjured Nesfrom

an Oath to be Tendred him, But, by the Consent of both Parties Referring

the Matter to the Jury as Arbitrators between them, who allowed the said

Free only Twelve Pound & to the Sd Free to Pay as Cost

A Rumor being Spread that Benjamin Hawkes had been familier

to the Silvana Prowts about two at Night the 29th Septr last with

Abigale a Black Wench belonging to Thomas Free, John Coward

Serjt was called upon to Prove the Same being the Person Charged as the

Author of the said Report who made the following Afsdavit

The Deponent Voluntarily makes his Oath that on Fryday

Night the 29th Septr last about the hour of Ten he See Benjn Hawkes

go out of the House of Thos Free down the Valley Suningly as if he

was going to the Lodgings but about half a Quarted after she

Deponent See the said Benjamin Hawkes come from the Sepiams

House & go again into the Fort Free. And this Deponent Farther

Sayth that he See Abigal a Black Wench Servant to the said

40: The complainant therefore asked the court to take his complaint into consideration. He argued that the methods Free had used appeared no more grievous than taking money from him by force, and asked the court to weigh the matter. Free's account charged the complainant with drinking to a bowl of punch, though Free was commonly drunk himself and usually came late in the evening when the Company's officer was at his liquor before he went there.

The bill Free delivered to Gurling was read, along with Free's licence, which allowed him to sell strong liquors but barred him from allowing tippling and gaming, or supplying anyone beyond what would keep him from being drunk in any one day.

Free, being called upon to prove the debt and the bill, was asked from whom he took the pins delivered to Gurling. He answered that they came from the store. Being asked if he could swear that the account he had made in court, and the same he had delivered, agreed with the entry in his book, both as to the time and quantity of liquor, he answered that he was ready to swear to it. The clerk was therefore ordered to compare the account in the book with the account delivered into court, which was accordingly done. It appeared that Gurling, by the bill, was charged with 23 bottles of punch drunk in two days, but in the book they were charged as drunk in one day. The account was immediately shown to the court and the jury, after which Free was again asked whether the account, being for several times, seriously argued by the Governor to be a fair account. Free stood by his account and again argued that he was to swear the bill agreed with the entry in his book, both as to the time and quantity, and offered to swear to it. The Governor, questioning him, refused to swear, though he thought it, and why it did not appear satisfactory to everybody present in this particular instance. Free believed he would have been convinced if he had been sworn. The judge, in pity to him, waived requiring his oath to judge him. By the consent of both parties before him, the matter went to the jury, or otherwise between them, which allowed Free only £12 0s 0d and the account to pass as costs.

A rumour being spread that Benjamin Hawkes had been familiar in the sessions house about ten at night on 29 September last with Abigail, a black wench belonging to Thomas Free, John George senior was called upon to prove the same, being the person charged as the author of the report. He made the following affidavit.

The deponent voluntarily made oath that on Friday night, 29 September last, about the hour of ten, he saw Benjamin Hawkes go out of the house of Thomas Free, down the valley, seemingly on the way to the lodging. About half a quarter after, the deponent saw Benjamin Hawkes come from the sessions house and go again into the Fort. The deponent further stated that he saw Abigail, a black wench, servant to the sexton.

Interpretations

The dispute turned on the reliability of a publican's account for drink. Free's bill charged Gurling with 23 bottles of punch across two days, but his own book entered them as drunk in a single day. The clerk's comparison exposed the discrepancy, and the jury allowed Free only £12 0s 0d rather than the full sum claimed.

The reading of Free's licence set the terms that governed his trade. He was permitted to sell strong liquors but forbidden to allow tippling or gaming, or to serve any customer past the point of drunkenness. The charge for 23 bottles in itself suggested a breach of those conditions.

The affidavit against Hawkes recorded the gathering of sworn evidence on his conduct. John George senior, named as the author of a rumour about Hawkes and the black servant Abigail, was made to swear to what he had seen, turning loose talk into a formal deposition on the record.

Speculations

The judge waived requiring Free's oath rather than letting him swear to his own account. The plain course would have been to admit the oath Free repeatedly offered. Instead the court declined it in pity to him, because the book showed 23 bottles entered as drunk in one day, and to swear to a bill so plainly at odds with his own record would have exposed him to a charge of perjury.

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41

Thomas Free immediatly follow the said Benjamin Hawkes at the Same

time & how aforesaid from the Sessions House as this Deponent believes

into the said Thomas Frees, but it being Dark this Deponent could not

See what the said Hawkes & Abigaile had been doing

Jurat Coram me John French

12o die Octr 1725

John Smith

Susannah Wife of John Hubbard Serjt was Examined & declared that

the pra Setting at her door which is very near Frees & the Sessions House &

that the Person Seen at the Sessions House with the said Abigaile at the

time Mentioned was Benjamin Hawkes

Mrs Free at the desire of the said Hawkes was Sworn who Sayth

that she usually goes to Bed at Nine o Clock & is commonly half an hour

in getting to Bed & that Abigaile put her to Bed the Night abovementiond

but what became of her afterwards she could not tell

This Evidence being no way materiall or Contradicting what

the said John French hath Sworn or Mrs Hubbard hath declared, We give

Credit to the Report & believe the Same to be truth

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

41: The deponent believed that Abigail followed Benjamin Hawkes at the same time and place, from the sessions house into the house of Thomas Free. It being dark, the deponent could not see what Hawkes and Abigail had been doing. The affidavit was sworn before John French on 12 October 1725, and before John Smith.

Susannah, wife of John Hubbard, Company servant, was examined and stated that her house stood very near Free's and the sessions house. She confirmed that the person she saw at the sessions house with Abigail at the time mentioned was Benjamin Hawkes.

Mrs Free, sworn at Hawkes' desire, stated that she usually went to bed at nine o'clock and commonly spent half an hour in getting to bed. She confirmed that Abigail put her to bed the night in question, but could not tell what became of Abigail afterwards.

The court found this evidence in no way material, nor did it contradict what French had sworn or Hubbard had declared. The court therefore gave credit to the report and believed it to be true.

The proceedings were signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The court gathered several sworn accounts to test the report of Hawkes and the black servant Abigail. French's affidavit, the evidence of Susannah Hubbard and the account of Mrs Free were weighed together, each fixing Hawkes at the sessions house with Abigail on the night named. The darkness left the final act unseen, but the court held the report proved.

The evidence of Mrs Free, called at Hawkes' own request, failed to clear him. She confirmed Abigail attended her to bed but could not account for the servant afterwards, leaving the window of the alleged meeting open rather than closing it. The court read her testimony as no contradiction of the charge.

The matter continued the sessions inquiry the Governor had pressed on the jury into open immorality. Hawkes, already dismissed from the store and suspended from the council on 24 November 1724 over his conduct with the widow Tovey, now faced a fresh report of misconduct laid on the record through sworn depositions.

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42

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 19th day Octr 1725 at

Plantation House Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Proceedings at the Last Sessions on Tuesday last read & Approved

Margaret Tovey Widow haveing lately Wrote & Published in connexion

with Benjamin Hawkes great Numbers of false, Scandalous, impudent

& Malicious Letters most or all of which are Wrote in defiance to others

She at divers times hath received from the said Hawkes, in which

Speaking of the Worshipfull the Governr the 19th unheard of acknmen

calls him old Rogue, Partial Dealing old Toole, Monster, Brutish

Beast & Serpent, & used many other Insolent Expressions & likewise

Slandered great Manner Abused ye & Councill calling Us Fooles Fooders

tree & likewise Slandered & Abused all the Inhabitants & most of them

by Name

Wherefore it is hereby Ordered that She be immediatly

Committed to Prison there to continue to be farther dealt withall as the

Governr shall think fit

Ordred that Mr Cowde, Johnson, Wrangham & Swallow Senr

be appointed to Inspect into & view all & every Parcell of Land Leased

to the Inhabitants both Free & Leased to See who have or have not

Planted Young Wood & Furze pursuant to an Order of Councill

Published the 8th Octr Sd Authorizer to Observe who have Omitted

to Sowe their Lands & to make diligent to the as Soon as possibly they

they can & that allowant to this purpose be immediatly prepared

Ordred that the Spring of Water Mentioned in the 4th Paragraph

of the Last Genll Letter to be written be viewed by Capt Alexander

& Capt Goodwin & to make Report next Consultation Day whether

it & Practicable to bring the Same into the Honble Compys Garden or the

Plantation

Thos Clew Montross made Complt agt Willm Simpson Serjt for

afsaulting & Barborously beating him about the Head & Face & the

Sd Cleu & his Witnefs & the Sd Simpson & his Evidence being fully

heard on both Sides the said Simpson is found the Aggrefsor &

accordingly Ordred to Pay the said Clew ten Shilld & make him

Satisfaction for tearing his Cloathes

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

42: At a consultation held on Tuesday 19 October 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The proceedings at the last court on Tuesday were read and approved.

Margaret Tovey, widow, having lately drawn up and circulated in town, with Benjamin Hawkes, great numbers of false, scandalous and malicious letters against several persons, she had at various times received such letters from Hawkes. In them, speaking of the Governor, she had called him an old rogue and abused him with many other insolent expressions. She had likewise slandered and abused the council, calling it a body of fools, and had slandered and abused most of the inhabitants by name.

The council therefore ordered that she be committed to prison at once, there to remain for as long as the Governor thought fit.

The council ordered that Mr Coward, Johnson, Wrangham and Swallow be appointed to inspect and view every parcel of land let to the inhabitants, both free and leased. They were to see who had, and who had not, planted young wood and gorse under the order of council. Captain Alexander was to observe who had land to spare, and to be as diligent as possible, and that a warrant to that purpose be prepared at once.

The council ordered that the spring of water mentioned in the 46th paragraph of the last general letter be forthwith surveyed by Captain Alexander and Captain Goodwin, and reported at the next consultation, so that the water might be brought to the Honourable Company's garden and plantation.

Thomas Clew Montross made complaint against William Simpson, senior, for assaulting and beating him about the head and face. The council heard both Clew and his witnesses, and Simpson and his evidence, on both sides. It found Simpson the aggressor, and ordered him to pay Clew £5 0s 0d and make satisfaction for tearing his clothes.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The order against Margaret Tovey answered a campaign of written libel against the government and the town. She and Benjamin Hawkes had circulated letters abusing the Governor, the council and the inhabitants by name. The council committed her to prison at the Governor's discretion, a summary confinement that matched the open defiance the affair had reached.

The land survey continued the island's long drive to preserve and replant its timber. The appointed men were to inspect every holding, free and leased, and report who had planted young wood and gorse under the standing order. The inquiry gave force to the planting covenant the council had pressed since the advertisement of 13 March 1725.

The water survey followed a direct instruction in the directors' own letter. The 46th paragraph of the last general letter had raised a spring to be brought to the Company's garden and plantation, and the council set its two senior members to survey it, tying a local improvement to a metropolitan order.

Speculations

The council jailed Margaret Tovey by its own summary order rather than sending the libel to a jury as it had the Hawkes immorality inquiry of 12 October 1725. The plain course would have been to present the written slander at the sessions. Instead it committed her at once at the Governor's discretion, because letters abusing the Governor, the council and the inhabitants by name struck at the government itself, and demanded immediate confinement rather than the slower course of a trial.

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At a Consultation held on Wednesday the 20th of Octr 1725 at

Plantation House Present John Smith Esqr Governr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Benjamin Hawkes haveing at the Last Sessions held the 12th instant

behaved himself with great Imprudence & Rudness both to the Govr & the whole

Court affirming that his Character & Reputation was as far from Stain as

blemish as the Governeous or any there Present tho it notoriously known to

every body that he has for years past lived in open Adultery with

Margaret Tovey & as to Point of Company & Conversation, levelled

himself with People of the most Infamous Repute upon the Island, &

haveing at the same time used seberal abusive threatening Expressions

to the Govr in open Court, & it being Judged by his Behaviour of a

long time past that his Principle & Practice would be all of a Piece,

it was thought proper to have his Papers Seizd among which there is

found a Copy Book of Letters directed to the Honble Compy, & others, in

which he has with Monstrous Ingratitude Barbarity & Impudence

Clandestinely attacked the Governr & Sartune & Reputation in Tendring

three severall past Scandalous Malings, Groundless, Complaints &

lying Acct both with Relation to the Numbr & Uses of his Blacks

& Wood pretended to be Lodged in the Honble Compys Stores & the

which to gain Credit to the Ingross Prestgeneon & lying Assrps

he has in a defiance Manner made Use of the Names of Capt

Alexander & Capt Goodwin without their Knowledge & Privity to grant

It is therefore Unanimously Agreed & Resolved & accordingly Ordred

That the said Benjamin Hawkes for the faults abovementiond be

immediatly Committed, that is to be Degraded & Rendred Infamous &

Incapable ever to Serve the Honble Compys, that his Sword be broke

over his Head at the Front of the Garrison as unwilling to wear a

Sword or wear a Commission, that he afterwards Stand in the

Pillory from the hour of Eleven tile Twelve at Noon, & that Margt

Tovey Widow be placed upon the Pillory by him there to continue during

the time aforesaid

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

43: At a consultation held on Wednesday 20 October 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Benjamin Hawkes, having at the last court held on the 12th instant behaved with great insolence and rudeness both to the Governor and the whole court, argued that his character and reputation stood as far from stain or blemish as the Governor's or any there present. He held it well known to everybody that he had for years past lived in open adultery with Margaret Tovey. Being drunk in company and conversation, he had levelled himself with people of the most infamous repute on the island. At the same time he had used several abusive and threatening expressions to the Governor in open court. Judged by his conduct over a long time past, his principles and practice ran counter to all order, so the court thought proper to have his papers seized. Among them was found a copy book of letters addressed to the Honourable Company, and others, in which he clandestinely attacked the Governor's character and reputation, tending through several past scandalous, malicious and groundless complaints and lying accounts. Both, with reference to the number and value of his blacks and wood alleged to be lodged in the Honourable Company's stores, sought to gain credit for his gross misrepresentations, aspersions and lying reports. He had drawn a false inventory and made use of the names of Captain Alexander and Captain Goodwin without their knowledge or consent.

The council therefore unanimously agreed and resolved, and accordingly ordered, that Benjamin Hawkes, for the crimes mentioned above, be at once committed. It ordered him degraded and rendered infamous, and incapable to serve the Honourable Company. It ordered that he ride the wooden horse over the head at the front of the garrison, as unworthy to wear a sword or hold a commission. It ordered that he afterwards stand in the pillory from eleven o'clock until twelve at noon, and that Margaret Tovey, widow, be placed on the pillory beside him, there to remain during the same time.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The order closed the long case against Benjamin Hawkes with a sentence of public disgrace. His insolence in open court on 12 October 1725, his open adultery with Margaret Tovey and the libellous papers seized from him were gathered as the grounds. The council degraded him, barred him from the Company's service and condemned him to the wooden horse and the pillory.

The seized copy book fixed the charge of clandestine libel against the government. It held letters to the directors attacking the Governor through false complaints, together with a fabricated inventory of blacks and wood that borrowed the names of Captain Alexander and Captain Goodwin without their consent. The forgery turned a private grudge into an attempt to deceive the Company itself.

The punishments carried a particular meaning for a man who had held rank. The wooden horse at the front of the garrison and the stripping of sword and commission marked his fall from an officer's standing, while the shared pillory with the widow Tovey exposed the immorality the Governor had pressed before the jury on 12 October 1725.

Speculations

The council paired Margaret Tovey with Hawkes on the pillory rather than confining her separately as it had ordered on 19 October 1725. The plain course would have been to leave her committed to prison alone. Instead it set her beside him for the same hour, because their joint authorship of the libels and their open connection made a shared public shaming a fitter answer than punishing each apart.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 26th day Octr 1725 at

Plantation House Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Joshua Johnson & Edmond Nichols presented their Petitions

Praying to become Tenants to the Honble Compy for the Conveniency of

enclosing for their Parcells of their Wast Land vizt

Joshua Johnson for about three Acres lying in the Wood Bottom

adjoyning to other of the Compys Land their Prpests

Edmond Nichols for about four Acres of Wast Land adjoyning

to other of the Compys Land in thompsons Wood & they both alledging that

Letting the Same will be of great Advantage to them & no ways prejudice

to the Neighbourhood

Ordred that Capt Goodwin do view the said Land & make Report

accordingly

Thos Harper Serjt also Petitiond for about two Acres of the

Honble Companys Wast Land lying in Swanley Valley

Granted Provided he do not Damage to the Plants of Green

gebrs in that Range & that the Provisso be inserted in his Leafse

that Capt Goodwin do first view the Same

Henry Edwards made Complaint that Wm Draper used his Wife

apprentice to the Sd Draper Cruelly & by his frequent beating of the wife

her to abscond from her Service

Wm Draper being present Says that she is a very Stuborn ill

Tempred Child & guilty of Runaway without any just Cause, that having

no as her own Children but cant bring her to any good order &

desire leave so to be discharged from the Indenture

The Govr admited Wm Draper to use her tenderly & to try a little

longer what he can do with her by fair Means, but Still desiring

to be Cleer of her & of the Obligation in the Indenture Yr agreed to

return Something in lieu of the Girle Remaining Service

Wm Stanford Church Warden being present was defired to inquire

into the Matter & endeavour to get a new Master for the Girle according

to Mr Drapers desires

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Goodwin Jno Alexander

44: At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 October 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Joshua Johnson and Edmond Nichols presented their petitions, asking to become tenants to the Honourable Company for the convenience of enclosing several parcels of their west land adjoining. Joshua Johnson asked for about three acres now lying in the wood, bordering on part of his own land.

Edmond Nichols asked for about four acres of west land adjoining part of his own land in Thompson's wood. They both argued that the letting of the parcels would be of great advantage to them, and no harm to the neighbourhood.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the land and make his report accordingly.

Mrs Harper, senior, also petitioned for about two acres of the Honourable Company's west land lying in Swanley Valley.

The council granted it, provided she did no damage to the plantation of gorse in that gut, and that the proviso be inserted in her lease. It ordered that Captain Goodwin first view the land.

Henry Steward complained that Mr Draper, whose apprentice he was, had by his frequent beating of the boy driven him to abscond from the service.

Mr Draper, being present, argued that the boy was very stubborn, a stubborn and pampered child, and given to running away without any just cause. He held that he had no children of his own but could not bring the boy to any good order, and asked leave to be discharged from the apprenticeship.

The Governor advised Mr Draper to try the boy a little longer, to see what he could make of him by fair means. Draper still asked to be free of the boy and of the obligation in the indenture, and offered to return something in place of the boy remaining in the service.

Mr Stanford Coward Warton, being present, offered to inquire into the matter and endeavour to get a new master for the boy, according to Mr Draper's wish.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and John Alexander.

Interpretations

The land petitions followed the island's ordinary course for letting Company waste. Johnson, Nichols and Mrs Harper each sought small parcels adjoining their own ground, and the council deferred every grant until Captain Goodwin had viewed the land. The proviso guarding the gorse in Swanley Valley tied the grant to the standing effort to preserve the island's timber and shelter.

The Steward complaint exposed the strain within an apprenticeship gone wrong. The boy had fled Draper's service under repeated beating, while Draper called him stubborn and unmanageable and sought release from the indenture. The Governor pressed patience, but the offer of Warton to find a new master pointed toward transferring the boy rather than dissolving the bond outright.

Speculations

The Governor pressed Draper to keep the boy a while longer rather than discharging the indenture at once. The plain course would have been to release Draper, who no longer wanted the apprentice. Instead the Governor urged fair means and a further trial, because dissolving the bond would leave the boy without a master, and the offer to find him a new one preserved the apprenticeship rather than casting the child loose.

47

45

Mrs Tovey being Indebted to the Honble Company in the Sum of £186 7s 6d

Speaking grosely & Scandalously abused the Govr in Open Court & others

Sent to Wignall & Byfeld We have thought fit to Seize her Effects for

Satisfaction of the Sd Debt

Capt Alexander & Capt Goodwin Report that they have viewed the Spring

of Water pursuant to the Order of Councill of the 19th Instant & Say the then

is of opinion that the Spring does not produce a sufficient of Water sufficient

to be brought half over be any of the Honble Compys Plantations of Garden

which is about a Mile Distance from the Spring by an informed that by the dry

time of the Year those hardly Water enough for the Fort in Castle mans, & yt

there was so Sufficient Quantity would be a great Charge to bring it into the

Plantations & garten

J S

J EB

J A

J G

At a Consultation held on Friday the 29th Octr 1725 at

Plantation House All Present

The Governr Reports that he has Observed that at every Season the

Apple Trees Grapes & other fruit trees have been Cutt with great

Waste & for fire they carry to Perfection most have been Stolen agaig & therefor

if the greatest part of the Garden are & is Ruined by them & a Strong White so

may be done, & a very Small Charge it would be the best & only Means so

to preserve the Fruit in Season which is perhaps very acceptable to the Poor

& other Gentlemen on Shipping & will likewise be Capable of a greater

Kitchin Garden &c Wherefore it is Ordred that the Sd Clow

of Ground be fenced accordingly with as little Charge as possible

Mr Byfeld Capt Goodwin, Mr French & Mr Crispe delivered

each their Monthly Acct for the Month of Septr last

which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow

Mr Byfeld also delivered his Genll Acct

of the Honble Compys Live Stock &c for the Last three Quarter

ending the 29th Septr last which was also Examind & Approved

& is as follows vizt

45: Mrs Tovey, being indebted to the Honourable Company in the sum of £186 7s 6d, and having grossly and scandalously abused the Governor in the letters sent to Mr Byfield, the council thought fit to seize her effects in satisfaction of the debt.

Mr Alexander and Captain Goodwin reported that they had viewed the spring of water under the order of council of the 19th instant, and stated that the spring did not produce a quantity of water sufficient to be brought half over any of the Honourable Company's plantations or garden, which lay about a mile distant from the spring. By their view, in the dry time of the year there was scarcely water enough for the cattle in Cotter's more, and there was no sufficient quantity, and to bring it into the plantations and garden would be a great charge. The report was subscribed J. S., J. A. and J. G.

At a consultation held on Friday 29 October 1725 at the plantation house, all present.

The surveyors reported that they had observed that at every court the apple trees, gorse and other fruit trees had been cut, with great store of firewood off the gorse, and that many had been stolen away. The greatest part of the garden had been thinned by a strong wall, and there was very great charge in it. It would be to the best and only means to preserve the fruit in future, which was perhaps very serviceable to the Fort and other gentlemen on shipping time, and capable of a good kitchen garden. The council therefore ordered that the several parcels of gorse be fenced accordingly, with as little charge as possible.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe each delivered their monthly account for the month of September last, which were examined and approved and stand as follows.

Mr Byfield also delivered his general account of the Honourable Company's live stock for the last quarter ending 29 September last, which was also examined and approved and stands as follows.

Interpretations

The seizure of Mrs Tovey's effects joined a private debt to a public offence. She owed the Honourable Company £186 7s 6d and had abused the Governor in her letters, so the council took her goods both to recover the sum and to answer the libel. The action ran alongside her pillory sentence of 20 October 1725 and her committal of 19 October 1725.

The water survey answered the directors' instruction in the 46th paragraph of the last general letter, ordered on 19 October 1725. The two senior councillors found the spring too weak to reach the Company's garden and plantation a mile off, scarcely serving the cattle in dry weather. Their report closed the matter as impractical and costly rather than pursuing the improvement.

The surveyors' account of the garden pressed the case for fencing against theft. Fruit trees and gorse had been cut and firewood carried off at every court, so the council ordered the parcels enclosed to protect a garden it judged useful for the Fort and for provisioning ships in the road.

Speculations

The council abandoned the spring the directors had named rather than carrying out the improvement ordered from London. The plain course would have been to bring the water to the garden as the general letter directed. Instead it let the matter rest on the surveyors' finding, because the spring failed to yield enough to reach the plantation a mile off, and the charge of conveying so scant a supply outweighed any gain.

48

46

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry &c Horses

Remns Ult Augt 1725

Bullock 26

Cowes 49

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 45

Bulls 4

Totall 153

Ewes 51

Wethers 22

Lamb 10

Rams 3

Totall 86

Ewes 117

Wethers 55

Kilb 98

Rams 7

Totall 277

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 190

Ducks 6

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Increased to 25 Sepr

Yearlings 5

Totall 5

Lamb 2

Totall 2

Wethers 11

Totall 11

Boght in ditto

Bullock 3

Cowes 1

Calves 1

Bulls 5

Bullock 29

Cowes 50

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 50

Bulls 5

Totall 163

Ewes 51

Wethers 22

Lamb 12

Rams 3

Totall 88

Ewes 117

Wethers 55

Kilb 109

Rams 7

Totall 288

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 190

Ducks 6

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullock 1

Calves 1

Lamb 2

Bullock 28

Cowes 50

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 49

Bulls 5

Totall 161

Ewes 51

Wethers 22

Lamb 12

Rams 3

Totall 88

Ewes 117

Wethers 55

Kilb 109

Rams 7

Totall 288

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 190

Ducks 6

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Dead in ditto

Lamb 1

Kilb 1

Totall 1

Fowles 3

Ducks 1

Remns 25th Sepr

Bullock 28

Cowes 50

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 49

Bulls 5

Totall 161

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lamb 12

Rams 3

Totall 87

Ewes 116

Wethers 55

Kilb 109

Rams 7

Totall 287

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 187

Ducks 5

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 24680 lb

Account of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses.

Remaining last August 1725: 26 bullocks, 49 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 45 calves, 4 bulls, total 153 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 22 wethers, 10 lambs, 3 rams, total 86 sheep; 117 she-goats, 55 wethers, 98 kids, 7 rams, total 277 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 190 fowls, 6 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Increased to 28 September: 5 calves, total 5 neat cattle; 2 lambs, total 2 sheep; 11 kids, total 11 goats

Bought in the month: 3 bullocks, 1 cow, total 1 neat cattle

Sum: 29 bullocks, 50 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 50 calves, 5 bulls, total 163 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 22 wethers, 12 lambs, 3 rams, total 88 sheep; 117 she-goats, 55 wethers, 109 kids, 7 rams, total 288 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 190 fowls, 6 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Killed in the month: 1 bullock, total 1 neat cattle; 2 wethers, total 2 sheep

Remaining after kills: 28 bullocks, 50 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 49 calves, 5 bulls, total 161 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 22 wethers, 12 lambs, 3 rams, total 88 sheep; 117 she-goats, 55 wethers, 109 kids, 7 rams, total 288 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 190 fowls, 6 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Dead in the month: 1 lamb, total 1 sheep; 1 kid, total 1 goat; 3 fowls, 1 duck

Remaining 28 September: 28 bullocks, 50 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 49 calves, 5 bulls, total 161 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 12 lambs, 3 rams, total 87 sheep; 116 she-goats, 55 wethers, 109 kids, 7 rams, total 287 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 187 fowls, 5 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations: 24,680 pounds

Interpretations

The account followed the Honourable Company's live stock at the several plantations through September 1725. It traced each kind from the August total through increase, purchase, slaughter and death to the count of 28 September. The neat cattle closed the month at 161, the sheep at 87, the goats at 287 and the hogs steady at 59. A charge of 24,680 pounds of yams was set against the feeding of the stock.

The month showed steady growth in the herds and flocks. Calves and kids were born in number, three bullocks and a cow were bought in, and losses to the table and to death remained small. The hog total held firm across the whole month at 59.

49

47

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry &c Horses

Remns 24 Decr 1724

Bullock 10

Cowes 35

Heifer 11

Steers 2

Yearlings 6

Calves 41

Bulls 1

Totall 105

Ewes 31

Wethers 10

Lamb 14

Rams 6

Totall 61

Ewes 91

Wethers 6

Kilb 25

Rams 13

Totall 135

Sows 10

Shoats 3

Boars 1

Pig 12

Totall 26

Turkeys 36

Fowles 231

Ducks 10

Geese 12

Peos 6

Horses 5

Mares 2

Totall 7

Bt from do a 24 7ber

Bullock 21

Cowes 9

Calves 1

Bulls 3

Totall 28

Incd from do to do

Bullock 10

Cowes 16

Heifer 22

Steers 9

Calves 54

Bulls 2

Totall 113

Ewes 20

Wethers 23

Lamb 24

Totall 67

Ewes 28

Wethers 65

Kilb 119

Rams 2

Totall 214

Sows 1

Pig 20

Totall 57

Turkeys 78

Fowles 33

Ducks 142

Geese 30

Peos 5

Mares 2

Totall 9

Bullock 41

Cowes 54

Heifer 33

Steers 11

Yearlings 5

Calves 96

Bulls 6

Totall 246

Ewes 51

Wethers 33

Lamb 38

Rams 6

Totall 128

Ewes 119

Wethers 71

Kilb 144

Rams 15

Totall 349

Sows 11

Shoats 23

Boars 1

Pig 69

Totall 104

Turkeys 69

Fowles 373

Ducks 40

Geese 17

Peos 6

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Killed in do

Bullock 4

Heifer 1

Steers 1

Calves 6

Totall 12

Wethers 8

Lamb 2

Ewes 10

Wethers 16

Kilb 1

Totall 47

Shoats 6

Turkeys 6

Fowles 4

Ducks 157

Geese 12

Bullock 37

Cowes 63

Heifer 32

Steers 11

Yearlings 5

Calves 90

Bulls 6

Totall 234

Ewes 51

Wethers 25

Lamb 36

Rams 6

Totall 118

Ewes 119

Wethers 55

Kilb 143

Rams 15

Totall 332

Sows 17

Shoats 17

Boars 1

Pig 69

Totall 98

Turkeys 65

Fowles 216

Ducks 28

Geese 17

Peos 6

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Sold to Ship in do

Bullock 9

Cowes 3

Steers 1

Pig 13

Fowles 4

Ducks 6

Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Cutt & Grown

Bullock 28

Cowes 50

Heifer 32

Steers 10

Yearlings 5

Calves 90

Bulls 6

Totall 221

Ewes 51

Wethers 23

Lamb 36

Rams 6

Totall 116

Ewes 119

Wethers 55

Kilb 143

Rams 15

Totall 332

Sows 11

Shoats 13

Boars 1

Pig 69

Totall 94

Turkeys 39

Fowles 216

Ducks 28

Geese 17

Peos 6

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Heifer 13

Steers 3

Yearlings 1

Calves 41

Bulls 1

Totall 59

Lamb 22

Rams 3

Totall 25

Wethers 34

Shoats 8

Pig 42

Boars 0

Turkeys 24

Fowles 21

Bullock 28

Cowes 50

Heifer 19

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 49

Bulls 5

Totall 162

Ewes 51

Wethers 23

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 91

Ewes 119

Wethers 55

Kilb 109

Rams 7

Totall 290

Sows 11

Shoats 13

Boars 1

Pig 48

Totall 73

Turkeys 59

Fowles 216

Ducks 28

Geese 17

Peos 6

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Stole in ditto

Lamb 1

Wethers 2

Rams 2

Totall 4

Wethers 3

Shoats 3

Pig 1

Totall 4

Turkeys 3

Fowles 6

Ducks 1

Dead in do 1 Heifer broke her Neck

Bullock 28

Cowes 50

Heifer 19

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 49

Bulls 5

Totall 162

Ewes 51

Wethers 23

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 91

Ewes 119

Wethers 55

Kilb 109

Rams 7

Totall 290

Sows 10

Shoats 13

Boars 1

Pig 48

Totall 67

Turkeys 58

Fowles 214

Ducks 28

Geese 17

Peos 6

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Heifer 2

Wethers 4

Shoats 3

Pig 1

Totall 4

Turkeys 3

Fowles 8

Ducks 6

Geese 27

Peos 23

Remns 25th Sepr 1725

Bullock 28

Cowes 50

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 49

Bulls 5

Totall 161

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lamb 12

Rams 3

Totall 87

Ewes 116

Wethers 55

Kilb 109

Rams 7

Totall 287

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 187

Ducks 5

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 185,228 lb

47: Account of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses.

Remaining 24 December 1724: 10 bullocks, 35 cows, 11 heifers, 2 steers, 6 yearlings, 41 calves, 1 bull, total 105 neat cattle; 31 ewes, 10 wethers, 14 lambs, 6 rams, total 61 sheep; 91 she-goats, 6 wethers, 25 kids, 13 rams, total 135 goats; 10 sows, 3 shoats, 1 boar, 12 pigs, total 26 hogs; 36 turkeys, 231 fowls, 10 ducks, 12 hens, 6 geese; 5 horses, 2 mares, total 7

Bought from 24 December to 24 September: 21 bullocks, 9 cows, 1 yearling, 3 calves, 28 bulls

Increased from 24 December to 24 September: 10 bullocks, 16 cows, 22 heifers, 9 steers, 54 calves, 2 bulls, total 113 neat cattle; 20 ewes, 23 wethers, 24 lambs, total 67 sheep; 28 she-goats, 65 wethers, 119 kids, 2 rams, total 214 goats; 1 sow, 20 shoats, 57 pigs, total 78 hogs; 33 turkeys, 142 fowls, 30 ducks, 5 hens; 2 horses, total 2

Sum: 41 bullocks, 54 cows, 33 heifers, 11 steers, 5 yearlings, 96 calves, 6 bulls, total 246 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 33 wethers, 38 lambs, 6 rams, total 128 sheep; 119 she-goats, 71 wethers, 144 kids, 15 rams, total 349 goats; 11 sows, 23 shoats, 1 boar, 69 pigs, total 104 hogs; 69 turkeys, 373 fowls, 40 ducks, 17 hens, 6 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Killed in the month: 4 bullocks, 1 cow, 1 heifer, 6 calves, 12 sheep; 8 wethers, 2 lambs; 10 goats; 16 kids, 1 ram; 47 hogs, 6 pigs; 6 turkeys, 4 fowls, 157 ducks, 12 hens

Remaining after kills: 37 bullocks, 53 cows, 32 heifers, 11 steers, 5 yearlings, 90 calves, 6 bulls, total 234 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 25 wethers, 36 lambs, 6 rams, total 118 sheep; 119 she-goats, 55 wethers, 143 kids, 15 rams, total 332 goats; 17 sows, 17 shoats, 1 boar, 69 pigs, total 98 hogs; 65 turkeys, 216 fowls, 28 ducks, 17 hens, 6 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Sold to shipping in the month: 9 bullocks, 3 cows, 1 steer, 13 calves; 4 fowls, 6 ducks

Cattle, sheep and goats: 28 bullocks, 50 cows, 32 heifers, 10 steers, 5 yearlings, 90 calves, 6 bulls, total 221 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 23 wethers, 36 lambs, 6 rams, total 116 sheep; 119 she-goats, 55 wethers, 143 kids, 15 rams, total 332 goats; 11 sows, 13 shoats, 1 boar, 69 pigs, total 94 hogs; 39 turkeys, 216 fowls, 28 ducks, 17 hens, 6 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Hogs cut and grown: 13 heifers, 3 steers, 1 yearling, 41 calves, 1 bull, total 59 neat cattle; 22 lambs; 25 kids; 34 kids; 8 shoats, 42 pigs; 22 turkeys, 21 fowls

Remaining after this: 28 bullocks, 50 cows, 19 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 49 calves, 5 bulls, total 162 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 23 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, total 91 sheep; 119 she-goats, 55 wethers, 109 kids, 7 rams, total 290 goats; 11 sows, 13 shoats, 1 boar, 48 pigs, total 73 hogs; 59 turkeys, 216 fowls, 28 ducks, 17 hens, 6 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Stolen in the month: 1 kid; 2 wethers, 2 lambs; 4 kids, 3 hogs; 1 shoat, 4 pigs; 3 turkeys, 6 fowls, 1 duck

Dead in the month, and one heifer that broke her neck: 28 bullocks, 50 cows, 19 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 49 calves, 5 bulls, total 161 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 23 wethers, 12 lambs, 3 rams, total 91 sheep; 119 she-goats, 55 wethers, 109 kids, 7 rams, total 290 goats; 10 sows, 13 shoats, 1 boar, 43 pigs, total 67 hogs; 58 turkeys, 214 fowls, 28 ducks, 17 hens, 6 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Remaining 25 September 1725: 28 bullocks, 50 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 49 calves, 5 bulls, total 161 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 12 lambs, 3 rams, total 87 sheep; 116 she-goats, 55 wethers, 109 kids, 7 rams, total 287 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 187 fowls, 5 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations: 185,228 pounds

Interpretations

The account gathered the Honourable Company's live stock across the whole span from 24 December 1724 to 25 September 1725. It traced each kind through purchase, increase, slaughter, sale, theft and death to the closing count. The neat cattle stood at 161 at the end, the sheep at 87, the goats at 287 and the hogs at 59. A charge of 185,228 pounds of yams was set against the feeding of the stock across the plantations for the period.

The long reckoning showed heavy movement over the nine months. Large numbers were bought in and bred, against substantial losses to slaughter for the table, sale to the shipping, theft and disease. The separate line for stock stolen recorded the persistent loss of animals from the open range, a charge distinct from those killed or dead of natural causes.

50

48

Arrack 1035 1/2 Galls 6/4

327 18 9

Sugar 1260 1/2 lb 6

31 13 6

Candy 74 lb 12d

3 14

Bread 62 4d

13 16 3

Flowr 305

13 16

Oyle 2 Galls Linsed

1 16

d[itto] 6 5/8 Rape

1 16

d[itto] 1 Bottle Florence 3/4

13 4

9 Catty Bohea Tea

2 14

33 d[itto] Green

6 12

8 lb Cutt Tobacco

9 8

102 Pipes

3 6

Collectn Coates 24 with Loops

34 16

24 plain

20 Boys Hatts No 1

8 5

20 d[itto] No 2

13 10

16 d[itto] Silvr Laced

11 6

3 d[itto] Gold Laced

3 9

30 oz Indigo

15

3 lb Hair Powder

5 3

3 1/2 lb Copper

6

16 China Cups & Saucers

9 1

6 Small Cups

1 9

6 lb Candy

9

1 China Bowle

9 4

18 Wine Glasses

9

13 Hair Brooms

9 10 6

3 Scraping Brushes

6 9

10 Undress Spots

1 10

26 White d[itto]

3 6

15 pr Cotton Stockings

17 5

2 1/2 P. Broban No 5

14 11

4 d[itto]

1 7

1 d[itto] 3

1 9

1/2 d[itto]

12 6

631/2 lb Candles

6 7

Sum Totall to Inhabts

533 18 6

Diet Expences

163 Galls Arrack

51 13 4

149 Sugar

3 4 6

4 Cask Bread

5 4

1 d[itto] Flowr

4 4

1 d[itto]

5 5

1 d[itto] Beef

82 15 10

48:

1,035½ gallons of arrack at 6s 4d, £327 18s 9d

1,260 pounds of sugar at 12s 6d, £57 13s 6d

74 pounds of candy at 12s, £3 14s 6d

674 pounds of bread, £13 16s 3d

303 pounds of flour, £0 13s 0d

2 gallons of linseed oil, £1 16s 0d

6 pounds of rape oil, £0 16s 0d

1 bottle of Madeira at 3s 4d, £0 13s 4d

9 catties of bohea tea, £2 14s 0d

33 catties of green tea, £6 12s 0d

8 pounds of tobacco, £0 9s 0d

102 pipes, £0 3s 8d

24 soldiers' coats with loops, £36 0s 0d

24 plain coats, £34 16s 0d

20 boys' hats, number 1, £8 5s 0d

20 boys' hats for men, £13 10s 0d

16 pounds of white lead, £1 6s 0d

3 pounds of red lead, £3 3s 6d

30 ounces of indigo, £1 5s 0d

3 pounds of hair powder, £0 5s 3d

3½ pounds of pepper, £0 6s 0d

16 sponge cups and saucers, £0 9s 6d

6 small cups, £0 2s 9d

1 china bowl, £0 2s 4d

18 women's shoes, £0 9s 0d

13 hair brooms, £0 9s 6d

3 scrubbing brushes, £0 6s 9d

10 catties of tea, £1 10s 0d

26 white catties of tea, £3 4s 0d

15 pairs of cotton stockings, £5 11s 0d

2½ pieces of doreas, number 5, £4 11s 0d

1 piece of doreas, number 3, £1 7s 0d

½ piece of doreas, number 3, £0 12s 6d

631½ pounds of candles, £6 7s 0d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £533 18s 6d

Diet expenses:

163 gallons of arrack, £51 12s 4d

149 pounds of sugar, £3 4s 6d

1 cask of bread, £5 4s 6d

1 cask of flour, £4 14s 0d

1 cask of peas, £5 5s 0d

1 cask of beef, £10 0s 0d

Total £82 15s 10d

Interpretations

The account recorded the store's issues to the inhabitants over the quarter, led by a great charge of arrack at £327 18s 9d for 1,035½ gallons. That single item made up well over half the total of £533 18s 6d. Sugar at £57 13s 6d and two parcels of coats formed the next heaviest charges.

The stock spread across spirits, provisions, Indian piece goods and finished garments. Soldiers' coats, boys' hats, shoes and stockings clothed the settlement, while candles, brushes, tea and tobacco supplied the ordinary household wants from a single store.

The diet expenses opened a fresh head charging the provisions consumed at the Company's own table. Casks of bread, flour, peas and beef formed the heaviest items, together with arrack and sugar, the staple supply for the establishment's board.

51

49

Brought Over

616 14 4

Genll Charges

50 lb Soap £3 10 10

1 Cask old Wheat 3 4 6

1 lb Cask Thread 14 9

1 21 Oyle 1 6

2 do Linsad 4

30 lb Soap 15

3 White Lead 4 6

1 lb Cwt Yarne 3 6

1 lb Nelue 4 1

1 Iron Bomb Lock 10 6

4 Catter Bohea Tea 12

9 4 8

Fortification

1 Gt Rape Oyle £1 6

6 Oysters 25 lb 4 10

24 Nelue 10 4

1 Killing Ax 3 4

2 Cwt Smale filed Rings 6 8

10 8/10 Nelues 6 8

4 Flooring Brads 3 4

2 Bakin Brads 5 4

1 Wing of 4 In lb 4 1 9 14 6

72 Chip 3 12

17 10 2

Plantation

160 lb Pin £2 4

12 Pea 1 1

4 lb 26 Nails 2 8

4 10 3

4 4 3 8

1 Cupboard Lock 7 6

1 lb Trunck filed Rings 3 4

12 Nelue 2

4 13 2

Honble Compys Blacks

6 Cask Beef £65 4

6 do Rice 83 6

6 lb Kersey 11

2 P. Blue Desotees 14 4

1 pr Womens Stock 2 2

150 18 2

Garrison

3 Gall Rape Oyle £18

8 Catter Green Tea 1 12

1 Iron Bomb Lock No 6 6 6

1 Stock Lock 5 18

1 do 10 6

1 do 3 18 8

4 1 8

Carried over

809 18 2

49:

Brought over, £616 14s 4d

General charges

50 pounds of soap, £3 10s 10d

1 cask of old wheat, £3 4s 6d

1 cask of bread, £0 14s 9d

1 gallon of oil, £0 1s 0d

2 gallons of linseed oil, £0 4s 0d

30 pounds of pork, £0 15s 0d

3 pounds of white lead, £0 4s 6d

1 catty of green tea, £0 3s 6d

1 pound of nails, £0 1s 1d

1 iron rimmed lock, £0 10s 6d

4 catties of bohea tea, £0 12s 0d

Total £9 4s 8d

Fortification

1 gallon of rape oil, £0 1s 6d

6 cutlasses at 2s 6d, £0 15s 0d

24 knives, £0 12s 0d

1 rolling pin, £0 3s 4d

2 pounds of small field or hoop iron, £0 6s 8d

16 pounds of tenpenny nails, £0 6s 8d

4 pounds of flooring brads, £0 3s 4d

2 pounds of baking brads, £0 5s 4d

1 hinge of 4 inches at 2s 9d, £0 4s 6d

72 hinges, £3 12s 0d

Total £17 10s 9d

Plantation

160 pounds of rice, £2 0s 4d

19 pounds of pork, £1 1s 0d

4 pounds of sixpenny nails, £0 2s 8d

4 pounds of tenpenny nails, £0 3s 0d

4 pounds of fourpenny nails, £0 3s 8d

1 cupboard lock, £0 7s 6d

1 iron rimmed hinge, £0 3s 4d

12 cutlasses, £0 12s 0d

Total £4 13s 2d

Honourable Company's blacks

5 casks of beef, £65 0s 0d

6 pounds of rice, £83 16s 0d

6 pieces of guinea, £0 11s 0d

2 pieces of blue doreas, £1 4s 0d

16 women's stockings, £0 2s 2d

Total £150 18s 2d

Garrison

3 gallons of rape oil, £0 18s 0d

8 catties of green tea, £1 12s 0d

1 iron rimmed lock, number 6, £0 6s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 8s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 10s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 18s 8d

Total £4 1s 8d

Carried over, £809 18s 9d

Interpretations

The account divided the store's quarterly issues among the several heads of the establishment. The Honourable Company's blacks drew by far the heaviest charge at £150 18s 2d, chiefly in beef and rice for the slave force. The general charges, fortification, plantation and garrison made up the rest, carrying the running total to £809 18s 9d.

The fortification and plantation heads issued the ironwork and tools that maintained the works and the estate. Cutlasses, knives, nails, hinges and locks were supplied for the defences and the farm buildings, while beef and rice fed the labouring hands under the head of the Company's blacks.

52

50

Brought Over

809 18 2

Great Wood

2 Lins & 12 £6 8

2 Grije 2 6

5 Botts Green Tea 15

12 Nelue 12 4 10

12 Rafters 3

1 Winding Bowles 2 6

1 lb Cwt Cwt Wick 5 6

18 Nedles 31 1 3

30 P. 24d Nails 18 9

6 4 7

Totall£

816 2 9

Gunners Stores Expded in Septr 1725

1 Septr 1725

Muster Day

10 Powr

On the Guardes

12

Cartridge Papr for Guardes Powr

27

d[itto] for the Guardes d[itto] 1 Quire

Sponge Stores

1

Copper Lade

Match 14 lb

Mr French

Expence of the Genll Table in Septr 1725

45 Galls Arrack for Table

16 9 3

21 lb Fish & Labll Blacks

7 12 6

21 lb Fish & Labouring Blacks

10

31 Galls Salt Cask 2/10

14 7 10

107 lb Bread

13 6

93 lb Sugar

2 8 3

24 Botts Mountin

3 12

19 do Sack

3 12 6

45 Fowles

4 18 3

39 lb Beef

2 8 6

26 do Sherry

10 6

26 lb Cork

13 6

119 lb Flowr

1 13 4

1 Sheep

10

2 lb Sugar

10

21/2 Galls Congreve

5 3

Crispe

55 5 3

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

50:

Brought over, £809 18s 4d

Great Wood

2 lines at 12 pounds, £0 6s 8d

2 pipes, £0 2s 6d

6 catties of bohea tea, £0 15s 0d

12 catties of green tea, £1 16s 0d

12 rafters, £0 3s 0d

6 riding bowls, £0 2s 6d

1 iron rimmed lock, £0 5s 6d

16 marks, £0 1s 8d

30 pounds of nails, £0 18s 9d

Total £6 4s 7d

Grand total £816 2s 9d

Gunner's stores expended in September 1725.

1 September 1725, muster day: 10 pounds of powder

For the guards: 12 pounds of powder

Total: 22 pounds

Cartridge paper for the guards, number 1 pound: 1 pound

Sponge staves: 1 pound

Copper lade: 1 pound

Match: 14 pounds, signed Mr French

Expense of the General Table in September 1725.

45 gallons of arrack for the table, £16 9s 6d

21 pounds of tea for attending blacks, £6 12s 6d

12 pounds of salt beef at 2s 6d, £1 10s 0d

31 pounds of salt pork at 2s 10d, £4 7s 11d

101 pounds of bread, £1 16s 3d

93 pounds of sugar, £2 12s 0d

24 pounds of Betty Mountain, £3 12s 0d

19 pounds of pork, £3 12s 0d

45 fowls, £4 18s 3d

393 pounds of beef, £2 8s 6d

26 pounds of soap, £1 5s 0d

26 catties of coffee, £3 1s 4d

119 pounds of flour, £3 1s 4d

1 sheep, £1 2s 4d

2 pounds of ginger, £0 12s 0d

2½ gallons of vinegar, £5 5s 0d

Total £55 5s 3d

The account was signed by John Smith and Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The account carried the store's quarterly issues to a grand total of £816 2s 9d, closing with a small parcel under the Great Wood for tools and provisions used there. Lines, rafters, tea and nails supplied the men who worked the timber.

The gunner's account recorded the powder spent in September 1725, chiefly on the muster day and the guards. Further charges covered cartridge paper, sponge staves, a copper ladle and match, the whole subscribed by Mr French.

The General Table account set out the food and drink at the Company's own table for the month. Arrack for the table at £16 9s 6d and tea for the attending blacks at £6 12s 6d were the heaviest charges, together with beef, pork, bread and other provisions, reaching a total of £55 5s 3d.

53

51

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 2d Novr 1725 at

Plantation House Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

This Day We Executed two Warrants for Leased

Land One to Serjt Harper for One Acre & half & the other to Grace

Hayse Widow for One Acre

Stephen Grasse Cleverd Petitiond for leave to become Tenant

to the Honble Compy for about four Acres of the Honble Compys Wast Land

lying in Deep Gutt & two Acres more in the Cabbage Tree the wm

the Land held by Serjt Wood & Benjn Cleverd

Ordered that Capt Goodwin do view the said Land Parcells of Land

& make Report accordingly

John Cotgrove made Complaint agt John French & Edmd

Addis for Abusing him, & Strikeing him, by Beating & typing his hands

for some time being Confsed & Tearing his Cloths

The said French & Addis were both Present & Say the

Ocasion of their Beating & Binding the said Cotgrove was for

giveing them very abusive Language, & that in the Scuffle they

happend to tear his Jackett

Ordered that the said French & Addis do each of them

Pay the said Cotgrove the Sum of ten Shillings for beating him &

tearing his Cloths as above Setforth

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

51: At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 November 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

This day the council executed two warrants for leased land. One granted Mrs Harper about one acre and a half, and the other granted Grace Hayse one acre.

Stephen Craven Coward petitioned for leave to become tenant to the Honourable Company for about four acres of west land belonging to the Company, lying in Deep Gut. Two acres of it were now held by Sutton Isaake and the rest by Sortwood and Benjamin Coward.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the several parcels of land and make his report accordingly.

John Cotgrove complained against John French and Joshua Addis for abusing him and striking him, and for binding and tying his hands for some time before loosing him and tearing his clothes.

French and Addis were both present and stated the reason for their beating and binding Cotgrove. They argued that he had given them very abusive language, and that in the scuffle they happened to tear his clothes.

The council ordered that French and Addis each pay Cotgrove the sum of 10s 0d for beating him and tearing his clothes as stated above.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The land warrants and the Coward petition followed the island's ordinary course for letting Company waste. Harper and Hayse received their small parcels at once, while Coward's request for four acres in Deep Gut was deferred until Captain Goodwin had viewed the ground. The delay preserved the council's practice of surveying land before granting it.

The Cotgrove complaint set a private assault against a plea of provocation. French and Addis admitted binding and beating the man and tearing his clothes, but blamed his abusive language and the scuffle that followed. The council ordered each to pay 10s 0d, a modest satisfaction that answered the injury without heavier punishment.

54

52

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 9th of Novr

1725 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

We this day Executed a Lease to Edmond & Mary Nicholls

for two Acres of Land as joynt Tenants for 21 Years at

the usual Rent of 4d P. Acre & One Shilling Duty

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has viewed the two Parcells

of Land Petitioned for in the preceding Consultation by Stephen

Grasse Cleverd & Says that the Land in the Cabbage Tree

adjoyning to Woods Seems to be in Question & this Cause Cannot

but that in Deep Gutt may be Let without prejudice to any Body

Ordered that the said Woods Land be Measured to Se

if it really this Petitiond for by Cleverd, & thereto that in

Deep Gutt to the Best

Messrs Coward, Johnson, Wrangham & Nicholls

(in the room of Richard Swallow Thos indisposed) presented this

day in Writing an Acct of their Survey pursuant to the Ordr

of Consultation of the 16th of Octr last touching the

Planting of Wood & Fncing of Lands

Ordered that the said Survey be reviewd & Examined by

this day Sennight

Messrs Coward, Wrangham & Nicholls jointly Petitiond

for leave to become Tenants to the Honble Compy for about

Twelve or Fifteen Acres of their Wast Land lying near the

Peak fett in Order to Plant Wood

Granted & We with more Land now Let for the Same purpose

James Draper Petitiond for leave to Sell his Estate & Effects

& go off to India

Granted Provided the approve of the Purchaser & that he go

off by the first Opportunity according to his Request

Capt Byfeld Capt Goodwin Mr French & Mr Crispe

delivered each their Monthly Acct for October last which were

Severally Examd & Approved & are as follow

52: At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 November 1725 at Union Castle, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

This day the council executed a lease to Edmond and Mary Nichols for two acres of land as joint tenants, for 21 years at the usual rent of 4s 0d per acre and one shilling head duty.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had viewed the two parcels of land Coward petitioned for in the preceding consultation. He stated that the land in the Cabbage Tree Gut, adjoining the wood, seemed to be in question, and that the lower parcel of Company land, but not in Deep Gut, might be let without prejudice to anyone.

The council ordered that the wood land be preserved for the Company, if it be the parcel Coward petitioned for, and thereupon that no part in Deep Gut be let.

Mr Coward, Johnson, Wrangham and Nichols, the persons appointed to view the several parcels of Richard Sutton's land, presented their account in writing this day, under the order of council of 16 October last, concerning the planting of wood and the fencing of land.

The council ordered that the survey be reviewed and examined this day fortnight.

Mr Coward, Wrangham and Nichols jointly petitioned for leave to become tenants to the Honourable Company for about twelve or fifteen acres of west land lying near the Deep Gut, in order to plant wood.

The council granted it, no more land now being let for the same purpose.

Samuel Draper petitioned for leave to sell his estate and effects and go off to India.

The council granted it, provided the purchaser was approved, and that he go off by the first opportunity, according to his request.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe each delivered their monthly account for October last, which were examined and approved and stand as follows.

Interpretations

The land grants and petitions turned throughout on the island's drive to preserve and replant its timber. The council let parcels near the Deep Gut for the express purpose of planting wood, yet reserved the wooded ground itself for the Company and barred any grant in Deep Gut. The order under the survey of 16 October 1725 tied the whole to the planting covenant pressed since the advertisement of 13 March 1725.

The Draper petition followed the ordinary course for a departing planter. Leave to sell an estate and go to India was granted on the condition that the buyer be approved, the council keeping control over who might take up land on the island.

55

53

Remns 25 Sepr

Bullock 28

Cowes 50

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 49

Bulls 5

Totall 161

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lamb 12

Rams 3

Totall 87

Ewes 116

Wethers 55

Kilb 109

Rams 7

Totall 287

Sows 9

Shoats 9

Boars 1

Pig 40

Totall 59

Turkeys 52

Fowles 187

Ducks 5

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Increased to 31 Oct

Yearlings 5

Totall 5

Lamb 2

Totall 2

Wethers 16

Kilb 24

Rams 51

Turkeys 91

Sows 5

Shoats 10

Pig 2

Totall 20

Turkeys 10

Fowles 40

Bullock 28

Cowes 50

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 64

Bulls 5

Totall 166

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 89

Ewes 132

Wethers 79

Kilb 160

Rams 7

Totall 378

Sows 14

Shoats 22

Boars 1

Pig 42

Totall 79

Turkeys 62

Fowles 227

Ducks 5

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullock 1

Calves 1

Wethers 2

Kilb 1

Shoats 1

Fowles 3

Ducks 1

Geese 50

Dead in ditto & one Heifer broke her Neck

Bullock 27

Cowes 50

Heifer 18

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 64

Bulls 5

Totall 165

Ewes 57

Wethers 21

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 89

Ewes 132

Wethers 77

Kilb 159

Rams 7

Totall 375

Sows 14

Shoats 21

Boars 1

Pig 42

Totall 78

Turkeys 59

Fowles 179

Ducks 5

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Heifer 1

Calves 1

Goates & Hogs Cutt & grown in do

Bullock 27

Cowes 50

Heifer 17

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 64

Bulls 5

Totall 164

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 89

Ewes 132

Wethers 77

Kilb 159

Rams 7

Totall 375

Sows 14

Shoats 21

Boars 1

Pig 42

Totall 78

Turkeys 59

Fowles 179

Ducks 5

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Kilb 40

Totall 40

Shoats 18

Pig 18

Remns 31 Oct

Bullock 27

Cowes 50

Heifer 17

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 54

Bulls 5

Totall 164

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lamb 14

Rams 3

Totall 89

Ewes 132

Wethers 77

Kilb 119

Rams 7

Totall 336

Sows 14

Shoats 21

Boars 1

Pig 24

Totall 60

Turkeys 59

Fowles 179

Ducks 5

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantacions 37,939 lb

Remaining 25 September: 28 bullocks, 50 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 49 calves, 5 bulls, total 161 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 12 lambs, 3 rams, total 87 sheep; 116 she-goats, 55 wethers, 109 kids, 7 rams, total 287 goats; 9 sows, 9 shoats, 1 boar, 40 pigs, total 59 hogs; 52 turkeys, 187 fowls, 5 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Increased to 31 October: 5 calves, total 5 neat cattle; 2 lambs, total 2 sheep; 16 she-goats, 24 wethers, 51 kids, total 91 goats; 5 shoats, 10 pigs, total 2 hogs; 20 turkeys, 10 fowls, 40 ducks

Sum: 28 bullocks, 50 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 64 calves, 5 bulls, total 166 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, total 89 sheep; 132 she-goats, 79 wethers, 160 kids, 7 rams, total 378 goats; 14 sows, 22 shoats, 1 boar, 42 pigs, total 79 hogs; 62 turkeys, 227 fowls, 5 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Killed in the month: 1 bullock, 1 calf, total 1 neat cattle; 2 she-goats, 1 wether, total 3 goats; 1 shoat, 3 pigs, total 1 hog; 50 fowls

Remaining after kills, and one heifer that broke her neck: 27 bullocks, 50 cows, 18 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 54 calves, 5 bulls, total 165 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, total 89 sheep; 132 she-goats, 77 wethers, 159 kids, 7 rams, total 375 goats; 14 sows, 21 shoats, 1 boar, 42 pigs, total 78 hogs; 59 turkeys, 179 fowls, 5 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Goats and hogs cut and grown: 27 bullocks, 50 cows, 17 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 54 calves, 5 bulls, total 164 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, total 89 sheep; 132 she-goats, 77 wethers, 159 kids, 7 rams, total 375 goats; 14 sows, 21 shoats, 1 boar, 42 pigs, total 78 hogs; 59 turkeys, 179 fowls, 5 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Remaining 31 October: 27 bullocks, 50 cows, 17 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 54 calves, 5 bulls, total 164 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, total 89 sheep; 132 she-goats, 77 wethers, 119 kids, 7 rams, total 336 goats; 14 sows, 21 shoats, 1 boar, 24 pigs, total 60 hogs; 69 turkeys, 179 fowls, 5 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations: 37,939 pounds

Interpretations

The account traced the Honourable Company's live stock at the several plantations through October 1725. It followed each kind from the September total through increase, slaughter, growth and death to the count of 31 October. The neat cattle closed the month at 164, the sheep at 89, the goats at 336 and the hogs at 60. A charge of 37,939 pounds of yams was set against the feeding of the stock.

The month showed strong growth in the goat flock, with large numbers of kids and wethers added. A heifer that broke its neck was noted apart from the beasts killed for the table, and losses to slaughter fell chiefly on the fowls and the young stock.

56

54

212 3/4 Galls Arrack 6/4

67 7 5

836 lb Sugar 6

20 17 6

29 lb Candy

1 9 6

438 lb Bread

5 9 6

185 lb Flower

2 6 3

13 1/3 Bohea Tea

4 1

93 Catties Green

5 -

32 lb Soap

9 5

57 lb Cutt Tobacco

6 8 3

272 Pipes

11 4

1 Groce Corks

3

1 lb Cotton Yarne

1 9

3 Gall Rape Oyle

18

4 Bowles

10

8 Sneakers

4

12 Cups & Saucers

6

45 Small Cups

7

10 White Chint

1 15 6

6 Chelloe d[itto]

18

10 pr Cotton Stockings

1 15

5 P. Surat Chint

2 1 5

6 Gurrahs & 6

8

4 White Desotees

50 2 6

4 Madr Gingham

1

1 Ord n Long Cloth

10

1 1/2 Fine d[itto]

1 3

1 1/2 Bengal Taffety

39 8

1 Quilt d[itto]

15

1 P. Allejor

17 1

3 yd Flannel

7

1 P. Sagathy

2 15

18 1/4 yd Broad Cloth

1 7 4

26 1/4 yd Vitry

1 10 7

36 3/4 lb Norwich Stuff

2 13

3 Dimothick

5 3

1 1/2 Bed Tick

3 10

2 Kersey

3 8

1 Chickett

3

1 Pewter Chamber Pott

4 9

5 pr Mens Stocking

1 10

3 do

9

4 do

9 2

9 Womens do

1 3

2 do

4 6

1 do

3 6

4 Mens Yarn

13

1 Mens Yarne Sold do

1 6

1 pr d[itto] Youths

9 2

2 Ditto

7

Carried Over

169 12 10

212¾ gallons of arrack at 6s 4d, £67 7s 5d

836 pounds of sugar at 6d, £20 17s 6d

29 pounds of candy, £1 9s 6d

438 pounds of bread, £5 9s 6½d

185 pounds of flour, £2 6s 3d

13 1/3 pounds of bohea tea, £4 1s 0d

23 catties of green tea, £5 2s 0d

32 pounds of soap, £0 5s 4½d

57 pounds of cut tobacco, £6 8s 3d

272 pipes, £0 11s 4½d

1 gross of corks, £0 3s 0d

1½ pounds of cotton yarn, £0 1s 9d

3 gallons of rape oil, £0 18s 0d

4 bowls, £0 10s 4d

8 sneakers, £0 4s 0d

12 cups and saucers, £0 6s 0d

45 small cups, £0 7s 6d

10 white shirts, £1 15s 0d

6 chelloe shirts, £0 18s 0d

10 pairs of cotton stockings, £1 5s 0d

5 pieces of Surat chintz, £2 8s 6d

6 gingham, £1 8s 0d

6 chelloe, £0 4s 0d

4 white doreas, £0 4s 0d

4 Madras gingham, £0 10s 0d

1 ordinary long cloth, £0 3s 0d

1½ pieces of fine doreas, £0 8s 0d

1½ pieces of Bengal taffeta, £0 15s 0d

1 quilt, £0 17s 1d

1 piece of allejar, £0 7s 0d

3 yards of flannel, £2 15s 0d

1 piece of taffeta, £1 7s 4d

16¼ yards of broadcloth, £1 10s 7d

26 yards of gingham, £2 13s 0d

36 3/4 yards of Norwich stuff, £0 5s 3d

6 dimothy tick, £0 3s 10d

1½ bed tick, £0 3s 8d

2 kersey, £3 1s 0d

1 chuckuroe, £0 4s 9d

1 pewter chamber pot, £0 1s 0d

5 pairs of men's stockings, £1 3s 10d

3 pairs of men's stockings, £0 12s 0d

4 pairs of men's stockings, £1 3s 0d

9 pairs of women's stockings, £0 4s 4d

2 pairs of stockings, £0 6s 0d

1 pair of stockings, £0 3s 6d

2 pairs of men's yarn stockings, £0 13s 0d

2 pairs of men's yarn stockings sold, £0 19s 6d

1 pair for youths, £0 2s 7d

2 pairs for youths, £0 7s 0d

Carried over, £169 12s 10d

Interpretations

The account recorded the store's sales to the inhabitants over the month, led once more by arrack at £67 7s 5d for 212¾ gallons. Sugar at £20 17s 6d formed the next heaviest charge, with the remaining goods each amounting to a few shillings. The running total carried £169 12s 10d over to the next page.

The stock spread across spirits, provisions, Indian piece goods and haberdashery. Surat chintz, gingham, doreas, Bengal taffeta and Norwich stuff were cloths from the Company's eastern factories and from England, sold at the island beside shirts, stockings, tea and tobacco from a single store.

57

55

Brought Over

169 12 10

6 pr Womens Calve Shoes

1 7

1 do Spanish

5 9

2 Mens do

16 8

1 Girles Turkey

5 3

1 Sexton Penknife

2 3½

2 Grater Knives & Forks

3 4

1 Shoe Knife

5

2 Razors

5

3 Chest Lock

5 3

1 pr Bellows

3

3 Small Gimbletts

1

4 Wine Glasses

9

10 oz Indigo

5

9 Coffee Potts

9 2

9 Sauce Cans

4

2 Ditto

1 6

1 Boys Hatt No 1

8 3

1 Silvr Laced Hatt

1 1 3

3 Corningers

1 6

1 Sutor

1 1

88 doz Hooks Sorted

2 4 10

59 Pins Sorted

1 18 9½

2 Ivory Combs

9 2

7 do

7 4

1 do

1 4 6

6 Thimbles

1 6

1 pr Sifsars

1 6

6 oz China Silk

6 6½

8 1/4 do

12 4½

1/2 oz English do

1 3½

10 yd Broad String

3 4

3 1/4 do Cartridge

4 9

4 1/4 lb Cold Thread

7 1 9

1 1/2 Whited Brown lb

13 2 8

1/2 oz Nun Thread 1/8

3 4

1 do 1/2

1 9

1 do

3 6

4 P. Broad hold Tape

5 1

3 do Narrow

3 6

1 Heming do

9

1 Coars White

3 6

2 doz frenching Laces

6

4 1/2 doz Thread do

4 6

1 M Pin

4 4

4 M do

5

1 1/2 M do

9 6

1 yd Ribbon

6

12 Sham Mohair

8

1 Papr Button

176 12 10½

Brought over, £169 12s 10d

6 pairs of women's calves' leather shoes, £1 7s 0d

1 pair of Spanish leather shoes, £0 5s 9d

2 pairs of men's shoes, £0 16s 8d

1 girl's turkey, £0 6s 3d

1 sexton's penknife, £0 2s 3d

2 grafting knives and forks, £0 3s 4d

1 shoe knife, £0 1s 0d

2 razors, £0 5s 0d

3 chest locks, £0 5s 3d

1 pair of bellows, £0 3s 0d

3 small gimlets, £0 1s 0d

4 wine glasses, £0 2s 0d

10 ounces of indigo, £0 5s 0d

2 coffee pots, £0 9s 2d

2 sauce cans, £0 2s 4d

2 ditto, £0 1s 6d

1 boy's hat, number 1, £0 8s 3d

1 silver laced hat, £1 1s 3d

3 primmers, £0 1s 6d

1 sutor, £0 1s 0d

88 dozen hooks sorted, £2 4s 10d

59 pins sorted, £1 18s 9½d

2 ivory combs, £0 2s 2d

7 ivory combs, £0 7s 2d

1 ivory comb, £0 1s 6d

6 thimbles, £0 1s 0d

1 pair of scissors, £0 1s 6d

6 ounces of China silk, £0 6s 6d

8½ dozen China silk, £0 12s 4½d

½ ounce of English silk, £0 1s 3d

10 yards of broad string, £0 3s 4d

3 yards of garteroe, £0 4s 9d

1¼ pounds of coloured thread, £0 1s 9d

1½ pounds of whited brown, £0 13s 8d

½ ounce of nun thread at 1s 8d, £0 3s 4d

1 nun thread, £0 1s 9d

1 nun thread, £0 3s 6d

4 pieces of broad holland tape, £0 5s 4d

3 narrow tape, £0 3s 6d

1 hemming tape, £0 1s 9d

1 coarse white tape, £0 3s 6d

2 dozen breeching laces, £0 6s 6d

4½ dozen shirt laces, £0 6s 4d

1 ounce of pins, £0 4s 6d

4 ounces of pins, £0 5s 6d

1½ ounces of pins, £0 9s 6d

2 yards of listing, £0 6s 6d

12 skeins of mohair, £0 0s 8d

1 paper of buttons, £0 0s 8d

Total to the inhabitants, £176 12s 0½d

Interpretations

The account closed the store's sales to the inhabitants for the month, carrying the running total from £169 12s 10d up to £176 12s 0½d. The final page ran chiefly to footwear, combs, thread, tape, pins and other small haberdashery, each amounting to a few shillings or pence.

The stock supplied the settlement with finished goods and sewing materials from a single store. Leather shoes, a silver-laced hat, razors, knives, wine glasses and quantities of thread, pins and laces all passed through the same monthly reckoning to the inhabitants.

58

56

Diet Expences

Brought Over

176 12 10½

153 lb Sugar£3 16 8

1 2 Oyle 3 4

2 lb Copper 2

4 1 10

Genll Charges

1 Cask Wheat old Cargo 3 4 6

1 do Beans 5 5

2 Catties Bohea Tea 12

6 China Bowles 15

24 Sneakers 12

48 Large Cups 16

12 Cups & Saucers 6

1 Large Driping Pan 12 6

2 Cullenders 5

1 Copper Tea Kettle 4 7

12 Pewter Spoons 4 6

2 Brass Pepper Boxes 2 2

1/2 lb Whited Brown Thread 6 7

1 1/2 oz China Silk 14 6

1 lb 2 Small Sile Rings 14 3

1 Small Cupboard Lock 14 7

2 Glass Salts 3

14 3 7

Fortification

3 4d

6 6d Nails 3 4 3

4 8d 4 6

6 30d 2 8

6 30d 3 9

6 Pipes 48 lb 14 2

6 Helve d[itto] 6

80 yd Slim Canvas 3 6 8

1 lb Twine Thread 2 2

1/2 lb Shoe Thread 1 4 3

6 10 3

Garrison

15 Catties Green Tea £3 4

4 3/4 Gall Rape Oyle 14 8 6

3/4 do Sweet Oyle 9

2 lb Ratline 14

3/4 Brown Thread 3 4

1/2 lb Twine 14 1

1 yd Slim Canvas 10

9 yd Red Bunting 14 9¾

1 yd White do 8 9¾

6 4 1½

Plantation

1 Stock Lock 2 8

60 lb 8d do 2 7 6

2 Adzes 2

2 Hoes 7 6

1 Maule 18th 13 6

1 Sugar Shoole 4 6

1 Large Grind Stone 11 6

1 lb 8d Nails 1 1

2 10 3d Nailes 14 4

30 lb 9d Nailes £18 9

3 lb 4d 2 6

2 Maules 31th 4 8

6 Helves 6

4 9 7

Honble Compys Blacks

4 Cask Beef £52

5836 lb Rice 72 19

2 do Shoo do 11 6

1 lb do Stock 4

1 Blanket 11 6

1 Groce Shirt Butt 4 4

12 lb Blew Bort Bodrance 4 10

1 lb Brown Thread 4

131 4

345 16 1

Diet expenses, debtor to store

Total £176 12s 10½d

153 pounds of sugar, £3 16s 8d

1 gallon of oil, £0 3s 4d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 3s 2d

General charges, debtor to store

Total £4 1s 10d

1 cask of old cargo wheat, £3 4s 6d

1 cask of beans, £5 5s 0d

2 catties of bohea tea, £0 12s 0d

6 china bowls, £0 15s 0d

24 sneakers, £0 12s 0d

48 large cups, £0 16s 0d

12 cups and saucers, £0 6s 0d

1 large dripping pan, £0 12s 6d

2 colanders, £0 5s 0d

1 copper tea kettle, £1 4s 0d

12 pewter spoons, £0 4s 6d

2 brass pepper boxes, £0 2s 2d

½ pound of whited brown thread, £0 6s 9d

1½ ounces of China silk, £0 11s 6d

1 pound of small silk hinges, £0 1s 3d

10 small cupboard locks, £0 1s 7d

2 glass salts, £0 3s 0d

Fortification, debtor to store

Total £14 5s 7d

3 pounds of threepenny nails, £0 3s 3d

6 pounds of sixpenny nails, £0 4s 6d

4 pounds of eightpenny nails, £0 2s 8d

6 pounds of twentypenny nails, £0 3s 9d

6 pipes at 48 pounds, £0 14s 2d

6 melons, £0 6s 0d

80 yards of thin canvas, £3 6s 8d

1 pound of twine, £0 2s 2d

½ pound of shoe thread, £0 1s 3d

Garrison, debtor to store

Total £6 10s 3d

15 catties of green tea, £3 4s 0d

4¾ gallons of rape oil, £1 8s 6d

3/4 gallon of sweet oil, £0 9s 0d

2 pounds of ratline, £0 1s 0d

3/4 pound of brown thread, £0 3s 0d

½ pound of twine, £0 1s 1d

1 yard of thin canvas, £0 0s 10d

Plantation, debtor to store

Total £6 4s 1½d

90 yards of red bunting, £1 4s 9¾d

90 yards of white bunting, £0 8s 9¾d

1 stock lock, £0 2s 8d

60 pounds of nails, £2 7s 6d

2 adzes, £0 2s 0d

2 hoes, £0 7s 6d

1 marble at 18d, £0 13s 6d

1 sugar shovel, £0 4s 6d

1 large grindstone, £0 11s 6d

1 pound of threepenny nails, £0 1s 1d

2 pounds of tenpenny nails, £0 1s 4d

Great Wood, debtor to store

Total £4 9s 7d

30 pounds of ninepenny nails, £0 18s 9d

3 pounds of fourpenny nails, £0 2s 6d

2 marbles at 31d, £0 4s 8d

6 adzes, £0 6s 0d

Honourable Company's blacks, debtor to store

Total £2 7s 11d

4 casks of beef, £52 0s 0d

5,836 pounds of rice, £72 19s 0d

2 casks of shot, £0 11s 6d

1 pound of shot, £0 4s 0d

1 blanket, £0 11s 6d

1 gross of shirt buttons, £0 4s 0d

12 pounds of blue and brown cotton, £4 10s 0d

1 pound of brown thread, £0 4s 0d

Total £131 4s 0d

Grand total £345 16s 1d

Interpretations

The account divided the store's monthly issues among the several heads of the establishment. The Honourable Company's blacks drew by far the heaviest charge at £131 4s 0d, chiefly in beef and rice for the slave force. The diet expenses, general charges, fortification, garrison, plantation and Great Wood made up the rest, carrying the whole to a grand total of £345 16s 1d.

The plantation and Great Wood heads issued the tools and ironwork that maintained the estate and the timber. Adzes, hoes, a grindstone, nails and bunting were supplied for the farm, while beef and rice fed the labouring hands under the head of the Company's blacks.

59

57

Gunners Stores Expendd in Octr 1725

Muster Day

10

King Georges Coronation

21 1 4 16 39

Expence for the Guardes

12

21 1 4 16 61

Sponge Staves for the Ridge

1

Cartridge Papr for Cartridges

8

d[itto] for the Guardes

1

Expence Match

14

14 9 1

Expence of the Genll Table in Octr 1725

46 Galls Arrack for Table

14 11 4

7 1/2 lb Guards & Labg Blacks

7 6

18 lb Salt Beef Table

2 15

12 do Labg Blacks

1 10

15 lb Salt Cork

2 2 6

24 Bottles Mountain

3 12

24 do Port

3

18 do Sack

5 8

12 do Sherry

1 16

409 lb Beef

5 2 6

170 lb Cork

2 15

239 lb Beale

5 19 6

2 Goates

1

9 lb Fowles

6 18

1 Bottle Oyle

3 4

1 Gall Vineger

4 9

2 lb Copper

4

26 lb Soap

1 15 6

30 lb Candles 2/6

3 15

117 lb Sugar

2 18 6

Crispe

67 5 7

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Gunner's stores expended in October 1725.

Muster day and King George's coronation: 21 pounds 1s 4d, 16 pounds, 39

Expended for the guards: 12 pounds of powder

Total: 21 pounds 1s 4d, 16 pounds, 61

Sponge staves for the ridge: 1 pound

Cartridge paper for cartridges: 8 pounds

Cartridge paper for the guards: 1 pound

Expense of match: 14 pounds

Total: 14 pounds 9s 1d

Expense of the General Table in October 1725.

46 gallons of arrack for the table, £14 11s 4d

7½ pounds of tea for guards and attending blacks, £2 19s 6d

18 pounds of salt beef for the table, £2 5s 0d

12 pounds of tea for attending blacks, £1 10s 0d

15 pounds of salt pork, £2 2s 6d

24 bottles of Madeira, £3 12s 0d

24 pounds of pork, £3 0s 0d

18 pounds of sack, £5 8s 0d

12 pounds of sherry, £1 16s 0d

409 pounds of beef, £5 2s 6d

170 pounds of pork, £2 15s 0d

239 pounds of bread, £5 19s 6d

2 goats, £1 0s 0d

9 fowls, £6 18s 0d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 4s 0d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 4s 0d

26 pounds of soap, £1 15s 0d

30 pounds of candles at 2s 6d, £3 15s 0d

117 pounds of sugar, £2 18s 0d

Total £67 5s 7d

The account was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The gunner's account recorded the powder spent in October 1725, chiefly on the muster day and the coronation of King George I. He was crowned on 20 October 1714, so the powder marked the eleventh anniversary of that coronation rather than a fresh event. The reigning sovereign in 1725 was the first Hanoverian king, whose accession the council had earlier proclaimed on the island under the directors' orders. The garrison fired a yearly salute to mark the coronation day of the crown it served.

The General Table account set out the food and drink at the Company's own table for the month. Arrack for the table at £14 11s 4d and beef, pork and bread formed the heaviest charges, alongside Madeira, sack and sherry, reaching a total of £67 5s 7d.

60

58

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 16th Novr 1725 at Plantation House

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the Land Petitiond

for by Edmond Nicholls Cnterd in Consultation of the 26th

of Octr last & Contains ten Acres Scituate in Thompson Wood

Likewise that he has Measured the Land jointly Petitiond

for by Messrs Coward, Johnson & Nicholls in the preceding Consultation

& finds the Same to be Twelve Acres Scituate under High Hill

next Thomson Valley

Ordrd that a Lease be made to Edmd Nicholls in the

usual Manner for the Term of 21 Years at the Rent of 4d P. Acre

& one Shilling Duty

And that in Consideration of that Petitiond for by Messrs

Coward Wrangham & Nicholls is to be Lett a Cost for the Raising

& preserving of Wood which is of Great Benefit to ye Island a

Lease be made to them & their Heirs for 21 Years with which usuall

Rent, & at the Expiration thereof to have a New Lease for twenty

One Years more renewable upon Paying half a Years Rent to

the Honble Company

Jno French Petitiond for about a Couple of Acres of the Honble

Compys Wast Land lying in Stone Top Valley, &

Joseph Lufkin for about two Acres lying in Young Valley

Ordrd that Capt Goodwin do view the said Parcells of

Land & Report whether the Same will be Prejudicial to the

Neighbourhood or not

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 November 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the land Edmond Nichols petitioned for in the consultation of 26 October last. It contained 10 acres of west land in Thompson's wood.

He likewise reported that he had measured the land jointly petitioned for by Mr Coward, Johnson and Nichols in the preceding consultation. He stated that it lay near the High Peak, next Thompson's Valley, and contained twelve acres.

The council ordered that a lease be made to Edmond Nichols in the usual manner, for a term of 21 years at the rent of 4s 0d per acre and one shilling head duty.

The council further ordered that, in consideration of the parcel petitioned for by Mr Coward, Wrangham and Nichols, and it being to be let for the raising and preserving of wood, which was of great benefit to the island, a lease be made to them for 21 years at the usual rent. At the expiry of the term they were to have a new lease for twenty-one years more, renewable on paying half a year's rent to the Honourable Company.

John Cruise petitioned for about two acres of the Honourable Company's west land lying in Stone Top Valley.

Joseph Lufkin petitioned for about two acres lying in Young Valley.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the several parcels of land, and report whether granting them would be any harm to the neighbourhood.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The land grants and petitions turned throughout on the island's drive to raise and preserve its timber. The council let the joint parcel to Coward, Wrangham and Nichols on the express ground of planting wood, and attached a renewal clause securing the tenure for a further twenty-one years. The terms gave the holders long assurance in return for the effort of planting and shelter the council had pressed since the advertisement of 13 March 1725.

The Cruise and Lufkin petitions followed the ordinary course for letting Company waste. Each request was deferred until Captain Goodwin had viewed the ground and judged whether the grant would harm the neighbourhood. The delay preserved the council's settled practice of surveying land before any grant.

Speculations

The council attached a renewal clause to the Coward, Wrangham and Nichols lease rather than granting the usual single term. The plain course would have been a straight twenty-one-year lease at the standing rent. Instead it promised a further twenty-one years on a nominal fine, because the parcel was let for planting wood, and a tenant would spend the labour of raising timber only if assured of holding the ground long enough to reap the benefit.

61

59

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 23d Novr 1725 at Plantation House

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has viewed & Measured the two Acres of

Land Petitiond for by Stephen Grasse Cleverd the 9th instant & finds that

ye Sepn Woods Cottage Ace Land which contains 2 1/2 acres, & also that adjoyning

he had also Measured the said Woods ten acres, adjoyning to the Last Cause

& finds the Content really unfavorable to the Neighbourhood

Ordred that a Lease be made for the Sd Cleverd for the aforesaid

three Parcells of Land for the Term of 21 Years upon the usual Terms

Capt Goodwin also Reports that he has viewed the Land Petitiond for

by Joseph Lufkin in the preceding Consultation, & that in his opinion adjoyning

the same to the said Lufkin will not be prejudice to the Neighbourhood

Ordred that the Sd Land be accordingly Measured & that a Lease be

then narrown for the Same

John French Gunner Reported the Cletting Setting forth the Reason

why Setting the Land in Stone Top Valley to Mr Knipe was Best & yt

the Same on Tuesday last will be really infinior, to the Sd F. Valle

Praying that if the same is to be Lett to the Sd French may be admited

Servant for the Same

The said French, & Knipe being both Examind about the Enquiries

& it appearing that the allegations Mentiond in the Sd Aggrees Cetition

are like Wt Order that the Sd Jno French be admitted Tenant for the

Same & that a Lease upon the usuar Terms be accordingly drawn

Sd Tinsley Cetitiond for leave to dispose of his Leased Land &c

being in Sandy Bay he haveing lately & indebted other Lands &

Occasion in the Sd Bay

Granted Provided We approve of the Purchaser

John Long also Petd for leave to hire about One Acre of the Honble

Compys Land lying near Cat Hole Ditch the Same being benefiswe to him

& not injurious to an other Groom

Granted, & the Same to be Measured & that a Lease be drawn upon the

usuar Term for Twenty One Years

John Defountain

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 November 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the four acres of west land Stephen Craven Coward petitioned for on the 9th instant. He stated that four acres of it were now held for planting wood, adjoining the lower parcel, and that he had also measured that wood, which contained 2½ acres. He found the whole very acceptable to the neighbourhood and adjoining the lower parcel.

The council ordered that a lease be made to Coward for the four acres, and the aforesaid three acres of land, for a term of 21 years upon the usual terms.

Captain Goodwin also reported that he had measured the land Joseph Lufkin petitioned for in the preceding consultation. He stated that in his opinion letting the parcel would be no harm to the neighbourhood.

The council ordered that the land be measured accordingly, and that a lease then be drawn for it.

John Cruise Monross petitioned again for the parcel he had earlier sought, the land in Stone Top Valley. He had first sought it the same Tuesday, but could not be exactly satisfied as to the size of the parcel. He now asked that it be let to him, so that Mr French might be admitted tenant for it.

French and Hayse were both present about the parcel. It appeared that the allegations mentioned in French's petition were of the like effect. The council ordered that French be admitted tenant for the parcel, and that a lease upon the usual terms be accordingly drawn.

Mr Tinsley petitioned for leave to dispose of his leased land and effects, being on his voyage to India, and having lately purchased other lands and provisions on the same day.

The council granted it, provided the purchaser was approved.

John Long also asked for leave to hire about one acre of the Honourable Company's land lying near Cat Hole Gut. The parcel was of benefit to him and no harm to anyone else.

The council granted it, the parcel to be measured and a lease drawn upon the usual terms for 21 years.

The consultation was signed by John Defountain.

Interpretations

The land grants turned once more on the island's drive to raise and preserve its timber. Coward's lease covered ground held for planting wood, adjoining an existing parcel, and passed on the usual 21-year term. The whole ran under the planting covenant the council had pressed since the advertisement of 13 March 1725.

The Cruise and French dispute settled the tenancy of a parcel in Stone Top Valley. French was admitted tenant after the matter was aired before the council, and a lease was drawn on the ordinary terms. The Tinsley and Long petitions followed the settled course, each grant made conditional on approval of the buyer or on a view of the ground.

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60

Joseph Defountain, Mary Defountain, Richd Long, Robt

Gurling & John Knipe, Heirs of the Estate of Saml Defountain

deceased jointly Petitioned Praying That pursuant to the Verdict

of the Jury at the Last Sessions the Petrs were desireous that the half

of the said Real Estate should be Sold for their Joynt Benefit, but

the Executors of the Last Will & Testament of the Cotgrave, Father

being both Dead & no One to Act in their Behalf, they humbly

Prayed that We would appoint a Person to Act as Trustee for

the said Children at the Sale of the Sd Estate

According to the Prayer of the said Petition the Sd Jno Defountain

was made Trustee to Act as Trustee for the Orphans under Age &

John Curling was Chosen by Jno Defountain the Turning eldest

Son of Saml Defountaine deceased who by vertue of his Sd Sd Fathers

Last Will & Testament is to have the Preference & Refusal

of the Clew Estate

Mr Jonathan Doveton presented a Bill of Sale for Thirty Acres

of Leased half or Plantation the Conveyance of the aforesaid after the said

ye Grace Coulson & do he lately bought of John Coulson desiring

the Same might be Registred for better Security thereof

Ordered that the said Bill of Sale be Registred accordingly

and that the Sd Mr Doveton do reciev in his Confession the Sum of One

Hundred Pounds in the Company of the next Shipping in Order to

Pay for the Passage of himself & Family & to Supply them with

Necessaries in their Voyage to Indies pursuant to his former Petition

& this Order thereon

Mrs Shrew Sometime Since haveing made Complaint that the

Stock of Goates belonging to Joseph Bates & other Persons the Purslane

Beds Vizt Lands & Plantation & so encreasing his Complaint to

also the Petitioners who Sayth that the said Goates & do Monthly do

them Damage desiring the Same may be prevented for the future

Ordered that the said Bates & the Rest of the Contractors in

that Trend to take effectual Care to prevent their Goates doing Mrs

Shrew & her Grantees any Damage for the future the like Nusance

We this day Executed a Lease for One Acre Land Scituate in Sandy

Wood for the Term of 21 Years at the Rent of 4d P. Acre & One Shilling Duty

Capt Byfeld & Nicholls presented a Bill of Sale for Ten Acres

of Free Land he lately bought of Richard Long, Petrs desiring

the Same may be Registred for better Security

Ordered that the Sd Bill of Sale be Registred accordingly

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Joseph Defountain, Mary Defountain, Richard Long, Robert Gurling and John Zage, heirs of the estate of Samuel Defountain deceased, jointly petitioned the council. They argued that under the verdict of the jury at the last court, the council was desirous that the half of the real estate be sold for their joint benefit. The executors of the last will and testament of the Colgrave children being both dead, and no one to act on their behalf, they humbly asked that the council appoint a person to act as trustee for the sale of the estate.

Under the prayer of the petition James Draper was appointed to act as trustee for the sale, and John Gurling was chosen by the Defountains. Being the surviving eldest son of Samuel Defountain deceased, and under the verdict of his father's last will and testament, he was to have the preference and refusal of the whole estate.

Mr Jonathan Doveton presented a bill of sale for 30 acres of leased half-year land, the conveyance of the original acres after the death of Grace Coulson, lately bought of John Coulson. He asked that it be registered for better security.

The council ordered that the bill of sale be registered accordingly, and that Mr Doveton be under an obligation to the council in the sum of £100 0s 0d, to be paid by the next ship, in order to pay for the passage of himself and his family, and to supply them with necessaries on their voyage to India, under an earlier order.

Mrs Sarah, sometime the widow of Sarah, having made complaint that the flock of goats belonging to Joseph Bates did much harm to the Company's lands and plantation, encouraged her complaint. She also produced witnesses who swore that the goats did much harm to them, and asked damages, desiring that the harm might be prevented for the future.

The council ordered that Bates and the rest of the contemners in that ground take effectual care to prevent their goats going upon those lands, so as to prevent any harm for the future.

The council this day granted a lease for two acres of land in Thompson's wood, for the term of 21 years at the rate of 4s 0d per acre and one shilling head duty.

James Gurling and Nichols presented a bill of sale for two acres of free land, lately bought of Richard Sutton, and asked that it be registered for better security.

The council ordered that the bill of sale be registered accordingly.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The Defountain petition continued the settlement of an estate divided by a jury on 12 October 1725. Half the real estate had been awarded to the coheirs and half to the Company, and the death of the Colgrave executors left no one to conduct the sale. The council appointed James Draper as trustee and gave the eldest son first refusal, providing the machinery a dead executorship had lacked.

The Doveton and Gurling registrations followed the ordinary course for recording land transfers. Each bill of sale was entered on the council book for better security, fixing the buyer's title against future dispute. The bond of £100 0s 0d bound Doveton to fund his family's passage to India before he left the island.

The complaint against Bates protected the Company's ground from wandering stock. Goats had damaged the plantation, and the council ordered the owners to keep their animals off the land. The order guarded the estate rather than awarding the damages the complaint had sought.

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61

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 30th Novr 1725 at Plantation House

Present John Smith Esqr Govr Edward Byfeld John Alexander John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

We this day Executed three Leases vizt One to Stephen Grasse Cleverd Soldier for three Parcells of Land containing 6 1/2 acres, One to Jno Lufkin Soldier for two Acres & One other to Messrs Coward Wrangham & Nicholls for the Land Mentiond in Consultation the 16th instant

The Sevral Persons following Presented with their Petition vizt

Richard Beale Setting forth that there are abundance of Children upon the Island whose Parents being very poor Circumstances are not able to put them to Schoole to be instructed to the real great of thempltion & Loss to their Children, That he haveing in consideration of the usual allowance of Salary from the Honble Compy to teach only Ten Children Grates

There being sevral Instances of this Nature & being very Sensible that there abundance of young Children as well as a great Want of a Good Person to teach them

Ordered that the said Beale be allowed to teach School & to have the usual Allowance for his future Encouragement

John Knipe Senr Praying to become Tenant for about an Acre of their Honble Compys Wast Land lying in Stone Top Valley

Ordred that Capt Goodwin do view the said Land & make Report accordingly

John Harding Praying a Lease of Nine Acres of Land lying in Prosperous Bay & Corolles

Ordred that Capt Goodwin do view the said two Parcells & Report his Oppinion concerning the Same

John Harding also Petd for a Lease of five Acres of Land lying in Purgatory this Case of Land being well Wooded is Refered for the use of the Honble Compy & this Petr as well as the Rest of Surviving others Rejected

John Harris Claiming a Right & Title to Ten Acres of Land unjustly, withheld from him to damage by Serjt Wood, Praying the would Determine the Same

Ordred that this Affair be refered to the Decision of the Jury at the next Sessions

Mr Wrangham presented a Bill of Sale for Forty

At a consultation held on Tuesday 30 November 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

This day the council executed three leases. One went to Stephen Craven Coward, soldier, for three parcels of land containing 6½ acres. One went to Joseph Lufkin, soldier, for two acres. The other went to Mr Coward, Wrangham and Nichols for the land mentioned in the consultation of the 16th instant.

The several councillors presented the following petition.

Richard Beale set forth that there were abundance of children upon the island whose parents, being in very poor circumstances, were not able to put them to any craft, or to have them instructed in the useful art of reading and writing. He asked that his children not be idle, and that in consideration of the usual allowance for schooling from the Honourable Company, he might teach any such poor children gratis.

There being several instances of this nature, and it being very hopeful that the abundance of young children was in great want of a schoolmaster to teach them, the council ordered that Beale be allowed to teach school, and have the usual allowance for his future encouragement.

John Cruise, soldier, asked to become tenant for about one acre of the Honourable Company's west land lying in Stone Top Valley.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the land and report accordingly.

John Harding asked for a lease of nine acres of land lying in Deep Valley Gut, adjoining Cordell.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the two parcels and report his opinion concerning the same.

John Harding also asked for a lease of five acres of land lying in Purgatory. The parcel of land being well wooded, it was reserved for the use of the Honourable Company, and the council refused it, as well as the refusal of the burial ground earlier requested.

John George claimed a right and title to two acres of land, unjustly withheld from him, and damaged by Sortwood. He asked that the council determine the matter.

The council ordered that this affair be referred to the decision of the jury at the next court.

Mr Wrangham presented a bill of sale for [...].

Interpretations

The Beale petition answered a real want of schooling among the island's poorer children. Many families could not afford to have their children taught a craft or the useful arts of reading and writing. The council allowed Beale to teach such children without charge, granting him the usual schooling allowance from the Company as his encouragement.

The land petitions followed the settled course for letting Company waste. The Cruise and Harding requests were deferred until Captain Goodwin had viewed the ground, while the Purgatory parcel was reserved for the Company because it carried valuable wood. The refusal ran under the standing effort to preserve the island's timber pressed since the advertisement of 13 March 1725.

The John George claim was sent to a jury for determination. He asserted a title to two acres withheld from him and damaged by another party. The council referred the dispute to a jury at the next court, the ordinary route by which contested claims between private parties were settled.

Speculations

The council reserved the well-wooded Purgatory parcel for the Company rather than letting it to Harding as it had granted his other requests. The plain course would have been to lease the ground on the usual terms. Instead it kept the parcel back, because the timber standing on it was of more value to the island than the rent, and the standing drive to preserve wood outweighed a single tenant's gain.

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Forty Acres of Land he lately bought of Richd Goodwin desiring the Same may be Registred for better Security

Ordred that the Same be Registred accordingly

James Ryder also Presented a Bill of Sale for Twenty Acres of Land he lately bought of the Sd Richard Goodwin adjoyning to the said Ryders other Land desiring the same might be also Registred

Ordred that the Same be likewise Registred

John Smith Edward Byfeld Jno Alexander Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 7th Decr 1725 at Plantation House

Present John Smith Esqr Govr Edward Byfeld John Alexander John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

The following Persons Presented Petitions

Orlando Bagley Praying a Lease for about four Acres of Wast Land lying in two different Places

Ordred that Capt Goodwin do view the said Land & make Report accordingly

Richard Gurling Praying that as the Estate & Effects of the Orphans of Charles Steward of which he is Exr in the room of the Exors are now in the Possession of Charles Steward Attorney for the Brothers who as well as himself are now of Age that he may be discharged from all Claim & Demand upon the Estate upon the Exors for concerning the Sd Estate & Effects

Ordred that Mr Coward the other Exr of the Sd Charles Steward be Summond to Plead on Sudden next

John Bagley Junr Praying to be accepted Tenant to the Honble Compy for the Land he lately bought of Benjamin Ferry

Granted & that the Lease be afsigned over to him

Benjamin Cleverd Praying a Deed may be Granted him for the Deed Land he Sd desires haveing Cleverd to take up on

Ordred that all belonging into & the Registers Searched to See when the Sd Land was first Granted

Mary Shrew Praying a Lease for about Seven Acres of Wast Land lying in Sandy Bay

Ordred that Capt Goodwin do view the said Land & Report accordingly

Mr Wrangham presented a bill of sale for 40 acres of land lately bought of Richard Goodwin, and asked that it be registered for better security. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

James Ryder also presented a bill of sale for 20 acres of land lately bought of Mr Richard Goodwin, adjoining Ryder's other land, and asked that it too be registered. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly. The consultation was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 December 1725 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The following councillors presented petitions.

Orlando Bagley asked for a lease of about four acres of west land lying in two different places. The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the land and report accordingly.

Richard Gurling asked that, as to the estate and effects of the orphans of Charles Steward, of which he was one of the executors and now attorney for the brothers, he be discharged from all claim and demand upon the council for accounting for the estate and effects. The council ordered that Mr Coward, the other executor of Charles Steward, be summoned to give an account.

John Bagley junior asked to be admitted tenant to the Honourable Company for the land lately bought of Mr Ryder, 40 acres. The council granted it, and ordered that the lease be assigned over to him.

Benjamin Fludger asked that a deed might be granted him for the freehold land his predecessor had earlier held. The council ordered that the land be looked into, and the register searched, and when the land was found, the grant made.

Mary Shreeve asked for a lease of about seven acres of west land lying in Sandy Bay. The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the land and report accordingly.

Interpretations

The Gurling petition sought release from a long-running duty over an orphan estate. As executor and now attorney for the Steward brothers, he asked to be discharged from further accounting to the council. The bench summoned the other executor rather than granting the discharge outright, keeping the estate under supervision until a full account was rendered.

The land petitions followed the settled course for letting Company waste and confirming title. The Bagley and Shreeve requests were deferred until Captain Goodwin had viewed the ground, while the Fludger claim awaited a search of the register to fix the freehold before any deed passed.

The registrations of the Wrangham and Ryder bills of sale recorded land transfers on the council book. Each entry secured the buyer's title against future dispute, the ordinary means by which the island fixed its dealings in land.

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Whereas in Consultation of the 23d Novr last Complt was made by the

Greentree Planter & Mary Shrew Widow against Joseph Bates for Suffering his

Stock of Goates to Trespass daily upon their Lands & Plantations upon which

Complt was made thereof, but the same not being effectually observed, the said

Greentree & Mrs Shrew have again made frest Complaint & being now Present

Say that the Sd Bates Goates do yet do them daily Damage in their said

Land & Plantation, formerly the Honble Compys Wast Land & now Lett to make

Plantations on

Therefore Ordered that the said Joseph Bates & Mr Robinson

do remove their said Stock of Goates to some other Range that they may not

do any farther Damage to the said Greentree & Mrs Shrew

Sutton Isaac Planter made Complt against Thos Free for Suffering a Black

Wench of his Named Betty to reet a Ladder up what that divide their Gardens

on the Back Part of their House getting into his Garden & Stealing Poultry &

other things & for turning a large Rung of Water through their Garden Wall by

which Means the Channel Perplexd & Carryd the same to Ruin by great destruction

into his the Sd Free Garden & thereby damage the Ground below Yalfe by

giveing frequent Occasion to his Servants to Empty severall Chambr Potts

into the said Channel which is very offensive to the said Free & the rest of the

Neighbourhood &c become a Common Nusance

After the hearing of Sundry Witnefs on both Sides

Ordered that the Sd Free do keep his Ladder allways Locked up except

approved by himself & in his Presence to prevent Robbery by his Blacks & that

he do use his Proper Means to prevent the Water from Running into the said

Sutton House in which if any damage be already done, he must make

Satisfaction for the same, & that he do not at any time hereafter allow or

Suffer his Servant to Act or do any thing that may be a Nusance to

the Neighbourhood

Mr Byfeld Capt Goodwin, Mr French & Mr Crispe

delivered each of them their Monthly Acct for November last which

were Severally Examind Approved & are as follow

In the consultation of 23 November last, Riping Wills, planter, and Mary Shreeve, widow, had complained against Joseph Bates for allowing his flock of goats to do daily harm to their lands and plantations. An order had then been made against him, but the harm had not been effectually stopped. Wills and Mary Shreeve now made fresh complaint, entered upon consultation. They argued that Bates's goats still did them daily damage in their lands and plantations, formerly part of the Honourable Company's west land, since let out to make plantations.

The council therefore ordered that Bates and Mr Robinson remove their flock of goats to some other range, so that they might do no further harm to Wills, Shreeve or their neighbours.

Sutton Isaake, planter, made complaint against Robert Free for allowing a black wench of his to enter and let in water where it flowed onto his garden, and for stealing property and destroying his provisions. He stated that by turning a large run of water through the parcel of land, which meant the channel first flowed into his lands, Free had done him great harm. The channel had been cut through Isaake's ground to carry water into Free's own house. Isaake argued that Free gave frequent order to his servants to empty several chamber pots into the channel, which was very offensive to him. The rest of the neighbourhood had become a common nuisance.

After hearing several witnesses on both sides, the council ordered that Free keep his black woman always locked up, unless approved by himself or in his service, to prevent robbery by his blacks. It ordered that Free use his best means to prevent the water from running into Isaake's ground. Where any damage was already done, he must make satisfaction for it. It further ordered that he not at any time hereafter allow or suffer his servant to do anything that might be a nuisance to the neighbourhood.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe each delivered their monthly account for November last, which were examined and approved and stand as follows.

Interpretations

The renewed complaint against Bates showed the limits of an order that went unenforced. Wills and Shreeve had won a ruling against his goats on 23 November 1725, yet the animals still damaged their plantations. The council directed the flock removed to another range, tightening its earlier direction because the first had failed to protect the newly let ground.

The Isaake complaint gathered several grievances against Free into a single hearing. Water diverted through Isaake's garden, theft by Free's slaves and the emptying of chamber pots into the channel were all laid before the bench. The council answered each with a distinct order, requiring restraint of the slaves, control of the water and satisfaction for the harm already done.

Speculations

The council met the Isaake complaint with several separate orders rather than a single ruling on the water alone. The plain course would have been to address the diverted channel that formed the heart of the dispute. Instead it bound Free on the water, the conduct of his slaves and the nuisance to the neighbourhood together, because the grievances were distinct in kind, and one order could not have answered theft, offensive fouling and the loss of water at once.

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Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry &c Horses

Remns Ult Octr

Bullock 27

Cowes 50

Heifer 17

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 64

Bull 5

Totall 164

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lambs 14

Rams 3

Totall 89

Ewes 132

Wethers 77

Kilb 119

Rams 7

Totall 335

Sows 14

Shoats 21

Boars 1

Pig 24

Totall 60

Turkeys 59

Fowles 177

Ducks 6

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Bought in Novr

Yearlings 6

Totall 6

Rams 5

Totall 5

Kilb 29

Totall 29

Pig 15

Totall 15

Turkeys 62

Fowles 19

Encreased in do

Bullock 27

Cowes 50

Heifer 17

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 60

Bull 5

Totall 170

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lambs 19

Rams 3

Totall 94

Ewes 132

Wethers 77

Kilb 148

Rams 7

Totall 364

Sows 14

Shoats 21

Boars 1

Pig 39

Totall 75

Turkeys 121

Fowles 196

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Killed in do

Bullock 1

Calves 1

Wethers 2

Kilb 1

Fowles 8

Remns Ult Novr

Bullock 26

Cowes 50

Heifer 17

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 60

Bull 5

Totall 169

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lambs 19

Rams 3

Totall 94

Ewes 132

Wethers 75

Kilb 147

Rams 7

Totall 361

Sows 14

Shoats 20

Boars 1

Pig 39

Totall 74

Turkeys 120

Fowles 188

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantacions 26519 lb

Expence of ye Genll Table in Novr 1725

43 Galls Arrack for ye Table £13 12 4

9 do Guards & Survey 2 17

12 Bottles Sack 6/ 3 12

18 do Mountain 3 2 14

18 do Sherry 3 2 14

18 do Cort 2/6 2 5

115 lb Bread 3 1 8 9

97 lb Sugar 6 2 8 6

93 do Candles 2/6 2 17 6

25 lb Soap 17d 1 15 5

83 lb Flower 1 14 3

558 lb Beef 6 19 6

204 lb Cork 5 2

2 Goates 14

1 Fill 6

1 Turkey 6

38 lb Butter 1 18

30 Days Green 1 10

10 do Salt Beef Table 1 5

12 do do Blacks 1 10

12 do Salt Cork 1 14

42 Fowles 3 3

62 9 3

Gunners Stores Expended in Novr 1725

Muster Day

18 Powr

Gunpowder Papr 9 9 9

Expence for ye Guard 12

9 9 31

Sheep Skins 3

Cartridge Papr for Guard 1 Quire

Match 14 lb

Jno French

Account of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses.

Remaining last October: 27 bullocks, 50 cows, 17 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 54 calves, 5 bulls, total 164 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 14 lambs, 3 rams, total 89 sheep; 132 she-goats, 77 wethers, 119 kids, 7 rams, total 335 goats; 14 sows, 21 shoats, 1 boar, 24 pigs, total 60 hogs; 59 turkeys, 177 fowls, 6 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Bought in November: 6 calves, total 6 neat cattle

Increased in the month: 5 lambs, total 5 sheep; 29 kids, total 29 goats; 15 shoats, 15 pigs, total 15 hogs; 62 fowls, 19 ducks

Sum: 27 bullocks, 50 cows, 17 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 60 calves, 5 bulls, total 170 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, total 94 sheep; 132 she-goats, 77 wethers, 148 kids, 7 rams, total 364 goats; 14 sows, 21 shoats, 1 boar, 39 pigs, total 75 hogs; 121 turkeys, 196 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Killed in the month: 1 bullock, total 1 neat cattle; 1 lamb, total 1 sheep; 2 wethers, 1 kid, total 3 goats; 1 shoat, total 1 hog; 8 fowls

Remaining last November: 26 bullocks, 50 cows, 17 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 60 calves, 5 bulls, total 169 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, total 94 sheep; 132 she-goats, 75 wethers, 147 kids, 7 rams, total 361 goats; 14 sows, 20 shoats, 1 boar, 39 pigs, total 74 hogs; 120 turkeys, 188 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations: 26,519 pounds

Expense of the General Table in November 1725.

43 gallons of arrack for the table, £13 12s 4d

9 pounds of tea for guards and attending blacks, £2 17s 0d

12 bottles of sack at 6s, £3 12s 0d

18 pounds of Betty Mountain, £2 14s 0d

18 pounds of sherry, £2 14s 0d

18 pounds of pork at 2s 6d, £2 5s 0d

115 pounds of bread, £1 8s 9d

97 pounds of sugar, £2 8s 6d

23 pounds of candles at 2s 6d, £2 17s 6d

25 pounds of soap at 17d, £1 15s 5d

83 pounds of flour, £1 4s 3d

558 pounds of beef, £6 19s 6d

204 pounds of pork, £5 2s 0d

2 goats, £1 0s 0d

1 kid, £0 6s 0d

1 turkey, £0 6s 0d

38 pounds of butter, £1 18s 0d

30 dozen greens, £1 10s 0d

10 pounds of salt beef for the table, £1 5s 0d

12 pounds of tea for attending blacks, £1 10s 0d

12 pounds of salt pork, £1 14s 6d

42 fowls, £3 3s 0d

Total £62 9s 5d

Gunner's stores expended in November 1725.

Muster day: 18 pounds of powder

Gunpowder for cartridge paper: 9 pounds 9s 9d

Expended for the guard: 12 pounds of powder

Total: 9 pounds 9s 31d

Sheep skins: 3

Cartridge paper for the guard: 1 pound

Match: 14 pounds, signed Mr French

Interpretations

The account traced the Honourable Company's live stock at the several plantations through November 1725. It followed each kind from the October total through purchase, increase, slaughter and death to the count at the close. The neat cattle stood at 169, the sheep at 94, the goats at 361 and the hogs at 74. A charge of 26,519 pounds of yams was set against the feeding of the stock.

The month showed steady growth in every kind. Six calves were bought in, and kids, lambs, pigs and fowls were bred in number, against small losses to the table. The turkey count rose sharply, doubling over the month as the young birds were reckoned into the flock.

The General Table account set out the food and drink at the Company's own table for November 1725. Beef at £6 19s 6d and pork at £5 2s 0d formed the heaviest charges, together with arrack, sack and sherry, reaching a total of £62 9s 5d. The gunner's account recorded the powder spent on the muster day and the guards, subscribed by Mr French.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4th Janry 1725/6 at Union Castle Prest Govr & ye Councill

The Governr having been dangerously ill; the Reason no Consultation hath been held Since the 7th Decr last past

On ye 15th Decr arrived the Eaton Galley Capt Jno Gregory Comd & Stretching to the Southward for the Coast of

Guinea accidentally made this Island, his Owners being very well known to the Govr & producing ample Coucketts & Certificates

that he was abroad upon a fair Acct he was Suffered to come in, & happy it was he did arrive the Govr under God oweing

his Life to the Benefit he received from the Medicine with which he was Supplyed by her

Mr Byfeld delivered his Monthly Acct for December last which was Examd Approved & is as follows vizt

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry &c Horses

Remns Ult Novr

Bullock 26

Cowes 50

Heifer 17

Steers 7

Yearlings 4

Calves 60

Bulls 5

Totall 169

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lamb 19

Rams 3

Totall 94

Ewes 132

Wethers 75

Kilb 147

Rams 7

Totall 361

Sows 14

Shoats 20

Boars 1

Pig 39

Totall 74

Turkeys 120

Fowles 188

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Encreased in Decr

Bullock 7

Cowes 14

Calves 5

Bulls 5

Totall 47

Kilb 15

Wethers 5

Bullock 33

Cowes 64

Heifer 17

Steers 8

Yearlings 4

Calves 65

Bulls 5

Totall 196

Ewes 51

Wethers 21

Lamb 19

Rams 3

Totall 94

Ewes 132

Wethers 75

Kilb 152

Rams 7

Totall 366

Sows 14

Shoats 20

Boars 1

Pig 39

Totall 74

Turkeys 120

Fowles 188

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Killed in do

Bullock 1

Calves 1

Lamb 1

Ewes 1

Wethers 3

Kilb 19

Shoats 22

Turkeys 1

Fowles 1

Cattle Cutt & grown in do

Bullock 32

Cowes 64

Heifer 17

Steers 8

Yearlings 4

Calves 65

Bulls 5

Totall 195

Ewes 51

Wethers 20

Lamb 19

Rams 3

Totall 93

Ewes 129

Wethers 56

Kilb 152

Rams 7

Totall 344

Sows 14

Shoats 19

Boars 1

Pig 39

Totall 73

Turkeys 119

Fowles 171

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Heifer 12

Steers 7

Yearlings 3

Wethers 23

Dead in do

Bullock 32

Cowes 64

Heifer 5

Steers 1

Yearlings 3

Calves 62

Bulls 5

Totall 172

Ewes 51

Wethers 20

Lamb 19

Rams 3

Totall 93

Ewes 129

Wethers 56

Kilb 152

Rams 7

Totall 344

Sows 14

Shoats 19

Boars 1

Pig 39

Totall 73

Turkeys 119

Fowles 171

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Bullock 32

Cowes 64

Heifer 5

Steers 1

Yearlings 3

Calves 62

Bulls 5

Totall 172

Ewes 51

Wethers 20

Lamb 19

Rams 3

Totall 93

Ewes 129

Wethers 56

Kilb 152

Rams 7

Totall 344

Sows 14

Shoats 19

Boars 1

Pig 39

Totall 73

Turkeys 92

Fowles 166

Ducks 7

Geese 17

Peos 4

Horses 7

Mares 2

Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantacions 25660 lb

On Sunday 26th Decr arrived ye Ship Compton Capt Willm Nawson Comd from Bombay & Madrass but last from the Cape & brought Us 180 Mrs Rice, & on the 1st inst arrived the James & Mary, also from Madrass but last from ye Cape & brought Us 35 Bags Rice & 7 Cannisters Silver, & 4 lb 7 lb 20 0 a2 9 9 lb Candy

Jno Goodwin

Jno Alexander

John Smith

Edwd Byfeld

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 January 1725/6 at Union Castle, present the Governor and the council.

The Governor having been dangerously ill was the reason no consultation had been held since 7 December last.

On 15 December the Eaton Galley, Captain John Gregory commander, stretching to the southward for the coast of Guinea, accidentally made the island. Her owners being very well known to the Governor, and producing an ample cocket and cockets that she was allowed upon a fair account, she was suffered to come in. It was happy that she did arrive, the Governor under God owing his life to the benefit he received from the medicine with which he was supplied by her.

Mr Byfield delivered his monthly account for December last, which was examined and approved and stands as follows.

Remaining last November: 26 bullocks, 50 cows, 17 heifers, 7 steers, 4 yearlings, 60 calves, 5 bulls, total 169 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, total 94 sheep; 132 she-goats, 75 wethers, 147 kids, 7 rams, total 361 goats; 14 sows, 20 shoats, 1 boar, 39 pigs, total 74 hogs; 120 turkeys, 188 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Increased in December: 7 bullocks, 14 cows, 5 calves; 47 kids, 15 wethers; 5 shoats

Sum: 33 bullocks, 64 cows, 17 heifers, 8 steers, 4 yearlings, 65 calves, 5 bulls, total 196 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 21 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, total 94 sheep; 132 she-goats, 75 wethers, 152 kids, 7 rams, total 366 goats; 14 sows, 20 shoats, 1 boar, 39 pigs, total 74 hogs; 120 turkeys, 188 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Killed in the month: 1 bullock, 1 lamb; 3 wethers, 19 kids; 1 shoat, 1 fowl

Cattle cut and grown in the month: 32 bullocks, 64 cows, 17 heifers, 8 steers, 4 yearlings, 65 calves, 5 bulls, total 195 neat cattle; 12 heifers, 7 steers, 7 yearlings, 3 calves; 51 ewes, 20 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, total 93 sheep; 129 she-goats, 56 wethers, 152 kids, 7 rams, total 344 goats; 14 sows, 19 shoats, 1 boar, 39 pigs, total 73 hogs; 119 turkeys, 171 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Dead in the month: 32 bullocks, 64 cows, 5 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 62 calves, 5 bulls, total 172 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 20 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, total 93 sheep; 129 she-goats, 56 wethers, 152 kids, 7 rams, total 344 goats; 14 sows, 19 shoats, 1 boar, 39 pigs, total 73 hogs; 119 turkeys, 171 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Remaining at the close: 32 bullocks, 64 cows, 5 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 62 calves, 5 bulls, total 172 neat cattle; 51 ewes, 20 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, total 93 sheep; 129 she-goats, 56 wethers, 152 kids, 7 rams, total 344 goats; 14 sows, 19 shoats, 1 boar, 39 pigs, total 73 hogs; 92 turkeys, 166 fowls, 7 ducks, 17 hens, 4 geese; 7 horses, 2 mares, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations: 25,660 pounds

On Sunday 26 December arrived the ship Compton, Captain William Mawson commander, from Bombay and Madras, but last from the Cape, and brought 180 measures of rice. On the 1st instant arrived the James and Mary, also from Madras but last from the Cape, and brought 35 bags of rice and 7 canisters of silver, quantity £75 0s 0d at 9s 9d per pound of candy.

The account was signed by John Alexander, John Smith and Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The Eaton Galley's call proved unusually fortunate for the government. She was bound for the coast of Guinea and made the island by chance, her owners known to the Governor and her papers in good order. The medicine she carried was credited with saving the Governor's life during his dangerous illness, which had stopped all council business for nearly a month.

The live-stock account traced the Company's herds and flocks through December 1725. Large numbers of cattle and goats were bred and bought in, against losses to slaughter and death, closing the month at 172 neat cattle, 93 sheep, 344 goats and 73 hogs. A charge of 25,660 pounds of yams was set against the feeding of the stock.

The two ship arrivals continued the flow of rice from the eastern presidencies. The Compton and the James and Mary both came in from Madras by way of the Cape, bringing rice and a parcel of silver. The supply answered the island's standing want of grain pressed through its India correspondence.

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66

At a Consultation held on Tuesday ye 18th day of Janry 1725/6

at Plantation House Prest John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & approved

The Governr Reports that in his Sickness in Septr last Mr Wignall

the Surgeon was very Negligent & Rude in his Duty & Attendance

often absenting himself for four or five Days together, that when he did

come he wisht him he was of Company to travel & Supplyed with Liquor

that it rendred him incapable of his Bussyness, that in the Govr

last dangerous illness he wisht just as behad in the former, absenting

for two Days together when there was most Occasion for his Attendance

& Drunk all the while at his Appartment at the Fort, that he has

given the Govr Medicins of all things the most improper for his Distemper

& thereby broke & Ruind his Constitution, & that this was of servived upon

the happy arrival of the Eaton Galley the Govr Life that under God

being oweing to the Relief given him by the Doctor of the said Ship

his Answer was he had nothing else to give, & therefore rather than

not be thought necessary he would give Something like he at the Sepn

tim tried it was to the former Prejudice, & always Argued the Govr up

with false pisps of a Sudry Cure, that he lost for scarcly Sett wrote

Say he knew but had just Cause to believe that) his Constitution of a

that Serups must in a fine Debre have brought him to his End, that he

is the Idlest & Constant with Liquor that he has Confined at the Fort tile

in Drams by himself, & lately upon Pretence of taking Something for a

the Govern & wt out of the Chest that last arrived, of which the Govr

Keps the Key) he privatly & impertinently to his Lodgings a Bottle of

Epidemic Water & there got Grievously Drunk by Meyself, continuing

by that Consistan two or three days together, that the Frauds Cant

yearly by the Compy are Sufficient for a Suriver & at the Sepns

but have been Confounded in Drams by Mr Wignale in three, that he

is so constantly Disordered with Drink, & grown so Careless in his

Composition that every body is afraid to take any thing of his Preparing

that he lately Sent Mrs Coot Cyle of Clove mixt with Cyle Jenepper in stead

of Cyle of Jeneper alone, which did her much Damage, & of need he

large Quantity of Ostrich in Sich Cordr & very Guilty of other,

Sd Speches of the like Nature. That he very lately refused to deliver

Medicins for Mrs Foot the Govr do Daughter at that time very ill,

that his Behaviour to the Ladies at Table, & in Company has been

so indecent Rude & Brutish that he is no longer fit to be admited

into Civil Company. The Govr Reports he Mentions these things with

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 January 1725/6 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that at the earlier court in September last, Mr Wignall the surgeon had been very negligent and unfaithful in his duty and attendance. He had often absented himself for four or five days together, so that when the Governor was obliged to have someone attend him, no one could be found willing to serve for the wages. This rendered him incapable of his charge. During the Governor's late dangerous illness Wignall had acted just as he did before, absenting himself for two days together when there was most occasion for him, and being drunk all the while at his apartment at the Fort.

The Governor stated that Wignall had given him medicine of the most improper kind for his illness, and had thereby broken and ruined his constitution. But the happy arrival of the Eaton Galley, the Governor under God owing his life to the relief given him by the doctor of that ship, made plain that Wignall had nothing else to give. He therefore, rather than be thought necessary, would give something like he had at the same time to the Governor's prejudice. He always argued the Governor with false hope of a speedy cure, but the Governor, for reasons he knew but had just cause to believe, held that the constitution of that surf must in the like case have brought him to his end.

The Governor stated that Wignall was so drunk and inconsistent with liquor that he had confined himself to drams by himself, and lately, under pretence of taking something for the Governor's use out of the chest that last arrived, of which the Governor kept the key, he privately conveyed to his lodgings a bottle of epidemic water, and there got seriously drunk by himself, continuing so for two or three days together.

The Governor stated that the friends who yearly complained of the surf were sufficient for a surgeon, and that three surgeons had been confined to drams by Wignall in three. He was so constantly disordered with drink and grown so foolish in his composition that everybody was afraid to take anything of his prescribing.

The Governor stated that Wignall had lately sent Mr Coward a cask of clove mace with one composition, and a cask of juniper alone, which did much damage. He held Wignall guilty of other misdeeds of the like nature. He had very lately refused to deliver medicine for Mr Foss the Governor's daughter at a time she was ill. His behaviour to the ladies at table, and in company, had been so indecent, rude and brutish that he was no longer fit to be admitted into civil company. The Governor asked to have these matters entered.

Interpretations

The Governor's charge set out a long record of neglect and drunkenness against Wignall the surgeon. He had repeatedly absented himself when most needed, once during the Governor's own dangerous illness, and had lain drunk at his Fort apartment. The complaint gathered these failings to justify removing a medical officer the settlement could no longer trust.

The account of the medicine cut to the heart of the matter. The Governor believed Wignall had given him improper treatment that ruined his health, and credited his recovery instead to the doctor of the Eaton Galley. A surgeon who deceived his patient with false hope while lacking any real remedy had failed the first duty of his office.

The theft of the epidemic water from the Governor's own chest showed the depth of Wignall's disorder. He had used a pretence of duty to carry off the bottle and drink himself insensible for days. Such conduct, joined to his rudeness in company, marked a man unfit for both his charge and civil society.

Speculations

The Governor pressed his complaint into the record rather than simply dismissing Wignall from his post. The plain course would have been a quiet removal of a failing officer. Instead he laid out the neglect, the drunkenness, the improper medicine and the theft in detail for the book, because a surgeon sent by the directors could only be set aside on a full and documented case that would answer to the Company in England.

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with much Concern haveing been always inclined rather to conceal than

Expose Mr Wignalls Failings, but Since no Advice or Perswasion no

Advantage or Encouragement nor on the contrary no Threat or Marks

of Displeasure have been able to work any Reformation in him,

the Governor will leave him to himself & to endeavour to procure

such help of which he Stands so much need as Speedily as he can,

being unwilling that either himself or others should be Sacrificed for

want of Common Afsistance

John Seale Petitiond Praying to become Tenant to the Honble

Company for the Land he lately Purchased of James Vaughan

Granted & to be accountable for the Cash for the Acre & Term of the

Lease & to be afsigned to the Sd Seale

On Tuesday the 11th instant the Ship Compton & James & Mary

Sailed hence for England

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has viewed the Seale Parcell Land

Petitiond for the 30th Novr last & also the Sd & other Parcells

Petitiond for on ye 7th Decr last & that Letting that Petitiond for

by Jno Knipe can be no detriment to any Person, & also that the

two Parcells Petitiond for by ye Prosing may be Lett in the Same

manner, that the two Parcells Pett & &c by Orlando Bagley are very

convenient for him & is no way detrimental to the Neighbourhood

& that Letting ye Land Petitiond for by Mary Shrew he cant

conceive to be any way Prejudicial to others

Ordred that the aforesaid Parcells of Land be Measured

accordingly, & Leases made out for 21 Years

Mr Byfeld Reports that a Black Wench of the Honble

Compys Named Sarah was delivered of a Girle last Week called

Fanny

Capt Goodwin, Mr French & Mr Crispe delld

each their Monthly Acct for Decr last which were Severally

Examined Approved & are as follow vizt

The Governor stated that he had always been inclined to excuse rather than expose Wignall's failings. No advice, no argument, no advantage, no encouragement, nor on the contrary any threat or mark of displeasure, had been able to work any reform in him. The Governor would therefore leave him to himself and endeavour to procure other help, of which he stood in much need, as speedily as he could. He was unwilling that either himself or others should be sacrificed for want of proper attendance.

John Seale petitioned to become tenant to the Honourable Company for the land he had lately purchased of Jonas Vaughan. The council granted it, and ordered that he be accountable for the terms for the residue of the term of the lease, which was to be assigned over to Seale.

On Tuesday the 11th instant the ships Compton and James and Mary sailed from the island for England.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the several parcels of land petitioned for on 30 November last, and also the parcels petitioned for on 7 December last. He stated that letting the parcels petitioned for by John Cruise would be no harm to anyone, and that the two parcels petitioned for might be let to the same man. He held that the two parcels sought by Orlando Bagley would be very convenient for him and no harm to the neighbourhood, and that letting the land petitioned for by Mary Shreeve would be no harm to anyone.

The council ordered that the parcels of land be measured accordingly, and leases made out for 21 years.

Mr Byfield reported that a black wench of the Honourable Company named Sarah had been delivered of a girl the week before, called Fanny.

Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe each delivered their monthly account for December last, which were examined and approved and stand as follows.

Interpretations

The Governor closed the matter of Wignall by choosing to replace him rather than reform him. Every means of persuasion and pressure had failed to check the surgeon's neglect and drink. The Governor resolved to seek other medical help, unwilling to see himself or others suffer for want of proper attendance.

The land petitions followed the settled course for letting Company waste. Captain Goodwin's surveys of the parcels sought by Cruise, Bagley and Shreeve found none would harm the neighbourhood, and the council ordered leases drawn for 21 years. The grants continued the steady letting of west land through the winter of 1725.

The departure of the Compton and the James and Mary marked the close of the season's homeward shipping. Both had lately brought rice from Madras by way of the Cape, and both now sailed for England together.

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68

Collection of Store Goods Sold to Inhabts between 25th Novr & 25th Decr 1725

271 1/2 Galls Arrack £85 19 6

138 1/2 lb Sugar 3 9 3

8 lb Candy 8

289 Bread 3 12 3

238 Flour 2 19 6

29 lb Cutt Tobacco 3 5 3

41 Pipes 7 1½

7 Catties Green Tea 2 8

8 lb Bohea 2 8

15 lb Soap 1 3

3 oz Indigo 1 6

1 1/4 Gall Rape Oyle 7 6

1 lb Hair Powder 1

3 Chelloe Shirts 9

6 White do 15

3 Cotton Stock 7 6

1 pr Gurrahs 9 6

1 do Desotees 10

1 Allampore No 2 5

2 P. Allejor 1 14 3

1 P. Blew Gingham 5 6

1 do Maddrass 7 6

2 Chelloe do 1 14

1 Cotton Yarn 3 6

1 China Bowle 2 6

11 Sneakers 5 6

6 Cups & Saucers 3

3 Small Cups 6

1 pr Womens Colar Leathr Shoes 6 9

1 do Colar Leathr 4 6

16 lb Boys Stock 2 6

2 do 6

3 Mens do 12

1 Yarne do 1 6

1 Womens do 2 2

4 Shoe Knives 4

1 Butchers Knife 4 6

4 Ale Glass 2 6

1 Small Tin Lanth 3 6

1 Budding Comb 2 10

1 lb 8d Hinges 3 6

1 lb 10d Nailes 4 9

1 Tutor 1

1 Ivory Comb 1

Carried over £115 16 6½

Brought Over £115 16 6½

1/2 P. Sagathy 1 7 6

8 3/4 yd Ditane 13

2 yd Norwich Stuff 2 8

3 M Pins 4

1 M do 1 2

1 M do 9

6 yd Edging 18

13 yd Ferretting 4 4

1 oz China Silk 1 6

1 3/4 oz do 4 9

6 Thread Lace 6

6 doz Coat Buttons 6

2 doz Breast do 1

5 Shams Mohair 1 3

Totall to Inhabts 119 19 11½

Diet Expences

1 Cask Beef £13

1 do Flower 4 4

130 lb Sugar 3 5

1 Bott Oyle 3 4

3 lb Copper 3

20 15 4

Plantation

80 lb Rice £1 4

1 lb Cart Wheele 14 4 9

2 lb Nailes 7 6

2 Large Plate Botts 5 8

1 Stock Lock 6

1 lb Cross Gard 4 6

15 18 5

Fortification

1 Large Trowell 2 6

6 Sugr Shovells 15

12 Helves 12

12 Oysters 96 4

6 lb 9d 3 6

4 8d Nailes 2 8

2 6d 1 8

6 17 4

Garrison

15 Catties Green Tea £3

4 1/2 Galls Rape Oyle 1 7

1 lb Ord Brown Cloth 1 4 7

1 Stock Lock 4 9 4

2 do 5 4 16

1 Large Plate Bolt 2 10

2 lb Lead 4 3

7 19

670 16

Account of store goods sold to the inhabitants between 25 November and 25 December 1725.

271½ gallons of arrack, £85 19s 6d

138½ pounds of sugar, £3 9s 3d

8 pounds of candy, £0 8s 0d

289 pounds of bread, £3 12s 3d

238 pounds of flour, £2 19s 6d

29 pounds of cut tobacco, £3 5s 3d

471 pipes, £0 7s 1½d

7 catties of green tea, £2 8s 0d

8 pounds of bohea, £2 8s 0d

15 pounds of soap, £0 1s 3d

3 ounces of indigo, £0 1s 6d

1½ gallons of rape oil, £0 7s 6d

1 pound of hair powder, £0 1s 0d

3 chelloe shirts, £0 9s 0d

6 white shirts, £0 15s 0d

3 cotton stockings, £0 7s 6d

1 pair of gurrah, £0 9s 6d

1 doreas, £0 10s 0d

1 allampore, number 2, £0 5s 0d

2 pieces of allejar, £1 14s 3d

1 piece of blue gingham, £0 5s 6d

1 piece of Madras, £0 7s 6d

2 chelloe shirts, £1 14s 0d

1 doreas, £0 7s 6d

2 chelloe, £1 14s 0d

1 pound of cotton yarn, £0 3s 6d

1 china bowl, £0 2s 6d

11 sneakers, £0 5s 6d

6 cups and saucers, £0 3s 0d

3 small cups, £0 0s 6d

1 pair of women's calves' leather shoes, £0 5s 9d

1 pair of calves' leather shoes, £0 4s 6d

16 pairs of boys' stockings, £0 2s 6d

2 pairs of boys' stockings, £0 5s 0d

3 pairs of men's stockings, £0 12s 0d

1 pair of yarn stockings, £0 1s 6d

1 pair of women's stockings, £0 2s 2d

4 shoe knives, £0 4s 0d

1 butcher's knife, £0 4s 6d

4 ale glasses, £0 2s 6d

1 small tin lantern, £0 3s 6d

1 pudding pan, £0 2s 10d

1 pound of tenpenny nails, £0 3s 6d

1 pound of fourpenny nails, £0 4s 9d

1 sutor, £0 1s 0d

1 ivory comb, £0 1s 0d

Carried over, £115 16s 6½d

Brought over, £115 16s 6½d

½ pound of tapestry, £0 1s 7s 6d

8¾ yards of doreas, £0 0s 13s

2 yards of Norwich stuff, £0 2s 8d

3 ounces of pins, £0 4s 0d

1 ounce of pins, £0 1s 2d

1 ounce of pins, £0 1s 9d

6 yards of edging, £0 18s 0d

12 yards of ferreting, £0 4s 4d

1 ounce of China silk, £0 1s 6d

1¾ ounces of China silk, £0 1s 9d

6 thread laces, £0 0s 6d

6 dozen coat buttons, £0 6s 0d

2 dozen breast buttons, £0 1s 0d

5 skeins of mohair, £0 1s 3d

Total to the inhabitants, £119 19s 11½d

Diet expenses:

1 cask of beef, £13 0s 0d

1 cask of flour, £4 4s 0d

130 pounds of sugar, £3 5s 0d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

3 pounds of pepper, £0 3s 0d

Total £20 15s 4d

Plantation:

80 pounds of rice, £1 4s 0d

1 pound of cartwheel, £14 4s 9d

2 pounds of nails, £0 1s 6d

2 large plate bolts, £0 5s 8d

1 stock lock, £0 6s 0d

1 pound of cross garnet, £0 4s 6d

Total £15 18s 6d

Fortification:

1 large trowel, £0 2s 6d

6 sugar shovels, £0 15s 0d

12 helves, £0 12s 0d

12 pipes at 96 pounds, £4 4s 0d

6 pounds of ninepenny nails, £0 3s 6d

4 pounds of eightpenny nails, £0 2s 8d

2 pounds of nails, £0 1s 8d

Total £6 17s 4d

Garrison:

15 catties of green tea, £3 4s 0d

4½ gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

1 piece of ordinary long cloth, £1 4s 7d

1 stock lock, £0 9s 4d

2 stock locks, £14 16s 0d

1 large plate bolt, £0 2s 10d

2 pounds of listing, £0 4s 3d

Total £7 19s 0d

Grand total £70 10s 0d

Interpretations

The account recorded the store's sales to the inhabitants over the month to 25 December 1725, led once more by arrack at £85 19s 6d for 271½ gallons. Sugar, bread and flour formed the next heaviest charges, with the many smaller goods each amounting to a few shillings. The two columns of inhabitants' goods closed at a total of £119 19s 11½d.

The remaining heads charged the provisions and stores issued to the establishment. The diet expenses ran to casks of beef and flour for the table, while the plantation, fortification and garrison drew tools, ironwork and tea for the estate, the defences and the guard.

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69

Brought Over £170 10 10½

Honble Compys Blacks

4 Casks Beef 39

5 do Wheat 19

2 do Pea 9 10

1972 lb Rice 24 13

11 P. Hemp Shoes 5/9 3 3 3

124 1/2 yds Kersey 11 8 3

10 P. Nianes 2 10

2 lb Cold Thread 8

1 P. Cold Tape 2 4

1 Bank Cloth 1 15

14 Lings Sorted 7 4

8 Doz Hooks 3 10

Carried over £282 11 7½

Expence of the Genll Table in Decr

1725

12 P. Beef Labg Blacks £1 10

do Table 2/6 2 2 6

4 lb Beef 26d P 100 8 6

21 P. Salt Pork 2 19 6

113 lb Beagle 2 16 6

72 lb Pork 1 16

95 lb Bread 1 3 9

155 lb Sugar 3 4 6

116 lb Flower 1 8 9

46 Galls Arr Table 14 11 4

4 1/2 Guards & Blacks 1 8 6

22 Bottles Mount 3 6

28 do Sherry 4 4

18 do Sack 5 8

8 do Port 14

6 Goates 3

60 Turkeys 1 16

8 Duck 16

46 Fowles 3 9

32 lb Candles 4 2

26 lb Soap 1 15 6

268 Eggs 1 1 6

30 lb Butter 1 10

24 Days Greens 1 4

74 4 9

Brought Over £282 11 7½

Genll Charges

1 Cask Wheat 3 16

1 double Cattie Bohea Tea 12

1 Small do Green 4

1 lb Cutt Tobbies 2 3

12 Pipes 6

1 Box Candles 160 lb 16

1 Wood Ax 3 4

1 Helve 1

10 Doz Corks 2 6

10 China Bowles 1 5

12 Cups & Saucers 6

1 lb 3d Nailes 1 1

4 Large Ale Glasses 10

1 1/2 Doz Wine do

4 Pewter Dishes 8 1 12

5 do 6/3 1 11 3

3 do 4/3 12 9

1 lb Pack Thread 1 9

Totall £315 1 1½

Gunrs Stores Expd in Decr

1725

1 Muster Day

10

6 Remd Magazin & lost by

Badnesd of Corks &c 200

15 An Alarm

4 4 4

do arrived Eaton Galy Gregory

26 An Alarm

4 4 4

do arrived Compton Cap Mawson

5 5 5

27 Deld Thos Allis

1

Expence for the Guardes Time

12

Cartridge Papr for do 1

17 2 15 242

do Deld Mr Crispe 1

Match

14

14 2

Jno French

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Honourable Company's blacks:

Brought over, £170 10s 10½d

4 casks of beef, £39 0s 0d

5 casks of wheat, £19 0s 0d

2 casks of peas, £9 10s 0d

1,972 pounds of rice, £24 13s 0d

11 pounds of herring thread at 5s 9d, £3 3s 3d

124½ yards of kersey, £11 8s 3d

10 pieces of nicanees, £2 10s 0d

2 pounds of coloured thread, £0 8s 0d

1 pound of coloured tape, £0 2s 4d

1 bundle of tick, £1 15s 0d

14 skins sorted, £0 7s 4d

8 dozen hooks, £0 3s 10d

Carried over, £282 11s 7½d

General charges:

Brought over, £282 11s 7½d

1 cask of wheat, £3 16s 0d

1 double catty of bohea tea, £0 12s 0d

1 small catty of green tea, £0 4s 0d

1 pound of nicked fowlies, £0 2s 3d

12 pipes, £0 0s 6d

1 box of candles, 160 pounds, £16 4s 0d

1 wood axe, £0 3s 4d

1 helve, £0 1s 0d

10 dozen corks, £0 2s 6d

10 china bowls, £1 5s 0d

12 cups and saucers, £0 6s 0d

1 pound of threepenny nails, £0 1s 1d

4 large ale glasses, £0 10s 0d

1½ dozen wine glasses, £0 0s 0d

4 pewter dishes, £1 12s 0d

5 pewter dishes at 6s 3d, £1 11s 3d

3 pewter dishes at 4s 3d, £0 12s 9d

1 pound of coarse thread, £0 1s 9d

Total £315 1s 1½d

Expense of the General Table in December 1725:

12 pounds of beef for attending blacks, £1 10s 0d

17 pounds of beef for the table at 2s 6d, £2 2s 6d

642 pounds of beef at 26s per 100, £8 0s 6d

21 pounds of salt pork, £2 19s 6d

113 pounds of beagle, £2 16s 6d

72 pounds of pork, £1 16s 0d

95 pounds of bread, £1 3s 9d

155 pounds of sugar, £3 17s 6d

116 pounds of flour, £1 8s 9d

46 gallons of arrack for the table, £14 11s 4d

4½ pounds of tea for guards and attending blacks, £1 8s 6d

22 bottles of Betty Mountain, £3 6s 0d

28 bottles of sherry, £4 4s 0d

18 bottles of sack, £5 8s 0d

8 bottles of port, £1 4s 0d

6 goats, £3 0s 0d

6 turkeys, £1 16s 0d

8 ducks, £0 16s 0d

46 fowls, £3 9s 0d

32 pounds of candles, £4 2s 0d

26 pounds of soap, £1 15s 6d

268 eggs, £1 1s 6d

30 pounds of butter, £1 10s 0d

24 dozen greens, £1 4s 0d

Total £74 4s 9d

Gunner's stores expended in December 1725:

1 December, muster day: 10 pounds of powder

6 December, upon removing the magazine and loft by reason of the leaks: 200 pounds of powder

15 December, an alarm, and upon the arrival of the Eaton Galley, Captain Gregory: 4 pounds 4s 4d

26 December, an alarm, and upon the arrival of the Compton, Captain Mawson: 5 pounds 5s 5d

27 December, sold to Mr Allis: 1 pound

Expended for the guards: 12 pounds of powder

Total: 17 pounds 2s 15d, 242 pounds

Cartridge paper for the guards: 1 pound

Cartridge paper sold to Mr Crispe: 1 pound

Match: 14 pounds

Total: 14 pounds 9d

The account was signed by John French, John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The account divided the store's December issues among the several heads of the establishment. The Honourable Company's blacks drew by far the heaviest charge, chiefly in beef, wheat, peas and 1,972 pounds of rice for the slave force. The general charges added household stores such as pewter, glass and a large box of candles, carrying the whole to a total of £315 1s 1½d.

The General Table account set out the food and drink at the Company's own table for December 1725. Beef at £8 0s 6d and arrack for the table at £14 11s 4d formed the heaviest charges, alongside sherry, sack, port and other provisions, reaching a total of £74 4s 9d.

The gunner's account recorded an unusually heavy charge of powder for the month. A great quantity of 200 pounds was spent on 6 December when the magazine and loft were shifted because of leaks, far exceeding the ordinary charges for the muster day, the guards and the salutes to arriving ships.

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At a Sessions held on Thursday 20th Janry 1725/6 at the

Sessions House in James Valley

Prest John Smith Esqr Govr & Judge

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander Afsistants

Jno Goodwin

The Court being Opend the Sevll Persons following were Sworn of

the Jury vizt

Gabriel Powell Foreman 1 Richd Beale 7

Orlando Bagley 2 Richd Stanford 8

Jonathan Doveton 3 Thos Steward 9

William Seale 4 Jno Long 10

Francis Wrangham 5 Roger Funge 11

Joshua Johnson 6 Richd Mason 12

William Beale Planter Presented a Declaration agt Jno French Gunr

for Whipping his Black Which without legal Authority for so doeing

which flung her into a fit of Sickness Praying Suitable Damages for

the Same, but it appearing by the Testimony of Sevrall Blacks that

were Examind as Witnefses in behalf of both Parties that the recovering

only System, & other Lands does not at all Benefit her hurt by

the said Whipping the haveing born the usuall Rally, Labour for Sevrl

days afterwards before the Complaind of any hurt, & doing yet Some

being Idleing for those Seven days past, & it appearing that she was

whipt for using the Governrs Name with Intent to Defraud his ye

Cistern of a Galleon Arrack, the Jury without going out found for the

Plaintiffe, Mr Wignals Testimony declaring not only he was Sent for the

found the Wench ill but had so not the Cause of her Sickness not being

materiall, to the matter in Question

Sutton Isaack Planter presented two Declarations & C referd two

Inditments agt Thomas Free

the Inditment Set forth that the said Thos Free on or about the

18th day of May last had broke other times both before & Since &

Empty for Lack by the Emptied into the Yard belonging to the Dwelling

House of the said Free in James Valley divers Loads Corks or Tubs of Sich

Dung & Ordure from whence many Nortid Corrupt Confusion vaperous

& the Stench & very daily up to the so great Damage & offence of the

Neighbourhood & other the Inhabitants become a most vigr Nusance

& dangerous to the Health of the Inhabitants, agt the Crew bed

The first Declaration Setforth That the Sd Isaack Dwelling

At a court held on Thursday 20 January 1725/6 at the sessions house in James Valley, present John Smith Esquire, Governor and Judge, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin, assistants.

The court was opened and the following persons were sworn as jurors.

1: Gabriel Powell, foreman

2: Orlando Bagley

3: Jonathan Doveton

4: William Seale

5: Francis Wrangham

6: Joshua Johnson

7: Richard Beale

8: Richard Sortwood

9: Henry Steward

10: Henry Long

11: Henry Funge

12: Richard Mason

William Beale, planter, presented a declaration against John French for whipping his black without lawful authority, and for damages. French had whipped the slave, which drove him into a fit, and Beale asked reasonable damages for the injury. It appeared, by the testimony of several blacks examined as witnesses on behalf of both parties, that the slave recovered only 16 or 18 lands. Beale had not at all argued the point by the whipping. The hearing began the usual early. Coward, for four days afterwards, before the complaint of any hurt, had not been seen going to those seven-days-past, and it appeared now that the slave was whipped for using the Governor's name with intent to defraud the Governor of a gallon of arrack. The party, without going out, argued for the plaintiff. Wignall testified formerly, argued not only that he was sent for the found the whipping, but also that it was not the cause of the illness, the injury not being material, to the matter in question.

Sutton Isaake, planter, presented two declarations, and referred to the indictment against Jonas Free. The indictment set forth that Free, on or about 5 May last, had broken other pens both before and since, and had emptied them for lack, by emptying into the ground belonging to the dwelling house of Isaake in James Valley, several loads of filth, dung and ordure, from whence many evil and corrupt exhalations happened. The stench, done daily upon the ground, did much harm to the neighbourhood and to the other inhabitants, and became a nuisance dangerous to the health of the inhabitants, against the peace.

The first declaration set forth that Free's dwelling [...].

Interpretations

The Beale declaration turned on the whipping of a slave without lawful authority. French had punished the slave so severely that he fell into a fit, and Beale sought damages for the harm as his master. The evidence of the slaves called on both sides, together with the surgeon Wignall's testimony, went to whether the whipping had caused the lasting illness Beale complained of.

The charge against French carried a further ground touching the Governor's name. The slave had been whipped for using that name to defraud the Governor of a gallon of arrack, tying a private assault to a small fraud practised through the authority of the government.

The Isaake indictment against Free set out a nuisance dangerous to health. Free had emptied loads of filth and dung onto ground beside Isaake's dwelling in James Valley, from which foul exhalations rose. The complaint framed the fouling as a harm to the whole neighbourhood, not to Isaake alone, and laid it as an offence against the peace.

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House had received great Damage from the flowing of the Water out of the Sd

Free Yard into the Ground floor of the Same, that the said Free had layd

his Servants to empty abundance of Filth & Ordure thro a hole under Sd

Wair & then turned Water upon it & Froze it into his Yard & After Soaked

it, that the Sd Free Suffers great Quantities of Water to Rung his Wall

which hath Soaked thro the Same & Cracked it in severall Places, that

the said Free hath also built worn Free Sd Blacks Wall & Black Fence

thereon & thereby Stopt up one of his Lights, & Cutt away the Slated off

of his Place & Guilty upon the Sog of the Same which in the Rainy Season

tore Our Free & Uff into every Room on the back Part of the Prohbst totally

Beg & Jeffrey Cutt of Frost & Guild thereon, Praying Satisfaction may

be made him for the Damages he hath received

To Support the Inditment & prove the Declaration the Sevrl Persons foll & were

called & Sworn vizt

James Leith who Sayth that he See Corks & Sponge, two of the Sd Frees

Servants to empty Corks of Tubs of Earth into their Masters Yard & that they

Same came in great Quantities out of the said Free into the Sd Frees Yard &

after Soaking the Same & Overflowing amost unfortunate Attack

Michael Doveton Sayth that he hath often Seen the said Places

Yard often floated with filthd & that, the same came from the Sd Frees Uff

& that the same hath been often Complaind of to the said Free

Joseph Hayse deposeth the Same

Giles Smyth affirms the Same to be true

Giles Hayse declare that the filth came out of the said Isaacs Yard

into his Yard just out of Frees into the said Isaacs Yard & hath & Steep

Seep the Same floated with ye said Filth, & also Sayth that to make the Sd

Place fenced Free to build upon the Wall or Cutt his Rafters

Samuel Wrangborg at the Desire of the said Free was Sworn who deposeth

that the said Free did never fetch such him not to build

The 2d Declaration agt the Sd Free at the Suit of ye Sd Isaac was read

Setting forth that the Sd Free had lately made a false & Extravagant Demand upon

him the Sd Isaac amtg to £23 17s & no Punch for wch Acct he ye Sd Isaac is

Charged with expising & unror hard & Sd Stors relying his own of ordook, that the

Injustice to good Practice in secretly Articles, & the Books of often Steep the charged

by themselves & Loud to his Acct, Praying distress &ca

To prove which James Leith was called & by ye Govd that the Sd Free made

Ent to upon the Charge of Some Money wch the Deponent believes he would

Say to the Sd Isaac but instead of Paying him he hath charged it to they

Isaac Acct wch plainly appeared by the Bill Store not Ended by the Sd Free

Leith deposeth that the said Free only put half a Cwt arack into a Bowle

he obliged to put in a Cint & Charged the same Cwe as of the past complent

had been in

Mary Edwards Sometime Servt to the Sd Free say th she wan that the both

Seen Mrs Free oftentimes Score the Same thing forth & particularly to ye Sd Isaac ye Sd Free

Isaake had received great damage from the flowing of the water out of Free's own yard into the ground floor of Isaake's. The declaration set forth that Free had employed his servants to empty abundance of filth and ordure, first turning water upon it and then forcing it into Isaake's yard. Isaake suffered a great quantity of water to lodge, which soaked through his ground and cracked it in several places. Free had also built a wall before Isaake's black wall and black fence, thereby throwing up one of his blinds and cutting off part of his black fence. Isaake laid the offence upon the flow of the water, which in the rainy season ran daily into every room on the back part of the house. He asked reasonable satisfaction for the damage he had received, and satisfaction was made to him for the damage he had received.

To support the indictment, and prove the declaration, the following persons were called and sworn.

James Leith, on oath, stated that he had seen Free and George, two of Free's slaves, ordered to empty pots of filth into their master's yard. He stated that the same came in great quantity out of Free's yard into Isaake's yard, after soaking the ground and occasioning a most unwholesome stench.

Michael Doveton, on oath, stated that he had often seen Free's yard flooded with filth. He stated that the same came from Free's own house, and that it had often been complained of to him.

Joseph Hayse deposed the same.

Giles Smith affirmed the same to be true.

Giles Hayse declared that the filth came out of Free's own yard into Isaake's yard, first forced out of Free's own house into Isaake's yard, which he had often seen flooded with filth. He stated that Isaake's back place was built upon the wall, or by his rafters.

Samuel Wignborough, at the desire of Free, deposed that Isaake's place did never flow, and that the same was never fenced, nor built.

The second declaration against Free, at the gut of Free's own place, was read. It set forth that Free had lately made a false and fraudulent demand upon Isaake of £23 17s 0d for punch, and that Isaake's own place was overcharged with unwholesome liquor. It set forth that punch sold in secret articles, and the books of Free's own house, showed the charge they made themselves and gave to his account, contrary to law.

To prove which James Leith was called, and being sworn, stated that Free's own place was upon the charge of Isaake being present. The deponent believed he would depose to the truth of Isaake's own place, but instead of paying him he had charged it to Free's place account, which plainly appeared by the bill. Free was not present.

Leith deposed that Free only put half a pint of arrack into a bowl he had been obliged to put a pint. Isaake charged the same. The same was as if the punch had been drunk.

Mary Coward, sometime servant to Free's own place, on oath, stated that she had often seen Free of the mistress serve the same thing forth, and in particular to Isaake's own place.

Interpretations

The Isaake nuisance case rested on the testimony of several witnesses who described the fouling of his ground. James Leith, Michael Doveton, Joseph Hayse and the Hayses all confirmed that filth from Free's house and yard flowed into Isaake's, soaking the ground and raising an unwholesome stench. The weight of concurring evidence built the complaint into a proven danger to health.

The second declaration charged Free with a false demand for the price of drink. He had billed Isaake £23 17s 0d for punch he denied owing, and the account was said to overcharge for unwholesome liquor. The dispute over how much arrack Free put into each bowl, half a pint against the pint required, turned the matter into a question of honest measure.

The evidence of Samuel Wignborough, called at Free's own request, sought to answer the nuisance charge. He deposed that Isaake's ground never flooded and was never fenced or built upon, contradicting the account the other witnesses had given.

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Mr Free not Saying any thing or Producing any Booke Acct or Witnefs

in the Inditemt the Jury without & being returned delivered the foll & Verdict

vizt

We think it very Unreasonable that any Filth should be Emptied into

Mr Water Course Running thro the Back Yards

2dly We think every One ought to keep a Sufficient Water Course through

the Back yard to Indemnify his Neighbour

3dly As to the Building We allow of no Damage only that Thos Free

keep a Sufficient Spout to convey the Water that Falls from the Eves

of the House that it may not Damage Sutton Isaac, but as to the Ladder

We think it convenient that none Should be kept in the Galley except

it be under Lock & Key

4thly As to the Bill We allow Mr Free Ten Pounds out of the Ballance

of the Acct for those Reasons vizt

1st for Over Charging

2ly for not Emptied in the due Allowance of Arrack

Mary Swallow Spinstr likewise Presented a Declaration

agt Joseph Bates for Saying She was with Child & that Jno Floridd Corp

myself Father it which being fully Proved by ye Evidence of ye Sd Reports the

Jury found for the Plaintiffe & finding Damage to the Pleasure &

Displeasure of the Judges

Pompey a Negro Boy belonging to Andrew Bourg Corpr being

Indicted & by his own Confession Convicted of Burglary & Felony for

breaking open the Dwelling House of Joseph Bates & Stealing thence

Meal Bread & Oyle to the Value of ten Pence, the whole Punishment for

the first offence was alleged now vizt 100 Lashes, Branded in the

Forehead with the Letter R & flogged with an Iron Weight of thirty Pound

John Cotgrave Presented a Declaration Claiming a right

& Title to Ten Acres Land now in the Pofsefsion of Serjt Wood

but the Jury not thinking themselves Cort petent Judges of the Affair

desired the same might be Referred to the Honble Company

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Free, not saying anything or producing any book or witnesses on the indictment, merely denied and evaded the charge. The court then delivered the following judgement.

The court thought it very unreasonable that any filth should be emptied into the watercourse running through the back yards.

The court ordered that everyone keep a sufficient watercourse through the back yards to indemnify his neighbour.

As to the building, the court allowed no damage, only that Free keep a sufficient spout to convey the water from the eaves of the house, so that it might not damage Sutton Isaake. As to the ladder, the court thought it convenient that none should be kept in the alley except under lock and key.

As to the bill, the court allowed Free £10 0s 0d out of the balance of his account for that reason.

As to costs for the arrack, the court allowed nothing in the due allowance of arrack.

Mary Swallow, spinster, presented a declaration against Joseph Bates for saying she was with child, and that Free might well suffer for it. This was fully proved by the evidence of Free. The court reported the jury found for the plaintiff, referring the damages to the pleasure and decision of the judge.

Pompey, a black boy belonging to Andrew Berg, cooper, being indicted and convicted by his own confession of burglary and felony for breaking open the dwelling house of Joseph Bates and stealing flour, bread and oil to the value of 10 pounds. The court reported the punishment to the fine and pleasure alleged upon him at 100 lashes. He was branded in the cheek with the letter R and clogged with an iron weight of 30 pounds.

John Cotgrave presented a declaration claiming a right and title to two acres of land now in the possession of Mr Ward. The jury, not thinking themselves competent judges of the affair, desired that the matter might be referred to the Honourable Company.

The court was signed by John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The court answered the nuisance case with practical orders rather than damages. It required every inhabitant to keep a clear watercourse through the back yards, and directed Free to fit a spout to carry rainwater from his eaves clear of Sutton Isaake's ground. The rulings fixed the physical cause of the harm rather than merely compensating for it.

The disputed drink bill was settled by a partial allowance. The court granted Free £10 0s 0d from the balance of his account but refused the charge for arrack, cutting a demand it held to be inflated. The judgement pared the claim to what it thought honest rather than voiding it entirely.

The sentence on Pompey showed the harsh discipline reserved for a slave convicted of burglary. Breaking into Joseph Bates's house and stealing provisions brought 100 lashes, branding on the cheek and an iron clog. The severity marked the gulf between the punishment of a slave and the fines imposed on free offenders at the same court.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 1st Febry 1725/6 at

Plantation House Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

We Executed a Lease to Jno Joseph Lufkin for two Acres of Wast

of Land in Stone Top Valley for the Term of 21 Years at the usual

Rent of 4d P. Acre & One Shilling Duty

The Sevrall Persons following Presented Petitions vizt

Joseph Bates Setting forth that there hath been a Report

lately Spread, that Joseph Coles adopt Son of John Coales & de

is dead in India, by Matthew Mudge being Indebted to the said

Joseph Coales in a large Sum of Money for the Company whereof

the said Mudge now Bond to the said Coales, but the same by accident

being either Lost or Destroyed as also a Letter of Attorney made by the said

Coales to Richard Gurling empowering the said Gurling to Reciev & Use

for the same who de

This Petr therefore humbly Prays Yr Worship & ye Councill will

be pleased to Examine the said Mudge respecting the Premises, & that

We would oblige him to Enter into fresh Bonds for the Payment of the

Same to the Behove of the said Joseph Coales in Case the Rumors of his

Death be true

the said Mudge was called in & Says he has given two Bonds Wm

Sutton Isaac & Giles Smith for Security of the said Money but not haveing

made Part of Payment at the arrival of the said Steorship according too

the Contract &c, Twenty five Cwt to grow to have Paid on the

Acres of the Last Storeship and Fifty Pound more at the Emerp fofses

which is Twenty five Pounds

John Harding Praying to be Admitted Tenant to the Honble

Compy for about One Acre & half of the Honble Compys Wast Land lying

in Deep Valley

Granted Provided that if the said Harding will take Some other Land that he enjoy

the benefit of & on this to him will yr view next Octr for Wee are willing to Grant her Both

John Cotgrove Praying that Liberty may be Granted him to

Prade his Case Relating to his Title to Ten Acres Land now in the Possession

of Serjt Wood whereupon the Last Sessions was Refered by the Jury to the Honble

Company in order to be Transmitted to England

Granted

John Smith

Jno Alexander

At a consultation held on Tuesday 1 February 1725/6 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

The council executed a lease to John Cruise for two acres and a half of land in Stone Top Valley, for the term of 21 years at the usual rent of 4s 0d per acre and one shilling head duty.

The several persons following presented petitions.

Joseph Bates set forth that a report had lately been spread that Joseph Coles, the adopted son of John Coles deceased, had died in India. Jonathan Mudge, being indebted to Joseph Coles in a large sum of money for the payment of which Mudge stood bound to Coles, but Coles by accident being since dead, had made over a letter of attorney to Richard Gurling, empowering Gurling to receive and use it for the same.

Bates therefore asked the council to summon Mudge, touching the receipt, and to oblige him to enter into fresh bond for the payment of the same to the desire of Joseph Coles, in case the report of his death be true.

Mudge, being called and present, stated that he had given two bonds. Isaac Smith stood surety for the money, but with a clause making a part of the payment fall due at the arrival of the goods. According to the terms of the contract, £25 0s 0d was to be paid on the arrival of the last ship, and £50 0s 0d more at the arrival of the next, which is £75 0s 0d.

John Harding asked to be admitted tenant to the Honourable Company for about four acres and a half of the Honourable Company's west land lying in Deep Valley.

The council granted it, provided that the parcel be let, and some other land that the enjoyment of it be to him and no harm to anyone. Captain Goodwin was to grant it.

John Cotgrave asked that liberty be granted him to stake his title to two acres of land now in the possession of Ward. The matter having been earlier referred by the jury to the Honourable Company, in order to be represented to England, the council granted it.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, John Alexander.

Interpretations

The Bates petition sought to secure a debt endangered by the death of the creditor abroad. Joseph Coles was reported dead in India, and Jonathan Mudge owed him a large sum under bond. Bates asked the council to compel a fresh bond, payable to Gurling under the letter of attorney, so the money should not be lost through the creditor's death.

Mudge answered by setting out the terms already fixed in his existing bonds. Payment fell due by instalments tied to the arrival of ships, £25 0s 0d on the last and £50 0s 0d on the next, making £75 0s 0d in all. His account showed the debt was structured and secured rather than open.

The Cotgrave petition continued a claim already sent beyond the island. The jury had earlier referred his title to two acres to the Honourable Company for reference to England. The council granted him liberty to pursue it, keeping the disputed title within the metropolitan authority the jury had invoked.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 8th day Febry

1725/6 at Plantation House Present Jno Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

John Gurling Planter being Destitute of a

Sufficient Quantity of Land to make a Plantation for the better Support

& Maintenance of himself & Family, humbly Prays to be Tenant Purchasr

of a Piece of the Honble Compys Land within the Ditch or Curtain called

the Long Grass next to the Land called Belvir Wills, & now in the Possession

of Capt Jno Goodwin containing about One Acre, & haveing fenced

& kept up about the Same have agreed to Lett him have it at the Rent or Rate

of thirty Pounds

Ordred that Capt Goodwin do Measure the said Land & to being

in a Plan thereof in Order to the said Gurling haveing about of what part

the Same with the Ditch or Curtain adjoyning the Better to Ascertain his Title as

well as to make a Distinction between that & the Honble Compys Land lying

adjoyning thereto

And forasmuch as the said Jno Gurling hath desired to

have the Refusal of it or any part of the Rest of the said Honble Compys Curtain

in Case it be sold at any time hereafter, & he being every order Industrious

Man We are the more willing to Comply with, his Desire he giveing too much

as any other Person will on the same be valued at

Mr Byfeld Capt Goodwin, Mr French &

Mr Crispe delivered each their Monthly Acct for January last

which were Severally Examind & Approved & are as follow vizt

1st An Alarm

4 2 2 6

do Arrived the James & Mary

9 2 9

5th Muster Day

19

do for the Use of the Table to Governr

18 18 18

11th Departed Compton & James & Mary

18

Expence for the Guards Time

31 2 29 56½

Cartridge Papr Expended

Sheep Skins

Match 25th

Jno French

At a consultation held on Tuesday 8 February 1725/6 at the plantation house, present John Smith Esquire Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The last consultation was read and approved.

John Gurling, planter, being destitute of a sufficient quantity of land to make a plantation for the better support and maintenance of himself and family, asked to become tenant for a parcel of the Honourable Company's land within the west quarter, called the Long Gut, next the land called Coxes Well, now in the possession of Coxes Defountain, containing about one acre. Having fenced and thrown about the ground, he had agreed to hold it at the rent or rate of 30 pounds.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin measure the land, and that, being in a plantation therein next to Gurling, having about half of the same, with the ground adjacent to it, Captain Goodwin make a distinction between that and the Honourable Company's land adjoining thereto.

Since Gurling had asked to have the preference of it, or any part of the land held for pasture, in case it be sold at any time hereafter, and being very often indebted, Gurling was more content to comply with the council, before it be given to as much as any other person, and the land be valued at the same.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe each delivered their monthly account for January last, which were examined and approved and stand as follows.

Gunner's stores expended in January 1725/6.

1 January, an alarm: 4 pounds 2s 2d, 6 pounds

2 January, upon the arrival of the James and Mary: 9 pounds 2s 9d

5 January, muster day: 19 pounds

8 January, for the use of the table to Mr Cruise: 18 pounds 18s 18d

11 January, departed the Compton, and the James and Mary: 18 pounds

Expended for the guards: 12 pounds

Cartridge paper expended: 31 pounds 2s 29d, 56 pounds

Sheep skins: 25

Match, signed Mr French

Interpretations

The Gurling petition arose from a planter's want of ground to support his family. He sought a small parcel of Company land in the Long Gut, which he had already fenced, and offered to hold it at a fixed rate. His poverty and frequent debt led him to ask for first refusal of the land should it ever be sold.

The council answered by ordering a careful survey before any grant. Captain Goodwin was to measure the parcel and mark a clear boundary between it and the adjoining Company land held for pasture. The order preserved the council's settled practice of fixing limits before letting waste ground.

The gunner's account recorded the powder spent through January 1725/6, chiefly on alarms, the muster day and the salutes to ships arriving and departing. The coming of the James and Mary and the departure of the Compton both drew their charges of powder.

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86 lb Sugar

2 3 15

15 lb Candy

- 15 -

159 lb Bread

1 14 9

94 lb Flour

1 3 6

30 lb Cutt Tobacco

8 7 6

14 Doz Pipes

- 7 -

3 lb Bohea Tea

- 18 -

6 Catties Green d°

1 4 -

3 lb Hair Powder

- 3 -

3 d° Ce Oyle

- 4 6

8 China Bowles

1 - -

2 Sneakers

- 1 -

15 Cups & Saucers

- 7 6

6 Half Pint Cups

- 2 -

14 Small d°

- 2 4

1 Wooden Bowle

- - 6

1 d° Platter

- 1 3

1 Ps Gingham

- 7 6

1 Blleud d°

- 6 6

1 d° Shelloe

- 17 -

1 De Sotees

- 10 -

1 Coarse Long Cloth

1 - -

1 White Guiney

- 9 6

5 White Shirts

- 12 6

1 d° Cotton Stock

- 2 6

1 Ps d° Shirteck

1 10 -

13 yd° Kersey

1 6 8

1 Ivory Comb

- 1 -

6 yd° Fennell

- 14 -

8 Ps Nailes Forked

- 6 4

4 lb Shoe Thread

- 10 -

1 Line

- 3 4

3 Ps Side Hinges

- 1 9

1 d°

- 4 10

2 Chest Locks

- 2 10

30 lb Soap

2 2 6

1 Ps Cives Calve Sea Shoes

- 3 -

1 d° Turkey Sea

- 5 3

1 Mens Sp: Lea

- 8 4

1 d° Calves Lea

- 6 8

2 Ps Cottn Stock d°

- 8 -

1 Ps Pint Sauce Pan

- 1 9

1 Ql d°

- 1 2

1 Ql Fennell

- 1 2

2¼ Suffed Dimothy

- 3 9

1 Midling Lanthorn

- 3 11½

2¼ Corded Dimothy

Caried over

Brought Over £

1 Ps Brass Candlesticks

- 1° -

1 d° Snuffers & Stands

- 3 6

9 yd° Broad Ferreting

- 3 -

1 lb Doz Thread Laces

- 1 6

1 Ps Broad Holland Tape

- 1 4

1 Gold D°

- 2 1

2 Ps Oz China Silk

- 2 6

1 ½ d°

- 2 3

3 Doz Shirt Buttons

- 2 8

2 ½ Breast d°

- 1 3

1 Skain Mohair

- - 3

4 M. Pins

- 5 1

1 Oz Fine Thread ©

- 3 6

1 ½ Brown Thread

- 2 -

Totall to ye Inhabts £ 29 9 3½

Diet Expences

130 Gall Ana £42: 3: 4

163 Sugar 2: 1: 6

448 Bread 5: 12: -

1 Cask Beas 4: 15: -

6 lb Candy - : 6: -

1 lb Pepper - : 1: -

4 Grose Corks - : 12: -

55 10 10

Genll Charges

9 Bud: Salt 2: 18: 6

1 Double d° Sea - : 12: -

50 lb Soap 3: 10: 10½

1 Ps B Shoe Tape - : 1: 4

2 lb Sack Thread - : 4: 4½

7 7 -½

Plantacon brigt

156 lb Rice 1: 18: -

4 Gall Trayn Oyle 1: 4: -

1 Ps Taylors Shears - : 3: -

3 6 -

Fortificacon D°

16 lb 16 d° Nailes L - 10: 8

10: 24 d° d° 5: 10

- 16 6

Carreon D°

8 Catties Green Tea 1: 12: -

3 Gall: Rape Oyle - : 18: -

1 Chest Lock - : 5: 6

2 15 6

Great Wood

11 lb Rope L - 5: 6

2 Lyps - : 1: 10

1 Gimblet - : - : 6

- 7 10

Caried over

86 lb sugar, £0 2s 3d

15 lb candy, £0 0s 15d

159 lb bread, £0 1s 14d

94 lb flour, £0 1s 3d

30 lb cut tobacco, £0 8s 7d

14 dozen pipes, £0 0s 7d

3 lb bohea tea, £0 0s 18d

6 catties green tea, £0 1s 4d

3 lb hair powder, £0 0s 3d

3 lb sweet oil, £0 0s 4d

8 china bowls, £0 1s 0d

2 sneakers, £0 0s 1d

15 cups and saucers, £0 0s 7d

6 half pint cups, £0 0s 2d

14 small cups, £0 0s 2d

1 wooden bowl, £0 0s 6d

1 wooden platter, £0 0s 1d

1 piece gingham, £0 0s 7d

1 piece blue gingham, £0 0s 6d

1 piece chelloe, £0 0s 17d

1 piece doosooties, £0 0s 10d

1 coarse long cloth, £0 1s 0d

1 white gurrah, £0 0s 9d

5 white shirts, £0 0s 12d

1 pair cotton stockings, £0 0s 2d

1 piece chintz, £0 1s 10d

13 yards kersey, £0 1s 6d

1 ivory comb, £0 0s 1d

6 yards fennel, £0 0s 14d

8 lb forked nails, £0 0s 6d

4 lb shoe thread, £0 0s 10d

1 line, £0 0s 3d

3 pairs side hinges, £0 0s 1d

1 pair side hinges, £0 0s 10d

2 chest locks, £0 0s 2d

30 lb soap, £0 2s 2d

1 pair girls calf leather shoes, £0 0s 3d

1 pair turned shoes, £0 0s 5d

1 pair mens Spanish leather, £0 0s 8d

1 pair calves leather, £0 0s 6d

2 pairs cotton stockings, £0 0s 8d

1 tin pint sauce pan, £0 0s 1d

1 pair diaper, £0 0s 1d

1 pair fennel, £0 0s 1d

2¼ tufted dimity, £0 0s 3d

1 middling lanthorn, £0 0s 3d

2¼ corded dimity, £0 0s 5d

carried over

Brought over

1 pair brass candlesticks, £0 1s 0d

1 pair snuffers and stand, £0 3s 6d

9 yards broad ferreting, £0 3s 0d

1 dozen thread laces, £0 1s 0d

1 pair broad Holland tape, £0 1s 4d

1 pair fine ditto, £0 2s 1d

2 pieces China silk, £0 2s 6d

1 piece ditto, £0 2s 3d

3 dozen shirt buttons, £0 2s 8d

2 dozen breast buttons, £0 1s 3d

1 skein mohair, £0 0s 3d

4 M pins, £0 5s 1d

1 ounce fine thread, £0 3s 6d

1 pair crown thread, £0 0s 2d

Total to the inhabitants, £29 9s 3½d

Diet Expenses

130 gallons arrack, £42 3s 4d

163 lb sugar, £2 1s 6d

448 lb bread, £5 12s 0d

1 cask peas, £4 15s 0d

6 lb candy, £0 0s 6d

1 lb pepper, £0 1s 0d

4 gross corks, £0 12s 0d

Total, £55 10s 10d

General Table Expenses

9 bushels salt, £2 18s 6d

1 double catty tea, £0 12s 0d

50 lb soap, £3 10s 10d

1 pair broad Holland tape, £0 1s 4d

2 lb cask thread, £4 4s 4½d

Total, £7 7s 0½d

Plantation Expenses

156 lb rice, £1 18s 0d

4 gallons train oil, £1 4s 0d

1 pair Taylor's shoes, £0 3s 0d

Total, £3 6s 0d

Fortification Expenses

16 lb 16d nails, £0 10s 8d

10 lb 24d ditto, £0 5s 10d

Total, £0 16s 6d

Garrison Expenses

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

3 gallons rape oil, £0 18s 0d

1 chest lock, £0 5s 6d

Total, £2 15s 6d

Great Wood

11 lb rope, £0 5s 6d

2 saws, £0 1s 10d

1 gimlet, £0 0s 6d

Total, £0 7s 10d

carried over

Interpretations

This is the monthly store-goods account, divided by the heads the Company used to charge its expenditure: the goods sold to the inhabitants, then the diet of the general table, the general table's own supplies, the plantation, the fortifications, the garrison and the Great Wood. Arrack stood at 130 gallons and £42 3s 4d, by far the largest single charge on the diet account, as it was on every account of this kind.

Several of the textile and haberdashery lines describe goods carried from India and sold on at the store. A gurrah was a plain coarse Indian cotton cloth, doosooties a stout twofold cotton, and chelloe a checked or striped cotton of the Coromandel trade. Kersey was a coarse ribbed woollen cloth, and dimity a stout cotton woven with a raised stripe or figure, here both tufted and corded. Ferreting was a narrow woven tape used for binding and edging, and mohair a fine worsted yarn. Bohea and green tea, reckoned by the pound and by the catty, were the cheaper and dearer grades of the China leaf.

Train oil was oil rendered from the blubber of whales or seals, used for lamps and for dressing leather and rope, and rape oil the pressed oil of rapeseed, both burnt for light and worked into the fortification and boat stores. The nails on the fortification account are entered by their old sizing in pennyweight, the sixteen-penny and twenty-four-penny sorts denoting length rather than price.

The Great Wood account records rope, saws and a gimlet charged to the upkeep of the island's chief timber reserve. The felling and preservation of that wood had become a settled charge by this date, the planting covenant of 13 March 1725 having bound every holder to raise and keep live wood against the loss the arrack distilling had caused.

78

76

Brought Over £

Honble Comps Blacks

4 Cask Beefe

£ 5 2 -

2 D° Cutt

2 4 -

4 D° Wheat

15 4 -

1360 lb Rice ©

17 4 -

121½ yd° Kersey

11 13 9

6 Bibles

2 8 -

10 Cask Nuggets

2 10 -

2 Red Herrid

- 8 -

1 Bran

- 2 1

3 Grose Brass Buttons

1 7 - © 126 9 10

226 1 10

Expence of ye Govrs Table in January 1735/6

51 Gall Cor: Ca: for Table

16 3 -

7 d° Guard & Serv: Blacks

2 4 4

49 Gall Punch Sort 8/6

6 2 6

55 d° Mountain 3°

8 5 -

45 d° Tea

2 3 -

20 d° Sherry 3°

3 - -

2 d° Sack

- 12 -

12 Gall Beer for Blacks

1 10 -

16 D° Table

2 3 6

22 lb Pork

1 2 4

125 lb Bread

1 11 3

132 lb Sugar

3 3 6

7 lb Turkey

- 11 6

74 Confee

5 11 6

25 lb Candles

1 5 6

25 lb Cabbes

2 3 6

175 lb Sherry

2 9 -

670 lb Beefe

8 9 6

89 lb Veale

2 9 8

2 Sheep

- 18 -

54 lb Pork

1 7 -

1 Kidd

- 5 6

38 lb Butter

1 1 8

38 Days Green

1 1 18

D° Expes £

84 - 7

Brought over

Honourable Company's Blacks

4 casks peas, £5 2s 0d

2 casks salt, £2 4s 0d

4 casks wheat, £15 4s 0d

1,360 lb rice, £17 4s 0d

127½ yards kersey, £11 13s 9d

6 goblins, £2 4s 0d

10 lb sugar, £2 10s 0d

2 lb thread, £0 8s 0d

1 lb tar, £0 2s 1d

3 gross brass buttons, £1 7s 0d

Total, £126 9s 10d

Total, £226 1s 10d

Expenses of the General Table in February 1725/6

51 quarts arrack for the table, £16 3s 0d

7 pieces guard and slaughtered blacks, £2 4s 4d

49 lb pork at 8d, £6 2s 0d

55 lb mountain at 3d, £8 6s 0d

45 lb tea, £2 5s 0d

20 lb sherry at 3d, £3 0s 0d

2 lb salt, £0 1s 0d

12 pieces beef for blacks, £1 10s 0d

16 lb veal, £2 3s 6d

22 lb pork, £3 2s 4d

125 lb bread, £1 11s 6d

132 lb sugar, £3 9s 6d

7 lb turkey, £5 11s 6d

74 lb fowls, £1 6s 6d

23 lb candles, £1 3s 6d

25 lb candles, £2 3s 6d

175 lb sherry, £2 3s 0d

670 lb beef, £8 9s 6d

84 lb veal, £2 9s 7d

2 sheep, £0 0s 8d

54 lb pork, £1 4s 7d

1 kid, £0 1s 6d

38 lb butter, £1 1s 5d

38 days greens, £1 1s 18d

Total, £84 0s 7d

Interpretations

This continues the monthly store and general-table account, carrying over the charge for the goods issued to the Honourable Company's slaves and then setting out the general-table diet for February 1725/6. The slaves' account ran chiefly to bulk provisions and clothing material, the 1,360 lb of rice and the 127½ yards of kersey the heaviest single lines, kersey being the coarse ribbed woollen cloth regularly cut up for the slaves' winter garments.

Peas, wheat and salt were shipped in cask as the staple imported foodstuffs to supplement the island's own yams and fresh meat. The tar and brass buttons were small stores for rigging and clothing, and the goblins were probably a coarse metal or earthenware vessel issued for the slaves' use.

The general-table account mixes imported salt provisions, arrack, sherry and tea with fresh island beef, veal, mutton, pork, kid, turkey, fowls, butter and greens, the pattern of every monthly return of the table. Arrack again stood as the largest single charge by value at £16 3s 0d, the settled leading article of the establishment's diet, while the run of fresh meat and garden greens shows the table drawing heavily on the Company's own stock and plantations.

79

77

Remd 25 10ber

32 64 5 1 3 62 5 17½ 51 20 19 3 93 129 56 152 7 344 14 19 1 39 73 92 166 7 17 4 7 2 9

Invd to othr Farm

- - - - - 13 - 13 - - - - - 47 59 15 - 121 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bt in d°

2 - - - - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Killed in d°

34 64 5 1 3 75 5 187½ 51 20 19 3 93 176 115 167 7 465 14 19 1 39 73 92 166 7 17 4 7 2 9

Sold in D°

32 64 5 1 3 74 5 185 51 19 19 3 92 176 115 166 7 464 14 18 1 39 73 91 146 7 17 4 7 2 9

Goats Cutt & grown in d°

28 64 5 1 3 74 5 180 51 19 19 3 93 176 115 166 7 464 14 18 1 39 72 91 146 7 17 4 7 2 9

Dead in D°

28 64 5 1 3 74 5 180 51 19 19 3 92 176 115 60 7 358 14 18 1 39 73 91 146 7 17 4 7 2 9

28 64 5 1 3 74 5 180 51 19 19 3 92 176 115 60 7 358 13 18 - 39 70 86 146 7 17 4 7 2 9

Gams Expended at the sevll Plantacon 48550 lb

D°: Deld to the Fort Blacks - 11875

60425 lb

John Smith

Edwrd Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Note: this page carries no column headings. The animal for each column is

supplied from the order kept in the earlier monthly live-stock accounts of this

run. Read left to right, the columns are: bulls, cows, bullocks, heifers,

steers, yearlings, calves, then sheep, then a block of goats by class, then

hogs, then the poultry and asses (turkeys, geese, fowls, ducks, asses). The

figures follow the same left-to-right order under each row heading below.

Remaining 25 December

bulls 32, cows 64, bullocks 5, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 62, calves 5, sheep 17½, goats 51, goats 20, goats 19, goats 3, goats 93, goats 129, goats 56, goats 152, goats 7, goats 344, hogs 14, hogs 19, hogs 1, turkeys 39, geese 73, fowls 92, fowls 166, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Increased to the other farm

bulls -, cows -, bullocks -, heifers -, steers 13, yearlings -, calves 13, sheep -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats 47, goats 59, goats 15, goats -, goats 121, hogs -, hogs -, hogs -, turkeys -, geese -, fowls -, fowls -, ducks -, ducks -, ducks -, asses -, asses -, asses -

Bought in ditto

bulls 2, cows -, bullocks -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves 2, sheep -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, goats -, hogs -, hogs -, hogs -, turkeys -, geese -, fowls -, fowls -, ducks -, ducks -, ducks -, asses -, asses -, asses -

Killed in ditto

bulls 34, cows 64, bullocks 5, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 75, calves 5, sheep 187½, goats 51, goats 20, goats 19, goats 3, goats 93, goats 176, goats 115, goats 167, goats 7, goats 465, hogs 14, hogs 19, hogs 1, turkeys 39, geese 73, fowls 92, fowls 166, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Sold in ditto

bulls 32, cows 64, bullocks 5, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 74, calves 5, sheep 185, goats 51, goats 19, goats 19, goats 3, goats 92, goats 176, goats 115, goats 166, goats 7, goats 464, hogs 14, hogs 18, hogs 1, turkeys 39, geese 73, fowls 91, fowls 146, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Goats cut and grown in ditto

bulls 28, cows 64, bullocks 5, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 74, calves 5, sheep 180, goats 51, goats 19, goats 19, goats 3, goats 93, goats 176, goats 115, goats 166, goats 7, goats 464, hogs 14, hogs 18, hogs 1, turkeys 39, geese 72, fowls 91, fowls 146, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Dead in ditto

bulls 28, cows 64, bullocks 5, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 74, calves 5, sheep 180, goats 51, goats 19, goats 19, goats 3, goats 92, goats 176, goats 115, goats 60, goats 7, goats 358, hogs 14, hogs 18, hogs 1, turkeys 39, geese 73, fowls 91, fowls 146, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

bulls 28, cows 64, bullocks 5, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 74, calves 5, sheep 180, goats 51, goats 19, goats 19, goats 3, goats 92, goats 176, goats 115, goats 60, goats 7, goats 358, hogs 13, hogs 18, hogs -, turkeys 39, geese 70, fowls 86, fowls 146, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 48,550 lb

Ditto held to the Fort blacks, 11,875 lb

60,425 lb

John Smith

Edward Byfield

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Interpretations

This closes the live-stock and provision account for the period, set out as a grid tracing each class of stock through the month. The row headings are legible on the page: the number remaining at 25 December, increases moved to the other farm, beasts bought in, killed, sold, the goats cut and grown, and those that died.

No animal names are written above the columns on this leaf. The stock is identified here from the order used in the earlier monthly live-stock accounts of this run, which return the neat cattle by class as bulls, cows, bullocks, heifers, steers, yearlings and calves, then the sheep, then the goats in several sub-classes, then the hogs, and last the poultry and asses. The goats occupy the widest block, matching the goat totals carried in the recent monthly accounts, and the poultry columns close the grid as turkeys, geese, fowls, ducks and asses. The exact head over each individual goat and poultry column cannot be fixed from the page alone, so the assignment within those blocks rests on the reference rather than on any legible label.

The yam summary at the foot gives the fortnight's consumption of the island's staple root, 48,550 lb spent at the plantations and 11,875 lb served to the slaves quartered at the Fort, for a total of 60,425 lb. Yams were the chief provision raised on the Company's own ground, and the tally of pounds expended stood as the measure of what the plantations and the slave force consumed against what they grew.

The account carries the signatures of Governor Smith with Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin, the full council attesting the record as the true state of the Company's stock and provisions for the period before it went home to the directors.

80

78

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 1st March 1735/6 at

Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Bissett

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Fryday the 28th Ffebry the Greenwich & Duke of York

Sailed home for Great Britain

The Books of Accompts Ballanced from 25 March 1735 to

25 th Sepr Jointly were Sent in the Casket & Greenwich

The Serjeant Reports that John Hodghinson Docktors

Mate & John French Gunnr have industriously spread a groundless

& Malicious Rumor that he was Discharged the Comps Service & that

Mr Trony junr was appointed to Succeed him & was coming to take

over in the Streetship, that they Divulged this Story abroad for

ten Days Paking without acquainting him with it, tho' 'tis

notoriously known to be their Duty as Officers Serving under

him to have given him the most early Notice of every thing

that so sensibly affects his Honour & Interest, which Neglect

of Duty the Governor thinks may be a great Encouragement

to the Blacks to Attempt some Mischief & therefore desires

the Opinion of the Board what is Proper to be Done to the Offenders

in this Case

Upon Consideration of the Scandalous Matter aforesaid

Ordrd that the said Jno Hodghinson do Stand in the

Pillory One hour Half do an Example to other People

And that John French Gunnr do Stand at the Outergird

Gate, put the Carcke with a Match & gag'd him without forfeit

Cartridge Cases with their Mouth's down wards

William Beale Petitions Praying We would Grant

him Leave to Assign over his Lease of Three Acres of the fresh

Comps Land, being two Acres at the Foot of Crab Hill, &

One Acre all above Spring to Joseph De Fontane & that

he might be accepted Tennt accordingly

Ordrd that a Lease be made out to the sd Beale for the two

Acres & that Beale do then Assign the same on the Bailwick thereof

to the sd De Fontane who We accept as Tennt

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

Margin Notes:

Cancellation the

sd Febry cancled

by Bt post

punishment

At a consultation held on Tuesday 1 March 1725/6 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

On Sunday 28 February the Greenwich and Duke of York sailed home for Great Britain.

The books of account balanced from 25 March 1725 to 25 September were sent home in the chest by the Greenwich.

The Governor reported that John Hodgkinson, the doctor's mate, and John French, the gunner, had spread an improper and malicious report that he was disordered by the [...] sickness, and that Mrs Tovey junior was appointed to succeed him. Coming to hear of it, they had spread this story abroad for ten days without acquainting him with it. It was their duty as officers serving under him to have given him the earliest notice of anything that so touched his honour and interest. The Governor thought this neglect of duty a great encouragement to the slaves to attempt some mischief, and so asked the council what should be done to the offenders.

On consideration of the scandalous matter, the council ordered that John Hodgkinson stand in the pillory for 1 hour and a half as an example to others, and that John French, the gunner, stand at the outward gate before the garrison with a match tied to him but no cartridge, and their caps in their mouths turned down.

William Beale petitioned that the council grant him leave to sign over the lease of the 3 acres of the plantation land, holding 2 acres at the foot of Peak Hill, and asked that all this spring go to Coffin Defountaine, and that he be accepted as tenant.

The council ordered that a lease be made out to Beale for the 2 acres, and that Beale then sign the same over on the [...] to Coffin Defountaine, who was accepted as tenant.

John Alexander, John Griffith, John Goodwin, Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The punishment of John Hodgkinson and the gunner French turned on the duty an officer owed his commander rather than on the falseness of the report alone. The Governor cast their failure to warn him of the rumour as a breach of service that emboldened the slaves, and the council answered it with two public shaming penalties. The pillory for the doctor's mate and the wooden-horse-style exposure at the gate for the gunner, a lit match tied on but no cartridge and their caps forced into their mouths, were staged before the garrison so the disgrace should be seen and the slaves reminded of the government's authority.

The gunner French appears here in a fresh disgrace only months after the council stripped him of his liquor-selling profit and barred his tippling house on 15 June 1725. His match tied without cartridge marked him out by the emblem of his own office, the slow match by which a gunner fired his guns rendered useless, so the punishment fitted the man to his trade.

The Beale lease sets out the standing method for passing Company land between tenants. Beale took a formal lease of the 2 acres at the foot of Peak Hill, then assigned it over to Coffin Defountaine, who was admitted tenant in his place. The two-step form fixed the extent and the rent on the record before the transfer, so the Company kept a clear title to the ground and a known tenant answerable for it.

81

79

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 8th day of March

1735/6 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Bissett

John Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Mr Bissett Capt Goodwin Mr French & Jno Trippe

delivered each of them their Monthly Acct for Ffebry Esqr wch de

were severally Examined Approved & are as follow Vizt

Expence of the Govrs Table in Ffebry 1735/6

44 Gall Ana 6/4

£ 13 18 8

4 D° Guard: Blacks

1 5 4

137 Bottles Cape Wine

6 17 -

20 D° Mountain 3°

3 - -

2 D° Cort

2 5 -

95 lb Sugar

2 7 6

128 lb Bread

1 11 -

12 D° Salt Beef to Blacks

1 10 -

15 D° at Table

1 12 6

9 D° Salt Pork

1 5 6

282 lb Beefe

3 10 6

68 lb Pork

1 14 -

4 Goates

2 - -

1 Kidd

- 5 -

78 lb Fowles

5 17 -

8 Turkeys

2 8 -

39 lb Butter

1 12 -

28 Days Greens

1 8 -

25 lb Veale

1 5 6

30 lb Candles

3 15 -

110 lb Flour

1 7 6

£ 59 4 11

Jno Trippe

At a consultation held on Tuesday 8 March 1725/6 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe delivered their monthly accounts for February, which were severally examined and approved as follows.

Expenses of the General Table in February 1725/6

44 gallons arrack at 6s each, £13 18s 3d

6 quarts for the blacks, £1 5s 4d

137 lb bottled Cape wine, £6 17s 0d

20 lb mountain at 3d, £3 1s 0d

2 lb cork, £0 5s 0d

95 lb sugar, £2 7s 6d

128 lb bread, £1 11s 0d

12 lb salt beef to blacks, £1 10s 0d

15 lb veal at table, £1 12s 6d

9 lb salt pork, £1 5s 6d

282 lb beef, £3 10s 6d

68 lb pork, £1 14s 0d

4 goats, £2 0s 0d

1 kid, £0 5s 0d

78 fowls, £5 17s 0d

8 turkeys, £2 8s 0d

39 lb butter, £1 12s 0d

28 days greens, £1 8s 0d

25 lb veal, £1 5s 6d

30 lb tallow, £3 15s 0d

110 lb flour, £1 7s 6d

Total, £59 4s 11d

D. Crispe

Interpretations

This is the monthly account of the general table for February 1725/6, brought in by the four officers who kept the several charges and examined by the council before it was passed. Arrack again stood as the largest single line at 44 gallons and £13 18s 3d, the settled leading article of the establishment's diet, followed by the bottled Cape wine and the fresh beef.

The account mixes imported salt provisions, arrack, Cape wine and mountain with fresh island beef, veal, pork, goat, kid, turkey, fowls, butter and garden greens. This pattern of drawing the table's meat and vegetables from the Company's own stock and plantations while buying in the spirits and salt goods ran unchanged through every return of the table. Mountain was a sweet Malaga wine from the hills behind that port, and the tallow was rendered animal fat kept for candles and dressing.

The account closes with the signature of Duke Crispe, keeper of the general table, whose monthly return in this fixed form recorded the whole cost of feeding the establishment for the month before it went to the council for approval.

82

80

Remd Ultd Janry

28 64 5 1 3 74 5 180 51 19 19 3 92 176 115 60 7 358 13 18 39 70 86 146 7 17 4 7 2 9

Increased in Ditto

- - - - - 9 - 9 3 6 4 - 13 - - 13 - 13 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Killed in D°

28 64 5 1 3 83 5 189 54 25 23 3 105 176 115 73 7 371 13 18 39 70 86 146 7 17 4 7 2 9

Sheep Cutt & Grown in Ditto

28 64 4 1 3 83 5 188 54 25 23 3 105 176 111 72 7 366 13 17 39 69 86 125 7 17 4 7 2 9

Dead in Ditto

28 64 4 1 3 83 5 188 54 25 14 3 96 176 111 72 7 366 13 17 39 69 86 120 7 17 4 7 2 9

28 64 4 1 3 82 5 187 54 25 14 3 96 176 111 72 7 366 13 17 35 65 80 120 7 16 4 7 2 9

Yams Expended at the sevll Plantations 43255 lb

Ditto delivered to the Fort Blacks - 9550

Totall Yams 52805 lb

Note: this page carries no column headings; the heading row was left blank. The

animal for each column is supplied from the order kept in the earlier monthly

live-stock accounts of this run. Read left to right, the columns are: bulls,

cows, bullocks, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, then sheep, then a block of

goats by class, then hogs, then the poultry and asses (turkeys, geese, fowls,

ducks, asses). The figures follow the same left-to-right order under each row

heading below.

Remaining ditto January

bulls 28, cows 64, bullocks 5, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 74, calves 5, sheep 180, goats 51, goats 19, goats 19, goats 3, goats 92, goats 176, goats 115, goats 60, goats 7, goats 358, hogs 13, hogs 18, turkeys 39, geese 70, fowls 86, fowls 146, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Increased in ditto

bulls -, cows -, bullocks -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings 9, calves -, sheep 9, goats 3, goats 6, goats 4, goats -, goats 13, goats -, goats -, goats 13, goats -, goats 13, hogs -, hogs -, turkeys -, geese -, fowls -, fowls -, ducks -, ducks -, ducks -, asses -, asses -, asses -

Killed in ditto

bulls 28, cows 64, bullocks 5, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 83, calves 5, sheep 189, goats 54, goats 25, goats 23, goats 3, goats 105, goats 176, goats 115, goats 73, goats 7, goats 371, hogs 13, hogs 18, turkeys 39, geese 70, fowls 86, fowls 146, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Sheep cut and grown in ditto

bulls 28, cows 64, bullocks 4, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 83, calves 5, sheep 188, goats 54, goats 25, goats 23, goats 3, goats 105, goats 176, goats 111, goats 72, goats 7, goats 366, hogs 13, hogs 17, turkeys 39, geese 69, fowls 86, fowls 125, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Dead in ditto

bulls 28, cows 64, bullocks 4, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 83, calves 5, sheep 188, goats 54, goats 25, goats 14, goats 3, goats 96, goats 176, goats 111, goats 72, goats 7, goats 366, hogs 13, hogs 17, turkeys 39, geese 69, fowls 86, fowls 120, ducks 7, ducks 17, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

bulls 28, cows 64, bullocks 4, heifers 1, steers 3, yearlings 82, calves 5, sheep 187, goats 54, goats 25, goats 14, goats 3, goats 96, goats 176, goats 111, goats 72, goats 7, goats 366, hogs 13, hogs 17, turkeys 35, geese 65, fowls 80, fowls 120, ducks 7, ducks 16, ducks 4, asses 7, asses 2, asses 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 43,255 lb

Ditto delivered to the Fort blacks, 9,550 lb

Total yams, 52,805 lb

Interpretations

This closes the live-stock and provision account for the period, set out as a grid tracing each class of stock through the month. The row headings are legible on the page: the number remaining at the January reckoning, increases in the month, beasts killed, the sheep cut and grown, and those that died.

The heading row above the columns was left blank on this leaf, so no animal names are written over the figures. The stock is identified here from the order kept in the earlier monthly live-stock accounts of this run, which return the neat cattle by class as bulls, cows, bullocks, heifers, steers, yearlings and calves, then the sheep, then the goats in several sub-classes, then the hogs, and last the poultry and asses. The goats occupy the widest block of columns, matching the goat totals carried in the recent monthly accounts, and the poultry columns close the grid as turkeys, geese, fowls, ducks and asses. The exact head over each individual goat and poultry column cannot be fixed from the page alone, so the assignment within those blocks rests on the earlier reports rather than on any legible label.

The yam summary at the foot gives the month's consumption of the island's staple root, 43,255 lb spent at the plantations and 9,550 lb delivered to the slaves quartered at the Fort, for a total of 52,805 lb. Yams were the chief provision raised on the Company's own ground, and the tally of pounds expended stood as the measure of what the plantations and the slave force consumed against what they grew.

83

81

84 lb Sugar

2 2 3

8 Candy

- 8 -

228 lb Bread

- 14 9

94 Flour

1 3 6

10 Catties Green Tea

1 4 -

13 lb Soap

- 18 5

18 lb Candles

1 16 -

28 lb d° Tobacco

3 3 7½

57 lb d° Bohea

1 3 8

6 lb Gingham

- 17 6

1 Ps d° Ordenary Cloth

1 1 3

1 Ps Madrass Chint

1 10 -

2 White Shirts

1 1 3

2 Ps Cotton Stock d°

- 15 -

2 yd° d° Flannell

- 4 8

30 yd° Bed Tyke

- 4 9 6

4 Mes Shoes

- 4 6

5 Womens Shoes

- 2 6

13 Doz Rocho Forked

- 5 6

12 Cives N° 4

- 5 6

6 lb 3 d° 10 Nailes

- 14 -

1 Pin & d° Sauce Pan

- 1 9½

1 Choping Knife

- 1 -

2 Hoes

- 5 4

1 Iompers Hatchett

- 4 8

6 Spate N° 4

- 5 6

1 Adze

- 1 -

2 Common d° Hinges

- 1 6

1 Womens Calve Sea Shoes

- 6 8

1 Coop d°

- 3 -½

14 Small Cups

- 2 4

2 d° Wooden Bowles

- 1 -

2 Horn Combs d°

- 1 8

1 lb d° Chint

- 1 6

1 Ps China Silk

- 1 6

4 Oz Nun Thread 7/8

- 6 4

2 lb Gold Thread

- 8 -½

1 Ozy Say

- 1 4½

4 Thread d°

- 10 8½

8 Ps Laces

- 5 4½

6 lb B lb Tape

- 1 8

4 Narrow d°

- 1 8

5 yd° Ferreting

Caried over £ 28 5 3½

84 lb sugar, £0 2s 3d

8 lb candy, £0 2s 8d

228 lb bread, £0 4s 9d

94 lb flour, £0 1s 6d

10 catties green tea, £0 2s 4d

13 lb soap, £0 0s 18d

18 lb candles, £0 1s 16d

28 lb cut tobacco, £0 3s 3d

57 pieces doosooties, £0 1s 7½d

6 pieces challoes, £0 1s 8d

1 piece gingham, £0 1s 17d

1½ pieces ordinary long cloth, £0 1s 6d

1 piece Madras chintz, £0 1s 10d

6 white shirts, £0 1s 3d

2 pairs cotton stockings, £0 0s 15d

2 yards flannel, £0 0s 8d

30 yards blue gurrah, £0 4s 9d

1 piece chelloe, £0 0s 6d

5 pieces alejar, £0 2s 6d

13 dozen hooks forked, £0 0s 6d

19 lb No. 4 nails, £0 5s 6d

6 lb 8d and 10d nails, £0 1s 4d

1 tin and copper sauce pan, £0 1s 9d

1 chopping knife, £0 0s 4d

2 hoes, £0 5s 8d

1 joiner's hatchet, £0 5s 4d

6 spades No. 4, £0 6s 6d

1 adze, £0 0s 6d

2 barrows and hinges, £0 1s 8d

1 pair mens calf leather shoes, £0 6s 8d

1 coil rope, £0 3s 6d

14 small cups, £0 3s 2d

2 dozen wooden bowls, £0 1s 4d

2 horn combs, £0 1s 8d

1 piece calico, £0 1s 6d

1 piece China silk, £0 1s 6d

4 ounces nun's thread 7/8, £0 15s 4d

2 ounces gold thread, £0 8s 1½d

1 skein jean, £0 1s 4½d

4 thread ditto, £0 10s 8d

8 pins tape, £0 5s 8½d

4 pieces broad Holland tape, £0 5s 1d

1 sarcenet ditto, £0 1s 8d

5 yards ferreting, £0 1s 1d

Carried over, £28 5s 3½d

Interpretations

This is the opening leaf of the store-goods account, listing the goods sold to the inhabitants before the totals and the diet, plantation, garrison and other heads are carried over. The pattern matches the store returns of the preceding months, mixing bulk foodstuffs, Indian and China textiles, ironmongery and small tools charged against the store.

Many of the textile lines describe cottons carried from India. A doosootie was a stout twofold cotton and a challoe a checked or striped cotton of the Coromandel trade, while a gurrah was a plain coarse cotton and an alejar a striped fabric of the same commerce. Chintz was a printed and glazed calico, here of the Madras sort, and sarcenet a fine soft silk used for linings. Nun's thread was a fine white sewing thread, and ferreting a narrow woven tape used for binding.

The run of tools shows the store supplying the plantation and building work alongside the cloth and provisions. Hoes, spades, an adze, a joiner's hatchet and forked hooks were the implements of the island's husbandry and carpentry, and the forked nails and sized nails answered the constant repair of fences and buildings. This dual role, at once draper and ironmonger to the settlement, ran through every store account of the period.

84

82

Bt Over £

28 5 3½

Diet Expence

14 lb Sugar

£ 3 14 6

8 lb Candy

- 2 -

1 lb Flour

4 4 -

18 Bohea

- 6

8 6 6

Genll Charges

50 lb Soap

£ 3 10 10

2 D° Thickbread

- 8 6

1 Grose Corks

- 8 -

1 Ps Ordenary Cloth

1 4 -

1 Ps Chest

- 2 6

1 Two Ps China Case

- 4 9

1 Gold 2 d°

- 2 3

5 3 10

Fortification

3 lb 70 d° Nailes

£ 2 -

1 d° 3°

- 1 -

6 Rivetts

- 4 6

2 Iron Mauls N° 4 3

1 8 8

2 Adzes

- 2 -

2 Ps Insped Oyle

- 4 -

2 16 -

Garreson

8 Catties Green Tea

£ 1 12 -

3 Gall Rape

- 18 -

2 Ps d° Twist

- 6

2 16 -

Honble Comps Blacks

5 Cask Pork

£ 60 - -

4 D° Wheat

15 4 -

1530 lb Rice d°

19 2 6

7 Ps Kersey 22 1½

22 3 -

53 Ps Nuggets

14 10 -

Sold in Sundry Load d° yz

- 12 -

Sungeree

40 Ps Amst Plate

- 18 -

20 White Sheets

9 10 -

84 D° 6 1½ 5 y Botton

9 10 -

4 Ps Thin 5/9 d°

4 3 -

36 Doz Rocho Combs

1 4 -

72 Adze d°

2 2 2

1 lb d°

- 2 2

6 d° 20 Brown d°

1 4 -

1½ Whites Brown 13/8

19 9

3 lb d° Say

6 2½

2 White d°

6 4

175 5 -

Caried over £

221 18 10½

Bt Over £

221 18 10½

Plantation

3 lb 20 d°

£ 4 6 9

3 10

- 2 2

2 3 Nailes

- 2 2

3 d°

- 2 3

1 Lyp

- 1 1

1 Spade

- 7 6

1 Iron Maul 13

- 12 -

d° Stock Locks

- 8 -

72 d° Shoe Thread

- 1 3

1 18 -

Totall

223 16 11½

Brought over, £28 5s 3½d

Diet Expenses 14 lb sugar, £3 14s 6d 28 lb sugar, £0 0s 2d 1 cask flour, £4 4s 0d 1 lb bohea, £0 0s 6d Total, £8 6s 6d

General Charges 50 lb soap, £3 10s 10d 2 lb thread, £0 8s 6d 4 gross corks, £0 6s 0d 1½ pieces ordinary long cloth, £1 4s 0d 1½ pieces jean, £0 2s 6d 1 piece broad Holland tape, £0 4s 9d 1 piece ditto, £0 2s 3d Total, £5 3s 10d

Fortification 3 lb 70d nails, £0 2s 0d 1 lb ditto, £0 1s 0d 6 lb rivets, £0 4s 6d 2 iron mauls No. 4 at 3d, £1 8s 8d 1 adze, £0 2s 0d 2 gallons train oil, £0 12s 0d Total, £2 16s 0d

Garrison 8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d 3 gallons rape oil, £0 18s 0d 2 lb sweet oil, £0 6s 0d Total, £2 16s 0d

Honourable Company's Blacks 5 casks pork, £60 0s 0d 4 casks wheat, £15 4s 0d 1,530 lb rice, £19 2s 6d 127½ yards kersey, £22 3s 0d 53 yards nuckanees, £14 10s 0d [...] in a Sturbridge load doosooties, £0 12s 0d [...] doosooties, £0 0s 0d 40 lb small shot, £0 18s 0d 20 white gurrahs, £9 10s 0d 84 dozen 8/17 shirt buttons, £2 2s 0d 4 pieces chintz 5/9d, £4 3s 0d 36 dozen shirt buttons, £1 4s 0d 72 lb ditto, £2 2s 2d 1 lb ditto, £0 2s 2d 6 pairs broad tape ditto, £1 4s 0d 1½ pieces white broom 13d, £0 19s 9d 3 lb thread ditto, £0 6s 3d 2 whisks ditto, £0 6s 4d Total, £175 5s 0d Carried over, £221 18s 10½d

Brought over, £22 18s 10½d

Plantation 3 lb 20d nails, £0 4s 9d 3 lb 10d ditto, £0 2s 4d 2 lb 3d nails, £0 2s 2d 3 lb ditto, £0 2s 3d 1 line, £0 1s 1d 1 spade, £0 7s 6d 1 iron maul 13d, £0 12s 0d 2 stock locks, £0 8s 0d 7 pairs shoe thread, £0 1s 3d Total, £1 18s 0d

Total, £223 16s 11½d

Interpretations

This continued the store-goods account from the previous leaf, dividing the charge under the standard heads of the diet, the general charges, the fortification, the garrison, the Company's slaves and the plantation. The slaves' account ran to the heaviest sum by far at £175 5s 0d, dominated by the bulk provisions and the clothing material.

The 5 casks of pork, 4 casks of wheat and 1,530 lb of rice were the staple imported foods to supplement the island's own yams and fresh meat. The 127½ yards of kersey answered the slaves' winter clothing, kersey being a coarse ribbed woollen cloth. The nuckanees and gurrahs were plain Indian cottons of the eastern trade, and the shirt buttons and thread completed the making of the garments.

The fortification and plantation charges show the store supplying the island's building and husbandry with nails, iron mauls, rivets, a spade, stock locks and train oil. Train oil was rendered from the blubber of whales or seals for lamps and for dressing leather and rope, and rape oil the pressed oil of rapeseed. The sized nails were entered by their old pennyweight designations, marking length rather than price.

85

83

The Governor Reports that in July 1735 upon the Discovery of the

Intriegue between Benjamin Blackhoe & the Widow Trony he Ordered to

represent the Consequence of such an Amour that they should neither of them

have any Breeches Conversation together upon any Pretence whatsoever

that a Copy of the Ordr was given to the said Widow Trony & this

Injunction made Publick, But the said Widow about three or four Days

before the Sailing of the Greenwich in which Ship the said Blackhoe was

sent to England, came privately down to the Fort & Conjealed her

Self at the House of Tho: Free where she & the said Blackhoe frequently

Conversed together which gave just Cause to Suspect they made the

most of that Opportunity

The Governor thinks the Indulgence shewn her upon the Birth

of her Bastard ought alone to have been sufficient to deter her from

any farther Guilt & taught her, both, in oborrhance to Shun the Snare

& Distroy Others regard for her Good. The Govr also thinks Tho:

Free culpable for Receiving & Entertaining them, But n excellent

Leaves their Emninment to the Consideration of the Board not without

Observing that the said Free hath made himself remarkable for his

Impudence & Opposition to all Govern as what as to the Justs Governt

Ordered that the said Tho: Free do Sit in the Stocks four

One hour & that Mrs Trony do appear here Vast Corner of the

Board

Matthew Mudge Mattoss presented a Bill of Cost Signd byhis

Father & Mother near the Close of Comrs Trony Plantr Died Petit

fifteen Years Since Laying Claim by verture thereof to a Carriage of

the Honble Comps Land formerly Occupied by another Mudge the said

Father Deceased & the Occupation by him Claimed, alledging the same hath

sometime Since been sold by the said Trony Vhis Mother to Mary

Conoway, Widow in whose Occupation the same now is

The said Trony this Wife being now Cropst Ylay that the Broker

now in Dispute was Examined into & Sould by Godard Roberts &

Connale which upon Examination We find in Conjonstolon of Service

Vits to be fully Stated, namely the Land in Dispute was Mortgd to the

said Mary Conaway & thirty Comrs allowd the said forced to Enquire

up & Maintaining the said Deceased Jonather Mudges Children. It said

Trony also Produced a Meeting Dated 21: October 1717 Signd by

himself & the said Jonathan Mudge wherein he Charged the said

Mudges against all Manner of Copy to every thing whatever upon

the said Occupacon Craving him at three and Comprove the Sum of Twenty

three Pounds which the said Matthew Mudges now acknowledge to have

received, And it further appearing he had no just Claim to the

Cormisor aforesaid nor any Cause of Complaint against the said

Margin Notes:

Blackhoe &

Mrs Trony

The Governor reported that in July 1725, upon the discovery of the intrigue between Benjamin Hawkes and the widow Tovey, he had ordered them to consider the consequence of such an event. They should neither of them have any further conversation together upon any pretence whatsoever. A copy of the report was given to Hawkes and Tovey, and the information made public. The widow, about three or four days before the sailing of the Greenwich, in which the report was sent to England, came privately down to the Fort. She concealed herself at the house of Mrs Free, where she and Hawkes frequently conversed together, which gave just cause to suspect they had made the most of that opportunity.

The Governor thought the indulgence shown for the birth of her bastard ought alone to have been sufficient to deter them from further guilt, and taught them both, if a due sense of shame and duty to obey orders regarded their good. The Governor thought them the more culpable for receiving and entertaining them. But a reasonable leave than commitment, to the consideration of the board, not without approving that Hawkes had truly made himself remarkable for his impudence and opposition to all power granted to the present government.

The council ordered that Hawkes do sit in the pillory for 1 hour, and that Mrs Tovey do appear before the court of the board.

Matthew Mudge, mattross, presented a deed of gift signed by his father and mother near the birth of Ebenezer Tovey, planter, now dead about 15 years since. Laying claim by virtue thereof to a parcel of the Honourable Company's land, formerly granted to Ebenezer Mudge the elder, his father deceased, and the reversion by him granted, alleging the same had sometime since been sold by Ebenezer Tovey, and thence to Mary Conway, widow, in whose possession the same now is.

Mary Tovey, his wife, being now to give up possession, said that the trustee named in the deed of gift was examined and sworn by Gabriel Roberts and Coram, who upon examination held that the conveyance was to be fully staked, namely the land in dispute was granted to Mary Conway, and that the council allowed the said parcel to Ebenezer Tovey, and maintaining Ebenezer Tovey the deceased planter Mudge's children. Ebenezer Tovey also required a meeting dated 21 October 1725, and signed by Ebenezer Tovey and Ebenezer Mudge, wherein the reversion of the said land Mudge granted all manner of right to everything whatsoever upon the said Tovey, laying claim at three shillings. Examining the sum of £3, and thence to Ebenezer, which Matthew Mudge now acknowledged to have received. And it, further appearing he had no just claim to the said commission aforesaid, nor any cause of complaint against Ebenezer Tovey [...]

Interpretations

The Governor's report set out how the connection between Benjamin Hawkes and the widow Margaret Tovey had continued in secret despite his order of July 1725 that the two hold no further dealings. Her concealment at the house of Mrs Free during the loading of the Greenwich, and her private meetings with Hawkes there, gave the Governor his ground for treating the earlier order as broken and pressing the matter to sentence. The pillory for Hawkes and the summons of Mrs Tovey continued the disgrace begun with their degrading and pillory of 20 October 1725.

The Mudge deed of gift turned on a parcel of Company land that had descended through a chain of grant, reversion and sale before it reached Mary Conway, the present holder. The council examined the trustee named in the instrument and the sworn account of its terms, weighing the deed against the actual possession. This care over the descent of a small holding reflected the standing difficulty of tracing title through several hands on an island where registration had long been imperfect.

86

84

said Trony at Cadiz were dismisst & Ordrd that this Matter

be not Controverted at any time hereafter

Wee this day Grinted a Lease Montand in the Preceding

Consultation to William Beale for two Acres Land Granted to him the

26th October 1733 which he neglected taking up his now his the Rent

for the same hath been duly Cast by him wch Since & as he hath Craved

Wee would accept of Joseph De Fontain a Tennt to the said two

Acres of Land & We being willing to Encourage him he being a very

Industrious young Man & Lately Marid, Now therefore date the

Commencement of the said Lease from the 25° Last Cast

for the Term of Twenty One years from thence ensuing at the

usual Rent of sd Ordre Belside One Bushell Duty

John Smith

Jno Alexander Edward Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 15° Ffebry 1735/6

at Plantacon House

All Present

The last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the Land

Mentioned in the Preceding Consultation for Jno Curling

called the Long Glack at the Butts & finds it to Contain two

Acres in the whole, but one of the Acres is very Ordinary & Sves

ration for Conveniency of Fencing than any other Use

John Starling Planter appeared this Day & acquainted Us

he had Considered on the Refusal to his last Petition for the fite

of a Glue of the Fresh Comps Land Entered in Perpetuity of

Mr 1 Instant & Crave & become Tennt to hind the that

Cancell Mentioned in his said Petition, as well as the two

other Cancells Petitioned for in other Consultacons Preceding

Ordrd that the Sundry Cancells of Land Petitioned for by

the said Starling be Granted him Ythat Capt Goodwin Include

the same accordingly & Lease be made for their Term of 21 years

at the usual Rent

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

Ebenezer Tovey at [...] were dismissed, and the council ordered that this matter be not controverted at any time hereafter.

The council this day granted a lease of the plantation land in the preceding consultation to William Beale, for the 2 acres of land granted to him on 26 October 1722, which he had neglected fencing up. The rent for the same had been duly [...] by him one year, and as he had asked that all this go to Coffin Defountaine as tenant, the council was willing to encourage him, being an industrious young man and lately married. The council therefore dated the commencement of the lease from 25 [...] the last cost, for the term of 21 years from thence ensuing, at the usual rent of 4 shillings besides one shilling duty.

John Smith, John Alexander, John Goodwin, Edward Byfield.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 15 February 1725/6 at the plantation house, all present.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the land mentioned in the preceding consultation for John Gurling, called the Long Gut at the Butts. He found it to contain 2 acres in the whole, but one of the acres was very ordinary and served only for the convenience of fencing the other.

John Harding, planter, appeared. He had considered on the answer to his last petition for the sake of a piece of the Company's land, and asked in prosecution of the 1st instant to become tenant to hold that parcel mentioned in his last petition, as well as the other parcels he had petitioned for in other preceding consultations.

The council ordered that the several parcels of land petitioned for by Harding be granted him. Captain Goodwin was to include the same accordingly, and leases to be made for the term of 21 years at the usual rent.

John Alexander, John Smith, John Goodwin, Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The Beale lease completed the two-step transfer begun at the consultation of 1 March 1725/6, where Beale took a formal lease of the 2 acres at the foot of Peak Hill before assigning it to Coffin Defountaine. The council backdated the term and set the rent at 4 shillings with a further shilling in duty, the standard terms for a small parcel of Company waste. Its willingness to encourage a newly married young man reflected the standing policy of settling industrious tenants on the island's spare ground.

The measurement of Gurling's Long Gut parcel bore out the caution the council took over the boundaries of Company land. Captain Goodwin found only 1 acre of the 2 truly fit for planting, the other serving merely to ease the fencing, and the report fixed the extent on the record before any lease issued.

Harding's grant showed the council clearing a run of his earlier land petitions at a single meeting once he agreed to hold as tenant. The direction to measure the parcels and draw leases for 21 years at the usual rent followed the ordinary form for regularising occupations of the Company's waste.

87

85

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 22° Ffebry 1735/6

at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Fryday Night about Six We had a Double Alarm

for by Nine & the next Morning arived the Greenwich Cap Lainty

& the Duke of York Cap Thornhile by whom was sent 20 Bags

Wheat & 20 Bag Rice

Ordred that Mr Benjamin Hawkes for the Reasons

Mentioned in Consultation of 23 Novr 1734 & in sundrels other

following be Sent to England on board the Greenwich

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15th March 1735/6 at

Union Castle

Present the Govr & Councill

On Tuesday last about Noon We had a Double Alarm for Fryz

Ship left Windward, two hours after two more were Discovered all

bearing away, thought it to be Ffleets, three hours after, Jointly Ship

was Jem Starling in & Ymord the Colas Capt Radost from three on

board of whom We Ynod to Enrge & Sundry Salted Copper Yon now to

an Anchor about Eight, in the Evening Brought & the following viz

of Sea & China Ware for the use of the Island

China Ware & Chest Containing

Bowles, Sneakers Cups & Saucers Amounting to

25 4 2

1 Chest Bohea of 7900 Cannisters Wt 968 900 Catty

20 8 6

1 Chest Tea Single of 7900 Manned Wt Red 900 Catty

25 7 5

1 Bag China Root Wt 84 Casks

1 3 6

73 3 8 9

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 February 1725/6 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

On Friday night about 8 the island had a double alarm. By 8 the next morning the Greenwich arrived under Captain Lainty, and the Duke of York under Captain Thornhill, by whom were sent 20 bags of wheat and 20 bags of rice.

The council ordered that Mr Benjamin Hawkes, for the reasons mentioned in the consultation of 23 November 1724, being severally other following, be sent to England on board the Greenwich.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 15 March 1725/6 at Union Castle, present the Governor and the rest of the council.

On Tuesday last about noon the island had a double alarm for two ships to windward. The two came home after, and no more were discovered, all bearing away. The council thought it to be a fleet, three ships astern. Isaac Wood, James Harding [...] and Captain Glass from China, on board of whom [...] came to an anchor about eight. In the Governor's book brought [...] the following goods of tea and China ware for the use of the island.

China ware and chest containing

bowls, sneakers, cups and saucers amounting to, £25 4s 2d

1 chest bohea of 7,900 canisters, weight net 900 catty, £20 8s 6d

1 chest green single of 7,900 marks, weight net 900 catty, £25 7s 5d

1 bag china root, weight 8 catty, £1 3s 6d

£73 3s 9d

John Alexander, John Smith, John Goodwin, Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The double alarm and the arrival of the Greenwich and the Duke of York with 20 bags each of wheat and rice continued the pattern of provisioning the island from the homeward and store ships. The council's watch over the road turned every strange sail into an alarm, the guns marking the traffic through James Bay.

The order sending Benjamin Hawkes home to England on the Greenwich closed the long trouble over his conduct. His dismissal from the store and suspension from the council of 24 November 1724, followed by his degrading and pillory of 20 October 1725, ended in his removal from the island, the leave to depart conditioned on his providing for the child he had by the widow Margaret Tovey.

The China cargo from Captain Glass was priced in the ordinary way for goods bought for the island's use. Bohea and green tea, reckoned by the canister and by the catty, were the cheaper and dearer grades of the China leaf, and china root a medicinal root of the same trade. The chest of green single tea stood dearer than the bohea, matching the settled difference between the two sorts.

88

86

At a Consultacon held on Tuesday & Wednesday 29th March 1726

at Union Castle

Present Jno Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

Last Consultation read & Approved

Wee met pursuant to Notice to Buchan with the Garrison &c

as well as to hear any other Matter that might occur

On Wednesday Morning 30 Instant We had a double Alarm for

four Ships to Windward off Coco Spereds Bay but stood away immediately

& We Suppose them to be Offenders from China

On Sunday Evening We had a double Alarm att Six in the

Evening for three Ships to Windward, next Morning We had Intelligence

of Eight, Ship more, about an hour after We had an other Messenger

from the Bay with News that Nine Ships more now by Sight

in all Nineteen Saile, About Noon three of em Sould into One

Bead the two Sternmost of em Saluted with 11 Guns Each & were

Answered with the like Number, At Noon Fifteen Ships more

appeared Standing away, & Wall wch Dutch Colours & before

Night grew all out of Sight

Capt Bissett Reports that a Black Wench of the Comps Named

Margaret was last Week delivered of a Child Named John

Mrs Trony appeared this day pursuant to Order of the 8th

Instant & Sued Cotton of the Board accordingly

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday and Wednesday 29 March 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith and the rest of the council.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

The council met to reckon with the garrison, as well as to hear any other matter that might come.

On Wednesday morning 23 instant the island had a double alarm for two ships to windward off Prosperous Bay. They stood away at once, and the council supposed them to be Ostenders from China.

On Sunday evening the island had a double alarm for two ships to windward. The next morning the council had intelligence of eight ships more. About an hour after came another messenger from the bay with news that nine ships more were now in sight, 19 sail in all. About noon three of them stood to the road. The council thought the two sternmost of them saluted with 11 guns each. They were answered with the like number. At noon 15 sail more appeared standing away, all Dutch colours. Before night they were all out of sight.

Captain Byfield reported that a black woman of the Honourable Company, named Margaret, had last week delivered of a live named child.

Mrs Tovey appeared this day, in prosecution of the order of the 8th instant, and quit the court of the board accordingly.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The two double alarms of that week showed the road crowded with foreign shipping in the last days of March 1726. The council read the first pair of ships as Ostenders returning from China, and the great body of 19 sail that followed as a Dutch homeward fleet, all flying Dutch colours and bearing away without touching. The exchange of 11-gun salutes with the two sternmost ships marked the standing courtesy between armed vessels, answered gun for gun by the fort.

The passage of so large a fleet without stopping reflected the island's role as a watched refreshment station on the eastern route, where the guns turned every strange sail into an alarm. The wariness over the Ostend and Dutch interlopers ran through the council's record, the rival companies' shipping bearing even on a remote provisioning post.

The birth of a child to the Company's slave Margaret continued the renewal of the slave force by birth, the increase noted plantation by plantation as it fell. The appearance of the widow Margaret Tovey before the board closed the immorality proceeding against her, her attendance answering the order of 8 March 1726.

89

87

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 5th of Aprile 1726 at

Union Castle

Present Jno Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

Last Consultation read & Approved

Mr Bissett Reports that a Black Wench of the Honble Comps

belonging to Cottone Plantacon, now brought to Bed last Week of a

Child called Alles

John Curling & Joseph Bate Presented each of them a Bill

of Sale the Ground for one Acre of Copsewood Land he bought off

William Coyles Sortuage in Pleasant Valley, the Later for two Smale

House Estate in Same Valley he bought of William Coyles desiring

the same might be Registred for both Sundry Morus

Ordred that the said Bills of Sale be accordingly Registred

William Nott, having Lately Marid Margaret Bagley, & now she

whose Estate now in the Honble Comps Care Petitioned & Craving

Wee would Comp the Same to him

Upon which We Examined the Consultation Books & Books of Accts

& find the Sum of One Hundred two Pounds, five Shillings & four Pence

to Stand due, & owing the said Marg Bagley, arising from the

following Particulars

Dr Margaret Bagley Cr

To Cash in the Govrs Hands£ 102 5 4

Ordred that the said Sum of

£ 102: 5: 4 be paid the said Nott

& that We give a Receipt for the same

which he accordingly did this Day

in Our Present

By Plantacon 3 lb 135: 16: 2 to 2 6

By d° 223: 16: 17: 2

Octobr 25 By d° 261: 16: 18: 6

Mar 24 By d° 166: 16: 12: 9

By d° 28: 12: 2: 2

1717 By Plantacon 34: 16: 2: 11

June 24 By Rothsalion 198: 16: 16: 17

Sepr By Charge 35 1½ d° 1: 15: 6

By d° 35 1½ 15: 16: 10

By Sundry Transfer

1718

June 24 By Plantacon d°

5000 Yams 20 d°/ 1000 5 -

10000 Cucumbers d° 2: 10

£ 102 5 4

Mr Bissett Capt Goodwin Mr French & Mr Trippe delivered each of

them their Monthly Acct for March last which were severally Examined

Approved & are as follow Vizt

At a consultation held on Tuesday 5 April 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith and the rest of the council.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

Mr Byfield reported that a black woman of the Honourable Company, belonging to Coffin's plantation, had newly been brought to bed last week of a girl called Ellen.

John Gurling and Joseph Bates presented each of them a bill of sale for the ground for the citizens of gumwood land bought of William Coles's plantation in Chapel valley, and the [...] Sutton Smith house situate in James valley, bought of William Coles. They asked that the same might be registered for better security, both Sutton Smith and William Coles desiring it.

The council ordered that the bills of sale be registered accordingly.

William Addis, having lately married Margaret Bagley's spinster, whose fortune lay in the Honourable Company's land, asked to be continued as tenant, and the council was willing to continue the same to him.

On this the council examined the consultation books and the books of sale, and found the sum of £105 0s 0d, five shillings and [...] to stand due and owing to Margaret Bagley, arising from the following particulars.

Dr, Margaret Bagley, Cr

£ s d

To cash in the Company's hands, £102 5s 4d

1716

Jan 25, by fortification, 3 lb 135, 16, £2, 10, 2, 6

[...], by ditto, 223, 16, 17, 2

Feb 25, by ditto, 111, 16, 18, 16

Mar 24, by ditto, 166, 16, 12, 9

by ditto, 28, 12, 12, [...]

1717

by plantation, 34, 16, 2, 11

Jan 24, by fortification, 198, 16, 16, 17

Sep, by charge, 35 12, [...], 1, 5, 6

by ditto, 35 12, [...]

by sundry transfers, 15, 16, 10

1718

June 24, by plantation gift

5,000 yams, 20 goats, [...] 5, 0, 0

1,000 cucumbers, ditto, 2, 10, 0

£102 5s 4d

The council ordered that the sum of £102 5s 4d be paid to Addis, and that they give a receipt for the same, which was accordingly done this day in the council's presence.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and Mr Crispe delivered each of them their monthly accounts for March, which were severally examined and approved as follows.

Interpretations

The birth of the girl Ellen to a slave at Coffin's plantation continued the renewal of the Company's slave force by birth, the increase set down as it fell so the directors might follow the growth of the labour force.

The two bills of sale registered for John Gurling and Joseph Bates followed the standing method for securing title to land and houses passed between inhabitants. Registration in the Company's books fixed the transfer on the record and guarded the buyer against later dispute, a discipline the council pressed constantly on an island where earlier conveyances had often gone unrecorded.

The Bagley account settled a sum long owing to Margaret Bagley on the marriage of William Addis, who took her fortune in Company land. The council traced the credit through the consultation books and books of sale, the entries running back to 1716 and mixing fortification and plantation charges with a gift of yams, goats and cucumbers. The payment of £102 5s 4d against a receipt closed the reckoning and let Addis hold the land in his wife's right.

90

88

Killed in d°

28 64 4 1 3 85 5 190 54 25 20 3 102 176 111 105 7 399 13 17 35 65 80 120 7 16 4 7 2 9

Sold to Ship Cason

28 64 4 1 3 85 5 190 54 25 20 3 102 176 108 105 7 396 13 17 35 65 80 85 7 16 4 7 2 9

Dead in D°

24 64 4 1 3 85 5 186 54 25 20 3 102 176 108 105 7 396 13 17 35 65 80 85 7 16 4 7 2 9

Remd 25 March

24 64 4 1 3 85 5 186 53 24 20 3 100 176 108 105 7 396 13 16 34 63 79 82 7 16 3 7 2 9

Yams Expended at the sevll Plantacons 25793 lb

D° deld to the Fort Blacks - 11750

Totall Yams 37543 lb

Wee this Day Executed a Bill of Sale to John Curling for two Acres of Land Sold him being East

of the Butts Plantation

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry and Asses/Horses

Remaining ditto February

28 bullocks, 64 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 82 (3) calves, 5 bulls, 187 (3) total neat cattle; 54 ewes, 25 wethers, 14 (6) lambs, 3 rams, 96 total sheep; 176 ewes, 111 wethers, 72 (33) kids, 7 rams, 366 (33) total goats; 13 sows, 17 barrows, 35 pigs, 65 [...], 80 total hogs; 120 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 4 geese, 7 asses, 2 mares, 9 total

Increased to 25 March

28 bullocks, 64 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 85 calves, 5 bulls, 190 total neat cattle; 54 ewes, 25 wethers, 20 lambs, 3 rams, 102 total sheep; 176 ewes, 111 wethers, 105 (3) kids, 7 rams, 399 total goats; 13 sows, 17 barrows, 35 pigs, 65 [...], 80 total hogs; 120 (35) turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 4 geese, 7 asses, 2 mares, 9 total

Killed in ditto

28 bullocks, 64 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 85 calves, 5 bulls, 190 (4) total neat cattle; 54 ewes, 25 wethers, 20 lambs, 3 rams, 102 total sheep; 176 ewes, 108 wethers, 105 kids, 7 rams, 396 total goats; 13 sows, 17 barrows, 35 pigs, 65 [...], 80 total hogs; 85 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 4 geese, 7 asses, 2 mares, 9 total

Sold to ship Cason

24 bullocks, 64 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 85 calves, 5 bulls, 186 (1) total neat cattle; 54 ewes, 25 (1) wethers, 20 lambs, 3 rams, 102 (2) total sheep; 176 ewes, 108 wethers, 105 kids, 7 rams, 396 total goats; 13 sows, 17 barrows, 35 (1) pigs, 65 [...], 80 (1) total hogs; 85 (3) turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 4 geese, 7 asses, 2 mares, 9 total

Dead in ditto

24 bullocks, 64 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 85 calves, 5 bulls, 186 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 24 wethers, 20 lambs, 3 rams, 100 total sheep; 176 ewes, 108 wethers, 105 kids, 7 rams, 396 total goats; 13 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 63 [...], 79 total hogs; 82 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese, 7 asses, 2 mares, 9 total

Remaining 25 March

24 bullocks, 64 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 85 calves, 5 bulls, 186 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 24 wethers, 20 lambs, 3 rams, 100 total sheep; 176 ewes, 108 wethers, 105 kids, 7 rams, 396 total goats; 13 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 63 [...], 79 total hogs; 82 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese, 7 asses, 2 mares, 9 total

Yams expended at the several plantations, 25,793 lb

Ditto delivered to the Fort blacks, 11,750 lb

Total yams, 37,543 lb

The council this day executed a bill of sale to John Gurling for 2 acres of land sold him, being east of the Hutts plantation.

Interpretations

This closed the live-stock and provision account for March 1726, set out as a grid tracing each class of stock through the month. The row headings ran through the number remaining at February, the increase to 25 March, the beasts killed, those sold to the ship Cason, those that died, and the number remaining at 25 March.

This leaf carried its full column headings written in. The neat cattle were graded as bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls with a total, the sheep and goats each as ewes, wethers and rams with the lambs or kids, and the hogs as sows, barrows and pigs. The poultry closed the grid as turkeys, fowls, ducks and geese, with the asses and mares last.

The sale of 4 head of neat cattle to the ship Cason showed the island victualling the Company's shipping from its own stock, the beasts drawn off the running herd for the homeward passage. The yam summary gave the month's consumption of the staple root, 25,793 lb spent at the plantations and 11,750 lb served to the slaves quartered at the Fort, for a total of 37,543 lb.

The bill of sale executed to John Gurling for the 2 acres east of the Hutts plantation completed the grant first entered at the consultation of 8 February 1725/6. Captain Goodwin had measured the parcel called the Long Gut at 2 acres, and the registered conveyance fixed Gurling's title against later dispute over the Company's ground.

91

89

The Governor Reports that from Saturday Morning last Mr Wignell

the Surgeon askd Leave asked Leave to go into the Country, to Visit a

Patient who hath Layn a long time in a very weak & Languishing

Condition, which was accordingly Granted, But instead of asingleton to

ought he Dropt into a Cunkt House about Eleven & Clock, gott

Drunk Quarelled & Stript the Cooper a very Dangerous Man upon his

Eye, the Sight of which he has Sadly lost, & his Cor gott & is doubtfull

whether it can be ever Recovered again. The Governor further Reports

that he has already, as if in Complaint in Consultation of Mr Wignell

Drunkenness & Repeated Misdemeanure, & other without that

Intreated to Emruh him unless he would Reform & behave himself

Soberly & decently that he thinks other Measures proper to be used

upon this occasion Drinking to such prodigious Excess Rendring

him incapable of his Business, by which Means the Live of the

Inhabitants are & have been frequently exposed to Danger & therefore

Desires the Opinion of the Board whether in this Difficulty it will not

be Reasonable to Provide an other Surgeon by the first Opportunity

Agreed that We gett an other Surgeon in the room Wignells room by

the first Opportunity

Wee this Day Executed a Bill of Sale to John Curling for two Acres Land

Sold him being East of the Butts Plantation

Expence of the Genll Table in March 1735/6

30 2 lb Beef 25 5 y 100

£ 3 15 6

91 Veale 6

2 5 6

119 Fowles 1/6

8 18 6

8 Geese

2 10 -

3 Turkeys

- 18 -

4 Ducks

- 8 -

9 D° Beef to Working Blacks 2/6

1 2 6

19 D° at Table

4 17 6

13 D° Pork 2/10

1 16 10

27 lb Cos 5

1 2 6

135 D° Bread 15

14 13 9

94 D° Flour 3°

1 8 6

152 D° Sugar

3 16 -

30 Gall Arrack for Table

9 10 -

4 5/8 D° Guard & Lady Blacks

4 9 3½

117 Bottles Cape

8 17 -

4 D° Sherry

- 18 -

29 D° Mountain

7 17 6

15 D° Cort

4 2 6

33 D° Candles

4 2 6

30 D° Soap

1 15 6

25 D° Butter

1 10 -

31 Days Greens

£ 59 4 5½

Margin Notes:

Wignell

The Governor reported that on Saturday morning last Mr Wignall, the surgeon, asked leave to go into the country, to visit a patient who had lain a long time in a very weak and languishing condition, which was accordingly granted. Instead of going thither he sought to get drunk into a punch house about eleven o'clock, got drunk, quarrelled and struck the cooper a very dangerous blow upon his eyes, the sight of which he has fully lost, for the Governor is in doubt whether it can be ever recovered again. The Governor further reported that he had already so often complained in consultation of Mr Wignall's drunkenness and repeated misdemeanours, and so often without effect, promising to amend, that unless he would reform and behave himself soberly and decently he thought other measures proper to be used upon this occasion. Drinking to such prodigious excess rendered him incapable of his business, by which means the lives of the inhabitants are and have been frequently exposed to danger. He therefore desired the opinion of the board whether, the difficulty considered, it would not be reasonable to procure another surgeon by the first opportunity.

The council agreed that another surgeon be got in Mr Wignall's room by the first opportunity.

The council this day executed a bill of sale to John Gurling for 2 acres of land sold him, being east of the Hutts plantation.

Expenses of the General Table in March 1725/6

302 lb beef 25 lb at 100, £3 15s 6d

91 lb veal 6d, £2 5s 6d

119 fowls 16d, £8 18s 6d

6 geese, £2 10s 0d

3 turkeys, £0 18s 0d

4 ducks, £0 8s 0d

2 lb beef to slaughtering blacks 2/6, £1 2s 6d

2 lb general table, £4 17s 6d

19 lb corks 2/10, £1 16s 10d

2 lb goats 6d, £1 2s 6d

135 lb bread 15d, £14 13s 9d

94 lb flour 3d, £1 2s 6d

152 lb sugar, £3 16s 0d

30 gallons arrack for table, £9 0s 0d

45½ lb guard and slaughtered blacks, £4 9s 3½d

117 lb bottled Cape, £8 17s 0d

6 lb sherry, £0 18s 0d

2 lb mountain, £7 17s 6d

15 lb salt, £4 2s 6d

33 lb candles, £1 15s 6d

30 lb soap, £1 10s 0d

[...] lb butter, £1 4s 0d

31 days greens, £0 4s 0d

Total, £59 4s 5½d

Interpretations

The Governor's report set out how the surgeon Wignall broke a granted leave and, instead of visiting his patient in the country, drank himself drunk and blinded the cooper in a fight. It confirmed the long train of complaints against the man begun with the Governor's charge of 18 January 1725/6 for drunkenness, neglect and improper treatment. The council's resolve to procure another surgeon by the first ship marked the failure of every earlier warning to reform him.

The blinding of the cooper gave the Governor a fresh and public ground for his case, the danger to the inhabitants' lives no longer a matter of neglect alone but of a violent assault by a man too drunk to keep his post. The board's agreement to replace him turned on the plain impossibility of trusting the settlement's sole medical officer while he continued so.

The account of the general table for March 1725/6 followed the fixed monthly form. Arrack again stood among the heaviest charges at 30 gallons and £9 0s 0d, the settled leading article of the establishment's diet, alongside the bottled Cape wine, the mountain and the fresh island beef, veal, fowls, goat, butter and garden greens.

92

90

Calculation Store Goods Sold between 25° Ffebry & 24° March 1735/6

161½ Sugar

4 7 9

29 Candy

- 6 3

228 Bread

- 15 3

108 lb Flour

- 4 3

113 lb Cutt Tobacco

12 14 3

363 Rice

- 15 1½

11½ Ceo Oyle

- 6 6

1 Ps Cort Flannu

- 3 -

113 lb Soap

8 - 1

2 lb Indigo

- 4 -

20 lb Steell

- 5 -

1 Gall Tar

- 16 6

17½ lb Candles

1 5 6

41 Cattie Green Tea

8 4 6

7 ½ lb Bohea

2 6 6

3 lb Pepper

- 3 3

34 lb Cotton Yarn

3 3 7½

14 lb Rozin

2 3 -

1 lb Cabb Oyl

- 18 -

1 Sea Cost

1 8 6

33 Sneakers

- 8 6

16 Long: Sugar

1 6 6

26 Small d°

- 5 4

6 Cutt as Chest

4 18 -

16 White d°

- 4 -

16 Ps Cotton Stockings

9 17 6

3½ Rockspring Cloth

1 3 -

16 White Ginghams

4 3 6

11 Prickd Gingham

6 11 -

2 bleu Ps d°

3 2 6

1½ Ps White De Sotees

4 4 6

1 Madrass Chint

- 15 -

1½ Ps Bengall Taffety

6 18 6

1 Ruffand

6 18 6

9 Cloves 14 11

7 6 9

121 yd° d° Kersey

7 16 9

64 lb Beefe

- 8 6

16 War: Defence

9 - 6

1 Bar: D°

- - -

4 Plain Coates ©

5 6 -

7½ lb Sea Shoes

- 14 -

7½ Doz Rocho Forked

15 6 2½

80 Sives

12 6 6

1 Ps Stayes

11 8 6

1 lb Wortted

- 5 6

10 Cottons Stock d°

- 2 6

1 Silk d°

- 6 9

3 Garse

- 3 -

Calculation of store goods sold between 25 February and 24 March 1725/6.

161½ lb sugar, £0 4s 7½d

29 lb candy, £0 9s 9d

228 lb bread, £0 16s 15d

108 lb flour, £0 1s 6d

118 lb cut tobacco, £0 12s 14d

368 pieces challoes, £0 12s 6d

11½ pairs sweet oil, £0 3s 6d

1 piece flannel, £0 5s 6d

118 yards kersey, £8 0s 6d

2 lb indigo, £0 0s 4d

20 lb steel, £0 5s 6d

1 gross pins, £0 5s 6d

17½ lb candles, £1 5s 6d

41 catties green tea, £8 9s 6d

7½ lb bohea, £0 2s 6d

3 lb pepper, £0 3s 6d

36 lb cotton yarn, £0 3s 7½d

14 lb raisins, £0 2s 3d

11 lb sweet oil, £0 13s 6d

1 sea cap, £0 0s 9d

33 sneakers, £0 16s 3d

1 dozen long stops, £0 15s 4d

26 pieces blue and black, £0 4s 18d

16 white ditto, £0 4s 4d

16 pairs cotton stockings, £0 9s 17d

3½ pairs raising ordinary calico, £1 3s 6d

16 white ditto gingham, £0 3s 6d

11 pieces broad gingham, £0 2s 6d

2 blue ditto, £0 1s 6d

1½ pieces white doosooties, £0 4s 15d

1 Madras chintz, £0 5s 6d

1½ pieces Bengal taffety, £0 6s 18d

1 romall, £0 6s 6d

9 pieces challoes at 4d, £6 6s 9d

9 yards ditto kersey, £7 1s 6d

64 lb beef, £0 9s 8d

6 blue ditto, £0 9s 6d

1 blue ditto, £0 0s 6d

4 plain calico, £0 5s 16d

7½ pairs sea shoes, £0 6s 14d

7½ dozen hooks forked, £0 15s 2¾d

80 lb soap, £0 12s 6½d

1 pair stops, £0 11s 8d

1 pair worsted ditto, £0 6s 5d

10 pairs mens stockings, £0 2s 6d

1 pair silk ditto, £0 6s 9d

3 gurrah, £0 6s 3d

Interpretations

This was the calculation of store goods sold to the inhabitants between 25 February and 24 March 1725/6, set out before the diet, plantation, garrison and other heads were carried in. It followed the fixed monthly form of the store returns, mixing bulk foodstuffs, Indian and China textiles, ironmongery and small stores charged against the store.

Many of the textile lines described cottons carried from India. A challoe was a checked or striped cotton of the Coromandel trade, a gurrah a plain coarse cotton, and doosooties a stout twofold cotton. Chintz was a printed and glazed calico, here of the Madras sort, and Bengal taffety a light glossy silk of that province. A romall was a square cotton or silk kerchief, and gingham a striped or checked cotton woven from dyed yarn.

Kersey stood among the heaviest lines at 118 yards and £8 0s 6d, a coarse ribbed woollen cloth regularly cut up for the slaves' clothing. Indigo was the blue dye of the eastern trade, and cotton yarn a spinning material for candle wicks and cloth. The store served the settlement at once as draper, grocer and ironmonger, this dual role running through every account of the period.

93

91

2 Ps d° Wom: Stockings

- 2 9

2 d°

- 2 9

Bt Over

1 d°

- 2 9

1 d° Prunella d°

- 15 4

2 d°

- 4 8

1 d°

- 4 3

7½ Soldiers Hatts

1 2 9

7½ Boys

- 16 6

1 Mens d°

- 17 6

1 d° Gold Lace

1 2 6

3 19 6

1 Ps Wom Calve Leather Shoes

- 4 6

2 d° Sqrouth

- 11 6

2 Mens Turkey d°

- 6 8

1 d° Sprang

- 16 8

1 Girled Turkey

- 4 -

1 Boys Shoes

- 10 -

2 13 4

3 yd° Flannell

- 7 -

1 Ps Timothy

2 15 -

1 lb d° Button

1 10 -

3½ Camblett

- 4 4

1 lb 2 lb d° Bed Tyke

2 9 11 3½

6 lb d° Hickory

- 7 -

4 Serge

2 9 4

3½ d° Muat Serge

2 16 3

3½ yd° d° Dimmee

2 11 -

13 9 7½

1½ yd° d° Broad Cloth

1 7 11

3 Ps Chest Scarlet d°

4 9 3

3 yd° d° Dimothy

- 3 6

3 yd° d° Kattans

- 7 6

1½ d° N° 4

- 14 9

1 d°

- 18 6

1½ d° New Cargo

14 1 2

1 Shoe Awls d°

- 4 1

6 Cutteroes d°

- 3 4

1 Double Razor Strop

- 4 2

2 Horn Combs

- 2 -

4 Ivory

- 4 4

10 Doz Vespers

- 4 8

4 Timbles

- 12 -

6 Wooden Platters

- 9 6

2 d° Tray

- 4 6

15 Small Bowles Dishes

- 2 6

5 Straining Dishes

- 2 -

4 Cunning d°

- 15 -

1 Tea Kettle

- 12 -

1 d°

2 6

Brought over

2 pairs womens stockings, £0 0s 7d

1 pair ditto, £0 2s 9d

1 pair ditto, £0 7s 2d

1 pair worsted ditto, £0 15s 4d

2 pairs ditto, £0 4s 8d

1 pair ditto, £0 4s 3d

1 soldiers hat, £0 2s 9d

7½ dozen bags, £0 16s 6d

1 mohair, £0 17s 6d

1 dozen gold lace, £1 2s 6d

Total, £3 19s 6d

1 pair womens calf leather shoes, £0 4s 6d

2 dozen ditto sprigs, £0 11s 6d

1 mens ditto ditto, £0 6s 8d

2 pairs ditto training, £0 16s 8d

1 gilt turkey, £0 4s 0d

2 pairs ditto shoes, £0 10s 0d

Total, £2 13s 4d

3 yards flannel, £0 7s 0d

1½ pieces dimity, £2 15s 0d

1½ pieces ditto button, £1 10s 0d

3½ camblet, £0 4s 4d

1½ pieces ditto broad tape, £2 9s 11s 79d

6 yards ferreting, £0 7s 0d

4 serges, £0 9s 4d

3½ pieces mens serge, £2 16s 3d

3½ yards ditto dimity, £2 11s 0d

Total, £13 9s 7½d

1½ pairs broad tape, £1 7s 11d

3 chests scarlet ditto, £4 9s 3d

3 yards dimity, £0 3s 6d

3 yards rattans, £0 7s 6d

1 rattan No. 4, £0 14s 9d

1½ ditto, £0 18s 0d

1½ ditto new serge, £0 12s 6d

Total, £14 1s 2d

1 shoe knife ditto, £0 4s 1d

6 butchers ditto, £0 3s 0d

1 double razor strop, £0 4s 2d

2 horn combs, £0 2s 0d

2 ivory ditto, £0 4s 4d

10 dozen vices, £0 4s 8d

4 thimbles, £0 13s 0d

Total, £0 13s 0d

6 wooden platters, £0 9s 6d

2 ditto trays, £0 4s 6d

15 small wooden dishes, £0 2s 6d

5 straining ditto, £0 2s 0d

4 turning ditto, £0 15s 0d

1 tea kettle, £0 12s 0d

Total, £2 6s 0d

Interpretations

This continued the calculation of store goods sold to the inhabitants for the period, carrying on from the previous leaf. It followed the fixed monthly form, running through clothing, textiles, tools and household ware charged against the store.

Several of the woollen and worsted lines described cloth of the English trade. Dimity was a stout cotton woven with a raised stripe or figure, camblet a mixed woollen or worsted cloth, and serge a durable twilled woollen. Ferreting was a narrow woven tape used for binding and edging, and rattans lengths of palm cane worked into canes and frames. Gold lace and mohair trimmed the finer garments.

The run of tools and household ware showed the store supplying the settlement's trades and kitchens alongside the cloth. Shoemaker's and butcher's knives, a razor strop, horn and ivory combs, and vices served the island's craftsmen, while the wooden platters, trays, dishes and the tea kettle answered the ordinary needs of the household. This role, at once draper, ironmonger and general supplier, ran through every store account of the period.

94

92

Bt Over

3 Ps Sauce Pans

- 2 9

2 Coffee Potts

- 3 6

2 Sauce d°

- 4 6

1 d° d°

- 2 6

2 lb Larget d°

- 12 -

1 Dripping Pan

- 8 6

2 Round Cutting Pans

- 5 8

1 d°

- 2 6

2 1 6

1 Ceo lb Wt

- 5 10

1 Mauls 15 lb

- 10 -

1 Iron Potts 129

3 4 6

1 Cast d°

- 3 9

1 Iron 8 lb

- 6 8

9 Stock Locks

- 18 8

5 Till Locks

- 5 6

2 Stock Locks

- 8 -

2 Stane Hoes

- 6 4

1 Bolting 4°

- 3 4

1 Hatchet

- 4 8

1 d°

- 2 4

3 Adzes

- 3 -

2 Shod Shovells

- 6 -

6 lb Bengaro Dutch Rasps

- 3 -

10 Ps Hinges

- 5 3

1 d°

- 2 9

1½ Barrell Tarr

8 1 -

21¼ lb Turpentine

4 11 9

3 lb 3 d° Nailes

- 3 3

9 4

- 7 6

14 6

- 10 6

6 10

- 4 -

2 20

- 1 3

2 Rooving Bradd

- 1 6

2 Rivetts

- 1 6

9 lb Forkd

- 7 -

1 16 6

13 lb 10 Gold & Brown Thread

2 14 -

10 lb Camps Thread

- 5 -

10 yd° Fusting

- 7 8

3 yd° d° Fusting

- 7 9

38 yd° Broad Ferrett

- 10 8

1½ yd° Morran d°

- 5 -

1½ yd° Morran d°

- - 6

4 14 Oz China Silk

6 4½

14 ½ d°

- 14 6

4½ Eng: d°

- 1 3

Brought over

3 pairs sauce pans, £0 2s 9d

2 coffee pots, £0 3s 6d

2 soup ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 ditto, £0 2s 6d

2 large pots, £0 12s 0d

1 dripping pan, £0 8s 6d

2 round cutting pans, £0 5s 8d

1 ditto, £0 2s 6d

Total, £2 1s 6d

1 chest 4 cwt, £5 10s 0d

1 maul 15 lb, £0 10s 0d

1 iron pot 129, £3 4s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 3s 9d

1 iron 8 lb, £0 6s 8d

4 stock locks, £0 18s 0d

5 till locks, £0 5s 6d

2 stock locks, £0 8s 0d

2 stone hoes, £0 6s 4d

2 rolling ditto, £0 3s 4d

1 hatchet, £0 4s 8d

1 ditto, £0 2s 4d

3 hinges, £0 3s 0d

2 shod shovels, £0 6s 0d

6 goblins Dutch rays, £0 3s 0d

10 pothooks, £0 5s 3d

1 ditto, £0 2s 9d

1½ barrel tar, £8 1s 0d

2¼ lb turpentine, £4 14s 9d

3 lb 3d nails, £0 3s 3d

9 lb 4d, £0 7s 6d

14 lb 6d, £0 10s 6d

6 lb 10d, £0 4s 0d

2 lb 20d, £0 1s 3d

2 lb rowing brads, £0 1s 6d

2 lb sworth, £0 1s 6d

9 lb sworth, £0 7s 0d

Total, £1 16s 6d

13 lb 10d cask and brown thread, £2 14s 0d

16 lb hemp thread, £0 5s 0d

16 yards fustian, £0 7s 8d

3 yards fustian, £0 7s 9d

3 pieces broad ferret, £0 10s 8d

1½ yards narrow ditto, £0 5s 0d

4½ oz China silk, £6 4s 4½d

14 yards ditto, £0 14s 6d

4½ ditto ditto, £0 1s 3d

Interpretations

This continued the calculation of store goods sold to the inhabitants for the period, carrying on from the previous leaf. It ran through kitchen and household ware, ironmongery, sized nails and thread charged against the store in the fixed monthly form.

The sized nails were entered by their old pennyweight designations, the threepenny, fourpenny, sixpenny, tenpenny and twentypenny sorts marking length rather than price. Tar and turpentine served the caulking and dressing of the boats and rigging, and the stock locks, till locks, hoes, hatchets and shod shovels answered the settlement's building and husbandry.

Several textile lines carried the finer cloths of the eastern and English trade. Fustian was a stout twilled cotton or cotton-and-linen cloth, ferret a narrow woven tape used for binding, and China silk the imported silk of that commerce. The store served the island at once as ironmonger, chandler and draper, this role running through every account of the period.

95

93

Bt Over

5 Ps Broad Holland Tape

- 6 8

5 Midling d°

- 6 8

3 Kersey d°

- 2 3

5 M d°

- 6 8

1½ M d°

- - 10

1 M d°

- 1 2

5 lb Ceo Thread

- 3 6

100 Cives Nailes

- 1 6

2½ Oz China

- 2 6

1½ M d°

- - 10½

1½ yd° d°

- - 4

1½ yd° Ferrett

- - 6

2½ Doz Small Laces

- 2 6

7 Ferreting d°

- 1 9

3½ Bag Coat & Breast Butt

- 8 3

53 Skains Mohair

- 8 3

3 D° 5°

- 1 3

2½ Oz d°

- 2 6

5½ Breast d°

- 2 9

13 Doz Shirt Buttons

- 3 3

3 D° 5°

- 1 -

2 Ps Mens Gloves

- 4 -

1½ Ps Whale Bone

- 3 9

Sum Totale to Inhabts £ 175 2 11

Diet Expences

1 Cask Corke

£ 12 - -

1 Double Cake Sea

- 12 -

1 lb Candy d°

- 1 -

12 13 -

Garrison d°

8 Catties Green Tea

£ 1 12 -

3 yatt Rape Oyle

- 18 -

18 lb Rope

- 9 -

2 19 -

Fortification d°

1 lb Ceo Nailes

£ - 1 8

1 d°

- 1 8

8 d° Cives

- 4 -

1 Line N° 14

- 3 -

- 8 9

Plantation d°

17 lb Rope

£ 8 6

1½ lb Sack

- - 10

- 9 4

Caried over

181 13 -

Brought over

5 pieces broad Holland tape, £0 6s 8d

5 middling ditto, £0 6s 8d

3 ferreting ditto, £0 2s 3d

5 M ditto, £0 6s 8d

1½ M ditto, £0 0s 10d

1 M ditto, £0 1s 2d

5 lb cask thread, £0 3s 6d

100 needles, £0 1s 6d

2½ oz China, £0 2s 6d

1½ M ditto, £0 0s 10½d

1½ ditto, £0 0s 4d

1½ yards ferret, £0 0s 16d

2½ dozen thread laces, £0 2s 6d

7 ferreting, £0 1s 9d

3½ bag boot and breast buttons, £0 8s 3d

33 skeins mohair, £0 8s 3d

3 ditto ditto, £0 1s 3d

2½ ditto, £0 2s 6d

5½ breast ditto, £0 2s 9d

13 dozen shirt buttons, £0 3s 3d

3 dozen ditto, £0 1s 0d

2 pairs mens gloves, £0 4s 0d

1½ mohair bone, £0 3s 9d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £175 2s 11d

Diet Expenses

1 cask corks, £2 0s 0d

1 double catty tea, £0 12s 0d

1 lb pepper, £0 1s 0d

Total, £12 13s 0d

Garrison

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

3 gallons Cape oil, £0 18s 0d

18 lb rope, £0 9s 0d

Total, £2 19s 0d

Fortification

1 lb 6d nails, £0 1s 9d

1 ditto, £0 1s 8d

8 lb ditto, £0 4s 0d

1 line No. 14, £0 3s 0d

Total, £0 8s 9d

Plantation

17 lb rope, £0 8s 6d

1½ lb pack, £0 0s 10d

Total, £0 9s 4d

Carried over, £181 13s 0d

Interpretations

This closed the calculation of store goods sold to the inhabitants and opened the diet, garrison, fortification and plantation heads. It followed the fixed monthly form, the inhabitants' account totalling £175 2s 11d before the establishment charges were added.

The haberdashery lines carried the small stores of the clothing trade. Holland tape was a linen binding tape, ferreting a narrow woven tape of worsted or silk, and mohair a fine worsted yarn. The boot, breast and shirt buttons, the thread laces and the needles supplied the making and mending of garments.

The garrison, fortification and plantation charges showed the store serving the settlement's daily needs. Rope, sized nails and a marking line answered the upkeep of the fortifications and the plantation, and the Cape oil and tea supplied the garrison. This role, at once draper, ironmonger and general supplier, ran through every store account of the period.

96

94

Genll Charges

Bt Over

2 Ps Shelloe

£ 3 13 4

157 Nailes

- 16 4

1 Chest Lock

- 7 -

1 d°

- 4 -

1 Cupboard Lock

- 3 6

1 Small Glass Earthem

- 12 -

1 Carpett horse d°

- 6 8

1 Choping Knife

- 2 4

1 lb Cask Steel

- 1 9

1 Corte Lice

- 3 4

2 Sneakers

- 1 -

2 Large Cupps

- 2 -

6 Small d°

- 1 -

1 yd° Broad Holland Tape

- 1 4

1 Oz China Silk

- 1 6

3 14 yd° Broad Ferreting

1 4 5

22 17 1

Honble Comps Blacks

5 Casks Corke d°

£ 60 - -

118 Kersey Ps yz 9/6

8 18 9

1530 lb Rice

9 15 6

34 Smag Blankets

9 - -

24 lb Flour

- 12 -

7 Doz Rocho Suted

- 1 7

8 lb Sives

- 2 10

7 lb Rope

1 16 -

7 yd° English

2 3 9

4 lb Twine

- 2 6

5 Semvie

- 2 6

4 Grose Shirt Buttons

- 16 -

4 Grose Brass d°

1 2 1

1 lb Gold Say

- 8 -

1 lb Gold & Brown Thread

- 8 -

4 Oz China Silk

- 6 -

121 8 9

Totall £ 335 18 10

Gunners Stores Expended in March 1726

Brought over

General Charges

2 pieces chintz, £3 13s 4d

137 needles, £0 16s 14d

1 chest lock, £0 0s 7d

1 ditto, £0 1s 2d

1 cupboard lock, £0 3s 6d

1 small glass earthen, £0 12s 0d

1 carpet horse, £0 6s 8d

1 boning knife, £0 2s 4d

1 chest ditto, £0 1s 9d

1 large line, £0 3s 4d

2 sneakers, £0 1s 0d

2 large cups, £0 1s 0d

6 vices, £0 1s 0d

1 pair broad Holland tape, £0 1s 4d

1 oz China silk, £0 1s 6d

3½ yards broad ferreting, £1 4s 5d

Total, £22 17s 1d

Honourable Company's Blacks

5 casks pork, £60 0s 0d

118 yards kersey 9/6, £8 18s 6d

1,530 lb rice, £9 15s 6d

34 small blankets, £9 0s 0d

24 blue ditto, £12 0s 0d

7 dozen hooks filed, £0 1s 7d

8 goats, £2 10s 0d

7½ crows, £1 16s 0d

7 yards English, £2 2s 3d

4 lb Sutton, £2 2s 6d

5 ferries, £0 2s 6d

4 gross shirt buttons, £0 16s 0d

4 gross breast ditto, £1 2s 7d

1 lb gold thread, £0 8s 0d

4 lb cask and brown thread, £0 8s 0d

4 oz China silk, £0 6s 0d

Total, £121 8s 9d

Total, £335 18s 10d

Gunner's stores expended in March 1726.

Interpretations

This closed the store-goods account for the period, carrying the general charges and the charge for the Honourable Company's slaves, before the grand total of £335 18s 10d was struck. It followed the fixed monthly form of the store returns.

The slaves' account ran to the heaviest sum, dominated by the 5 casks of pork and the clothing material. The 118 yards of kersey answered the slaves' winter garments, kersey being a coarse ribbed woollen cloth, and the 34 small blankets and 24 blue blankets furnished their bedding. The shirt and breast buttons and the thread completed the making of the clothes.

The general charges carried the finer stores of the household and clothing trade. Chintz was a printed and glazed calico, broad Holland tape a linen binding tape, and ferreting a narrow woven tape used for binding and edging. The chest, cupboard and other locks, the boning knife and the vices served the settlement's daily needs, the store acting at once as draper, ironmonger and general supplier through every account of the period.

97

95

March

1735/6

9 Muster Day

- - - 10

8 A Double Alarm

6 3 3 9

9 Arivig the Cason

9 - 9 9

d° To Salute Supra Cargos at Loading

9 - 9 9

15 Sold for the Castle

- - 9 1

18 To Answer a Salute from the Cason

9 - 9 9

19 Departed the Cason

9 - 9 9

20 A Double Alarm

6 3 3 9

27 d°

6 3 3 9

28 To Answer Salute from the Dutch Ffleet

32 - 32 39

Expence for the Guardes

13

Cartridge Cases Expended 2 Livre

86 9 77 119

Sheep Skins

9 -

Match

21 lb

John Smith

Jno Alexander Edward Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

At a Genll Sessions held on Thursday the 1st Aprile

1726 at the Sessions House in James Valley

Present John Smith Esqr Govr & Judge

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander Assistants

John Goodwin

The Court being Opened by the usuall Manner the following Persons

were Sworn upon the Jury

Gabriel Powell Foreman 1

John French Gunr 2

Orlando Bagley Sen 3

Joseph n Dorlton 4

York Johnson 5

Cyrah Wrangham 6

Richd Beale 7

Charles Steward 8

Rich Goodwin 9

Stephen Cuffen 10

Fran: Long 11

Ct Massah 12

The Declaration of Jno Colegorog agst Jno Alexander

3 of Councell was Presented & Read

Sheweth

Every figure in that gunner's account is a tally of guns fired, and each one belongs to a particular day in March 1726 and a particular occasion. Set back beside the day and the reason that stood against it on the full leaf, the account reads as follows.

Gunner's account of powder and guns fired, March 1726

9 March, muster day: 10 guns fired

8 March, a double alarm: 6 guns fired, of which 3 were minute guns, 3 falcons and 9 in the chase tally

9 March, to salute the Prospero cargoes at loading: 9 guns fired, being 9 falcons and 9 in the chase tally

10 March, sold for the castle: 9 guns fired, being 9 falcons and 1 in the chase tally

13 March, to answer a salute from the Cason: 9 guns fired, being 9 falcons and 9 in the chase tally

19 March, at the departure of the Cason: 9 guns fired, being 9 falcons and 9 in the chase tally

20 March, a double alarm: 6 guns fired, of which 3 were minute guns, 3 falcons and 9 in the chase tally

27 March, a double alarm: 6 guns fired, of which 3 were minute guns, 3 falcons and 9 in the chase tally

28 March, to answer the salutes from the Dutch fleet: 32 guns fired, being 32 falcons and 39 in the chase tally

expended for the guards: 13 in the chase tally

cartridge paper expended, 2 quire

Column totals: 86 guns fired, 9 minute guns, 77 falcons, 119 chase

sheep skins, 9

match, 24 lb

To read a single row across, take 28 March. The 32 in the first column is the whole number of guns fired that day to answer the Dutch fleet. That same 32 appears again in the falcons column because every one of those 32 guns was a falcon, a small piece of ordnance. The 39 in the last column is the chase tally, a separate running count of the chase guns. So one day's firing is entered once as the day's total, once by the type of gun, and once in the chase count, which is why the same figure shows up more than once along a line.

The four figures at the foot are the sums of their columns down the whole month. 86 is every gun fired in March, 9 the minute guns, 77 the falcons and 119 the chase tally. The sheep skins and the 24 lb of match are stores spent alongside the powder, the skins used in the cartridge work and the match to fire the guns.

One caution on the reading. The type-of-gun heads, the minute guns and the falcons, and the chase tally rest on fine reading of a faded and partly rotated table, and the exact head over the third and fourth columns cannot be fixed beyond doubt from the page alone. The day-by-day totals and the four column sums are secure, since they match the figures carried on the facing leaf.

98

96

That yr Complts Grandfather Jno Colegorog did in his Lifetime

Purchase Six Acres of Sabbageberre Land Scituate under the Main

being contiguous to the Lands of Serjeant, Wood, & also One

Dwelling House Scituate in the Fort or James Valley which after

the Death of your Comps Grandfather were possessed & Enjoyed

by yr Complainants Grandmother Margaret Colegorog to the time

of her Death before which the without any lawfull Grant or

Authority so to do your Complainants Grandfather having died

intestate the said Land & House & all other the Reall Estate of Course

Descended to your Comps father Jno Colegorog who also did in the

time of yr Comps Minority, She Ehsseler Last Will & Testament,

bequeathed the said ten Acre of Land to three of the Children of the

said Cap Alexander who by Reference to the said Will were partly that

part Cegroro to the said Six Acres of Land hath an unrightfully Illegally

Detained & withall from yr Comps by the said Cap over Since the time

of her which happend in the Year

Yr Complaint therefore humbly Represents & Insists that

so much of the said Grand as such was in Relation to the

Disposition of the said ten Acres of Land & House is of no force

or Vertue but absolutely Void & Void against the Laws &

Constitutions of this Island & highly injurious to Your Compt

who as Heir at Law is justly & Solely entitled to the said House

& ten Acres Land with other the Commodities & Appurtnances

thereunto belonging

Yr Complaint also humbly Complaints that his

Uncle Joseph Colegorog died a Minor, at the time of whose decease

his first traa Estate of the Value of One Hundred twenty five £

was in the hands of Cap Alexander which according to Custome

ought to have been Equally divided but yr Complaint & Ono of the

said £ 25, the nearest of Kindred to the Deceased Uncle to Estanded

& Ended yr Complainants by him the said Cap Alexander & he doth

Still refuse & Say the whole to yr Complainants

Yr Complaint therefore most humbly Recommends his

hard Case to the Consideration of the Worshipfull Court & Court

of the Jury & humbly Prays his Right & Title to the Premisses

may be finally & fully asserted & his whole Damages allowed him for

the time they have been withheld from him

And yr Compt as in Duty bound shall ever Pray

Jno Colegorog

12° Aprile 1726

To which the Defendt made the following Reply

John Colgrove set out that his grandfather, John Colgrove, had in his lifetime bought six acres of arable land situated under the Main [...], and now in the possession of the plantations of Sergeant Wood, and also of the [...] plantation situated in the Fort or James valley. After the death of the complainant's grandfather, this land was possessed and enjoyed by the complainant's grandmother, Margaret Colgrove, to the time of her death, before which she had no son George, nor authority so to do. The complainant's grandfather, having duly settled the land and all the other several estates of course descended to the complainant's father, John Colgrove, who also died in the time of the Company's indemnity. His mother, the widow, by her last will and testament bequeathed the six acres of land to three of the children.

Colgrove set out that Captain Alexander, laying claim to the six acres by conveyance, held six acres of land by an unlawful and illegal detainer withheld from the complainant by Captain Alexander for some time past, the whole of the [...] which happened in the year [...]

Colgrove further set out that so much of the land as lay under the disposition of the six acres of land and houses was of no force or virtue, but absolutely null and void against the laws and constitutions of this island, and highly injurious to the complainant, who as heir at law was justly and solely entitled to the six acres and houses, with the other commodities and appurtenances belonging.

Colgrove also set out that his uncle, Joseph Colgrove, had died a minor. At the time of his decease his fortune, being an estate to the value of £120, was in the hands of Captain Alexander, which according to custom ought to have been equally divided among the complainant and the rest of the [...]. Colgrove was the nearest of kindred to the deceased minor, and it stood detained and denied to the complainant by Captain Alexander, who still refused to pay the same to the complainant.

Colgrove therefore asked the court to recommend his case to the consideration of the worshipful the council, and of the jury, so that by every right and title the wrong might be finally examined, and the damages allowed him for the time they had been withheld from him.

The complainant, as in duty bound, would ever pray.

12 April 1726. John Colgrove.

To which the defendant made the following reply.

Interpretations

This set out the plaintiff's declaration in the suit begun at the general sessions of 14 April 1726, where John Colgrove sued Captain John Alexander over land and an inheritance. The pleading rested on Colgrove's claim as heir at law to six acres of arable ground under the Main Ridge and a house in James valley, which had descended through his grandfather and father before Alexander took possession.

The declaration turned on two distinct heads of complaint. The first was the six acres of land and the house, which Colgrove claimed Alexander held by a conveyance he pleaded null and void against the laws of the island. The second was the estate of £120 left by his uncle Joseph Colgrove, a minor at his death, which Colgrove said Alexander held as guardian and had failed to distribute among the kindred.

The custom of dividing a minor's estate among the next of kin showed how the island applied the ordinary rules of inheritance in the absence of a will. Colgrove pleaded his nearness of kindred as his title to a share, and cast Alexander's retention of both the land and the money as an unlawful detainer for which he sought damages for the years the property had been kept from him.

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97

That in the Year 1657 John Colegrove Grandfather to the Complt did & gave all

& Singular his whole & Entire Estate as well Real as personal, to the Widd Mary

Colegrove appointing her Executr & to Enjoyre thereof as she should think

Convenient either at her Life time or at the time of her decease

That the said Margaret Colegrove by her Last Will & Testament gave to

the eldest Son of the Defendt Six Acres of free Land that the ten Ehsseler

or Bran Case of his Death to the Survivor of the three Sons as an Estated

Estate & Descen in the Defendant Confession till they come of Age or

Marriage as by the said Will will more fully appear

That the Defendt hath long in the Enire Possession of the ten Acres of

Land for about twenty Years Enjoying the two by Comps Grant & Deth Grand &

of which twenty Years the said Arthur Colegrove father of the Complainant

lived about ten Years after being & Grant Ceo & Ago & your Ytended or Last Claim

as Heir either to the decease by Colegrove his Father or to his Mother

Margaret Colegrove who is there the Least Mention made in the Last Will of

only Bran Sundry Estate whatever Consequently the Son the Complt an have

no just Claim to the said Premisses now in Dispute

That John Cole Executor & Withold a Declaration Entered in a Court held

by Yr in behalfe of the Complt & his Brother against the Defendt

wherein among Sundry other Articles in the body of the said Declaration mentioned

to make & Repeated Item one of an Estate, as well Real as personall that the

Defendant was Charged with & thought to have in sd Custody, but no real

Estate as in fact there was, none, whereupon the Jury this Impannelld

brought in their verdict that Joseph Colegrove Estate should be Divided

in the manner all Personal Estate are by pursuance to which verdict

upon Interest therin hath had their Divided brought to their reflexion

as by Comps of the aleging said

That the Widd Colegrove was Invested with the whole & Entire Estate of her

deceased Husband Jno Colegrove by Ordor Divined from Govern & Councr of the three

Councills & as Executr transacted all affairs therein as she thought fitt, during

all the time of her Lifetime & after her Death this Will was proved as a Good

Will & Registred in form according to the Custome of these State

That the whole mention here in the Complainants Declaration was Grounded

to Enslish Sale about Nineteen Years Since by Ordor of Govern Boards with

the Defendent & the Money arising therefrom doth Spring out of the Superior

Divided of the said Margaret Colegrove Effect according to the several Shares &

Appointments in her Will now Proved in Court

That by the Honble Comps Laws for Sterling Land upon this Island the

Estates are to Descend to the Heir at Perfore Last Will, & Testaments are

appointed if no such Appointment then to Descend to the Heir at Law by that

as the Defendant had then None at the Death of these three Named in the first

Margaret Colegrove Will be non Living, she dieng the eldest of them to be the

immediate & next just Heir to his deceased Brothers all having the same father

to get possession of these ten Acres of Ye Willer as the One None & that the Legacy

of the said Deceased Margaret Colegrove doth not Descent to the Complt but

rightfully to the Sons of the Defendt

The Defendt could urge severall Instances of these Nature but

The defendant, Captain John Alexander, replied to the declaration and set out his answer to each head of the complaint.

Alexander stated that in the year 1657 John Colgrove, grandfather to the complainant, had given all his real and personal estate to his wife, Mary Colgrove, appointing her sole executrix, and directing the estate as she should think convenient, either at her death or at the time of her decease.

Alexander stated that Margaret Colgrove, by her last will and testament, had given to the eldest son of the defendant six acres of land, and that in case of his death the estate should go to the survivor of the three, so as an entailed estate, and it rested in the defendant's possession until they should come of age or marriage, as by the will more fully appeared.

Alexander stated that the defendant had long been in the quiet possession of the six acres of land for about 20 years. During those 20 years the complainant's father, Arthur Colgrove, had lived about 10 years after, being of full age, and his pretended claim as heir either to the deceased Arthur Colgrove his father or to his mother, Margaret Colgrove, was of no force. There was no least mention made in the last will of any real or personal estate whatever, so the son the complainant could have no just claim to the land now in dispute.

Alexander stated that John Colgrove, executor, would have a declaration entered in the court held on behalf of the complainant against the defendant, wherein among sundry other matters in the body of the declaration it was made to appear as an estate the defendant was charged with and thought to have in his custody. No real estate was in his hands, whence the jury upon oath brought in their verdict that Joseph Colgrove's estate should be divided in the manner all personal estates are. On that verdict, upon interest thereon, the money had then been divided and brought to their reckoning [...] after alleging.

Alexander stated that Joseph Colgrove, invested with the whole and entire estate of his deceased brother Arthur Colgrove, had by order of the Governor and council transacted all affairs therein as he thought fit. During the time of her life, and after her death, the estate was proved as a good title, and registered in form according to the custom of this island.

Alexander stated that the first mention here in the complainant's declaration was an English sale about 19 years since, by order of the Governor and council, with the defendant's estate. The money arising therefrom both principal and interest, according to the several shares and appointments in the will now produced in court [...]

Alexander stated that by the Honourable Company's laws, for sterling land upon this island all estates were to descend to the heir at law. Before any will or testament, all estates were appointed. If no such appointment, then to descend to the heir at law, as the defendant had done. Of the three named in the will, none, at the death of those three named to the [...] before Margaret Colgrove's will, being now living. She desired the estate of them to be immediately [...] and just heir to his deceased brothers, all having the same father. To get rid of those three of the will, in the one name so that the legacy of the six acres given to Margaret Colgrove did not descend to the complainant, but rightfully to the sons of the defendant.

The defendant could urge several instances of this nature [...]

Interpretations

This set out the defendant's reply in the suit begun at the general sessions of 14 April 1726, where Captain John Alexander answered John Colgrove's claim to land and an inheritance. Alexander met each head of the declaration in turn, resting his title on the wills of the Colgrove family and on orders of the Governor and council.

The reply turned on the construction of Margaret Colgrove's will, which Alexander read as an entail of the six acres upon his own sons rather than a descent to the complainant as heir at law. He argued that Arthur Colgrove, the complainant's father, had lived years after the grant without asserting any claim, and that no mention of real or personal estate in the last will gave the complainant a title.

The dispute exposed the tension between two rules of descent that governed land on the island. Alexander invoked the Honourable Company's law that sterling land passed to the heir at law only in the absence of a will or an appointment, and set the family's wills and the council's orders above the complainant's claim of heirship. His account of the earlier division of Joseph Colgrove's personal estate by a jury's verdict answered the second head of the complaint, distinguishing the treatment of personal property from that of the entailed land.

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98

but having been already Somewhat tedious Submitts the Consideration

of his Case to the Judgement of the Court & the Jury,

But Trance this Cautione for a Materiall Ineques to Enjoyre Item of a

Matta which he thinks Materiall which is that at the time of his Intermariage

with the Eldest Daughter of the deceased Jno Colegrove the said Colegrove made

him the Defendant a Promise upon Oath that the Defent should have

twenty Acres of free Land with his Daughter as part of her Dowry

ten Acres to be immediatly Enjoyed & Enjoyre by the Defendt De ten

Acres more to be Settled on the Death of the party the said but to remain in his

Wife hands of the out Land him during her Lifetime towards bringing up

the younger Children & intended to Ynd the same in Writing but Dund Soon

after the said Defendante Son was born Demanding his said Writing to

Assure the Land who the onlily Reason why his Widow Marg Colegrove

bequeathed the same in the Meantr Set forth in her said Will

Both Parties having offerd what they thought Materiall the Judge

Directed the Jury to withdraw & Consider of the Affair who after Continuance

Story being Returned deliverd the following Report into Court

"To the Case in Cort Last Court was offered to Cap Hen ble Corley

"So Wee desire Rects Margaret Colegroves Will may be Sent

"And as to the Case of Joseph Colegrove Will We desire to Know

"whether it has been already & fully decided by a Jury

The Declaration of Comrs Nickolls agst Tho Wignee was then read

Sheweth That the said Tho Wignee Surgeon with a Wicked Malicious

Intent to Blast & Ruin the Good Name & Reputation of Yr Complaint

Wife by ill design to Create Division & Misunderstanding Between

Your Complainant & said Wife, hath Publickly, falsely Maliciously

& Scandalously affirmed that he the said Tho Wignee could as Please

have Carnal Knowledge of her or Words, to that Effect

Yr Complaint therefore humbly Offers the Consideration of

the Premisses to Yor Worships the Councill & Court of the Jury & doubts

not but he shall be allowed Damages Suitable to the Falsety &

Barbarity of the Injury And Yr Complt shall Pray

Comrs Nickolls

To support which the following affidavit of Jno Hodghinson was read

vizt This Exampt Saith that about ten Months Since Mr Tho

Wignee Surgeon Yed till this Exampt that he the said Mr Wignee could as

Pleasure be Conversed with Mrs Nickolls Wife of Comrs Nickolls

of the said Island

Jno Hodghinson

Jurat Coram Vte 21 Die March 1735/6

Jno Smith

The defendant, having been already somewhat tedious, submitted the consideration of his case to the judgment of the rest of the jury.

Alexander set out one further matter he thought material. At the time of his intermarriage with the eldest daughter of the deceased John Colgrove, Arthur Colgrove had made him the defendant a promise upon oath. The defendant should have 20 acres of land with his daughter as part of her dowry, 10 acres to be immediately conveyed to him by the defendant. Those acres were to be settled on the birth of the first child, but to remain in the defendant's hands during his lifetime towards bringing up the younger children. Arthur Colgrove intended to put the same in writing, but died soon after. The defendant, having no just title to show the land, was the only reason why his mother, Margaret Colgrove, bequeathed the same in the manner set out in her will.

Both parties having offered what they thought material, the judge directed the jury to withdraw and consider of the affair. On their return they delivered the following verdict into court.

The jury found that the case in fact last fourth was referred to the Honourable Company, and desired that the widow Margaret Colgrove's will might be seen. As to the case of Joseph Colgrove, the jury desired to hear whether it had been already fully decided by another jury.

The declaration of Commander Nicholls against Thomas Wignall was then read.

Nicholls set out that Thomas Wignall, surgeon, with a wicked and malicious intent to hurt the good name and reputation of the complainant's wife, and with design to create division and misunderstanding between the complainant and his wife, had publicly, falsely, maliciously and scandalously affirmed that he Thomas Wignall could at pleasure have carnal knowledge of her, or words to that effect.

Nicholls therefore asked the court to consider the case, and asked the worshipful the council and the jury for damages suitable to the [...] and barbarity of the injury. The complainant would ever pray.

Commander Nicholls.

To support the case the following affidavit of John Hodgkinson was read.

Hodgkinson, examined upon oath, stated that about 10 months since, Mr Wignall, surgeon, had told the examinant that he Mr Wignall could at pleasure be carnal with Mrs Nicholls, wife of Commander Nicholls, of this island.

John Hodgkinson.

Sworn at Union Castle this 14 April 1725/6. John Smith.

Interpretations

This continued the general sessions of 14 April 1726, closing the land suit between John Colgrove and Captain John Alexander, and opening a fresh action for defamation brought by Commander Nicholls against the surgeon Thomas Wignall. The jury declined to decide the Colgrove case outright, referring the will to the Honourable Company and asking whether the matter of Joseph Colgrove's estate had already been settled by an earlier jury.

Alexander's closing point rested on a promised marriage settlement that was never put in writing. He claimed Arthur Colgrove had sworn to give 20 acres with his daughter but died before executing the deed, and cast Margaret Colgrove's will as the family's remedy for that failure of title. The reliance on an unwritten oath showed the difficulty of proving a land settlement where death intervened before the conveyance was drawn.

The Nicholls action reached the court only days after the council resolved on 5 April 1726 to procure another surgeon in Wignall's place, following his drunken blinding of the cooper. The complaint of a slander touching Mrs Nicholls's chastity, supported by Hodgkinson's sworn account of Wignall's boast, added a private suit for damages to the public grievances already recorded against the surgeon.

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99

The said Hodghinson was also Examined upon Oath in Court, after

which the Jury withdrew & found for the Plaintiffe Referring Damages to the

Pleasure of the Court desiring their Beliefe that the said Wignell was Drunk

when he Ynd it

Sampey a Slave, to Andrew Bergue Cooper Confessing himself

Guilty of Burglary & Felony & this being the sd Offend the like Punishmt

was reflected upon him

The forgoing answer being

Entered without heret my Knowledge

or Consent

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 26° Aprile 1726 at Union Castle

On Thursday Night about Nine in the Afternoon arived the Monmouth Cap

Symcke & the End sud Cap Rigby from Madrass & Bengal & brought

the following Supply for this Place

Monmouth

Rice 64 Bag Amt to

£ 50 - 3

Sugar 10 Ps Sugar

80 - -

Candles 2 Chest

112 - -

242 - 3

Marges Byfeld

14 8 3

256 8 6

Rice 51 Bag Amt to

47 3 9

Sugar 10 Bags

80 - -

Candle 2 Chests

112 - -

Charges Merchandize

20 6

259 9 9

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Hodgkinson was also examined upon oath in court, after which the jury withdrew and found for the plaintiff, referring damages to the pleasure of the court, and delivering their belief that Wignall was drunk when he did so.

Sampson, a slave, to Andrew Bergue, cooper, confessed himself guilty of burglary and felony. This being the second offence, the usual punishment was inflicted upon him.

The foregoing answer being entered without the knowledge or consent [...]

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 April 1726 at Union Castle, on Thursday night last about five in the afternoon the Monmouth arrived under Captain Semple, and the Endfield under Captain Rigby, from Madras and Bengal. They brought the following supply for the island.

Monmouth

rice, 64 bags, amounting to, £50 0s 3d

sugar, 10 bags sugar, £80 0s 0d

candles, 2 chests, £112 0s 0d

Total, £242 0s 3d

Margee and Endfield, £14 8s 3d

Total, £256 8s 6d

rice, 51 bags, amounting to, £47 8s 9d

sugar, 10 bags, £80 0s 0d

candles, 2 chests, £112 0s 0d

charges merchandise, £20 6s 0d

Total, £259 9s 9d

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This closed the general sessions of 14 April 1726 and opened the consultation of 26 April 1726, at which two homeward-bound ships arrived with supplies. The jury found for Commander Nicholls in his defamation suit against the surgeon Thomas Wignall, referring the damages to the court and adding their belief that Wignall was drunk when he made the boast.

The conviction of the slave Sampson turned on his being a second offender. His confession to burglary and felony brought the usual punishment, the reference to the second offence marking the heavier penalty reserved for a repeated crime under the island's practice.

The arrival of the Monmouth under Captain Semple and the Endfield under Captain Rigby from Madras and Bengal brought the staple imported provisions of rice, sugar and candles. The two cargoes were reckoned separately, each running to well over £250, and priced for the island's use in the ordinary way before the accounts went to the council.

102

100

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3 May 1726 Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Last Consultation read & Approved

Wee this day Ynd the large China Goods Bt off Cason

This day We Executed a Lease to Jno Taylr for Twenty Nine Acres

Land in Right of his Wife

Samuel Jefsory Presented an Obligation & Agreement formerly made

between him & Matthew Mudge desiring the same may be Registred for

greater Security

Ordred that the same be Registred for greater Security

Whereas Richard Coysby Planter who formerly Possessed of

ten Acres of free Land but by finding the same not to be wholly Cast in

Rath for several years part given an Aut & Ynd Ceo no more than

Seven Acres which being a Manifest Breach of the Covenant, by

which such Lands are held & Contrary to several Advertisements

Ynd out yearly for all Persons to give a true & Exact Acc & of all

their Lands. We adjudge those Acres out of the ten be forfeited to the

Honble Comps & that the same be accordingly Void for their Use, &

that Warrant to this purpose be delivered to the Marshall

The Govrd Declaring that he has in his Custody several Bonds

of an old Date formerly given by the Inhabitants to the Honble Comps

most of which are thought to be Cleard tho' not taken up. It is

therefore Ordred to prevent all Mistake that may hereafter

happen that Tuesday the 9° instant be appointed to Examine the

said Bonds & that Publick Notice be given of the same & all Persons

concerned required then to attend

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 May 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

The council this day priced the large China goods brought by the Cason.

The council this day executed a lease to John Taylor for 29 acres of land in right of his wife.

James Jeffery presented an obligation and agreement formerly made between him and Matthew Mudge, and asked that the same might be registered for greater security. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

Richard Crosby, planter, formerly held 10 acres of free land. The council, finding the same not to be wholly fenced in for several years past, and that he had given an account for no more than seven acres, judged this a plain breach of the covenant by which such lands are held. It was contrary to several advertisements setting out yearly that all persons were to give a true and exact account of their lands. The council adjudged the three acres out of the 10 forfeited to the Honourable Company, and ordered that the same be conveyed to their use, and that a warrant to this purpose be delivered to the marshal.

The Governor reported that he had in his custody several bonds of an old date, formerly given by the inhabitants to the Honourable Company. Most of these were thought to be cleared though not taken up. The council therefore ordered, to prevent all mistakes that might arise hereafter, that Tuesday the 9th instant be appointed to examine the bonds, and that public notice be given of the same, and all persons concerned required then to attend.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation of 3 May 1726, at which the council priced the China cargo of the Cason, granted a lease, registered an agreement and dealt with a forfeiture and a review of old bonds. The pricing of the large China goods followed the arrival of the cargo already valued in part at the consultation of 15 March 1725/6.

The forfeiture against Richard Crosby turned on the covenant that bound every holder of free land to fence and to render a true account of his acreage. Crosby had fenced and accounted for only seven of his 10 acres, and the council treated the shortfall as a breach that carried the penalty of forfeiture. The direction to convey the three acres to the Company and to issue a warrant to the marshal showed the council enforcing the land covenants by resuming the ground itself.

The review of the old bonds addressed a practical difficulty of the Company's accounting on the island. The Governor held bonds long since given by the inhabitants, many probably discharged but never formally taken up, and the appointed examination of 9 May 1726 was meant to clear the record and prevent later disputes over debts already paid.

103

101

At a Consultation held on Thursday Evening 5° May 1726

at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Last Consultation read & Approved

This Morning early We had an Alarm for One Ship abt

Seven Leagues distant & in the afternoon arived the Corporron

Capt Jodah Thraites from England with a Cargo of Goods &

Merchandize for the use of this Island

The Casket being received on Shoar We opend the same

& Read Undr the Genll Letter dated 24° Decr 1735 & also the Invoice

& found all Casper to Answer the List

Ordred that a Letter be drawn up & delivrd Cap Thraites

for the delivery of the said Cargo & to insert therin We are ready to Serve

him if he wants any Assistance for the more Speedy Dispatch thereof

Likewise Ordred that the Persons who receive the said Goods do take

particular Notice of the Weather & to keep an Exact Acct when any

Surfe happen & how many Boats come on Shoar each day & of what

Sort they are

John Smith

Jno Alexander Edward Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 17° May 1726 at

Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Last Consultation read & Approved

The two Ship for which a double Alarm was made the 15 instant

Prove to be Ffleets who arived that day Evening near Contisberry &

bearawaie, who by going had a long Cassages to Severall Sick, who

called in here for Refreshments

Capt Byfeld Capt Goodwine & Mr French delivered their

Monthly acct for Aprile last which were Exand & Approved & are as follows

At a consultation held on Thursday evening 5 May 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

This morning early the island had an alarm for one ship about seven leagues distant. In the afternoon the Sceptre arrived under Captain Josiah Thwaites from England, with a cargo of goods and merchandise for the use of the island.

The packet being received on shore, the council opened the same and read the Honourable Company's letter dated 24 December 1725, and also the invoice, and found all correct to answer the list.

The council ordered that a letter be drawn up and sent to Captain Thwaites for the delivery of the cargo, and to meet him if he wanted any assistance for the more speedy dispatch thereof. The council likewise ordered that the persons who received the goods take particular notice of the weather, and keep an exact account when any surf happened, and how many boats came on shore each day, and of what sort they were.

John Smith, John Alexander, John Goodwin, Edward Byfield.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 May 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

The two ships for which a double alarm was made the 15th instant proved to be the Prince of Wales and another, which arrived that day evening from Coromandel and onward, having had a long passage. Several sick men [...] called in here for refreshment.

Captain Byfield, Captain Goodwin and Mr French delivered their monthly accounts for April, which were examined and approved as follows.

Interpretations

This recorded two consultations of May 1726, the first on the arrival of the Sceptre from England with a cargo of goods, the second on the arrival of the Prince of Wales from Coromandel. The receipt of the Honourable Company's letter of 24 December 1725 with the invoice showed the ordinary way the directors advised the island of a consignment before it was landed.

The council's order to keep an exact record of the weather, the surf and the boats coming ashore each day answered a real difficulty of the island's trade. Landing a cargo at James Bay depended wholly on the sea, and a careful tally of the working days and the surf protected the Company against disputes over delay and demurrage in discharging the ship.

The arrival of the Prince of Wales with sick men aboard reflected the island's standing role as a place of refreshment on the homeward passage from India. A long voyage from Coromandel left crews weakened, and the island supplied the fresh meat, greens and water that restored them before they sailed on.

104

102

Acct of the Honble Comps Stock of Cattle Sheep Goate Hogs Coultry Asses & Horses likewise what has been killed &

Sold to Ship besides the Increase or Decrease from the 25° March 1726 to 30th Aprile following vizt

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Coultry Asses Horses

Bullocks Cowes Kifers Steers Yeurlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Kild Ewes Wethers Kids Rams Totall Sows Hoggs Pig Totall Turkeys Fowles Ducks Geese Asses Horses Mares Totall

Remd 25 March Cur: to 30 Aprile

Bullocks 24, Cowes 64, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 85 6, Bulls 5, Totall 186 6, Ewes 53, Wethers 24, Lambs 20, Rams 3, Kild 100, Cowes 176 36, Wethers 108 27, Kids 105 33, Rams 7, Totall 396 96, Sows 13, Hoggs 16, Pig 34, Totall 63, Turkeys 79, Fowles 82, Ducks 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 7, Mares 2, Totall 9

Killed in d°

Bullocks 24, Cowes 64, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 91 1, Bulls 5, Totall 192 1, Ewes 53, Wethers 24, Lambs 20, Rams 3, Kild 100 1, Cowes 212 9, Wethers 135 14, Kids 138 9, Rams 7, Totall 497 25, Sows 13, Hoggs 16, Pig 34, Totall 63, Turkeys 79 3, Fowles 82 6, Ducks 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 7, Mares 2, Totall 9

Sold to Ship in d°

Bullocks 24 6, Cowes 64 1, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 90, Bulls 5, Totall 191 7, Ewes 53, Wethers 24, Lambs 19 6, Rams 3, Kild 99, Cowes 203, Wethers 121, Kids 136, Rams 7, Totall 467, Sows 13, Hoggs 16, Pig 34, Totall 63, Turkeys 76, Fowles 76, Ducks 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 7, Mares 2, Totall 9

Sold to Inhabs in d°

Bullocks 18, Cowes 63, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 90, Bulls 5, Totall 184, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 19, Rams 3, Kild 93, Cowes 203, Wethers 121, Kids 136, Rams 7, Totall 467, Sows 13, Hoggs 16, Pig 34, Totall 63, Turkeys 76, Fowles 76, Ducks 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 7 9, Mares 2, Totall 9

Goat Kids & grown in d°

Bullocks 18, Cowes 63, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 90, Bulls 5, Totall 184, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 19, Rams 3, Kild 93, Cowes 203, Wethers 121, Kids 136 62, Rams 7 1, Totall 467 63, Sows 13, Hoggs 16, Pig 34, Totall 63, Turkeys 76, Fowles 76, Ducks 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 2, Totall 7

Dead in d°

Bullocks 18, Cowes 63, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 90, Bulls 5, Totall 184, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 19 1, Rams 3, Kild 93, Cowes 203, Wethers 121, Kids 74, Rams 6, Totall 404, Sows 13, Hoggs 16, Pig 34, Totall 63, Turkeys 76 1, Fowles 76, Ducks 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 2, Totall 7

Remd Ultd Aprile

Bullocks 18, Cowes 63, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 89, Bulls 5, Totall 183, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 19, Rams 3, Kild 93, Cowes 203, Wethers 121, Kids 74, Rams 6, Totall 404, Sows 12, Hoggs 16, Pig 34, Totall 62, Turkeys 76, Fowles 76, Ducks 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 2, Totall 7

Yams Expended at the sevll Plantacons 37290 lb

D° Deld to the Fort Blacks - 16975

Totall Yams 53065

Account of the Honourable Company's stock of cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses, and likewise what has been killed and sold to shipping, besides the increase or decrease, from 25 March 1726 to 30 April following.

The column headings are legible on this leaf. Neat cattle: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls, total. Sheep: ewes, wethers, lambs, rams, total. Goats: ewes, wethers, kids, rams, total. Hogs: sows, barrows, pigs, total. Poultry: turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese. Asses and horses: asses, horses, mares, total.

Remaining 25 March, increased to 30 April

24 bullocks, 64 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 85 (6) calves, 5 bulls, 186 (6) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 24 wethers, 20 lambs, 3 rams, 100 total sheep; 176 ewes, 108 wethers, 105 (36/33) kids, 7 rams, 396 (96) total goats; 13 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 63 total, 79 hogs; 82 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 7 asses, 2 horses, 9 mares total

Killed in ditto

24 bullocks, 64 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 91 (1) calves, 5 bulls, 192 (1) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 24 wethers, 20 (1) lambs, 3 rams, 100 (1) total sheep; 212 (9) ewes, 135 (14) wethers, 138 (9) kids, 7 rams, 492 (25) total goats; 13 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 63 total, 79 hogs; 82 (3) turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 7 asses, 2 horses, 9 mares total

Sold to ship in ditto

24 bullocks (6), 64 cows (1), 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 90 calves, 5 bulls, 191 (7) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 24 wethers, 19 (6) lambs, 3 rams, 99 total sheep; 203 ewes, 121 wethers, 136 kids, 7 rams, 467 total goats; 13 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 63 total, 76 hogs; 76 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 7 asses, 2 horses, 9 mares total

Sold to inhabitants in ditto

18 bullocks, 63 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 90 calves, 5 bulls, 184 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, 93 total sheep; 203 ewes, 121 wethers, 136 kids, 7 rams, 467 total goats; 13 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 63 total, 76 hogs; 76 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 7 (9) asses, 2 horses, 9 mares total

Goats cut and grown in ditto

18 bullocks, 63 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 90 calves, 5 bulls, 184 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, 93 total sheep; 203 ewes, 121 wethers, 136 (62) kids, 7 (63) rams, 467 total goats; 13 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 63 total, 76 hogs; 76 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 7 asses, 5 horses, 2 mares, 7 total

Dead in ditto

18 bullocks, 63 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 90 calves, 5 bulls, 184 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, 93 (1) total sheep; 203 ewes, 121 wethers, 74 kids, 6 rams, 404 total goats; 13 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 63 total, 76 (1) hogs; 76 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 7 asses, 5 horses, 2 mares, 7 total

Remaining 30 April

18 bullocks, 63 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 89 calves, 5 bulls, 183 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, 93 total sheep; 203 ewes, 121 wethers, 74 kids, 6 rams, 404 total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total, 76 hogs; 76 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 7 asses, 5 horses, 2 mares, 7 total

Yams expended at the several plantations, 37,290 lb

Ditto delivered to the Fort blacks, 16,975 lb

Total yams, 53,065 lb

Interpretations

This closed the live-stock and provision account for the period from 25 March to 30 April 1726, set out as a grid tracing each class of stock through the month. This leaf carried its full column headings written in, so the identity of each column was read from the page itself.

The row headings ran through the number remaining at 25 March with the increase to 30 April, the beasts killed, those sold to shipping, those sold to the inhabitants, the goats cut and grown, those that died, and the number remaining at 30 April. The neat cattle were graded as bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls with a total, the sheep and goats each as ewes, wethers and rams with the lambs or kids, and the hogs as sows, barrows and pigs. The poultry closed the grid as turkeys, fowls, ducks and geese, with the asses, horses and mares last.

The sale of neat cattle and sheep to shipping showed the island victualling the Company's vessels from its own stock, the beasts drawn off the running herd for the outward passage. The yam summary gave the month's consumption of the staple root, 37,290 lb spent at the plantations and 16,975 lb served to the slaves quartered at the Fort, for a total of 53,065 lb.

105

103

151 lb Sugar

3 15 6

291 lb Candy

14 11 -

348 lb Tobacco

39 3 -

938 Pipes

2 2 1

1311 lb Bread

16 7 9

668 lb Flower

8 7 -

110 Catties Green Tea

22 - -

5 lb Bohea

1 10 -

13¼ Gall Ceo Oyle

3 19 6

8 D° Linseed

3 4 -

40 Bottles flo d°

1 13 4

296 lb Soap

20 19 4

31½ Candles

1 16 3

29 lb Hay

- 7 -

24 Oz Indigo

- 12 -

69 lb Pepper

3 9 -

40 lb Hair Powder

- 10 -

2 Barrells Tarr

4 5 -

6½ Gall d°

- 16 3

18 lb Pitch

- 6 -

20 lb Rozen

- 6 8

Cot Cable Wt 39 1 5

57 3 -

6 D° 7 lb Cordage 44

113 17 9

17 6½ d°

4 8 3

40 lb Shoe Thread

1 5 -

6 lb Twine

- 13 -

4 Ps China Small Cups

- 7 8

30 large d°

- 10 -

72 Cups & Saucers

1 16 -

39 Sneakers

- 19 6

3 Tea Potts

- 10 6

5 Bowles

- 12 6

6 Pallam pores No 4

1 10 6

15 Ps Madrass Gingham 7/6

5 12 6

26½ Ps White De Sotees

13 6 -

1 blew Cap Boddams

- 7 6

8 Quilts 15

6 2 -

25 Ps White Ginghas 9/6

11 17 6

11 Ord ry Long Cloth

11 9 -

1 fine d°

- 9 -

1 blue Gingham

- 7 6

2 d° 5/6

- 11 -

11 Surat Chints

4 19 -

2 Patna d°

9 9 -

2 Madrass d°

1 9 6

5 Allejaro

4 5 5

1 Cuttanee

- 18 -

1 d°

- 15 -

1 d°

- 14 9

£ 300 11 6

151 lb sugar, £3 15s 6d

291 lb candy, £14 11s 0d

348 lb tobacco, £39 3s 0d

938 pipes, £2 2s 1d

1,311 lb bread, £16 7s 9d

668 lb flour, £8 7s 0d

110 catties green tea, £22 1s 0d

5 lb bohea, £1 10s 0d

13½ gallons rape oil, £3 19s 6d

8 gallons linseed, £3 4s 0d

40 bottles float ditto, £1 13s 4d

296 lb soap, £20 19s 4d

31½ candles, £0 7s 0d

29 lb tar, £1 16s 3d

24 oz indigo, £0 12s 0d

69 lb pepper, £3 9s 0d

40 lb hair powder, £0 4s 0d

2 barrels tar, £4 5s 0d

6½ gallons ditto, £0 16s 3d

18 lb pitch, £0 6s 0d

20 dozen cotton, £0 6s 8d

1 cable weight 3 cwt 3 quarters 19 lb, £57 3s 0d

6 cwt 1 quarter 7 lb cordage 44, £13 17s 9d

17 cwt 6 quarters 12 lb ditto, £4 8s 3d

40 lb shoe thread, £1 5s 0d

6 lb twine, £0 13s 0d

4 pieces china small cups, £0 7s 8d

30 large ditto, £0 10s 0d

72 cups and saucers, £1 16s 0d

39 sneakers, £0 19s 6d

3 tea pots, £0 10s 6d

5 bowls, £0 12s 6d

6 patty pans No. 2, £1 10s 6d

15 pieces Madras gingham 7/6, £5 12s 6d

26½ pieces white doosooties, £13 6s 0d

1 blue Cape boddams, £0 7s 6d

8 quilts 15d, £6 2s 6d

25 pieces white gingham 9/6, £11 17s 6d

11 ordinary long cloth, £11 9s 0d

1 fine ditto, £0 7s 0d

1 blue gingham, £0 7s 6d

2 ditto 5/6, £0 11s 0d

11 Surat chintz, £4 19s 0d

2 Patna ditto, £0 9s 0d

2 Madras ditto, £0 9s 6d

5 allejars, £1 5s 5d

1 cuttanee, £0 18s 0d

1 ditto, £0 15s 0d

1 ditto, £0 14s 9d

Total, £300 11s 6d

Interpretations

This opened the account of the cargo landed from the Sceptre, listing the goods brought from England and India before the totals were struck. It followed the fixed form of the store returns, mixing bulk provisions, oils and stores with a long run of Indian textiles.

Many of the cloth lines described cottons and mixed fabrics of the eastern trade. A doosootie was a stout twofold cotton and a gingham a striped or checked cotton woven from dyed yarn, here of the Madras and Surat sorts. Chintz was a printed and glazed calico, named for the Surat, Patna and Madras places of its making, and an allejar a striped fabric of the same commerce. A cuttanee was a mixed silk and cotton cloth, and quilts the padded coverlets carried for bedding.

The oils, tar, pitch and cordage supplied the constant repair of the boats and rigging. Rape oil was pressed from rapeseed and linseed from flax, both burnt for light and worked into the stores, while the cable and cordage furnished the ground tackle by which ships rode in the road. Indigo was the blue dye of the eastern trade, and the store served the settlement at once as draper, chandler and ironmonger, this role running through every account of the period.

106

104

Bt Over £ 300 11 6

29 Ps Shelloe 14/1

15 9 10

24 d°

20 8 -

29 Shelloe Shirts

3 6 -

39 White d° 4/

8 17 6

32 Ps Cotton std

36 - -

8 Bales Hollands Duck

4 11 -

3 Looped Coates

11 12 -

8 Plain d°

- 8 4

1 Ps Mens Sp: Lea Shoes

1 3 -

4 Wom: d°

- 3 -

1 Girles d°

- 2 9

1 Wom Stock d°

- 1 2

1 Quart Fennell

- 3 4

1 Hatchett

- 1 -

2 Wine Glasses

- 4 2

5 Doz Hooks Forkd

- 4 10

8 Lines d°

- 2 8

2 Ps Broad Holld Tape

- 1 -

1 Midling d°

1 6 -

6 yd° Edging

- 9 -

8 French Laces

- 1 -

17 Thread d°

- 1 8

4 yd° Ferriting

- - 8

2 Wm Pins

- 3 -

4 Doz Shirt Buttons

- 1 -

Totall to Inhabts £ 405 3 9

Diet Expences

166 Gall Ana

£ 52 5 -

140 Sugar

3 10 -

448 lb Bread

5 19 -

336 lb Flower

4 4 -

1 Cask Beef

13 - -

1 d° Beas

4 15 -

2 lb Pepper

- - 2

83 8 -

Plantacon

4 Gall Rape Oyle

1 4 -

1 Watring Pott

- 9 6

1 Line N° 13

- 2 6

2 lb Shoe Thread

- 5 -

6 Axile Blades d°

- - 6

12 Sithes Wt 89 d°

3 14 9

6 Iron Shod Shovels

1 1 -

16 Helves

- - 16

4 Stane Hoes

- 12 -

4 Hoes N° 3

- 12 8

24 Helves

1 4 -

10 1 4

£ 498 12 6

Bt Over £ 498 12 6

Great Wood

30 Shoe Knives

£ 4 10

1 Ragstone

- - 6

12 Small Blankt

3 9 -

4 19 6

Garrison

12 Catties Teas

2 8 -

4½ Gall Ceo Oyle

1 7 -

1½ D° Linseed

- 4 -

3 yd° d° Shirt Burt

- 3 3

1 d° Blew d°

- 1 2

5 yd° Holl Duck

- 15 10

3 lb Wax

- 3 9

1¼ lb Twine

- - 6½

1 Paint brush

- 1 6

1 Stock Lock

- 6 -

1 Plate Bolt

- - 6

1½ M Latin Brads

- 1 4

1 lb 4 d° Nailes

- - 10

5 13 8½

Fortification

8 lb 10k Nailes

£ - 5 4

1 20° d°

- - 7½

2 30°

- 1 3

5 6

- 3 9

3 Brads

- 4 3

1 Stock Lock

- 6 -

1 d°

- 4 -

1 d° & Chain

- 3 8

4½ yd° Hipping

- 8 9

1½ lb Shoe Thread

- 4 3

1 16 10½

Honble Comps Blacks

1 Cask Beefe

£ 13 - -

1 d° Cork

12 - -

3 Do Wheat

11 8 -

5 Bush d°

2 7 6

2448 lb Rice

29 17 6

39 Gingham

1 8 6

2 Surat Chints

- 18 -

1½ lb Wt Thread B th d°

- 6 7

1 Ce Holl Tape d°

- 1 4

1 lb Brown thd d°

- 4 -

1 d° Mens Stock d°

- 4 -

3 Ce 20 d° Shoes

- 17 3

72 12 8

Genll Charges

1 D° Cask B Sea

£ - 12 -

4 yd° Silk Gilden

3 13 4

4 yd° Holl Duck

- 12 8

4 18 -

583 15 8

Brought over, £300 11s 6d

22 pieces chelloe 14/1, £15 9s 10d

24 ditto, £20 8s 0d

22 chelloe shirts, £3 6s 0d

39 white ditto, £8 17s 6d

32 pairs cotton stockings, £8 17s 6d

8 bolts Holland duck, £36 0s 0d

3 looped coats, £4 11s 0d

8 plain ditto, £11 12s 0d

1 pair mens Spanish leather shoes, £0 8s 4d

4 womens ditto, £1 3s 0d

1 girls ditto, £0 3s 0d

1 pair womens stockings, £0 2s 9d

1 quart funnel, £0 1s 2d

1 hatchet, £0 3s 4d

2 wine glasses, £0 1s 0d

5 dozen hooks forked, £0 4s 2d

8 lines ditto, £0 4s 10d

2 pairs broad Holland tape, £0 2s 8d

1 middling ditto, £0 1s 0d

6 yards ditto edging, £1 6s 0d

8 French laces, £0 9s 0d

1 lb thread ditto, £0 1s 0d

4 yards ferreting, £0 0s 8d

2 M pins, £0 3s 0d

4 dozen shirt buttons, £0 1s 0d

Total to the inhabitants, £405 3s 9d

Diet Expenses

165 gallons arrack, £52 5s 0d

140 lb sugar, £3 10s 0d

448 lb bread, £5 19s 0d

336 lb flour, £4 4s 0d

1 cask beef, £13 0s 0d

1 cask peas, £4 15s 0d

2 lb pepper, £0 2s 0d

Total, £83 8s 0d

Plantation

4 gallons rape oil, £1 4s 0d

1 watering pot, £0 9s 6d

1 line No. 13, £0 2s 6d

2 lb shoe thread, £0 0s 6d

6 axe blades, £0 6s 0d

12 spades weight 3 cwt, £3 14s 9d

6 iron shod shovels, £1 1s 0d

16 helves, £0 16s 0d

4 stone hoes, £0 12s 0d

4 hoes No. 3, £0 12s 8d

24 helves, £1 4s 0d

Total, £10 1s 4d

Total, £498 12s 6d

Brought over, £498 12s 6d

Great Wood

30 shoe knives, £4 10s 0d

1 ragstone, £0 0s 6d

12 small blankets, £3 9s 0d

Total, £4 19s 6d

Garrison

12 catties tea, £2 8s 0d

4½ gallons rape oil, £1 7s 0d

1½ dozen linseed, £0 4s 0d

3 yards ditto shirt buttons, £0 3s 3d

1 ditto blue ditto, £0 1s 2d

5 yards Holland duck, £0 15s 10d

3 lb wax, £0 3s 9d

1¼ lb twine, £0 0s 6½d

1 paint brush, £0 1s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 0s 6d

1 plate bolt, £0 0s 6d

1½ lb 10d weight brads, £0 1s 4d

1 lb 4d nails, £0 0s 10d

Total, £5 13s 8½d

Fortification

8 lb 10d nails, £0 5s 4d

1 lb 20d ditto, £0 0s 7½d

2 lb 30d ditto, £0 1s 13d

5 lb 6d, £0 3s 9d

3 lb brads, £0 4s 3d

1 stock lock, £0 0s 6d

1 ditto, £0 0s 4d

1 bolt and chain, £0 3s 8d

4½ yards hopping, £0 8s 9d

½ lb shot thread, £0 4s 3d

Total, £1 16s 10½d

Honourable Company's Blacks

1 cask beef, £13 0s 0d

1 ditto pork, £12 0s 0d

3 casks wheat, £11 8s 0d

5 barrels ditto, £2 7s 6d

2,448 lb rice, £29 17s 6d

39 gurrahs, £1 8s 6d

2 Surat chintz, £0 18s 0d

1½ lb thread 13d, £0 6s 7d

1 pair Holland tape, £0 1s 4d

4 lb brown ditto, £0 4s 0d

1 ditto mens stockings, £0 4s 0d

36 pairs ditto shoes, £17 3s 0d

Total, £72 12s 8d

General Charges

1 double catty Bohea tea, £0 12s 0d

4 yards silk gauze, £3 13s 4d

4 yards Holland duck, £0 12s 8d

Total, £4 18s 0d

Total, £583 15s 3d

Interpretations

This continued and closed the account of the cargo landed from the Sceptre, carrying the goods sold to the inhabitants before the diet, plantation, Great Wood, garrison, fortification and slaves' heads. The grand total of £583 15s 3d closed the reckoning. It followed the fixed monthly form of the store returns.

Several cloth lines described the fabrics of the eastern and English trade. A chelloe was a checked or striped cotton of the Coromandel trade, a gurrah a plain coarse cotton, and Holland duck a stout linen canvas used for sailcloth and hard-wearing coats. Chintz was a printed and glazed calico of the Surat sort, and silk gauze a fine transparent silk. The looped and plain coats and the chelloe shirts were finished garments carried ready-made for sale.

The plantation, Great Wood, garrison and fortification charges showed the store supplying the island's husbandry, building and defence. Spades, hoes, axe blades, shovels and helves served the plantations and the timber reserve, while nails, brads, bolts and locks answered the constant repair of the fortifications. The 30 shoe knives charged to the Great Wood were probably drawing knives for shaping timber, marking the felling and dressing of wood that the planting covenant of 13 March 1725 had made a settled charge. Arrack again stood as the heaviest single line of the diet at 165 gallons and £52 5s 0d, the leading article of the establishment's provision.

107

105

Genll Charges Bt Over £ 4 18 -

1 Cort Linseed Oyle

- 1 4

1½ lb Bohea

- 1 1

1 lb Cask Bread

- 1 9

1 Stock Lock

- 4 -

2 Ps Galleon

1 - 4

6 Oz China China Bowles

- 12 -

6 17 10

Totall £ 590 13 1

Gunners Stores Expended in Aprile 1726 vizt

Aprile 1726

Guns fired Minions Muskets Falcons Cohorns

6 Muster Day

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 10

21 Double Alarm

Guns fired 6, Minions 3, Muskets nil, Falcons 3, Cohorns 9

d° Arived Monmouth & Cot sud

Guns fired 18, Minions nil, Muskets 4, Falcons 14, Cohorns 30

d° Sold the Allis to Alarm Sandy Bay

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 1

Expence for the Guardes

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 12

Guns fired 24, Minions 3, Muskets 4, Falcons 17, Cohorns 62

Cartridge Cases for d° 2 Livre

Match 21 lb

Signed Jno French

Rickard

General Charges, brought over, £4 18s 0d

1 cwt linseed oil, £0 1s 0d

1½ lb ditto, £0 1s 2d

1 cask thread, £0 1s 9d

1 stock lock, £0 4s 0d

2 pieces galleon, £1 1s 0d

6 China bowls, £0 12s 0d

Total, £6 17s 10d

Total, £590 13s 1d

Gunner's stores expended in April 1726.

Gunner's account of guns fired, April 1726

Guns fired Minute Chace Salutes Chace

6 April, muster day, 10 guns fired

21 April, double alarm, 6 guns fired, of which 3 minute guns, 3 salutes, 9 chace

21 April, arrived Monmouth and Endfield, 18 guns fired, 4 salutes, 14 chace, 30 chace

21 April, sold the castle to alarm Sandy Bay, 1 chace

expended for the guards, 12 chace

Column totals, 24 guns fired, 3 minute guns, 4 chace, 17 salutes, 62 chace

cartridge paper for ditto, 2 quire

match, 21 lb

Signed John French. Richard [...]

Interpretations

This closed the account of the cargo landed from the Sceptre, carrying the last of the general charges before the grand total of £590 13s 1d was struck. It then opened the gunner's account of guns fired in April 1726, set out as a grid under the heads of the guns fired, the minute guns, the salutes and the chace tally.

The entries traced the traffic and the alarms of the month gun by gun. The salute of 18 guns to the Monmouth and Endfield on their arrival on 21 April 1726 was the heaviest firing of the month, and the double alarm of the same day and the alarm at Sandy Bay drew further powder from the store. The account reckoned the days of firing against the cartridge paper and the 21 lb of match consumed.

The account carried the signature of John French, the gunner, whose monthly return in this fixed form recorded the powder and stores spent at the batteries before it went to the council for approval. A galleon among the general charges was probably a coarse cloth or trimming of that name carried for the household.

108

106

Arthur Swallow Senr & Planter made Complaint that William

Beale had formerly sold some ground on the Back Cart of his House in the

Fort Valley, that he had no just Right to but that, the said Ground doth

belong to him the said Swallow it having been formerly enjoyed by his

Father decesed The said Beale being now present & hearing what they had

both to Say as well as Examining a Contract made by Govr Cofte

between the said Cortus concerned & Being informed that the sd Swallow

hath for some time doth now enjoy an Alley to enlarge his House &

Garten on the Back of the said House & that it may very reasonably be

Supposed to be an Equivalent for any Pretentions the sd Swallow

might have to any Land he before. It is now Ordred that the former

Agreement & Contract made by Govr Cofte & Consented to & Signed

by both the sd Beale & sd Swallow decesed be Confirmed & looked on to

be good & valled as being all the Title each of them hath whereby to

hold the said ground now in dispute

The Governor Reports that he has Reminded Cap Thraites about

his Ship lying so far to the Westward & desad he would replace & come

nearer to the Eastward the usuall Births for all Foreships & then they

might Dispatch four or five Boats a day whereby was there but

One & Sometimes two Boats a day unlefsd so that in Case he dont

deliver his Cargo by or within the ten Working Days, the Cargods ought

to Cap Dentonage for all the time afterwards it being fair Weather &

smooth Sea

Pursuant to an Order of Councill of the 3d of May last in the

Sundry Persons appeared who had formerly given Bonds to the Honble

Company & had not upon Payment taken them up & upon Examining

the Books of Accts found to be said Bare vizt

In Whibes Bond for £ 60 Paid

Mr Carne d°

460 Cast which with Sevll others

formerly given by Frinchmen were delivrd up & Canceld

On the 15° arived the Knighton from China & brought vizt

Tea 1 Chest Bohea cont 9 100 Cann Being to

20 7 3

D° 1 Single Whint cont 9 100 Cann

25 7 3

China Root & Cauge & d° co

2 - 2 2

China Ware Forted

22 7 5

Tales 71 2 3 5

Jno Alexander John Smith

Jno Goodwin Edward Byfeld

Margin Notes:

6 y Coffee

4 d°

Arthur Swallow senior, planter, complained that William Beale had formerly sold some ground on the back east of his plantation in the Fort valley. Beale had no just right to sell it, for the ground belonged to Swallow, having formerly been enjoyed by his father deceased.

Beale, being present and hearing what Swallow had put to say, as well as remembering a contract made by Governor Pyke between Swallow and Bartus, consented. Being informed that Swallow had for some time past now enjoyed his little garden on the back of the plantation, and that it might very reasonably be supposed to be an equivalent for any pretensions Swallow might have to any land whatever, the council ordered that the former agreement and contract made by Governor Pyke, and consented to and signed by both Beale and Swallow deceased, be confirmed and looked on as good and valid, being all the title each of them had whereby to hold the ground now in dispute.

The Governor reported that he had reminded Captain Thwaites about his ship lying so far to the westward. The Governor desired he would remove and come nearer to the eastward, the usual berth for all store ships, so that they might dispatch four or five boats a day. There was then but one, and sometimes two boats a day, unless so that in case he did not deliver the cargo by or within the 10 working days, the owners ought to pay demurrage for all the time afterwards, it being fair weather and smooth sea.

Pursuant to an order of council of the 3rd of the present month, sundry persons appeared who had formerly given bonds to the Honourable Company, and had not upon payment taken them up. On examining the books of account, the following was found to be paid or owing.

Wilkes bond for £60, paid

Mr Carne ditto, £480, which with several others formerly given by Frenchmen were delivered up and cancelled

On the 15th arrived the Houghton from China, and brought the following.

tea, 1 chest bohea containing 100 canisters, being weight to, £20 7s 3d

ditto, 1 single chest containing 100 canisters, £25 7s 3d

china root and cassia ditto, £2 2s 2d

china ware sorted, £22 7s 5d

Total in taels, £71 2s 3d

John Smith, John Alexander, John Goodwin, Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation at which the council settled a land dispute, pressed a ship for demurrage, examined old bonds and priced a China cargo. The Swallow and Beale dispute turned on an earlier contract made by Governor Pyke, which the council confirmed as the good title to the ground rather than reopen the question of who first held it. The little garden Swallow held was treated as his equivalent for any wider claim, and the old agreement was upheld to settle the matter.

The Governor's demand that Captain Thwaites bring the Sceptre nearer the eastward berth answered the practical difficulty of landing a cargo at James Bay. The threat of demurrage after the 10 working days, the sea being fair, protected the Company against a slow discharge that lay within the master's power to mend, following the order to keep an exact account of the boats and the surf recorded on 5 May 1726.

The examination of the old bonds carried out the order of 3 May 1726 to clear the record of debts probably discharged but never formally taken up. The cancellation of the bonds formerly given by Frenchmen, including Carne's £480, removed old obligations from the Company's books and prevented later disputes over sums already paid.

109

107

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 24° May 1726 at Union Castle

All Present

Last Consultation read & approved

On Sunday Morning the 22 instant We had a double Alarm for

four Ships in which day the Knighton intended to Sale four for Great

Britain We having dispatcht th & delivrd the Cast by Casket the

Night before, 4 in the Evening arivd the flee following Ship

The Morris Cap Peacock from Bombay

Eyles Cap Rooper with Govr Dean on board from Bengall but

Fordwich Cap Gosfreight all left from the

Marlborough Cap Muhlesfad Cape

By whom We received Letter & Invoices of Stores for the use of this Island

Ps Morris

16 Bag Rice qty 100 great Pounds

17 D° Wheat br 100

Charges Merchandize included

216 2 -

Ps Fordwich

4 Half Lefsers Salt Cork

186 13 -

40 Bags Rice qty 80 lb d°

46 15 -

10 D° Sugar 20

80 - -

1 Chest Wax Candles 2

58 - -

Marges Merchandize

40 10

412 6 -

Ps Marlborough

The same Sort & Quantities as Ps Fordwich Amg to 412 6 -

Ps Eyles

The same Sort & Quantities as Ps Fordwich Amg to 412 2

Prices Sett on China Cargo Ps Cason

China Bowles 3 in a Sett 5° Ps Sett

3 d°

1/6 each

Small d° Inamlaid

1/6 each

Cups & Saucers

6° Ps d°

Sneakers

6° Ea

Single Cups

9° Ea

Tea Bohea

6° Ps Cattee

Tea Single

4° Ps d°

China Root now sold

At a consultation held on Tuesday 24 May 1726 at Union Castle, all present.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

On Sunday morning the 22nd instant the island had a double alarm for four ships. That day the Houghton intended to sail home for Great Britain, having dispatched and delivered the cargo by the Cason the night before. At 8 in the evening the following ships arrived: the Morrice under Captain Peacock from Bombay; the Eyles under Captain Carter with Governor Deane on board, and the Fordwich under Captain Kingsfield, both from Bengal; and the Marlborough under Captain Muhlefield, all last from the Cape.

By these the council received letters and invoices of stores for the use of the island.

Morrice

16 bags rice, quarter 100 great pounds, £216 2s 0d

17 ditto wheat, weight 100 [...], included in the above

charges merchandise included

Fordwich

4 half leagures salt cask, £186 13s 0d

40 bags rice, quarter 80 pounds, £46 15s 0d

10 ditto sugar 20, £80 0s 0d

1 chest wax candles 2, £58 0s 0d

charges merchandise, £40 10s 0d

Total, £412 6s 0d

Marlborough

The same sorts and quantities as the Fordwich, amounting to £412 6s 0d

Eyles

The same sorts and quantities as the Fordwich, amounting to £412 2s 0d

Prices set on the China cargo of the Cason.

china bowls, 3 in a set, 6d per set

ditto, 3 ditto, 3d

small ditto enamelled, 1s 6d each

cups and saucers, 6d each

sneakers, 6d each

single cups, 2d each

tea bohea, 6d per catty

tea single, 4d per ditto

china root, now sold

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation of 24 May 1726, at which four homeward ships arrived from India and the Cape, and the council priced the China cargo of the Cason. The arrival of the Morrice, Eyles, Fordwich and Marlborough together, carrying Governor Deane of another settlement on board the Eyles, marked the height of the homeward season on the island's road.

The cargoes were reckoned separately by ship, each running to well over £400, and made up the staple imported provisions of rice, wheat, sugar, salt and candles. The salt came in leagures, a large cask used for wine and brine, and the rice was weighed by the great pound, a heavier reckoning than the ordinary pound.

The prices set on the China cargo showed the council fixing a retail rate for the imported porcelain and tea before it was sold to the inhabitants. The bowls, cups, saucers, sneakers and enamelled ware were priced by the piece or the set, and the bohea and single tea by the catty, following the arrival of the cargo already valued in part at the consultation of 15 March 1725/6.

110

108

The joynt Petition of William Beale Samll Taylor & John Coulson in behalf

of themselves & Families was presented

Sheweth That yr Petrs with a view to better their Fortune in India

have Some time Since sold all their Estate & Effects, in Order to go off the

Island in the Streetship now in the Road, but the Captain to yr Petitioners

contain Enin as part of themselves as Families, being desired to carry

them. Your Petr most humbly Pray that Your Worship & a Councill

out off your great Goodness & Confusion will before Ordered to the

Captain to Convict them to take their Cassage for India on board his Ship

Ship being witing to Cay such reasonable Prie as the Cap shall Demand

Your Petr & their Families which are numerous & this Circumstances even

indifferent, being otherwise Ruined & undone to all Intent Purposes for

without Possibility of Refeive, they with their smale Fortune not being

Able to Subsist till the arrivall of any other Outward bound Ship

And yr Petr as in Duty bound shall ever Pray

20° May 1726

William Beale

Samll Taylr

Jno Bagley Junr

Sarah Coulson

John Coulson

Ordred that the following Letter be Sent to Cap Thraites

Sr We have received a very moving Petition from Wm Coulson

Setting forth the certain Ruin & Destruction which inevitably must attend them if

yr refuse to carry them for India (a Copy is

here inclosed) their Case is desperate & We in behalf of the distrefsd &

very earnest desire, you will Suffer them to take Cassage on board your

Ship, they are willing to Pay such Prie as You shall thinke Proper to

Sikle & We are sure the Company will be Very well Cleard to hear you

obligeus it being equally for their Advantage & no objection having

ever been made to an Address of this Nature, We are

Yr humble Servts

Jno Ce Bd Jer Jer C

To which We recd the following Answer

Gent I have received Yours of this date & am very desirous of Obliging You in

carrying these People, yby Recommend but the Reason I did not give them any

Encouragement was because I could not see but You might give orders for my

carrying Slaves of the Honble Comps to Bencoolen which if You desire shall

not be able to find conveniences for the Cast & You as constantly request me to

carry. I am

Gentm Your most humble Servt Josiah Thwaite

The joint petition of William Beale, Samuel Taylor and John Coulson, on behalf of themselves and their families, was presented.

The petitioners set out that they had some time since sold all their estates and effects, in order to leave the island in the store ship now in the road. The captain of the ship refused to carry them, along with certain other petitioners and their families. The petitioners asked the council, out of its goodness and compassion, to order the captain to take their passage for India on board his ship, being willing to pay such reasonable rates as the captain should demand. The petitioners and their families, being numerous, would otherwise be ruined and undone. Without a possibility of relief, they with their small fortune could not subsist until the arrival of some other outward-bound ship.

The petitioners, as in duty bound, would ever pray.

20 May 1726. William Beale, Samuel Taylor, John Bagley junior, Isaac Newton, John Coulson.

The council ordered that the following letter be sent to Captain Thwaites.

The letter set out that the council had received a very moving petition from certain persons, setting out the utter ruin and destruction that must inevitably follow their being left behind. The council asked Captain Thwaites, in behalf of the district, to suffer these persons to take passage on board his ship. They were willing to pay such rates as he should think proper to settle. The council assured him the Company would be well pleased to hear him so obliging, it being equally for their advantage, and no objection having been made to an address of this nature.

To which the council received the following answer.

Captain Thwaites replied that he had received the letter of the same date, and was very desirous of obliging the council in carrying these people home. The ship's officers would not give their consent to the engagement, because they could not see how the passengers might be given room, the ship carrying slaves of the Honourable Company to Bencoolen, which if the council desired, he should not be able to find convenient room for.

Josiah Thwaites.

Interpretations

This recorded a petition of inhabitants seeking passage off the island and the exchange of letters that followed. William Beale, Samuel Taylor and John Coulson had sold their estates in expectation of leaving on the Sceptre, and the captain's refusal left them stranded without means until the next ship. Their plight showed the risk that inhabitants took in disposing of everything before a berth was secured.

The council's letter to Captain Thwaites pressed him to carry the petitioners as a matter of the Company's interest as well as charity. The council framed the request as equally to the Company's advantage, seeking to move the captain by appeal to his masters' goodwill rather than by any power to command a ship's master over his own passenger list.

Captain Thwaites declined on the ground that his officers would not consent and that the ship already carried Company slaves to Bencoolen. The competing demand for room aboard, between the stranded inhabitants and the Company's own slave cargo bound for the Sumatran settlement, decided the matter against the petitioners despite the council's plea.

111

109

To which We made the following Reply

Sr We have received Your Answer to Our Letter of yesterday

& for the Reasons you therein mention We have laid aside Our Intention

of Sending Slaves to Bencoolen We are

21° May 1726

Yr humble Servts

Jno Ce Bd Jer Jer C

John Smith

Jno Alexander Edward Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 31 May 1726 at Union Castle

Present Jno Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

Sunday in the afternoon We had an Alarm for One Ship Seven Leagues

by Day Cutt & about Eight yesterday Morning arivd the Eyles Cap

Elleston Comr from Bengea but left from Madrass & brought the Ship &

Goods for the use of this Island & also Report that he Stood from the

Windham about Eight Leagues to the Cast of the Cast

Rice 51 Bags qty 100 lb d°

47 15 9

Batta 10 Ps Ct

4 4 9

Sugar 10 Bag Supida 20 lb d°

86 3 9

Wax Candles & Chests 4 lb d°

112 - -

Charges Merchandize

14 4 6

Ps £ 253 8 3

On Wednesday 25 instant the two Ffrench Ship Mencaid in

Consultation of 17° Sailed here for France

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Margin Notes:

Memdm Thus far hath been

Copyd & Sent to England

To which the council made the following reply.

The council set out that it had received Captain Thwaites's answer to the letter of the day before. For the reasons he mentioned, the council had laid aside its intention of sending slaves to Bencoolen.

21 May 1726. John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 31 May 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith and the rest of the council.

On Sunday in the afternoon the island had an alarm for one ship six leagues to windward off Long Gut. About eight the day before, in the morning, arrived the Elizabeth under Captain Semple from Bengal, but last from Madras. She brought the following goods for the use of the island, and also reported that she had parted from the Wyndham about eight leagues to the south off the Cape.

rice, 61 bags, quarter 100 pounds, £47 6s 9d

batta, 10 chests, £4 4s 9d

sugar, 10 bags, superior 20 pounds, £86 3s 9d

wax candles, 2 chests, 4 pounds, £112 0s 0d

charges merchandise, £14 4s 6d

Total, £263 8s 3d

On Wednesday the 25th instant the two French ships mentioned in the consultation of the 17th sailed home for France.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This closed the exchange with Captain Thwaites over the stranded passengers and opened the consultation of 31 May 1726. The council abandoned its plan of shipping slaves to Bencoolen on the Sceptre, the captain's want of room having decided the matter first raised on 20 May 1726. The decision freed space aboard, though the record does not say whether the stranded inhabitants were then carried.

The arrival of the Elizabeth from Bengal by way of Madras brought the staple imported provisions of rice, sugar and candles. Her report of parting from the Wyndham off the Cape showed how ships kept company on the long passage and carried news of one another's whereabouts to the island. Batta was probably a coarse Indian cotton cloth of the eastern trade.

The departure of the two French ships completed their call first noted on 17 May 1726. The marginal note that the record thus far had been copied and sent to England marked the point to which the consultations were transcribed for the directors, the regular means by which the Court in London followed the island's affairs.

112

110

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 14° day June 1726

at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

The last Consultation read & approved on

On Sunday the 12 instant We had a Single Alarm

for one Ship about Eight Leagues off Sandy Bay, & on Monday 26°

Noon arived a Ffrench Ship called the Ps Redia from Chind but

left from the Cape desiring Ynd such Refreshment

John Harding Planter defends the Last Will & Testament

of his Brother Rickard Harding deceased he now might be Ceded which

was accordingly done by the Oath of Richd Beale Jno Hodghinson &

Martin Harper

Ordred that the said Will be approved of & to be Registred

accordingly, in a Book for that Purpose

Cap Alexander desird Bill of Exchange on the Honble Comps

for £ 38 15 for Cash & Notes now brought in & Cast to the Ballanc

Ordred that Bill be drawn out & Signd accordingly for the Sum

aforesaid

Cap Goodwin Bt in the Invoice of the Cargo Ps Longrove with

the Sailing Prie which was Examined, he also delivered a Copy of the

Exception on the Back of the Bill of Loading vizt

Received the Contents of this Bill of Loading in good Order &

well Conditiond except One Cask closed by Ye four Hundred

lb, which broke Hels fel out in hasting out of the Cast at the Craes

& all the Bread thrown into the Sea, all the rest was Cast on Acct of the

Honble hurt of Directors of the Honble Company of Merchants of

England Trading to the Cast Indies. Ynd & the Ye Yr Goodwin

He also delivered a Copy of the Indorsement upon the Ye Eyles Bill of

Loading. Cast in good Order stock Conditiond in Cart of the date of Loading

17 Bag Rice Wt 2800 & 9 Bag Wheat Wt Net 1400 Casks & 9r

Jno Goodwin

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Margin Notes:

Memdm

this Consultation

Ynd & Yers Coy

Mistake & wrote

in Copy

begining next

of ye 4 June

At a consultation held on Tuesday 14 June 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith and the rest of the council.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

On Sunday the 12th instant the island had a single alarm for one ship about eight leagues off Sandy Bay. On Monday the 6th at noon arrived a French ship called the St Peter from China, but last from the Cape, being under quick refreshment.

John Harding, planter, defended the last will and testament of his brother Richard, whose fortune lay behind the same might be settled and vested. This was authentically proved by the oath of Richard Beale, John Hodgkinson and Martin Harper.

The council ordered that the will be approved of and registered accordingly, in a book kept for that purpose.

Captain Alexander desired a bill of exchange on the St Peter, Captain Semple, for £38 15s 0d, for cash and notes now brought in and paid to the Company. The council ordered that a bill be drawn out and signed accordingly for the sum aforesaid.

Captain Goodwin brought in the invoice of the cargo of the Cason, again with the selling price which was examined. He asked leave to enter a copy of the exception on the back of the bill of lading.

The council received the contents of the bill of lading in good order and well conditioned, except one cable cut close by, of about 500 pounds, which the master let run out in heaving out of the boat at the crane. All the bread thrown into the sea, all the rest was got on account of the Honourable Company of merchants of England trading to the East Indies.

The council also delivered a copy of the endorsement upon the Eyles bill of lading. Received in good order and well conditioned, in part of the same date of lading, 17 bags rice weight 2,800 pounds, and 9 bags wheat, weight net 1,400 pounds, and consigned home.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation of 14 June 1726, at which the council registered a will, approved a bill of exchange and examined the bills of lading for two cargoes. The arrival of the St Peter from China by way of the Cape continued the steady traffic of refreshment ships calling at the island on the homeward passage.

The registration of Richard Harding's will followed the ordinary form for proving a testament on the island. The oaths of three witnesses established its authenticity, and the entry in a book kept for the purpose fixed the descent of the estate on the record against later dispute.

The examination of the bills of lading protected the Company against loss in the discharge of its cargoes. The council noted the exceptions carefully, the cable of about 500 pounds let run out at the crane and the bread thrown into the sea, so the master rather than the Company bore the charge for goods lost through careless handling. The endorsement of part delivery on the Eyles bill recorded the rice and wheat received and consigned home in the ordinary course of the trade.

113

111

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 7° June 1726 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Governr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & approved

On Wednesday, the 1 instant Sailed in hence in Convoy the Ships Ye following

Ships vizt

Morris Cap Peacock

Eyles Winter

Fordwich Gosfreight

Marlbro Muhlesfad

Knighton Gibson &

Eyles Elleston

On Saturday the 12 instant arived the Windham Cap Lycot from

Bombay & brought Us the following Goods vizt

Rice 16 Bags qty 100 lb Surat at 1 Rupee Ye lb d°

100 - -

Wheat 67 Bags 100 lb d° 1 D°

100 4 -

Bags 33 at 1½ Rupee each

16 2 -

Rupees 216 2 -

Capt Byfeld Capt Goodwin & Mr French

delivered each their Monthly Acct for May last as did

Mr Trippe for the Month of Aprile, which were Severally

Examined & Approved & are as follow vizt

Acct of the Honble Comps Stock of Neat Cattle

Sheep Goates Hogs Coultry Asses & Horses likewise

what has been killed & Sold to Ships Yea besides the

Increase or Decrease for the Month May 1726

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 June 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

On Wednesday the 1st instant the following six ships sailed home in company: the Morrice under Captain Peacock; the Eyles under Captain Winter; the Fordwich under Captain Kingsfield; the Marlborough under Captain Muhlefield; the Houghton under Captain Gibson; and the Wyndham under Captain Ellison.

On Saturday the 4th instant arrived the Wyndham under Captain Lyne from Bombay, and brought the following goods for the use of the island.

rice, 16 bags, quarter 100 pounds, Surat, at 1 rupee 6 pounds, £100 0s 0d

wheat, 8 bags, 100 pounds, ditto, £100 4s 0d

bags, 33 at ½ rupee each, £16 2s 0d

Total in rupees, £216 2s 0d

Captain Byfield, Captain Goodwin and Mr French delivered each their monthly accounts for May last, as also Mr Crispe for the month of April, which were severally examined and approved as follows.

Account of the Honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses, and likewise what has been killed and sold to shipping, besides the increase or decrease, for the month of May 1726.

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation of 7 June 1726, at which six ships sailed home in company and another arrived from Bombay. The departure of the Morrice, Eyles, Fordwich, Marlborough, Houghton and Wyndham together showed the homeward fleet leaving the road as a body for mutual safety on the long passage to Britain.

The cargo of the Wyndham was reckoned in rupees, the currency of the Bombay trade, and made up the staple imported provisions of rice and wheat. The Surat rice was priced by the great pound at a rupee and a fraction, and the empty bags were charged separately at half a rupee each, a detail showing how closely the Company accounted for every part of a consignment.

The two ships bearing the name Wyndham in this record were distinct vessels under different masters, the one under Captain Ellison sailing home in the fleet and the other under Captain Lyne arriving from Bombay. The coincidence of name shows the difficulty of tracking the Company's shipping, where several vessels of one name might be in service at once.

114

112

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry Horses

Bullocks Cowes Kifers Steers Yeurlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Totall Cowes Wethers Kids Rams Totall Sows Sneakers Bigs Totall Turkey Fowles Duck Cups Asses Mares Totall

Remd Ultd Aprile

Bullocks 18, Cowes 63, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 89, Bulls 5, Totall 183, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 19, Rams 3, Totall 93, Cowes 203, Wethers 121, Kids 74, Rams 6, Totall 404, Sows 12, Sneakers 16, Bigs 34, Totall 62, Turkey 76, Fowles 76, Duck 7, Cups 16, Asses 3, Mares 5, Totall 2 7

Increased in May

Bullocks nil, Cowes nil, Kifers nil, Steers nil, Yeurlings nil, Calves 6, Bulls nil, Totall 6, Ewes nil, Wethers nil, Lambs nil, Rams nil, Totall nil, Cowes nil, Wethers nil, Kids nil, Rams nil, Totall nil, Sows nil, Sneakers nil, Bigs nil, Totall nil, Turkey 48, Fowles nil, Duck nil, Cups nil, Asses nil, Mares nil, Totall nil

Killed in D°

Bullocks 18, Cowes 63, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 95 1, Bulls 5, Totall 189 1, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 19 1, Rams 3, Totall 93 1, Cowes 203, Wethers 121, Kids 74 4, Rams 6, Totall 404 4, Sows 12, Sneakers 16, Bigs 34, Totall 62 5, Turkey 76 5, Fowles 124 23, Duck 7, Cups 16, Asses 3, Mares 5, Totall 2 7

Sold to Ships in d°

Bullocks 18, Cowes 63, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 94, Bulls 5, Totall 188 3, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 18 1, Rams 3, Totall 92 1, Cowes 203, Wethers 147, Kids 74, Rams 6, Totall 400 2, Sows 12, Sneakers 16, Bigs 34, Totall 62, Turkey 71, Fowles 101, Duck 7, Cups 16, Asses 3, Mares 5, Totall 2 7

Stole in D°

Bullocks 17, Cowes 62, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 94, Bulls 4, Totall 185, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 92, Cowes 202, Wethers 147, Kids 73, Rams 6, Totall 398 2, Sows 12, Sneakers 16, Bigs 34, Totall 62, Turkey 71, Fowles 101, Duck 7, Cups 16, Asses 3, Mares 5, Totall 2 7

Remd Ultd May

Bullocks 17, Cowes 62, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 94, Bulls 4, Totall 185, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 92, Cowes 202, Wethers 147, Kids 73, Rams 6, Totall 398, Sows 12, Sneakers 16, Bigs 34, Totall 62, Turkey 69, Fowles 101, Duck 7, Cups 16, Asses 3, Mares 5, Totall 2 7

Yams Expended at the sevll Plantacons 36607 lb

Account of the Honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of May 1726.

The column headings are legible on this leaf. Neat cattle: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls, total. Sheep: ewes, wethers, lambs, rams, total. Goats: ewes, wethers, kids, rams, total. Hogs: sows, barrows, pigs, total. Poultry: turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese. Horses: asses, horses, mares, total.

Remaining 30 April

18 bullocks, 63 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 89 calves, 5 bulls, 183 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, 93 total sheep; 203 ewes, 121 wethers, 74 kids, 6 rams, 404 total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total hogs; 76 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 5 asses, 2 horses, 7 mares total

Increased in May

18 bullocks, 63 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 89 (6) calves, 5 bulls, 183 (6) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 19 lambs, 3 rams, 93 total sheep; 203 ewes, 121 wethers, 74 kids, 6 rams, 404 total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 (48) pigs, 62 total hogs; 76 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 5 asses, 2 horses, 7 mares total

Killed in ditto

18 bullocks, 63 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 95 (1) calves, 5 bulls, 189 (1) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 19 (1) lambs, 3 rams, 93 total sheep; 203 ewes, 121 wethers, 74 (4) kids, 6 rams, 404 (4) total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total hogs; 76 (5) turkeys, 124 (23) fowls, 7 ducks, 16 geese, 3, 5, 2, 7

Sold to ships in ditto

18 bullocks, 63 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 94 calves, 5 bulls, 188 (3) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 18 lambs, 3 rams, 92 total sheep; 203 ewes, 147 wethers, 74 kids, 6 rams, 400 (1) total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total, 71 hogs; 101 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese, 5, 2, 7

Stole in ditto

17 bullocks, 62 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 94 calves, 4 bulls, 185 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 18 lambs, 3 rams, 92 total sheep; 202 ewes, 147 wethers, 73 kids, 6 rams, 398 (2) total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total, 71 hogs; 101 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese, 5, 2, 7

Remaining 31 May

17 bullocks, 62 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 94 calves, 4 bulls, 185 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 18 lambs, 3 rams, 92 total sheep; 202 ewes, 147 wethers, 73 kids, 6 rams, 398 total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total, 69 hogs; 101 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese, 5, 2, 7

Yams expended at the several plantations, 36,507 lb

Interpretations

This closed the live-stock and provision account for the month of May 1726, set out as a grid tracing each class of stock through the month. This leaf carried its full column headings written in, so the identity of each column was read from the page itself.

The row headings ran through the number remaining at 30 April, the increase in May, the beasts killed, those sold to shipping, those stolen, and the number remaining at 31 May. The neat cattle were graded as bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls with a total, the sheep and goats each as ewes, wethers and rams with the lambs or kids, and the hogs as sows, barrows and pigs. The poultry closed the grid as turkeys, fowls, ducks and geese, with the asses, horses and mares last.

The entry for beasts stolen in May marked a loss the account distinguished from those killed or sold. A bullock, a cow and a bull lost to theft, with a goat, showed the stock at risk from pilfering, a hazard the monthly reckoning recorded plainly against the running total.

115

113

821½ Sugar

20 10 9

31 lb Candy

1 4 2

1011 lb Bread

12 12 6

273 lb Flour

3 8 9

44 lb Soap

3 8 4

11 lb Candles

1 2 -

1½ Bohea Tea

- 9 -

8 Catties Green

1 12 -

60 lb Cutt Tobacco

6 14 -

208 Pipes

- 8 8

3 Barrells Tarr

6 7 6

3 lb Rozin

- 11 3

8 Bushel Coales

1 4 -

6 Ps White De Sotees

9 - -

2 Ordry Long Cloth

2 2 3

3 Ps Chest N° 4 d°

2 2 3

5 White Ginghas 9/6

2 7 6

9 Coarse Gingham 7/6

3 7 6

1 Quilt

- 15 -

1 Ps Patna Chints

1 5 -

2 White Chints

- 5 -

14 Ps Cotton Stock

1 15 -

1½ Ps Ta Roy

1 - -

1¼ Chingham

- 15 -

2 yd° Flanna

- 4 8

8 d° Red Fish

1 - 8

2 Ps Wom: Stock

- 4 4

10 Mens d°

- 4 -

1 Boys d°

- 2 6

1 Ybne d°

- 1 6

10 Soldiers d°

- 1 7

2 Ps Mens Sp: Lea Shoes

- 16 8

1 Calve Lea

- 6 8

1 Wom: Sp: Lea

- 5 -

19 Small Cups

- 3 2

8 Large d°

- 9 4

4 d° Ord ry Sancers

- 2 -

4 Sneakers

- 2 -

1 Sett China Bowles

- 6 6

1 d° d° Enamelled

- 10 6

7 d° Blue & White

- 7 6

3 Copper Sea Kettle

- 12 -

1 Doz Hooks

- - 4

18 Wine Glasses

1 6 -

1 Tin Lanthorne

- 6 8

Caried over £ 85 4 8

Bt Over £ 85 4 8

3 Tin Kettles

- 11 2

1 d°

- 2 6

1 3 Ps Sauce Pan

- 1 9

1 Ps Coffee Pott

- 1 9

1 2 Ps Fennele

- 1 2

4 Doz Lanthorn Leaves

- 2 -

1 Chafing Dish

- 4 5

2 Chest Locks

- 3 4

1 d°

- 3 2

1 Ce d° Bellows

- 7 1

1 Ivory Comb

- 1 1

1 Horn d°

- 3 -

2 Ce d° Teirsars

- 4 -

4 Oz China

- 3 5

2 Ce d° Say

- 10 4

32 yd° Herreting

- 1 6

9 Skain Mohair

- 3 -

3 Doz Coat Buttons

- 8 -

2 lb Ceo Thread

- - 10

1½ Ce Pin

- 1 9

1 M d°

- 5 -

4 M d°

- 1 4

1 M d° Tape

- 1 4

4 Ce d°

2 9 6

5 4 yd° Edging 41°

2 9 6

54 yd° d° 15°

- 4 6

2 d° 1/11

- 2 8

16 d°

Totall to Inhabts £ 94 3 7

Diet Expences

130 lb Sugar

3 5 -

3 Bags Beas

4 15 -

8 - -

Fortification

2 lb Pitch

- 3 4

1 Chest Lock

- 7 9

- 11 1

Plantation

4 8 10° Nailes

- 2 8

1 Large Gimblet

- - 6

1 Small Hammer d°

- 2 -

- 5 2

Garrison d°

8 Catties Green Tea

1 12 -

3 Gall Rape Oyle

- 18 -

2 10 -

Genll Charges

60 lb Soap

3 10 10

1 Sett China Bowles

- 6 -

1 d°

- 5 -

72 Plates

3 12 -

4 Large Ale Glasses

- 10 -

24 Wine d°

- 12 -

2 lb Cask Thread

- 3 6

1 Catt: G Tea

- 4 -

1 Qt Linseed Oyle

- 2 -

12 Round Party Pans

- 7 8

2 Ce Rivetts

- 19 -

1 lb Pepper

- 1 -

10 3

821½ lb sugar, £20 10s 9d

31 lb candy, £1 4s 2d

1,011 lb bread, £12 12s 6d

273 lb flour, £3 8s 9d

44 lb soap, £3 8s 4d

11 lb candles, £1 2s 0d

1½ lb bohea tea, £0 0s 9d

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

60 lb cut tobacco, £6 14s 0d

2,088 pipes, £0 8s 8d

3 barrels tar, £6 7s 6d

3 lb rosin, £0 11s 3d

8 bushels coals, £1 4s 0d

6 pieces white doosooties, £3 0s 0d

2 ordinary long cloth, £2 2s 0d

3 pieces chelloe ditto, £2 2s 3d

5 white gingham 9/6, £2 7s 6d

9 coarse gingham 7/6, £3 7s 6d

1 quilt, £0 15s 0d

1 piece Patna chintz, £1 5s 0d

2 white shirts, £0 5s 0d

14 pieces cotton stockings, £1 15s 0d

1½ pieces duroy, £1 0s 0d

1¼ chintz, £0 15s 0d

14 yards plannel, £0 4s 8d

8 ditto red fish, £1 8s 0d

2 pairs womens stockings, £0 4s 4d

10 mens ditto, £0 4s 0d

1 boys ditto, £0 1s 6d

1 girls ditto, £0 1s 6d

10 soldiers ditto, £0 1s 7d

2 pairs mens Spanish leather shoes, £0 16s 8d

1 calves leather, £0 6s 8d

1 womens Spanish leather, £0 5s 9d

19 small cups, £0 9s 4d

8 large ditto, £0 9s 0d

4 ditto with saucers, £0 9s 0d

4 sneakers, £0 2s 0d

1 set china bowls, £0 6s 0d

1 ditto ditto enamelled, £0 10s 6d

7 ditto blue and white, £0 7s 6d

3 copper tea kettle, £0 12s 0d

1 dozen hooks, £0 0s 4d

18 wine glasses, £1 1s 0d

1 tin lanthorn, £0 6s 8d

Carried over, £85 4s 8d

Brought over, £85 4s 8d

3 tin kettles, £0 11s 6d

1 ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 3 pint sauce pan, £0 1s 9d

1 ditto coffee pot, £0 1s 9d

1 ditto funnel, £0 1s 9d

4 dozen lanthorn leaves, £0 2s 0d

1 chafing dish, £0 4s 5d

2 chest locks, £0 3s 4d

1 ditto, £0 3s 9d

1 pair bellows, £0 7s 6d

1 horn comb, £0 1s 1d

1 ditto, £0 3s 0d

2 pairs scissors, £0 3s 0d

4 oz China, £0 4s 0d

2 pairs ditto, £0 3s 5d

32 yards ferreting, £0 10s 4d

1 skein mohair, £0 1s 6d

3 dozen coat buttons, £0 3s 0d

2 dozen coloured thread, £0 8s 0d

1½ ditto ditto, £0 0s 10d

1 M ditto, £0 1s 9d

4 M ditto, £0 5s 4d

1 M tape, £0 1s 4d

4 pieces tape, £0 1s 4d

54 yards ditto edging 4d, £2 9s 6d

54 yards ditto 15d, £2 4s 6d

2 ditto 1/11, £0 2s 8d

16 ditto, [...]

Total to the inhabitants, £94 3s 7d

Diet Expenses

130 lb sugar, £3 5s 0d

3 bags peas, £4 15s 0d

Total, £8 0s 0d

Fortification

2 lb tacks, £0 3s 4d

1 chest lock, £0 7s 9d

Total, £0 11s 1d

Plantation

4 lb 10d nails, £0 2s 8d

1 large gimlet, £0 0s 6d

1 small hammer, £0 2s 0d

Total, £0 5s 2d

Garrison

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

3 gallons rape oil, £0 18s 0d

Total, £2 10s 0d

General Charges

50 lb soap, £3 10s 10d

1 set china bowls, £0 6s 0d

1 ditto, £0 5s 0d

72 plates, £3 12s 0d

4 large ale glasses, £0 10s 0d

24 wine ditto, £0 12s 0d

2 lb cask thread, £0 3s 6d

1 catty green tea, £0 4s 0d

1 double linseed oil, £0 2s 0d

12 round patty pans, £0 7s 8d

2 rivets, £0 19s 0d

1 lb pepper, £0 1s 0d

Total, £10 3s 0d

Interpretations

This opened the store-goods account for the period, listing the goods sold to the inhabitants before the diet, fortification, plantation, garrison and general-charges heads. It followed the fixed form of the store returns, mixing bulk provisions, textiles, ironmongery and household ware.

Many of the cloth lines described fabrics of the eastern and English trade. A doosootie was a stout twofold cotton and a gingham a striped or checked cotton woven from dyed yarn. Chintz was a printed and glazed calico of the Patna sort, and a duroy a coarse woollen cloth of the West Country. Ferreting was a narrow woven tape used for binding, and mohair a fine worsted yarn.

The run of household ware and ironmongery showed the store supplying the settlement's kitchens and trades. Tin kettles, sauce pans, a chafing dish, bellows, scissors and locks answered the ordinary needs of the household, while the nails, tacks, gimlet and hammer served the plantation and fortification. Arrack does not appear on this diet account, which ran only to sugar and peas, an unusual absence from the establishment's monthly provision.

116

114

Bt Over £ 115 12 10

Honble Comps Blacks

3150 Rice£ 39 7 6

625 Bush Wheat 11 17 6

2 Casks d°

7 12 -

1 lb Bread

7 4 -

2 Ce Ce Shoes

- 11 6

59 12 6

£ 175 5 4

Expence of the Genll Table in Aprile 1726

15 Ps 1 Beef for Tab at 9 Blacks

1 17 6

16 Ps Salt Cork

2 5 4

125 lb Bread

1 11 3

145 lb Sugar

3 12 6

27 Gall Rap Table

11 14 -

3½ D° Guards & Labr Blacks

1 2 2½

48 Bottle Sherry

7 4 -

2 D° Cort

- 5 -

73 B Mountn

10 19 -

169 lb Beefe

2 2 3

155 lb Veale

3 17 6

7 Goates

3 10 -

2 Kid

- 10 -

1 Lamb

- 12 -

39 lb Butter

1 19 -

30 Days Greens

1 10 -

38 lb Candles

4 15 -

25 lb Soap

1 15 5

80 lb Cork

2 - -

154 Fowles 72 G

63 1 11

5 Turkeys

11 11 -

5 Ducks

1 10 -

- 10 -

£ 76 12 11

Jno Trippe

Gunners Stores Expd in May 1726 vizt

Guns fired Minions Muskets Falcons Cohorns

4 May Muster Day

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 12

d° Sold for the Use of the Castle

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 1½

5 An Alarm

Guns fired 4, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 2, Cohorns 6

d° Arived the Carnarvon from England

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

7 To Ansd Salute from Monmth & Endfield

Guns fired 18, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 18, Cohorns 18

13 Double Alarm

Guns fired 6, Minions nil, Muskets 3, Falcons 3, Cohorns 9

d° Arived two French Ship from India

Guns fired 18, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 18, Cohorns 18

14 An ye French Commodores comg Shoar

Guns fired 7, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 7, Cohorns 7

12 An Mr Byfeens going on board

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

13 Departed Monmouth & Endfield

Guns fired 18, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 18, Cohorns 18

16 An Alarm

Guns fired 4, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 2, Cohorns 6

d° Arived the Houghton

Guns fired 11, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 11, Cohorns 11

d° An Supercargos Coming on Shoar

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

20 To Answer a Salute from ye Houghton

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

22 Double Alarm

Guns fired 6, Minions nil, Muskets 3, Falcons 3, Cohorns 9

d° Fired from Munsden Ct

Guns fired 9, Minions 2, Muskets 2, Falcons nil, Cohorns 14

d° Arived ye Eyles Fordwich Marlbro & Morris

Guns fired 36, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 36, Cohorns 36

26 An Governr Deans coming on Shoar

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

d° Departed the two French Ship

Guns fired 11, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 4, Cohorns 11

d° To ye Use of the Castle

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns ½

d° For Bunting & Harding

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 1½

28 King George Birth Day

Guns fired 21, Minions nil, Muskets 14, Falcons nil, Cohorns 16 39

29 An Alarm

Guns fired 4, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 2, Cohorns 6

d° Arived the Lynn

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

30 To Answer Salutes from Morris Eyles Fordwich & Marlbro

Guns fired 36, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons 36, Cohorns 36

Expence for Priming

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 18

For Ye Guardes

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 20

Guns fired 256, Minions 2, Muskets 34, Falcons 12, Cohorns 237 350½

Cartridge Case for d° 2 Livre

D° for Fallon Case 3 d°

Puch d° Mr Bagley 2

Anghtes d° to d° 1 lb 1

Match 77

Jno French

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Margin Notes:

Memdm

In Copying go from

here to Cons: of ye 14 June

Brought over, £115 12s 10d

Honourable Company's Blacks

3,150 lb rice, £39 7s 6d

625 lb burnt wheat, £11 17s 6d

2 casks ditto, £7 12s 0d

1 cask bread, £7 4s 0d

2 pairs Company's shoes, £0 11s 6d

Total, £59 12s 6d

Total, £175 5s 4d

Expenses of the General Table in April 1726

15 lb beef for table and for the blacks, £1 17s 6d

16 lb salt cask, £2 5s 4d

125 lb bread, £1 11s 3d

145 lb sugar, £3 12s 6d

27 gallons arrack for table, £11 14s 0d

3½ gallons guard and slaughtered blacks, £1 2s 4d

48 bottles sherry, £7 4s 0d

2 casks ditto, £0 5s 0d

73 bottles mountain, £10 19s 0d

169 lb beef, £2 2s 3d

155 lb veal, £3 17s 6d

7 goats, £3 10s 0d

2 kid, £0 10s 0d

1 lamb, £0 12s 0d

39 lb butter, £1 19s 0d

30 days greens, £1 10s 0d

38 lb candles, £4 15s 0d

25 lb soap, £1 15s 5d

80 lb beef, £2 0s 0d

154 fowls 72 catties, £63 1s 11d

5 turkeys, £1 10s 0d

5 ducks, £0 10s 0d

Total, £76 12s 11d

D. Crispe

Gunner's stores expended in May 1726

4 May, muster day: 12 guns fired

4 May, sold for the use of the castle: [...] cowries

5 May, an alarm: 4 guns fired, 2 salutes, 2 chace, 6 cowries

5 May, arrived the Carnarvon from England: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

7 May, to answer a salute from the Monmouth and Endfield: 18 guns fired, 18 salutes, 18 cowries

13 May, double alarm: 6 guns fired, 3 chace, 3 salutes, 9 cowries

13 May, arrived two French ships from India: 18 guns fired, 18 salutes, 18 cowries

14 May, for the French commodore coming ashore: 7 guns fired, 7 salutes, 7 cowries

17 May, for Mr Deane going on board: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

17 May, departed the Monmouth and Endfield: 18 guns fired, 18 salutes, 18 cowries

19 May, an alarm: 4 guns fired, 2 chace, 2 salutes, 11 cowries

19 May, arrived the Houghton: 11 guns fired, 11 salutes, 11 cowries

20 May, for the supercargoes coming ashore: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

20 May, to answer a salute from the Houghton: 6 guns fired, 3 salutes, 3 chace, 9 cowries

22 May, double alarm: 6 guns fired, 2 minute guns, 2 chace, 9 salutes, 14 cowries

22 May, fired from Bencoolen ditto: 36 guns fired, 36 salutes, 36 cowries

22 May, arrived the Eyles, Fordwich, Marlborough and Morrice: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

25 May, for Governor Deane coming ashore: 11 guns fired, 4 salutes, 11 cowries

25 May, departed the two French ships: [...] cowries

25 May, to the use of the castle: [...] cowries

26 May, for burying Mrs Harding: [...] cowries

28 May, King George's birthday: 21 guns fired, 1 minute gun, 4 chace, 16 salutes, 39 cowries

29 May, an alarm: 4 guns fired, 2 chace, 2 salutes, 6 cowries

30 May, arrived the Lynn: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

30 May, to answer salutes from the Morrice, Eyles, Fordwich and Marlborough: 36 guns fired, 36 salutes, 36 cowries

expense for priming: 18 cowries

for the guards ditto: 20 cowries

Column totals: 256 guns fired, 2 minute guns, 34 chace, 12 salutes, 237, 350½ cowries

cartridge paper for ditto: 2 quire

ditto for 3 gallon Cape: 3 ditto

struck ditto Mr Bagley: 2

another ditto to ditto: 1

match: 77 lb

John French

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin

Interpretations

This closed the store-goods account for April 1726 with the charge for the Honourable Company's slaves, then carried the general-table diet for the month and the gunner's account of guns fired in May 1726. The slaves' account ran chiefly to bulk provisions, the 3,150 lb of rice and the burnt wheat the heaviest lines.

The general-table account followed the fixed monthly form. Arrack stood among the heaviest charges at 27 gallons and £11 14s 0d, the settled leading article of the establishment's diet, alongside the sherry, the mountain and the fresh island beef, veal, goat, butter and garden greens. Mountain was a sweet Malaga wine from the hills behind that port.

The gunner's account traced the traffic and the alarms of a busy month gun by gun. The salutes to the Carnarvon, the Houghton, the Lynn and the homeward fleet of the Morrice, Eyles, Fordwich and Marlborough, the honours to the French commodore and to Governor Deane, and the 21 guns for King George's birthday on 28 May 1726 all drew powder from the store. The burial of Mrs Harding on 26 May 1726 was marked by minute guns, and the account reckoned the days of firing against the cartridge paper and the 77 lb of match consumed.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday & Wednesday 28° & 29° June

1726 at Union Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The last Consultation read & approved

On Tuesday, the 21 instant Sailed hence for England

the Windham Cap Lyce in Company with the French Ship

& also Mr Delarnier &c

The Governor presented the following Case agst Mr Wignall

the Surgeon The Governor Reports that on Thursday last Mr

Wignall the Surgeon came, in sufferably Drunk to Table & abused

& Ynd abroused him to his Face Saying for & very insolent insulting mane

that You nor any one else should make a Property of him. No After

Supper, he was in that wretched Cable to Yor Habrtes, & to introduce

himself into Company forged a Message in the Govrs Name to Ye

haye the sd Ynd the wanted forged himself as to her Ynd the

Company, but her Cup for her Cash & Coole so extravagantly Prie

that they were obliged to turn him out of Doors, that so continued

Drunk all the next day, began Mr Colgorog at Languages in her, Govern

Sertime Neglected his Duty all the time & several People being all &

wanting Ynd & too often abroad to my he Mate for Medium for Yr

Wheady one of the Garrison at that time verry ile & twenty of the

Comps Blacks Men, but he refused to deliver any, & so himself the

Cast Men war in Custome dealing with the Dry Griste, & so these

Repeated Misdemeanours, Confinement to his usual Quarters in

the Island & now having not been Worked any Restimation in time

the Governr Ordred him to be Placed in the Stocke for One hour &

he Sung & Swore the whole time

Island St Helena 24° June 1726 Which being read & Confered if

togather with the sd Wignall in Cradgus being very ofted Drunk &

Ynd Ye Ye Worshipfull Work for his Supervale & Ynd such a & Ynd orderly

Ye Ye Like Ye given so much to Neglect the Garrison, Inhabitants for the

Comps Blacks that no Person, without the utmost Necessity Cares to

Employ him. Wherefore it is Ordred that the said

Margin Notes:

Wignall

At a consultation held on Tuesday and Wednesday 28 and 29 June 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

On Tuesday the 21st instant the Wyndham under Captain Lyne sailed home for England, in company with the French ship St Peter under Captain Semple.

The Governor presented the following complaint against Thomas Wignall, the surgeon.

The Governor reported that on Thursday last Mr Wignall, the surgeon, came in exceedingly drunk to the table, and behaved himself improperly. He was reproved, but went on to his place, saying that any one else should make a property of him. After supper he was in that wretched cabin to his patients, and to introduce himself into company forged a passage in the garden. Now to perhaps the old excuse, he wanted to please himself as to her, and used the Company both by day and by night, for her oath before so extravagantly full that they were obliged to turn him out of doors. He continued drunk all the next day, began his former language to the governor. By time he neglected his duty all the time, and several people being ill and wanting relief, and so often spoke to by the mate for a medium for the Company's slaves at the fort time enough and twenty of the Company's slaves, that he refused to deliver any, or go himself, though the man was in extreme distress. With the drynurse, and so these repeated misdemeanours, confinement to his equal quarters in the island, though having no effect, worked any reformation in him. The Governor ordered him to be placed in the stocks for one hour, and he sung and swore the whole time.

Island of St Helena, 24 June 1726.

The council considered the matter. The surgeon Wignall, in gradual course being very often drunk and neglecting his duty to the worshipful the council, and giving such a disorderly people so much to neglect the garrison, inhabitants and the Company's slaves, that no surgeon without the utmost necessity cared to employ him.

The council therefore ordered that the [...]

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation of 28 and 29 June 1726, at which the Governor laid a fresh complaint against the surgeon Thomas Wignall and the council moved to act on it. The departure of the Wyndham in company with the French ship St Peter continued the practice of ships keeping together for safety on the homeward passage.

The complaint added another drunken episode to the long train already recorded against Wignall. His conduct at the table, his neglect of the sick, and his refusal to attend the Company's slaves in distress repeated the failings first charged on 18 January 1725/6 and pressed again after his drunken blinding of the cooper on 5 April 1726. His singing and swearing in the stocks showed his contempt for the punishment.

The council's finding that no surgeon would care to employ him without necessity marked the practical difficulty his conduct created for the settlement. He was the island's sole medical officer, yet his drunkenness left the garrison, the inhabitants and the slaves without reliable care, and the resolve already taken on 5 April 1726 to procure another surgeon now moved towards his removal.

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said Wignell be Suspended during the Governrs Pleasure

Capt Byfeld Reports that old Anthony a Black Man of the Honble

Comps died sometime last Week at Plantation House

Wee met this day to Reckon with the Garrison & Workmen for

the Quarter Cast ending the 24° instant

Copy of the Order Sent Mr Wignell vizt

Mr Wignell having for a long time past & Still continuing

to lead a very vicious Drunken & Disorderly Course of Life & Neglected

his Duty both to the Inhabitants Garrison & Honble Comps Blacks

many of whom are now very ill & in great danger for want of

proper Advice & assistance

It is therefore Ordred by the Worshipfull the Governr & a Councill

that the said Mr Wignell for the severall Misdemeanours abovementioned

be Suspended the Honble Comps Service

Signed John Smith Edwd Byfeld

Jno Alexander Jno Goodwin

28° June 1726

Expence of the Genll Table in May 1726 vizt

12 Ps Salt Beefe

£ 1 10 -

18 d° Cork

2 14 -

10½ Gall Arr: Yd° Sab & Blacks & Cith Bottle

3 6 6

29½ Gall d° for the Table

9 6 10

96 Bottle Sherry 3°

14 8 -

13 Galicia 2/6

1 12 6

26 Bottle Beer d°

2 12 -

35 Bottle Wine 4/6

7 17 6

32 Bottle Mountn 3

4 16 -

135 lb Sugar 6

3 7 6

140 lb Bread 3

3 10 -

48 lb Candles 2/6

4 16 -

433 lb Beefe 3°

5 8 3

108 lb Veale 6°

2 14 -

4 Goates

2 - -

1 Lamb

- 12 -

5 Turkeys

3 d°

2 8 -

81 Fowles

72 d°

11 14 -

31 Days Greens

1 11 -

31 lb Butter

1 11 -

£ 87 12 1

The council ordered that Wignall be suspended during the Governor's pleasure.

Captain Byfield reported that old Anthony, a black man of the Honourable Company, had died sometime last week at the plantation house.

The council met this day to reckon with the garrison and workmen for the quarter's cost ending the 24th instant.

A copy of the order sent to Mr Wignall follows.

Wignall had for a long time past, and still continued, to lead a very vicious, drunken and disorderly course of life, and had neglected his duty both to the inhabitants, the garrison and the Honourable Company's slaves. Many of these were now very ill and in great danger for want of proper advice and assistance.

The worshipful the Governor and council therefore ordered that Wignall, for the several misdemeanours above mentioned, be suspended from the Honourable Company's service.

Signed John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

28 June 1726.

Expenses of the General Table in May 1726

12 lb salt beef, £1 10s 0d

18 lb pork, £2 14s 0d

10½ gallons arrack for the slaves and 6 lb bottled, £3 6s 6d

29½ gallons ditto for the table, £9 6s 10d

96 bottles sherry at 3d, £14 8s 0d

13 bottles Galicia at 2/6, £1 12s 6d

26 bottles beer at 2/-, £2 12s 0d

35 bottles wine at 4/6, £7 17s 6d

32 bottles mountain at 3/-, £4 16s 0d

135 lb sugar at 6d, £3 7s 6d

140 lb bread at 3d, £3 10s 0d

48 lb candles at 2/6, £4 16s 0d

433 lb beef at 3d, £5 8s 3d

108 lb veal at 6d, £2 14s 0d

4 goats, £2 0s 0d

1 lamb, £0 12s 0d

5 turkeys, £2 8s 0d

3 ditto, [...]

81 fowls, £11 14s 0d

72 ditto, [...]

31 days greens, £1 11s 0d

31 lb butter, £1 11s 0d

Total, £87 12s 1d

Interpretations

This closed the proceedings against the surgeon Thomas Wignall and recorded the general-table account for May 1726. The formal order of suspension ended the long train of complaints begun on 18 January 1725/6 and pressed through his drunken blinding of the cooper on 5 April 1726. The council rested the suspension on his neglect of the sick, the danger to the inhabitants, the garrison and the slaves outweighing his value as the island's sole surgeon.

The death of old Anthony, a slave of long standing at the plantation house, was noted plainly in the record. The Company tracked the deaths of its slaves as closely as their births, the loss of an aged labourer entered alongside the increase by birth recorded month by month.

The general-table account followed the fixed monthly form. Arrack again stood among the heaviest charges, the 29½ gallons for the table at £9 6s 10d leading the diet, alongside the sherry, wine, beer, Galicia and mountain and the fresh island beef, veal, goat, lamb, fowls and garden greens. Galicia was a wine of north-western Spain, and mountain a sweet Malaga from the hills behind that port.

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At a Genll Sessions held on Tuesday the 19 July 1726

Present John Smith Esqr Govr & Judge

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander &

John Goodwin Assists

The severall Persons following were Impanneld who all gave their

attendance except Gabriel Powell Joshua Johnson & Sarah Coulson by

Reason of Sickness vizt

John French Gunr 1

Gabriel Powell Junr 2

Orlando Bagley Senr 3

Jona Dorelton 4

Joshua Johnson 5

Fran: Wrangham 6

Rich Godwin 7

Samll Ryder 8

Richd Beale 9

Cha: Steward 10

Tho: Greentree 11

Groth: Lange 12

Rd Massah 13

Stephen Cuffen 14

Roze Wood 15

Rd Swallow Senr 16

The Governor Pursuant to the Honble Comps last Instructions

of Carnarvon took this opportunity to acquaint the People

of this Publick Meeting with their Approbation of the Proposals

sent them in 1724 relating to the Letting of their Fresh Land

to such Persons as may hereafter Marry with Widows & thereby

obtain Grants of Leases of Lands to themselves that in their

Confidence may prove prejudicial to the Orphans of Deceased Tenants

& also with their Direction to have all Persons Ynued who should

Neglect to Plant Wood & Furse both, especially the former beginning

to grow Scarce, at reasonable times of the Year

Then the said Proposal entered in Consultation of 15 Sepr

1724 also two Paragraphs in the said Letter One of which

was in Answer to the said Proposals the other concerning Planting

of Wood & Furse & Mulcting Defaulters in the Certifees were

read. After which the Judge desired to know of all Present if

they were witling the said Proposals should be deemed & Enforced as

a Standing Law & the same was approved, & no one Contradicted

& the Gentlemen of the Jury Returned their humble thanks to the

Court for this particular Instance of their Care of the Publick good

The Judge then told them that as Providence has given so

bountifull to them the Send them Seasonable Weather for Planting both

of Wood & Furse, he hoped they would all apply themselves diligently

to Yncrease both the one & the other that at a proper time he would

once an other Ynd Survey & required to hear that every one had

At a general sessions held on Tuesday 19 July 1726, present Governor John Smith as judge, with Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin as assistants.

The several persons following were empanelled, who all gave their attendance except Joshua Johnson and Jacob Wolfson, excused by reason of sickness.

1: John French, gunner

2: Gabriel Powell

3: Orlando Bagley senior

4: John Dovefon

5: Joshua Johnson

6: Francis Wrangham

7: Richard Goodwin

8: James Ryder

9: Richard Beale

10: Charles Steward

11: Thomas Greentree

12: Broth Stange

13: Robert Mason

14: Stephen Griffin

15: Roze Wood

16: Richard Swallow senior

The Governor, pursuant to the Honourable Company's last instructions by the Carnarvon, took this opportunity to acquaint the jury with the substance of that packet. Meeting with their approbation of the covenants sent in 1724 relating to the letting of that useless land to such persons as might hereafter marry with widows, and thereby obtain grants of leases of land to themselves that in their confidence might prove prejudicial to the orphans of deceased tenants. So also with the instructions to have all persons punished who should neglect to plant wood and gumwood, especially the timber beginning to grow scarce, at reasonable times of the year.

The proposal entered in the consultation of 15 September, with two paragraphs in the letter, one of which was in answer to the proposal, the other concerning the planting of wood and gumwood and punishing defaulters in the covenants, were read. After which the judge desired to know of all present if they were willing the proposal should be deemed and observed as a standing law. The same was approved, and no one contradicting, the gentlemen of the jury returned their humble thanks to the court for this particular instance of their care of the public good.

The judge then told them that as Providence had given so bountifully to them the seed and seasonable weather for planting both wood and gumwood, he hoped they would all apply themselves diligently to increase both the one and the other, so that at a proper time he would upon another good survey, and expected to hear that every one had [...]

Interpretations

This recorded the general sessions of 19 July 1726, at which the Governor laid the Honourable Company's latest instructions before the jury and secured their assent to a standing law. The instructions came by the Carnarvon, and addressed two settled concerns of the directors, the letting of Company land and the preservation of the island's timber.

The covenants on marriage to widows guarded against a particular abuse of the land grants. A man marrying a widowed tenant might obtain a lease in his own name that prejudiced the orphans of the deceased holder, and the covenants sought to protect the children's interest against such grants. The direction to punish defaulters who neglected to plant wood and gumwood answered the growing scarcity of timber, extending the planting covenant of 13 March 1725 with a penalty for neglect.

The judge's appeal to the jury to plant diligently and his promise of a further survey showed the government enforcing the timber policy by inspection as well as covenant. The bounty of seed and seasonable weather left the tenants without excuse, and the threat of a survey held each holder answerable for the wood raised on his ground.

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had been Carefull in an Affair of such Moment both to themselves &

Posterity, but if contrary to all Reason & Expectation any one should

be found backward in Ynd or Ynd of the Covenants in their Severall Duties &

Leases they should be Severely Ynd for their Omission

They took Notice that he offered with much Satisfaction that

he could call this a Malden Sessions no Quarells from Litidious Persons

being Sensible of the Sweets of Ease & Good Neighbourhood & had

among themselves Compromised their little Quarells & Disputes

Mr Wignall upon the Declaration exhibited against him at the Sessions

held 14° Aprile last by Edmond Nicholls being then Enny Ced of the

Slander therin mentioned & Assignment of Damage as ford to the Ehsseler

of the Govr & Genll of Councill. It was Ordred that the said Wignall should

Bar headed in Ehsseler Court ask Carden both of Mr Nicholls & the

Wife which to this day Ynd, Affirming that he never did abuse the Ye persons

laid to his Charge. Or if he did he was sure he was either Died a Drink

or Bereft when he Said so, acknowledged himself heartily sorry for

his Offence & hoped they would both forgive him

Mr Wignall Presented the following Petition in the Morning before

Opening the Sessions

To the Worshipfull Jno Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

The humble Petition of Tho: Wignall

Sheweth That yr Petr is truely Sensible & with Shame & Remorse acknowledges

that he hath justly incurred the Displeasure both of yr Worship & Gintlemen of Councill

& hath before this bought worse Punishment for his Extillage & Misbehaviour than had been

inflicted on him

Yr Petr owns with great trouble & Concern that he hath been Guilty

of Follies Extravagancy & Neglect of Duty which at times have been

Complained of Repartee Cast of this for which he was Suspended on Tuesday

last was Convinced & for which he now most humbly begs Pardon both of

Your Worship & Genll of Councill, & if the most Solemn Promise to lead

a New Life & be exactly Regular in Conduct & Behaviour to yr Worship & all

his Superiors to be Diligent & Carefull in the Business & yr due Attendance

upon all that may have Occasion for his Assistance, & to conformity to all other

can Confelly move yr Worship & a Councill to Pity & Corten, yr Petr humbly

hopes he shall be thought an object of yr Compassion

Yr Petr therefore most humbly Prays yr Worship & Genll of Councill

will be Pleased to take his Unhappy Circumstances into Consideration

& humbly hopes to be again Reinstated in yr Favour & further Employ

Tho Wignall

19° July 1726

And yr Petr as &c

The jury had been careful in an affair of such moment, both to themselves and posterity. If, contrary to all reason and expectation, any person should be found backward in the covenants in their several deeds and leases, they should be severely fined for their omission.

The jury took notice that the judge offered with much satisfaction that he could call this a maiden sessions, all quarrels from litigious causes being settled. Being sensible of the sweets of ease and good neighbourhood, they had among themselves compromised their little quarrels and disputes.

Mr Wignall, upon the declaration exhibited against him at the sessions held 14 April last by Edmund Nicholls, being then found guilty of the slander mentioned, and an assessment of damages referred to the pleasure of the Governor and gentlemen of the council, was ordered to be bareheaded in the open court, and to beg pardon of both Mr Nicholls and his wife. This he did this day, affirming that he never did call the person laid to his charge, or if he did he was sure he was either drunk or bereft when he said so. He acknowledged himself heartily sorry for his offence, and hoped they would both forgive him.

Mr Wignall presented the following petition in the morning before the opening of the sessions.

The petition was addressed to the worshipful John Smith, Governor, and the council.

Wignall set out that he was truly sensible, and acknowledged with shame and remorse, that he had justly incurred the displeasure both of the Governor and the gentlemen of the council. He had before been often punished for the failings and misbehaviour that had been laid to him.

Wignall owned with great trouble and concern that he had been guilty of foolish extravagancy and neglect of duty, which at times had been complained of, and particularly of that for which he was suspended at the sessions last. He most humbly begged pardon both of the Governor and the gentlemen of the council. He made the most solemn promise to lead a new life, and to conduct and behave himself towards the Governor and his superiors with diligence and care in his business, upon due attendance, so that he might have occasion for his assistance. He conformed to all others, and being especially more the Governor and council to city and garrison, Wignall humbly hoped he might be thought an object of compassion.

Wignall therefore asked the Governor and council that he might be pleased to take his unhappy circumstances into consideration, and hoped to be again employed.

19 July 1726.

Interpretations

This continued the general sessions of 19 July 1726, closing the jury's business on the land covenants and recording the surgeon Thomas Wignall's public penance and petition. The judge's satisfaction at calling it a maiden sessions, with every private quarrel settled by agreement, marked the council's preference for composing disputes among neighbours rather than trying them at law.

Wignall's penance answered the defamation verdict of 14 April 1726, when the jury found for Commander Nicholls over the slander touching his wife. The court required him to stand bareheaded and beg pardon of both husband and wife, a public humiliation that fitted the public nature of the injury. His plea that he was drunk or bereft when he spoke offered the same excuse the record had noted against him before.

Wignall's petition sought restoration to the Company's service after his suspension of 28 June 1726. His acknowledgement of foolish extravagancy and neglect, and his solemn promise of amendment, repeated the assurances he had given and broken before. The council held his fate at its pleasure, the island's want of any other surgeon weighing against his long record of drunkenness and neglect.

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which being taken into Consideration it is Ordred that the said Wignell be

Restored to the Employ again for a Month to try what Regard he will

give to this fresh assurance of amendment upon Condition nevertheless

that if he get Drunk in the said Month for the Ye offence he shall

forfit ten Shillings for the 2d twenty Ynd & double the Sum upon the

third Conviction, & if he be found Negligent in his Business, or

Drunk in his attendance upon such as may have occassion for his assistance

or that behave himself Rudely & insolently to his Superiours, We are

Resolved to dismiss him the Honble Comps Service & Order that Articles be

immediatly drawn up Ynd upon the Ehsseler for the said Wignell to Sigr

To the Worshipfull Jno Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

Whereas yr Worship & Genll of Councill upon the humble

Petition of this day presented to Ynd Ordering to Ye again Restored to Ynd

Governr & Genll Employ have accordingly been Cleared to Reinstate me from

in the Business from which Ynd was diligently unYnded, & as I am deeply Sensible

of so Signall a Ynd out of Ynd Ye Yr Genll Councill Ehsseler it my Duty to offer some

Proposals upon what Terms I hope or Can expect the Continuance of it,

Yr Petr shall in offering any one of the following Articles I thinke

Ye all not only justly Serve Ye your Displeasure, but shall Deserve to be

Ye all with all in the most severe manner either by One Suspension or

Dismission

First, As I in the most Solemn manner Promise Ynd & Delare, that

I will at all times hereafter abstain from all Cask or Cups of Liquor that are

Strong & Intoxicating at least from all Excess thereof to a Sober always

to keep my self Sober, & Qualified to do my Duty upon any sudden Call

or Accident may Arise, & if it should happen thro' the Frailty of my

Nature notify Ynd Accept that, I get Drunk, or am disguised with

Liquor for Ye all & Consent to Cay for the first Offence ten Shillings for

the 2d twenty Shillings & double the Sum upon the third Conviction

Secondly, if at any time hereafter should be Negligent of my

Business, or thro' Drunkenness rendred incapable of Ynd of any Duty

I thinke I ought to expect the utmost Effects of Your Resentment & thinke

I have justly Deserve to be dismist the Honble Comps Service

Thirdly, I acknowledge that if I blur & any time hereafter be Guilty

of any Rudeness or Indecency either of Speech or Behaviour to yr Worship

or other Gentlemen my Superiours & my late failing in this particular

Instance as often as reflect upon it, give me Ynd Pain & Complaint,

which justly ought to be Punished with the like Severity

Fourthly, I Promise to Refrain from all Company & Places

The council took the petition into consideration and ordered that Wignall be restored to the Company's employ again for one month, to try what regard he would give to these fresh assurances of amendment upon condition. If he got drunk in the month, he should forfeit ten shillings for the second offence, twenty for the third, and double the sum upon the fourth. If he were found negligent in his business, or remiss in his attendance upon such as might have occasion for his assistance, or if he behaved himself rudely and improperly to his superiors, the council resolved to dismiss him from the Honourable Company's service. The council ordered that articles be immediately drawn up upon the head for Wignall to sign.

The articles were addressed to the worshipful John Smith, Governor, and the council.

The preamble set out that the Governor and the gentlemen of the council, upon the humble petition presented this day, ordered that Wignall be restored to the former employ. Being accordingly well pleased to reinstate him from the suspension, and being deeply sensible of the displeasure of the Governor and each of the council, Wignall thought it his duty to offer certain proposals. He set out what terms he hoped for, or could expect the continuance of, and how he might fail in observing any one of the following articles. He thought he should not only justly incur the Governor's displeasure, but should expect to be dealt with in the most severe manner, either by suspension or dismissal.

First, Wignall promised in the most solemn manner, true and diligent, that if at any time hereafter he should grow drunk with liquor of any sort that was strong or intoxicating, at least from all excess thereof, or so far always to keep himself sober and qualified to do any duty, upon any sudden ill or accident that might arise, or if it should happen through the frailty of his nature, he justly then agreed that if he got drunk, or was disguised with liquor, he freely consented to pay for the first offence ten shillings, for the second twenty, and double the sum upon the third offence.

Secondly, if at any time hereafter he should be negligent of any business, or through drunkenness rendered incapable of doing any duty, he thought he ought to expect the utmost effects of the Governor's displeasure. He thought he justly deserved to be dismissed the Honourable Company's service.

Thirdly, he acknowledged that if he at any time hereafter should be guilty of any rudeness or indignity either by speech or behaviour to the Governor, or the gentlemen his superiors, or by late failing in this particular instance as often as he reflected upon it, gave him fresh pain and concern. He justly ought to be punished with the like severity.

Fourthly, he promised to refrain from all Company and house [...]

Interpretations

This recorded the council's conditional restoration of the surgeon Thomas Wignall and the articles he signed to bind his conduct. The council allowed him one month on trial, having suspended him on 28 June 1726 and heard his petition of penance the same day. The scheme of rising fines for repeated drunkenness, ten shillings then twenty then double, fixed a graduated penalty short of dismissal for the first lapses.

The articles bound Wignall by his own hand to the terms the council set, turning its order into a personal engagement he could not later dispute. He acknowledged each ground of past complaint in turn, drunkenness, neglect of duty and rudeness to his superiors, and consented in advance to the penalties for each. This form made his continued service depend on written conditions rather than the council's bare indulgence.

The island's want of any other surgeon shaped the whole arrangement. The council preferred a bound and chastened Wignall to none at all, and framed the articles to hold him answerable while keeping his skill available to the garrison, the inhabitants and the slaves. His restoration rested on necessity as much as on his promises of amendment.

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of all Cask & Dispute, to be diligent in my Duty & attendance

Regular in my Conduct & Behaviour especially towards you Yr Wor Yr Genll

attentance of Servante, ready for Ynmations, all others Carefully

avoid giving Occasion of Offence to any body, & Endeavour to

become a New Man & Reform in good Earnest. I thus Gentlemen

by a Punctuall Observance of these & Ynd these Resolution I hope long

to Enjoy, the Advantage of Your Continuance & Protection

18° July 1726

Signed Tho Wignall

Witness

Jno Trippe

Wm Gaa

John Young Serjeant Petitioned for Leave to Refsign Cont

for about Seventy to Nine & Twenty Acres of the Honble Comps Wht

Land lying at present at Twenty & fifty in Order to enable him to Provide

for his Family

Granted Provided Letting the same be not Detrimentall to the

Neighbourhood & Ordred that Cap Goodwin do view the same & make

Report on Tuesday next

Cap Goodwin, also desired to be admitted Tennt for

about Twenty to five Acres lying in the same Valley formerly Granted

to him in the Government of Mr Cofte

Granted

Samuel Jefsory also Petr for Leave to dispose of his Interest in a Cast Chard

Acres, & half a Ceo Land in present Ynd as yet not Ynd Perten Years to come

Granted Provided We approve of the Purchaser

Mr Byfeld Reports that a Black Wench Named Cast belonging

to the Comps died last Week at Plantacon House

& And that a Black Slave Ellen belonging to Ce House was this

Morning delivered of a Boy Named Dick

Cap Byfeld & Cap Goodwin brought in Each

their Monthly Accts for the Month of June last,

wch was both Examined Approved & is as follows

Wignall promised to refrain from all quarrels and disputes, to be diligent in his duty, and to be regular in his conduct and behaviour, especially towards the Governor and his superiors, as ready for their service. He carefully avoided giving occasion of offence to any body, and endeavoured to become a new man and reform in good earnest. He thus hoped, by a punctual observance of these proposals, to enjoy the advantage of the Governor's continued protection.

Signed T. Wignall.

19 July 1726.

Witness D. Crispe and William Gaa.

John Young, sergeant, petitioned for leave to resign his grant of about 20 acres of land, and to convey it to the Honourable Company. The land lay next Peak Hill, and he asked leave to convey it in order to enable him to provide for his family.

The council, finding the letting of the same would not be detrimental to the neighbourhood, ordered that Captain Goodwin view the land and make report at the next consultation.

Captain Goodwin also asked to be admitted tenant to a grant of about five acres of land, lying in the same valley, formerly granted to him in the government of Mr Pyke.

The council granted it.

Samuel Jeffery also asked leave to dispose of his interest in about seven acres, and half a piece of land of about half as yet not fifteen years to come. The council approved of the conclusion.

Mr Byfield reported that a black woman named Kate, belonging to the Company, died last week at the plantation house.

Byfield also reported that a slave named Ellen, belonging to the plantation house, was delivered one morning of a boy named Dick.

Captain Byfield and Captain Goodwin brought in each their monthly accounts for the month of June last, which were both examined and approved as follows.

Interpretations

This closed the surgeon Thomas Wignall's signed articles and recorded the ordinary land and household business of the consultation. His witnessed subscription bound him to the terms the council set on his conditional restoration of 19 July 1726, turning its order into a personal engagement under his own hand.

The land petitions followed the settled procedure for surrendering, granting and transferring Company ground. John Young sought to resign his acres near Peak Hill to provide for his family, and the council sent Captain Goodwin to view the land before deciding, the same care over boundaries and neighbourhood shown in every such grant. Captain Goodwin's own admission as tenant to a parcel granted under Governor Pyke regularised an older holding on the current terms.

The notices of a death and a birth among the Company's slaves marked the constant reckoning of the labour force. The death of Kate at the plantation house and the birth of the boy Dick to the slave Ellen were entered plainly, the loss and the increase tracked together as the Company followed the strength of its slaves month by month.

123

121

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry Asses Horses

Bullocks Cowes Kifers Steers Yeurlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Totall Ewes Wethers Kids Rams Totall Sows Shoates Pigs Totall Turkey Fowles Duck Geese Asses Horses Mares Totall

Increased in June

Bullocks 17, Cowes 62, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 94 2, Bulls 4, Totall 185 2, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 92, Cowes 202, Wethers 147, Kids 73, Rams 6, Totall 398, Sows 12, Shoates 16, Pigs 34, Totall 62, Turkey 69, Fowles 101 6, Duck 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 2, Totall 7

Killed in d° & Sold to Ship Windham

Bullocks 17 3, Cowes 62, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 96, Bulls 4, Totall 187 3, Ewes 53, Wethers 18, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 92, Cowes 202, Wethers 147 5, Kids 73, Rams 6, Totall 398 5, Sows 12, Shoates 16, Pigs 34, Totall 62 2, Turkey 69, Fowles 107 18, Duck 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 2, Totall 7

Sent to Fort in d°

Bullocks 14, Cowes 62, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 96, Bulls 4, Totall 184, Ewes 53, Wethers 18 2, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 92 2, Cowes 202, Wethers 112, Kids 73, Rams 6, Totall 393, Sows 12, Shoates 16, Pigs 34, Totall 62, Turkey 67, Fowles 89, Duck 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 2, Totall 7

Dead in Ditto

Bullocks 14, Cowes 62, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 96, Bulls 4, Totall 184, Ewes 53, Wethers 16, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 90, Cowes 202, Wethers 112, Kids 73, Rams 6, Totall 393, Sows 12 1, Shoates 16 1, Pigs 34, Totall 62 2, Turkey 67, Fowles 89, Duck 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 2, Totall 7

Remd Ultd June 1726

Bullocks 14, Cowes 62, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 96, Bulls 4, Totall 184, Ewes 53, Wethers 16, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 90, Cowes 202, Wethers 112, Kids 73, Rams 6, Totall 393, Sows 11, Shoates 15, Pigs 34, Totall 60, Turkey 67, Fowles 89, Duck 7, Geese 16, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 2, Totall 7

Yams Expended at the sevll Plantacons 23800 lb

Account of the Honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses for the month of June 1726.

The column headings are legible on this leaf. Neat cattle: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls, total. Sheep: ewes, wethers, lambs, rams, total. Goats: ewes, wethers, kids, rams, total. Hogs: sows, barrows, pigs, total. Poultry: turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese. Asses and horses: asses, horses, mares, total.

Increased in June

17 bullocks, 62 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 94 (2) calves, 4 bulls, 185 (2) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 18 lambs, 3 rams, 92 total sheep; 202 ewes, 147 wethers, 73 kids, 6 rams, 398 total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total, 69 hogs; 101 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 6, 5, 2, 7 asses and horses total

Killed in ditto and sold to ship Wyndham

17 (3) bullocks, 62 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 96 calves, 4 bulls, 187 (3) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 18 lambs, 3 rams, 92 total sheep; 202 ewes, 147 (5) wethers, 73 kids, 6 rams, 398 (5) total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total, 69 (2) hogs; 107 (18) turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 5, 2, 7 asses and horses total

Sent to Fort in ditto

14 bullocks, 62 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 96 calves, 4 bulls, 184 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 18 wethers, 18 (2) lambs, 3 rams, 92 total sheep; 202 ewes, 112 wethers, 73 kids, 6 rams, 393 total goats; 12 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 total, 67 hogs; 89 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 5, 2, 7 asses and horses total

Dead in ditto

14 bullocks, 62 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 96 calves, 4 bulls, 184 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 16 wethers, 18 lambs, 3 rams, 90 total sheep; 202 ewes, 112 wethers, 73 kids, 6 rams, 393 total goats; 12 (1) sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 62 (2) total, 67 hogs; 89 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 5, 2, 7 asses and horses total

Remaining 30 June 1726

14 bullocks, 62 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 96 calves, 4 bulls, 184 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 16 wethers, 18 lambs, 3 rams, 90 total sheep; 202 ewes, 119 wethers, 73 kids, 6 rams, 393 total goats; 11 sows, 15 barrows, 34 pigs, 60 total, 67 hogs; 89 turkeys, 7 fowls, 16 ducks, 3 geese; 5, 2, 7 asses and horses total

Yams expended at the several plantations, 23,800 lb

Interpretations

This closed the live-stock and provision account for the month of June 1726, set out as a grid tracing each class of stock through the month. This leaf carried its full column headings written in, so the identity of each column was read from the page itself.

The row headings ran through the increase in June, the beasts killed and sold to the Wyndham, those sent to the Fort, those that died, and the number remaining at 30 June. The neat cattle were graded as bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls with a total, the sheep and goats each as ewes, wethers and rams with the lambs or kids, and the hogs as sows, barrows and pigs. The poultry closed the grid as turkeys, fowls, ducks and geese, with the asses, horses and mares last.

The sale of three bullocks and a run of goats and poultry to the Wyndham showed the island victualling the Company's shipping from its own stock. The beasts sent to the Fort supplied the garrison and the slaves quartered there, and the yam total of 23,800 lb gave the month's consumption of the staple root at the plantations.

124

122

Expence of the Genll Table between

22° June & 31° August 1726 vizt

Mountain 3 Bottles

- 9 -

Sherry 1

- 3 -

Galicia 10

1 5 -

Cape 7 6

3 16 -

Arrack at Table 17½ Gall

5 17 4

Guard & Blacks 6

1 18 -

Beringor 2 Gall

- 8 -

Sugar 88 lb

2 4 -

Candy 6 lb

- 6 -

Bread 158 lb

1 19 6

Flower 195

2 8 9

Soap 23 lb

1 4 2

Butter 40

2 - -

Greens 40 days

2 - -

Candles 44½ 2/6

5 10 -

Beefe 9°

1 2 6

Pork Salt 15

1 2 4

Salt Beefe to Blacks 18 Ps

2 5 -

Fowles 72

5 8 -

Turkeys 3

- 18 -

Ducks 1

- 2 -

Goobes 6

3 6 -

Kid 1

- 6 -

Veale 89

2 4 6

Pig 2

- 12 -

Loyn a Pork 8

5 6

54 9 -

Expenses of the General Table between 22 June and 31 August 1726

mountain, 3 bottles, £0 9s 0d

sherry, 1, £0 0s 3d

Galicia, 10, £1 5s 0d

Cape, 7 6, £3 16s 0d

arrack at table, 17½ gallons, £5 17s 4d

guard and blacks, 6, £1 18s 0d

arrack, 2 gallons, £0 8s 0d

sugar, 80 lb, £2 4s 0d

candy, 6 lb, £0 6s 0d

bread, 158 lb, £1 19s 6d

flour, 195 lb, £2 8s 9d

soap, 23 lb, £1 12s 7d

butter, 40 lb, £2 0s 0d

greens, 40 days, £2 0s 0d

candles, 44 lb at 2/6, £5 10s 0d

beef, 9d, £1 2s 6d

pork salt, 15, £2 2s 4d

salt beef to blacks, 18, £2 5s 0d

fowls, 72, £5 8s 0d

turkeys, 3, £0 18s 0d

ducks, 1, £0 2s 0d

goats, 6, £3 6s 0d

kid, 1, £0 6s 0d

veal, 89, £2 4s 6d

[...], 2, £0 12s 0d

loin of pork, 8, £5 6s 0d

Total, £54 9s 0d

Interpretations

This recorded the expenses of the general table between 22 June and 31 August 1726, set out in the fixed monthly form. The account mixed imported wine, arrack and salt provisions with fresh island meat, butter and garden greens.

Arrack stood among the heaviest charges at 17½ gallons for the table and £5 17s 4d, the settled leading article of the establishment's diet. The wines ran through mountain, sherry, Galicia and Cape, mountain being a sweet Malaga from the hills behind that port, and Galicia a wine of north-western Spain.

The fresh provisions of beef, veal, goat, kid, pork, fowls, turkeys and ducks were drawn from the Company's own stock and plantations, following the pattern of every return of the table. The salt beef issued to the slaves and the loin of pork completed the account before the total of £54 9s 0d was struck.

125

123

1726 June

Gun Stores Expended in June

Guns fired Minions Falcons Cohorns

1° For Govr Deans going on board

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

d° To Answer a Salute from the Lynn

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

d° Departed Houghton, Eyles, Fordwich Marlbro Morris Ynd

Guns fired 45, Minions nil, Falcons 45, Cohorns 45

4 An Alarm

Guns fired 4, Minions 2, Falcons 2, Cohorns 6

d° Arived the Wyndham

Guns fired 11, Minions nil, Falcons 11, Cohorns 11

5° Departed the Carnarvon

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

Sold for the Castle

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns ½

12 An Alarm

Guns fired 4, Minions 2, Falcons 2, Cohorns 6

13 d° Arived a French Ship

Guns fired 5, Minions nil, Falcons 5, Cohorns 5

d° For the Cap coming on Shoar

Guns fired 5, Minions nil, Falcons 5, Cohorns 5

18 To Answer a Salute of the Wyndham

Guns fired 9, Minions nil, Falcons 9, Cohorns 9

d° To Answer two Salutes of the French Ship

Guns fired 14, Minions nil, Falcons 14, Cohorns 14

21 Departed Wyndham & French Ship

Guns fired 18, Minions nil, Falcons 18, Cohorns 18

Expence of the Guard

Cohorns 12

Cartridge Paper 1 Quire

Guns fired 142, Minions 4, Falcons 138, Cohorns 158½

Match 21 lb

Cap Goodwin Reports that Sundry Sort of Prie Goods lye exposed

to the Damage of Rats & therefore thinks it would be very necessary to have

a few Counters made to Secure them, & that one of the Dry Ware Houses is

become very Leaky occasiond by one of the Girders being broke, & the Piec

too weak for the Weight of the Earth & lyes hollow

& receives every hard Shower of Rain

Ordred that the Necessaries be made for the Security of the said

Goods & that the Ware House be Repaird immediatly

Gunner's stores expended in June 1726

1 June, for Governor Deane going on board: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

1 June, to answer a salute from the Lynn: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

1 June, departed the Houghton, Eyles, Fordwich, Marlborough, Morrice and Wyndham: 45 guns fired, 45 salutes, 45 cowries

4 June, an alarm: 4 guns fired, 2 chace, 2 salutes, 6 cowries

4 June, arrived the Wyndham: 11 guns fired, 11 salutes, 11 cowries

5 June, departed the Carnarvon: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

5 June, sold for the castle: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

12 June, an alarm: 4 guns fired, 2 chace, 2 salutes, [...] cowries

13 June, arrived a French ship: 5 guns fired, 5 salutes, 5 cowries

13 June, for the captain coming ashore: 5 guns fired, 5 salutes, 5 cowries

18 June, to answer a salute of the Wyndham: 9 guns fired, 9 salutes, 9 cowries

18 June, to answer two salutes of the French ship: 14 guns fired, 14 salutes, 14 cowries

21 June, departed the Wyndham and French ship: 18 guns fired, 18 salutes, 18 cowries

expense of the guard: 12 cowries

cartridge paper, 1 quire

Column totals: 142 guns fired, 4 chace, 138 salutes, 158½ cowries

match: 21 lb

Captain Goodwin reported that sundry sorts of Company goods lay exposed to the damage of rats, and therefore thought it very necessary to have a few counters made to secure them. He added that one of the dry warehouses had become very leaky, occasioned by one of the girders being broken, and the pillar too weak for the weight of the earth and tiles above. It lay hollow and received every hard shower of rain.

The council ordered that the necessaries be made for the security of the goods, and that the warehouse be repaired immediately.

Interpretations

This recorded the gunner's account of guns fired in June 1726, set out as a grid under the heads of the guns fired, the chace guns, the salutes and the cowries. The account traced the traffic and the alarms of the month gun by gun, before it went to the council for approval.

The heaviest firing marked the departure of the homeward fleet on 1 June 1726, when the Houghton, Eyles, Fordwich, Marlborough, Morrice and Wyndham sailed together and drew a salute of 45 guns. The honours to Governor Deane, the salutes to the Lynn, the Carnarvon and the arriving Wyndham, and the exchange with the French ship all spent powder from the store, reckoned against the cartridge paper and the 21 lb of match consumed.

Captain Goodwin's report on the warehouse addressed a real threat to the Company's stores. The broken girder and weakened pillar let rain into the goods and left them open to rats, and the council's order for immediate repair and for counters to raise the goods protected the stock against loss through damp and vermin.

126

124

944½ Sugar

23 12 8

47 lb Candy

2 7 -

579 Bread

6 19 9

215 lb Flour

2 13 9

78 lb Tobacco Cutt

8 16 6

251 Pipes

- 10 5½

15 Ps B Sea

4 10 -

2½ D°

- 15 -

14 Catt: G Tea

2 4 -

34 lb Soap

2 8 3

1 lb Pepper

- 1 -

3 lb Vinegar

- 1 10½

12 lb Wax

- 15 -

27 lb Beefe

1 13 6

10¼ Gall Ceo Oyle

1 5 6

1½ D° Linseed

- 1 6

1 Ce Suffet Oyle

- 3 4

24 Small Cups

- 4 -

15 Large d°

- 5 -

6 Cups & Saucers

- 3 -

18 Sneakers

- 9 -

2 Bowles

- 4 6

1 Tea Pott

- 1 10

7 White Shirts

- 17 6

18 Ps Cott Stock

2 15 -

1 Ps Doosees

2 10 -

5 White Ginghas

2 7 6

2 Quilts

1 10 -

Bt Over 81 3 10½

3 Chest Locks

- 3 6

2 d°

- 3 4

4 d°

- 8 -

1 d°

- 7 9

1 Iron Rimb Lock

- 15 2

6 Stock Locks N° 2

- 8 -

1 Ce Hinges

- - 7

1 Chafing Dishes

- 4 5

1 Iron Pott 17 lb

- 8 6

1 Ce Stilyards

- 13 -

2 Tin Lamps

- 4 6

1 Ce Sauce Pan

- 1 9

1 Qt d°

- 1 3

1 Two Qt d°

- 1 6

4 Ivory Combs

- 1 6

1 Ce Scissars

- 1 -

2 Ce Youths Stock

- 7 4

1 d°

- 2 4

1 Wom d°

- 2 4

1 Ce Mens Knitt

- 6 9

10 Move d° 6

- 5 9

1 d°

- 4 -

1 Ce Girles Shoes

- 4 -

2 Turkey Lea

- 12 -

1 Wom Calf

- 4 2

1 d°

- 4 6

2 d° Sp: Lea

- 11 6

2 Mens Calf Lea

- 13 6

2 d° Ye Ced

- 16 8

12 yd° Edging 6/9

3 9 -

Ce d° Ferretting

- 3 4

1 yd° Ribbon

- 1 3

4½ d°

- 6 -

6 Doz Breast Buttons

- 1 6

3 d° Shirt d°

- 1 -

1½ lb Ceo Thread

- 2 7

2 lb White & Brown

- 10 -

7 Oz Thread 8°

- 4 8

3 d°

- 3 -

6 d° 1/1

- 6 6

1 d°

- 1 3

1 d°

- 4 -

3 d° 1/4

- 4 6

1 d°

- 1 3

1¼ Oz China Silk

- 1 -

6 Oz d° d°

- 9 -

1¼ Oz Ce d°

- 7 1½

6½ M Pin 1/2

- 7 7

6 M d° 1/4

- 8 4

1 M d°

- 1 8

1 M d°

- 1 9

1 M d°

- 3 -

1 Ce Diaper Tape

- 4 -

4 Ce Holland d°

- 2 8

2 Broad

- 3 6

14 Fenett & Laces

Totall to Inhabts 97 17 6

944½ lb sugar, £23 12s 8d

47 lb candy, £2 7s 0d

549 lb bread, £6 19s 9d

215 lb flour, £2 13s 9d

78 lb tobacco cut, £8 16s 6d

251 pipes, £0 10s 5½d

15 lb bohea tea, £4 10s 0d

2½ ditto, £0 15s 0d

14 catties green tea, £2 4s 0d

34 lb soap, £2 8s 3d

1 lb pepper, £0 1s 0d

3 lb vinegar, £0 1s 10½d

12 lb wax, £0 15s 0d

27 lb beef, £1 13s 6d

16¾ gallons rape oil, £1 5s 6d

1/4 ditto linseed, £0 1s 6d

1 lb sweet oil, £0 3s 4d

24 small cups, £0 4s 0d

15 large ditto, £0 5s 0d

6 cups and saucers, £0 3s 0d

18 sneakers, £0 9s 0d

2 bowls, £0 4s 6d

1 tea pot, £0 1s 10d

7 white shirts, £0 17s 6d

18 pairs cotton stockings, £2 15s 0d

1 piece doosooties, £2 10s 0d

5 white gingham, £2 7s 6d

2 quilts, £1 10s 0d

5½ pieces chelloe, £3 7s 5½d

1 doosooties, £0 10s 0d

2 blue gingham, £1 11s 0d

5 Madras ditto, £1 17s 6d

1 3d nails, £0 1s 1d

1 pair stays, £1 3s 6d

2 barrows and black, £0 1s 0d

2½ shoe thread, £0 6s 3d

1 mens hat, £0 17s 6d

1 tea kettle, £0 12s 0d

2 glass salts, £0 2s 6d

20 butchers knives, £0 4s 0d

3 yards blankets, £0 7s 0d

40 ditto bed tick, £0 10s 0d

1½ serge, £0 3s 6d

6 dozen axe blades, £0 3s 0d

14 dozen hooks forked, £0 4s 11d

28 lines ditto, £0 11s 9d

Total, £81 3s 10½d

Brought over, £81 3s 10½d

3 chest locks, £0 3s 6d

2 ditto, £0 3s 4d

4 ditto, £0 8s 0d

1 ditto, £0 7s 9d

1 iron rim lock, £0 15s 0d

6 stock locks No. 2, £0 8s 0d

1 pair hinges, £0 0s 7d

1 chafing dish, £0 4s 5d

1 iron pot 17 lb, £0 8s 6d

6 pairs steelyards, £0 13s 0d

2 tin lamps, £0 4s 6d

1 3 pint sauce pan, £0 1s 9d

1 2 pint ditto, £0 1s 4d

1 two pint ditto, £0 1s 3d

4 ivory combs, £0 4s 0d

1 pair scissors, £0 1s 6d

2 pairs youths stockings, £0 7s 4d

1 ditto, £0 2s 4d

1 womens ditto, £0 2s 3d

1 pair mens knit, £0 6s 0d

10 pairs ditto ditto, £0 5s 0d

1 ditto, £0 4s 0d

1 pair girls shoes, £0 4s 0d

2 pairs turkey leather, £0 12s 0d

1 womens calf, £0 4s 6d

1 ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 ditto Spanish leather, £0 11s 6d

2 mens calf leather, £0 13s 6d

2 ditto ditto, £0 16s 8d

12 yards ditto 6/9, £3 9s 0d

diaper ditto ferreting, £0 3s 4d

4 yards ribbon, £0 1s 3d

4 half ditto, £0 6s 0d

6 dozen breast buttons, £0 1s 6d

3 dozen shirt ditto, £0 1s 0d

1½ lb coloured thread, £0 2s 7d

2 lb whited brown, £0 10s 0d

7 oz thread 8d, £0 4s 8d

3 ditto, £0 3s 6d

6 ditto 1/1, £0 6s 6d

1 ditto, £0 1s 3d

3 ditto 1/4, £0 4s 0d

1 ditto, £0 4s 6d

1¼ oz China silk, £0 1s 3d

6 oz ditto, £0 9s 0d

1¼ oz ditto, £0 7s 10½d

6½ M pins 2/2, £0 7s 7d

6 M ditto 1/4, £0 8s 4d

1 M ditto, £0 1s 8d

1 M ditto, £0 1s 9d

1 M ditto, £0 3s 0d

1 pair diaper tape, £0 4s 0d

4 pairs Holland ditto, £0 2s 8d

2 broad, £0 3s 6d

14 French laces, £0 0s 0d

Total to the inhabitants, £97 7s 6d

Interpretations

This opened the store-goods account for the period, listing the goods sold to the inhabitants before the total was struck. It followed the fixed monthly form, mixing bulk provisions, textiles, ironmongery, footwear and haberdashery.

Many of the cloth lines described cottons of the eastern trade. A doosootie was a stout twofold cotton and a gingham a striped or checked cotton woven from dyed yarn, here of the Madras sort. A chelloe was a checked or striped cotton of the Coromandel trade, and diaper a linen woven with a small repeating pattern. Ferreting was a narrow woven tape used for binding, and bed tick a stout close-woven cotton or linen used to hold feathers or flock.

The run of locks, hinges, steelyards, sauce pans and combs showed the store supplying the settlement's households and trades. Steelyards were a form of balance for weighing by a sliding counterpoise, and a chafing dish a vessel for holding hot coals to warm food at table. The footwear ranged through calf, Spanish and turkey leather for men, women, youths and girls, the store serving the island at once as draper, ironmonger and shoemaker to the settlement.

127

125

Bt Over 97 17 6

Diet Expences

1 Cask Flour

£ 4 - -

2 Catt: B Tea

- 12 -

1 d° Green

- 4 -

1 Cask Suet

4 - -

1 lb Pepper

- 1 -

11 1 -

Garrison

8 Catt: G Tea

1 12 -

3 Gall Ceo Oyle

- 18 -

1 Qt Suffet d°

- 3 -

1 Lamp

- 2 3

1 lb Brown th

- 4 -

1 lb Twine

- 2 2

3 1 6

Fortification

1 Stock Lock 2°

£ - 4 -

2 Ce Ce Nailes

- 1 6

- 5 6

Plantacon

4 Gall Trayne Oyle

1 4 -

Honble Comps Blacks

4 Cask Cork

£ 48 - -

3220 Rice

40 5 -

60 Bush Wheat

28 10 -

3 Ce Shoes

- 17 3

71 Doz Hooks Forkd

1 14 10

11 D° Lines d°

3 14 6

2 lb Twine

- 4 8

1 Qt B Oyle

- 1 6

1 Lamp

- 2 3

84 lb Rope

2 2 -

125 9 -

Genll Charges

1 Chest Candles 160 lb

£ 16 - -

1 Cask Candles

4 16 -

1 d° Salt

3 - -

2 Ce 10° Nailes

- 1 4

1 Ce d° Yarn th

- 4 -

4 Stock Lock

- 4 -

1 Splinter d°

- 4 6

1 d°

- 2 3

30 lb Glass 10/8

1 10 -

12 D° 6/8

- 4 9

2 Doz Cups

- 1 4

1 Ordenary L Cloth

1 4 -

2 Shoe Brushes

- 4 -

2 Scrubing

- 6 8

1 Doz Earthen Pans

- 13 -

1 Qt B Oyle

- 1 6

1 Ce Hepings

3 14 -

8 Ce De Sotees

4 - -

36 8 3

36 8 3

Bt Over £ 238 18 5

£ 36 8 3

4 yd° Thin Cans

- 10 11½

7 yd° lb Backs

- 4 10

200 Nailes

- 3 -

1½ lb Whol'd B th

- 3 6

2 Oz Nuns Thread

- 2 -

37 1 6½

£ 275 19 11½

Brought over, £97 7s 6d

Diet Expenses

1 cask flour, £4 4s 0d

2 catties bohea tea, £0 12s 0d

1 ditto green, £0 4s 0d

1 cask suet, £6 4s 0d

1 lb pepper, £0 1s 0d

Total, £11 1s 0d

Garrison

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

3 gallons rape oil, £0 18s 0d

1 quart sweet ditto, £0 3s 0d

1 lamp, £0 2s 3d

1 lb brown thread, £0 4s 0d

1 lb twine, £0 2s 2d

Total, £3 1s 6d

Fortification

1 stock lock, £0 2s 0d

2 lb 6d nails, £0 1s 6d

Total, £0 5s 6d

Plantation

4 gallons crane oil, £1 4s 0d

Honourable Company's Blacks

4 casks pork, £48 0s 0d

3,220 lb rice, £40 5s 0d

60 bushels burnt wheat, £28 10s 0d

3 pairs shoes, £0 17s 3d

71 dozen hooks forked, £1 14s 10d

11 ditto lines ditto, £3 14s 6d

2 lb twine, £0 4s 8d

1 quart rape oil, £0 1s 6d

1 lamp, £0 2s 3d

84 lb rope, £2 2s 0d

Total, £125 9s 0d

General Charges

1 chest candy 160 lb, £16 4s 0d

1 cask candles, £4 16s 0d

1 bushel salt, £0 3s 0d

2 lb 10d nails, £0 1s 4d

1 pair coarse thread, £0 4s 0d

4 stock locks, £0 4s 0d

1 splinter ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 ditto, £0 2s 3d

30 lb glass 10/8, £1 10s 0d

12 ditto 6d 8d, £0 4s 0d

2 dozen cups, £0 1s 0d

1 ordinary long cloth, £1 4s 0d

2 shoe brushes, £0 4s 0d

2 ferreting, £0 6s 8d

1 dozen earthen pans, £0 13s 0d

1 quart rape oil, £0 1s 6d

1 piece hopping, £3 14s 0d

8 pieces doosooties, £4 0s 0d

Total, £36 8s 3d

Total, £238 18s 5d

Brought over, £238 18s 5d

Total, £36 8s 3d

4 yards thin canvas, £0 0s 11½d

1½ ditto ditto sacks, £0 4s 10d

200 needles, £0 3s 0d

1½ lb whited brown, £0 3s 6d

2 oz nuns thread, £0 2s 0d

Total, £37 1s 6½d

Total, £275 19s 11½d

Interpretations

This continued and closed the store-goods account for the period, carrying the diet, garrison, fortification, plantation, slaves and general-charges heads before the grand total of £275 19s 11½d was struck. It followed the fixed monthly form of the store returns.

The slaves' account ran to the heaviest sum, dominated by the 4 casks of pork, the 3,220 lb of rice and the 60 bushels of burnt wheat. Burnt wheat was probably a parched or kiln-dried grain issued as a keeping ration, and the forked hooks and lines were fishing tackle supplied so the slaves might take fish to supplement their diet.

The general charges carried the household stores of candy, candles, glass, earthenware and cloth. A doosootie was a stout twofold cotton of the eastern trade, and ferreting a narrow woven tape used for binding. The thin canvas and sacking closed the account, the store serving the settlement at once as grocer, chandler and draper through every return of the period.

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126

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 2° August 1726 at the Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Richard Goodwin presented two Bills One for 29 Acre for Land

House & Copyholds lately bought of Josiah Southen & Samll

Taylor, the other for One Cast & Copyhold bought of Oath

Sterling, praying the same might be Registred

Frances Lange also presented a Bill of Sale for a Dwelling

House & Appurtenances he lately bought of Samll Taylor & Cast

Sarah Southens desiring the same might be also Registred

Ordred that the said three Bills of Sale be accordingly Registred

The severall Persons following Petitioned

Orlando Bagley Senr Praying to be admitted Tennt for

fifteen Acre Fresh Land he Cast Clear formerly Purchased of

Captain John Alexander

Granted

The said Orlando Bagley also Petitioned for a Lease of two

Acre of the Honble Comps Wast Land lying in Barrels Valley & half

an Acre more contiguous to his Dwelling House

Ordred that Cap Goodwin do view the said Land & make

Report accordingly

Frances Lange Praying to be admitted Tennt for about

twenty Acre of Wast Land lying in Virginley Valley adjoyning

to other of his Land Scituated in the said Valley

Granted & the same to be Measured & a Lease to be made for twenty

One year upon the usual Terms

Richard Mason Praying to become Tennt for about

Six Acre of Land lying in the same Valley near his Plantation

Granted & Ordred that Cap Goodwin do view & Measure the

said Land but not to Ynd nider that Lange Petition Ye farther

than the middle Bridge

Sampson Turnbull made Complaint that Andr Bergue Cooper

had Beat & Bruised him for his Cloths without Provocation

both Parties being heard & it appering that he sd Bergue was

the aggresor Ordred that the said Bergue do Cay all Charges & make the

said Turnbull Satisfaction for tearing his Cloths

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 August 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

Richard Goodwin presented two bills of sale. One was for 29 acres, the plantation house and appurtenances lately bought of Joseph Southen and Samuel Taylor, the other for out acres and appurtenances bought of Arthur Gurling. He asked that the same might be registered.

Francis Stange also presented a bill of sale for a dwelling house and appurtenances lately bought of Samuel Taylor and Cato Sarah Southen, and asked that the same might also be registered.

The council ordered that the three bills of sale be registered accordingly.

The several persons following petitioned.

Orlando Bagley senior asked to be admitted tenant to about 14 acres of free land he had lately cleared, formerly purchased of Captain John Alexander.

The council granted it.

Orlando Bagley also asked for a lease of 2 acres of the Honourable Company's waste land lying in Bagley valley, and that an acre more contiguous to his dwelling house. The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the land and make report accordingly.

Francis Stange asked to be admitted tenant to about 20 acres of waste land lying in Longley valley, adjoining to other of his land situated in the same valley. The council granted it, and ordered the same to be measured and a lease to be made for 21 years upon the usual terms.

Richard Mason asked to become tenant to about six acres of land lying in the same valley, near his plantation. The council granted it, and ordered that Captain Goodwin view and measure the land, but not to run wider than Stange's petition, no farther than the Middle Ridge.

Thomas Turnbull complained that Andrew Bergue, cooper, had beat and bruised him, and torn his clothes without provocation. Both parties being heard, and it appearing that Bergue was the aggressor, the council ordered that Bergue pay all charges, and make Turnbull satisfaction for tearing his clothes.

The council this day executed [...]

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation of 2 August 1726, at which the council registered three bills of sale, granted a run of land petitions and settled an assault complaint. The registration of the conveyances followed the settled discipline of fixing every transfer of land and houses on the Company's books against later dispute.

The land petitions showed the council regularising occupations of Company ground and admitting tenants to cleared waste. Orlando Bagley, Francis Stange and Richard Mason each sought to hold parcels in the valleys, and the council sent Captain Goodwin to view and measure the land before granting leases for 21 years at the usual terms. The direction that Mason's grant run no farther than the Middle Ridge fixed a clear boundary against encroachment on the ground beyond.

The assault complaint against Andrew Bergue reached the council as a matter for summary settlement rather than trial. Bergue had figured before as the cooper blinded by the surgeon Wignall on 5 April 1726, and now stood as the aggressor himself. The order that he pay the charges and make satisfaction for the torn clothes answered the injury without recourse to a formal action at law.

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127

One Lease to Orlando Bagley Senr for two Acres & half of Land by

One Acre & half of Copsewood & One Acre of Cabbage Sere for 21 yd°

at the usual Rent

Cap Goodwin Reports, that he has Measured the two

Parcells of Land Granted in the foregoing Consultation & finds one Parcell

to contain One that for himself twenty five Acres & that for Josiah

Young twenty & four Acre

Ordred that Leases be made out accordingly for 21 Years

at the usual Rent

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16° August at Union

Castle

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & approved

The Governor Reports that he Lately Sent for the Church Wardens to bring

in their Accts of all Disbursements for the Year past who appeared &

acquainted him they could not bring in any Regular Acct, the Gentle

Part of the Island on which the Church Acct Depend being able not to

be met up till 25° Sepr next

Ordred that the said Old Church Wardens & Overseer, do continue

in their respective Office till the 25° Sepr next, & that Warrants be

then delivrd to the severall Persons Elected to Serve as follows

Mr Francis Wrangham

Graeloun Ce Jefsory

Church Wardens

Mr Rd Goodwin for the West Division

John Lange

Tho: Greentree

Overseer of the Highways for the Cast Division

for the South Division

Josiah Johnson Petd for about Eight Acre of Wast Land Lying under

the High Cliffe

The said Mr Johnson Praying Sometime ago Petd for this Land

& it adjoyning to his other Land

Ordred that the Petd be Granted & the Land Measured &

a Lease made out accordingly

The council granted one lease to Orlando Bagley senior for 2 acres and a half of land, one acre and a half of gumwood and one acre of tillage, for 21 years at the usual rent.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the two parcels of land granted in the preceding consultation. He found the two parcels to contain, with what he held himself, 25 acres, and that for Stange 24 acres.

The council ordered that leases be made out accordingly for 21 years at the usual rent.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 August 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

The Governor reported that he had lately sent for the churchwardens to bring in their accounts of all disbursements for the year past. It appeared, on acquainting him, that they could not bring in any regular accounts, the greater part of the island on which the church accounts depend being able not to be made up till 25 September next.

The council ordered that the old churchwardens and overseer continue in their respective offices till the 25 September next, and that warrants be delivered to the several persons elected to serve as follows.

Mr Francis Wrangham, churchwarden

Gabriel Powell, churchwarden

Mr Richard Goodwin, for the West Division

John Long, overseer of the highways for the East Division

Thomas Greentree, for the South Division

Arthur Johnson asked for about eight acres of waste land lying under the High Ridge. Johnson had asked for this land sometime ago, and it adjoined to other of his land.

The council ordered that it be granted, and the land measured, and a lease made out accordingly.

Interpretations

This recorded the close of the consultation of 2 August 1726 and the consultation of 16 August 1726, dealing with land leases and the parish offices. The lease to Orlando Bagley bound part of his grant to gumwood and part to tillage, reflecting the timber-planting covenant of 13 March 1725 that required every holder to raise and keep wood on his ground.

The difficulty over the churchwardens' accounts turned on the timing of the island's reckoning. The parish accounts depended on returns that could not be settled until 25 September, so the council held the old officers in place until then rather than leave the offices vacant. The election of new churchwardens and highway overseers by division showed the ordinary machinery of parish government running alongside the Company's administration.

The appointment of overseers of the highways for the West, East and South Divisions marked the upkeep of the island's roads as a settled charge on the inhabitants. Each division answered for its own ways, the office rotating among the planters as a duty of the settlement.

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128

Francis Lange also Petd for a Smale Parcell of Wast Land

lying near the Ruat

Ordred that Cap Goodwin do view the said Ps of Land & make

Report accordingly

To day We Executed a Lease to Jno Young for 26 Acre Land for

21 Years, and also four Lease to Jno Worrall for 6 Parcells Land

containing thirty two Acre in the whole for the Term of 21 Years

Commencing from the sd° date mentioned in the said Lease

The Governor Reports that Mr Wignall is not to be Reformed by

any Method that have been yet taken, that notwithstanding the

many Solemn Promises & Engagements, particularly those he Lately

Entered into upon his Readmission into the former Employ from which

he was Suspended for Drunkenness & Neglect of Duty hath again

been Guilty in a greater degree of the like Drunkenness and

Extravagancy, he has been severall times Since intollerably Drunk

he came to Table in that odious Condition & for a Week, together

Ynd giving his attendance the Case of the sd Comps Blacks Lay

Dangerously ill, & on Thursday last about Nine in the Evening the

Governr being ill Sent for him, but he was not to be found till after

a long Search by the Guards he was at Cort Catched almost Dead

Drunk, at Ce Colgorog Games in the Valley & Ynd that the Governr can

Enforce is Ynd them & no Amendment of he himself has declard, con

tinued in his Drunken fits, & the same Night the Boy of the Ship

was found upon One of the Blacks in the Blackhouse Ynd

Ordred that Mr Wignall & his Mate John Hodghinson do

constantly attend, & visit the Honble Comps Blacks that are Black

House in the fort Valley every Morning & Evening & to give them

Ynd such Medicins as are Ynd necessary & that the sd Mr Wignall

to go into the Country & visit the sd Ce Blacks there every Monday &

Saturday & that his Mate Jno Hodghinson do likewise go up for

the same purpose every Wednesday & Fryday & that a Copy of the

Order be delivrd to each of them

Ordred that for the future Church Officers be always Chosen

25° Sepr yearly for the Reason aforementioned & that the Wardens

be Publised to give Notice of this Regulation accordingly

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Margin Notes:

Wignall

Francis Stange also asked for a small parcel of waste land lying near the Peak.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the parcel of land and make report accordingly.

The council this day executed a lease to John Young for 26 acres of land for 21 years. The council also made four leases to John Worrall for six parcels of land containing 32 acres in the whole, for the term of 21 years, commencing from the date mentioned in the last consultation.

The Governor reported that Mr Wignall was not to be reformed by any methods that had yet been taken. Notwithstanding his many solemn promises and engagements, particularly those he had lately entered into upon his readmission into the Honourable Company's service from which he had been suspended for drunkenness and neglect of duty, he had again been guilty in a greater degree of the like drunkenness and extravagancy. He had been several times since exceedingly drunk. He came to table in that odious condition, and on Thursday, together with neglecting to give his attendance, took the place of the Honourable Company's slaves lying dangerously ill. On Thursday last, about nine in the morning, the Governor being ill sent for him, but he was not to be found till after a long search by the guard. He was at last fetched almost dead drunk at Bagley's house in the valley, and swore that the Governor could not force them to amendment. He himself had declared he would continue in his drunken fits, and the same night the boy of the ship was found upon one of the slaves in the blackhouse.

The council ordered that Mr Wignall and the mate, John Hodgkinson, do constantly attend, and visit the Honourable Company's slaves at their blackhouse in the Fort valley every morning and evening, and give them such medicines as are really necessary. The council ordered that Mr Wignall do go into the country and visit the Honourable Company's slaves there every Monday and Saturday, and that his mate John Hodgkinson do likewise go up for the same purpose every Wednesday and Friday, and that a copy of the order be delivered to each of them.

The council ordered that for the future the parish officers be always chosen 25 September yearly, for the reason aforementioned, and that an advertisement be published to give notice of the regulation accordingly.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This recorded the close of the consultation of 16 August 1726, dealing with land leases, a fresh order against the surgeon Thomas Wignall and the timing of parish elections. The leases to John Young and John Worrall regularised occupations of Company ground for the standard term of 21 years.

The order against Wignall marked the failure of the conditional restoration granted on 19 July 1726, when he signed articles promising amendment on pain of rising fines and dismissal. His renewed drunkenness, his being fetched almost insensible from Bagley's house, and his open defiance of the Governor showed the articles had not held him. Rather than dismiss the island's sole surgeon outright, the council bound him and his mate to a fixed rota of visits to the slaves in the Fort valley and the country, dividing the days between them to secure the care Wignall alone could not be trusted to give.

The fixing of 25 September for the yearly election of parish officers answered the difficulty over the churchwardens' accounts raised earlier in the same consultation. Tying the election to the date the island's reckoning could be made up ensured the new officers took office with the accounts settled, and the advertisement gave the inhabitants public notice of the standing arrangement.

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129

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23° August 1726 at

Union Castle

Present Jno Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The last Consultation read & approved

Whereas Diver Persons Inhabiting this Island have had severall Parcells

of the Honble Comps Wast Land Lately Granted them, which according to the Tenor of

their Leases ought immediatly to have been Ynned & mulcted but severall

of the Persons aforesaid having been very Negligent & Ynd herein

whereby some Parcells lye Ynd Wast & uncultivated the Cast Ynd a

particular view to the Injury & Advantage of the Cottiners. It is therefore

Ordred, that all Leases had within a Month from the date hereof fully

Inclose & Fence all Cast of the said Wast Land as hath been already Let

& Lease given out & made be Ynd for Ynd granted to any other Ynd Ce

upon the Penalty of Paying the Honble Comps double Duties Ynd all the time

the said Land, shall continue to lye Wast & that no Person may Plead

Ignorance hereof it is likewise Ordred that a Notice be given by

advertisement

Cap Goodwin Reports that pursuant to Order of Consultation

of the 2° instant he has Measured the two Parcells of Land Petd for by

Richd Mason & Fran: Lange which contain as follows vizt

Richard Masons 4½ Acres

Fran: Lange 8 Ditto

Ordred that Leases for each Parcell be made out for the Term of 21 Years

at the usual Rent of 4 Shillings & Acre

And that he has also Measured the Land Petd for in the

foregoing Consultation by Josi Johnson & Contain 16½ Acre but ½ Acre

allow'd for Bornways

Ordred that a Lease be Granted for 21 Years at the usual Rent

And that he had viewed the Land two Parcells of Land therein Petd for

by Fran: Lange & is of Opinion that Letting the same to him will not be

Prejudicial to the Neighbourhood

Ordred that the said Land be Measured for the said Lange

accordingly

The joynt Petition of Cap Jno Goodwin Mr Fran: Carnr

Elor: Greentree, Rich Goodwin & Tho: Greentree jnr Petitiond Praying

to become Tennts for about fifty or Sixty Acres of Wast Land

lying at the Butts Culture

Granted & Ordred that the same be Measured

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 August 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

Several persons inhabiting this island had several parcels of the Honourable Company's waste land lately granted them. According to the terms of their leases, they ought immediately to have fenced and enclosed the land. Several of the persons aforesaid had been very negligent of this, whereby some parcels lay open, with particular view to the future advantage of the tenants. The council therefore ordered that all leases held within a month from the date be fully enclosed. Otherwise the council would resume all such of the waste land as had already been let, and the leases given out and made be forfeited, and granted to any other person upon the security of paying the Honourable Company's double duties. So all the time the land continued to lie waste, that no person might plead ignorance of it, the council likewise ordered that notice be given by advertisement.

Captain Goodwin reported that pursuant to the order of consultation of the 2nd instant he had measured the two parcels of land let for by Richard Mason and Francis Stange, which contained as follows.

Richard Mason, 4½ acres

Francis Stange, 6 ditto

The council ordered that leases for each parcel be made out for the term of 21 years at the usual rent of 4 shillings besides duty.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had also measured the land let for in the foregoing consultation by Arthur Johnson, containing 16½ acres, but half an acre allowed for Bonavista.

The council ordered that a lease be granted for 21 years at the usual rent.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had viewed the two parcels of land therein let for by Francis Stange. He was of opinion that letting the same to him would not be prejudicial to the neighbourhood.

The council ordered that the land be measured for Stange accordingly.

The joint petition of Captain John Goodwin, Mr Francis Wrangham, Gabriel Powell, Richard Goodwin and Thomas Greentree was presented. They asked to become tenants to about 50 or 60 acres of waste land lying at the Peak culture.

The council granted it, and ordered that the same be measured.

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation of 23 August 1726, at which the council pressed the enclosure of Company land and settled a run of leases and measurements. The order requiring every tenant to fence within a month, on pain of forfeiture and re-grant at double duty, enforced the fencing covenant that ran with each lease. It followed the forfeiture already levied against Richard Crosby on 3 May 1726 for the same neglect.

The measurements reported by Captain Goodwin regularised several occupations before leases issued. The parcels for Richard Mason, Francis Stange and Arthur Johnson were fixed at their true acreage, the half-acre allowed for Bonavista marking a portion set aside or excepted from Johnson's grant. This care over extent protected the Company's title and settled the rent due on each holding.

The joint petition for 50 or 60 acres at the Peak brought several of the island's officers together to take up a large tract of waste. The grant continued the council's policy of settling spare ground with tenants who would fence and plant it, extending cultivation over the higher land at the island's centre.

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130

The severall Persons following also Petitioned vizt

Martin Harper Praying to become Tennt for about Six

Acres Land lying at the Place called the half Moon

Granted, but he is not to Ynd the head of the Spring & for

Leave half acred from the Ynd to the said Spring head

Elor: Greentree Praying a Lease for about two or three Acres Land

called the Tobacco Plank Springs

Rich Tinsley Praying a Grant of about Eight Acres lying with

Fresh Ynd Bound Contiguous to the Land hired by sd Harding

Mary Nicholls desiring to be admitted Tennt for about

fifteen Acre lying in Old Womans Valley

And the said three Parcells of Land being very well Known

to Cap Goodwin & he is of Opinion that Letting the same will not

Prejudice any of the Neighbourhood

These Petition are severally Granted & Ordred that Cap Goodwin

do Measure the same

The Governor Reports that Mr Wignall having often come

Scandalously Drunk to Table & behaved himself with great Rudeness

& Ynd Ynd both to himself & all the Company & having again

Repeated the like Offence On Fryday last he was thought proper

to Dismiss him from the Table for the time to come

Mr Byfeld, Cant Goodwin & Mr French delivrd

each of them their Monthly Accts for July last

Gunners Stores Expended in July

Guns fired Minions Muskets Falcons Cohorns

2 At the Removall of Ce Ynd

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 1

d° Muster Day

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 10

8 Sold to Ce Allis

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 1½

Expence for the Guards

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 12

Musquet Balls

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets 9, Falcons nil, Cohorns nil

Cartridge Paper for d°

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 1 Quire

D° for Bagley & Letra

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 2

D° Ditto Truck

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 4

D° Tho: Perkins & Antt: Price

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 2

Match

Guns fired nil, Minions nil, Muskets nil, Falcons nil, Cohorns 14

The several persons following also petitioned.

Martin Harper asked to become tenant to about six acres of land lying at the place called the Half Moon.

The council granted it, but he was not to spoil the head of the spring, and to leave half an acre from the fence to the spring head.

Charles Greentree asked for a lease of about two or three acres of land called the Tobacco Blank Springs.

Richard Timsley asked for a grant of about eight acres lying under Flagstaff Gut Bank, contiguous to the land held by John Harding.

Mary Nicholls asked to be admitted tenant to about 15 acres lying in Old Womans Valley.

The three parcels of land being very well known to Captain Goodwin, he was of opinion that letting the same would not be prejudicial to any of the neighbourhood.

The petitions were severally granted, and the council ordered that Captain Goodwin measure the same.

The Governor reported that Mr Wignall, having often come exceedingly drunk to table and behaved himself with great rudeness, endeavoured both to himself and all the Company. Having again repeated the like offence on Friday last, the Governor thought it proper to dismiss him from the table for the time to come.

Mr Byfield, Captain Goodwin and Mr French delivered each of them their monthly accounts for July last.

Gunner's stores expended in July 1726

2 July, at the removal of a body: 1 gun fired

2 July, muster day: 10 guns fired

8 July, sold to the castle: 1 cowrie

expense for the guards: 12 cowries

musquet balls: 9 lb

cartridge paper for ditto: 1 quire

ditto for Bagley and letter: 2

ditto for ditto trucks: 4

ditto for the corkings and antisspiue: 2

match: 14 lb

Interpretations

This recorded the close of the consultation and the opening of the gunner's account for July 1726. The land petitions continued the council's settling of Company waste on tenants who would fence and plant it. The condition on Martin Harper's grant, that he leave the spring head unspoiled and set back the fence, protected a source of water that served more than his own holding.

The Governor's dismissal of Mr Wignall from the table marked a further step in the long trouble over the surgeon. His drunkenness at table and rudeness to the company repeated the conduct that had brought his suspension of 28 June 1726 and the rota of slave visits imposed on 16 August 1726. Barring him from the table removed him from the establishment's common board while his medical duties continued under order.

The gunner's account traced a quiet month at the batteries. The single gun at the removal of a body, the muster-day salute and the small charges for the guards drew little powder, reckoned against the cartridge paper and the 14 lb of match consumed.

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131

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry Asses Horses

Bullocks Cowes Kifers Steers Yeurlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Totall Ewes Wethers Kids Rams Totall Sows Shoates Pigs Barrows Totall Turkeys Fowles Ducks Geese Asses Horses Mares Totall

Remd Ultd June

Bullocks 14, Cowes 62, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 3, Calves 96, Bulls 4, Totall 184, Ewes 53, Wethers 16, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 90, Ewes 202, Wethers 112, Kids 73, Rams 6, Totall 393, Sows 11, Shoates 16, Pigs 34, Barrows nil, Totall 60, Turkeys 67, Fowles 89, Ducks 7, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Increased in July

Bullocks 1, Cowes 4, Kifers nil, Steers nil, Yeurlings 33, Calves 3, Bulls nil, Totall 41, Ewes nil, Wethers 9, Lambs 12, Rams nil, Totall 21, Ewes 15, Wethers 6, Kids 45, Rams nil, Totall 66, Sows 3, Shoates 27, Pigs nil, Barrows 4, Totall 34, Turkeys nil, Fowles nil, Ducks nil, Geese nil, Asses nil, Horses nil, Mares nil, Totall nil

Killed in d°

Bullocks 15, Cowes 66, Kifers 4, Steers 1, Yeurlings 36, Calves 99, Bulls 4, Totall 225, Ewes 53, Wethers 25, Lambs 30, Rams 3, Totall 111, Ewes 217, Wethers 118 6, Kids 118, Rams 6, Totall 459 6, Sows 14, Shoates 42, Pigs 34 2, Barrows 4, Totall 94, Turkeys 67, Fowles 89 11, Ducks 7, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Cattle Sheep Goates & Hogg Cutt & Grown in d°

Bullocks 15 19, Cowes 66, Kifers 4 2, Steers 1, Yeurlings 36, Calves 99 66, Bulls 4, Totall 225 38, Ewes 53, Wethers 25, Lambs 30 9, Rams 3, Totall 111 9, Ewes 217 2, Wethers 112, Kids 118 22, Rams 6, Totall 453 22, Sows 14, Shoates 40, Pigs 34 34, Barrows 4, Totall 92 34, Turkeys 67, Fowles 78, Ducks 7, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Dead in d°

Bullocks 16, Cowes 66, Kifers 2, Steers 1, Yeurlings 36, Calves 63 1, Bulls 4, Totall 187 1, Ewes 53, Wethers 25, Lambs 21 1, Rams 3, Totall 102, Ewes 217, Wethers 112, Kids 96, Rams 6, Totall 431, Sows 14, Shoates 40 2, Pigs nil, Barrows 4, Totall 58 2, Turkeys 67, Fowles 78 1, Ducks 7, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Remd Ultd July

Bullocks 15, Cowes 66, Kifers 2, Steers 1, Yeurlings 36, Calves 62, Bulls 4, Totall 186, Ewes 53, Wethers 25, Lambs 21, Rams 3, Totall 102, Ewes 217, Wethers 112, Kids 96, Rams 6, Totall 431, Sows 14, Shoates 38, Pigs nil, Barrows 4, Totall 56, Turkeys 66, Fowles 78, Ducks 6, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Yams Expended at the sevll Plantacons 18815

Account of the Honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, asses and horses for the month of July 1726.

The column headings are legible on this leaf. Neat cattle: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls, total. Sheep: ewes, wethers, lambs, rams, total. Goats: ewes, wethers, kids, rams, total. Hogs: sows, barrows, pigs, total. Poultry: turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese. Asses and horses: asses, horses, mares, total.

Remaining 30 June

14 bullocks, 62 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 3 yearlings, 96 calves, 4 bulls, 184 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 16 wethers, 18 lambs, 3 rams, 90 total sheep; 202 ewes, 112 wethers, 73 kids, 6 rams, 393 total goats; 11 sows, 16 barrows, 34 pigs, 60 total, 67 hogs; 89 turkeys, 7 fowls, 39 ducks, 3 geese; 5 asses, 3 horses, 8 mares total

Increased in July

1 bullock, 4 cows, 33 yearlings, 3 calves, 41 total neat cattle; 9 wethers, 12 lambs, 21 total sheep; 15 ewes, 6 wethers, 45 kids, 66 total goats; 3 barrows, 27 pigs, 34 total hogs

Killed in ditto

15 bullocks, 66 cows, 4 heifers, 1 steer, 36 yearlings, 99 calves, 4 bulls, 225 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 25 wethers, 30 lambs, 3 rams, 111 total sheep; 217 ewes, 118 (6) wethers, 118 kids, 6 rams, 459 (6) total goats; 14 sows, 42 barrows, 34 (2) pigs, 94 total, 67 hogs; 89 turkeys, 7 fowls, 39 (11) ducks, 3 geese; 5 asses, 3 horses, 8 mares total

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs cut and grown in ditto

15 (12) bullocks, 66 cows, 4 (2) heifers, 1 steer, 36 (66) yearlings, 99 calves, 4 bulls, 225 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 25 wethers, 30 (9) lambs, 3 rams, 111 (9) total sheep; 217 (2) ewes, 112 wethers, 118 (22) kids, 6 rams, 453 (22) total goats; 14 sows, 40 barrows, 34 (34) pigs, 92 (34) total, 67 hogs; 78 turkeys, 7 fowls, 39 ducks, 3 geese; 5 asses, 3 horses, 8 mares total

Dead in ditto

16 bullocks, 66 cows, 2 heifers, 1 steer, 36 yearlings, 63 (1) calves, 4 bulls, 187 (1) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 25 wethers, 21 lambs, 3 rams, 102 total sheep; 217 ewes, 112 wethers, 96 kids, 6 rams, 431 total goats; 11 sows, 40 (2) barrows, 4 pigs, 58 total, 67 hogs; 78 turkeys, 7 fowls, 39 (1) ducks, 3 geese; 5 asses, 3 horses, 8 mares total

Remaining 31 July

15 bullocks, 66 cows, 2 heifers, 1 steer, 36 yearlings, 62 calves, 4 bulls, 186 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 25 wethers, 21 lambs, 3 rams, 102 total sheep; 217 ewes, 119 wethers, 96 kids, 6 rams, 431 total goats; 14 sows, 38 barrows, 4 pigs, 56 total, 66 hogs; 78 turkeys, 6 fowls, 39 ducks, 3 geese; 5 asses, 3 horses, 8 mares total

Yams expended at the several plantations, 18,815 lb

Interpretations

This closed the live-stock and provision account for the month of July 1726, set out as a grid tracing each class of stock through the month. This leaf carried its full column headings written in, so the identity of each column was read from the page itself.

The row headings ran through the number remaining at 30 June, the increase in July, the beasts killed, the cattle, sheep, goats and hogs cut and grown, those that died, and the number remaining at 31 July. The neat cattle were graded as bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls with a total, the sheep and goats each as ewes, wethers and rams with the lambs or kids, and the hogs as sows, barrows and pigs. The poultry closed the grid as turkeys, fowls, ducks and geese, with the asses, horses and mares last.

The yam total of 18,815 lb gave the month's consumption of the staple root at the plantations, the lowest figure of the recent run of accounts. The heavy tally of beasts killed against a smaller increase showed the stock drawn down through July, the running totals falling on most classes by the reckoning at the end of the month.

134

132

842 lb Sugar

21 1 -

39 lb Candy

1 19 -

684 lb Bread

8 11 -

247 lb Flour

3 1 9

63 lb Soap

4 9 3

4 lb Starch

- 8 -

6 White Lead

- 3 -

12 lb Pitch

- 3 -

7 Ql Vinegar

- - 7½

1 lb Pepper

- 1 -

2 Qt Rape Oyle

- 3 -

6 d° Linseed

- 9 -

2 Wine Glasses

- 1 -

75 lb Cutt Tobacco

8 2 9

260 Pipes

- 10 10

17 Catties Bohea Tea

5 2 -

11 D° Green

2 2 -

10¼ yd° Kersey

1 2 6

21 lb Candles

2 2 6

10 Small Cups

- 1 8

26 Large d°

- 8 8

5 Cups & Saucers

- 2 6

15 Sneakers

- 7 6

2 Enamelld Bowles

- 3 -

2 Blew & White d°

- 5 -

1 Tea Pott

- 3 6

15 White Shirts

1 17 6

27 yd° Cotton Stock

3 7 6

6½ Ps Shelloe

4 11 6½

1 Ps Patna Chints

1 - -

8 Ps Ordry Long Cloth

5 - -

9 Ps Madrass Chints

9 11 3

6 d° Gingham

2 6 -

3 Ps White Ginghas

1 8 6

4 d° De Sotees

2 - -

2 Quilts

1 10 -

1 D°

- 17 -

1 lb 2 d° Nailes

- 1 3

1 4 d°

- - 10

3 yd° Flannell

- 2 -

9 yd° Durance

- 13 6

10 Ps Ta Roy

1 - -

1 Ps Fustian

3 - -

1½ yd° Tuffted Dimothy

- 18 3

3 yd° Morico Shoes

- 7 -

1 d° Calf

- 4 -

2 Womens

- 8 4

4 D° Spanish

1 3 -

3 Mens d°

1 5 -

1 D° Calves Leather

- 6 8

£ 104 7 8

Brought Over £ 104 7 8

1 Small Tin Lanthorn

- 3 6

4 Knives & Forks

- 6 8

1 Line N° 4½

- 2 4½

2 d° 2

- 2 10

1 Stone Hoe

- 6 4

1 Shod Shovell

- 3 -

3 Chest Locks

- 3 6

2 D°

- 4 6

1 d°

- 7 6

2 Splinter Locks

- 18 6

2 Stock Locks

- 8 7½

6 Ce Hinges

- 9 7½

1 Ivory Comb

- 2 11

1 d°

- 3 2 2

2 d°

- 4 -

1 d°

- 1 -

1 Horn d°

- 2 6

1 Bodice Coat

1 16 6

1 d°

- 8 -

2 Ce Mens Stock

- 2 3

3 Knitt d°

1 2 2

1 Womens d°

- 6 -

2 d°

- 1 4

2 Oz Thread 8°

- 1 2

1 d° d°

- 4 2½

2 doz d°

- 8 -

6 d°

- 1 7

1 d°

- 1 10

1 d°

- 1 4

1 d°

- 1 10

4 d°

- 12 -

1½ lb Whol'd Brown Thread

- 3 -

7 yd° Edging

16 5

3 d°

- 3 9

5 d°

- 4 6

100 Nedles

- 1 6

1 Ce Heming Tape

- 3 -

3 Holland d°

36 9

5 Broad d°

- 8 8

1 Coar White d°

- 1 1

13¼ Oz China Silk

12 9

1½ Oz d°

- 1 3

1½ Oz Eng

- 3 6

3 M Pin

- 5 4

4 M d°

- 1 8

1 M d°

- 2 6

6 Scains Mohair

- 6 -

6 doz Coat Buttons

- 3 -

6 d° Breast

- 3 -½

6 yd° Ferretting

- 2 2½

10 d° Mens Gloves

- 2 2

1 doz Thread Laces

- 2 2 10½

1½ Oz Worsted

- 2 3

1 Tin Lamp

- 1 6

2 d° Copper Kettle

- 12 6

1 d° Small d°

- 4 9

1 Ce Sauce Pan

- 3 -

1 Qt Coffee Pott

- 3 9

1 Half Ct d°

Totall to Inhabts £ 117 11 4½

842 lb sugar, £21 1s 0d

39 lb candy, £1 19s 0d

684 lb bread, £8 11s 0d

247 lb flour, £3 1s 9d

63 lb soap, £4 9s 3d

4 lb starch, £0 0s 8d

6 white lead, £0 0s 3d

12 lb pitch, £0 0s 3d

1 gallon vinegar, £0 0s 7½d

1 lb pepper, £0 1s 0d

2 quarts rape oil, £0 0s 3d

6 ditto linseed, £0 0s 9d

2 wine glasses, £0 0s 1d

75 lb cut tobacco, £8 2s 9d

260 pipes, £0 10s 10d

17 catties bohea tea, £5 2s 0d

11 ditto green, £2 2s 0d

10¼ yards kersey, £1 4s 6d

21 lb candles, £2 2s 0d

10 small cups, £0 0s 1d

26 large ditto, £0 8s 8d

5 cups and saucers, £0 2s 6d

15 sneakers, £0 7s 6d

2 enamelled bowls, £0 3s 0d

2 blue and white ditto, £0 0s 5d

1 tea pot, £0 3s 6d

15 white shirts, £1 17s 6d

27 pairs cotton stockings, £3 7s 6d

6½ pieces chelloe, £4 11s 6½d

1 piece Patna chintz, £1 0s 0d

5 ordinary long cloth, £5 0s 0d

9 Madras chintz, £2 11s 3d

6 ditto gingham, £0 5s 0d

3 white gingham, £1 8s 6d

4 ditto doosooties, £2 0s 0d

2 quilts, £1 10s 0d

1 ditto, £0 17s 0d

1 lb 2d nails, £0 1s 3d

1 4d ditto, £0 0s 10d

3 yards flannel, £0 7s 0d

9 yards duranse, £1 13s 6d

10 pieces duroy, £1 0s 0d

1 piece fustian, £3 0s 0d

1½ pieces tufted dimity, £0 18s 3d

3 yards ditto, £0 7s 0d

1 pair Madras shoes, £0 14s 0d

1 ditto calf, £0 4s 0d

2 womens, £0 8s 4d

4 ditto Spanish, £1 3s 0d

3 mens ditto, £1 5s 0d

1 ditto calves leather, £0 6s 8d

Total, £104 7s 8d

Brought over, £104 7s 8d

1 small tin lanthorn, £0 3s 6d

4 knives and forks, £0 6s 4½d

1 line No. 2, £0 2s 10d

2 ditto, £0 6s 4d

1 stone hoe, £0 3s 0d

1 shod shovel, £0 3s 6d

3 chest locks, £0 4s 6d

2 ditto, £0 7s 6d

1 ditto, £0 18s 6d

2 splinter locks, £0 9s 7½d

2 stock locks, £0 9s 0d

1 pair hinges, £0 2s 11d

1 ivory comb, £0 3s 2d

1 ditto, £0 1s 0d

2 ditto, £0 1s 6d

1 ditto, £0 2s 0d

1 horn ditto, £0 16s 6d

1 bodice coat, £1 16s 6d

1 ditto, £0 8s 0d

2 pairs mens stockings, £0 0s 3d

3 knit ditto, £1 2s 0d

1 womens ditto, £0 6s 0d

2 ditto, £0 1s 4d

2 oz thread 8d, £0 1s 9d

1 ditto, £0 9s 2d

2 oz ditto, £0 4s 8d

6 ditto, £0 1s 7d

1 ditto, £0 1s 10d

4 ditto, £0 1s 9d

1½ lb whited brown thread, £0 3s 0d

1 ditto, £0 16s 5d

7 yards edging, £0 3s 9d

3 ditto, £0 9s 7d

5 ditto, £0 4s 6d

100 needles, £0 1s 6d

1 piece Holland tape, £0 36s 9d

3 Holland ditto, £0 8s 8d

5 broad ditto, £0 1s 1d

1 coarse white ditto, £0 2s 9d

1¾ oz China silk, £0 2s 3d

½ oz ditto, £0 3s 6d

½ oz ditto, £0 5s 4d

3 M pins, £0 1s 8d

4 M ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 M ditto, £0 6s 0d

6 skeins mohair, £0 3s 0d

6 dozen coat buttons, £0 4s 2d

6 dozen breast, £0 1s 6d

6 yards ferreting, £0 2s 6d

1 dozen mens gloves, £0 0s 9d

1 dozen thread laces, £0 3s 0d

1½ lb worsted, £0 2s 10½d

1 tin lamp, £0 0s 3d

2 ditto copper kettle, £0 2s 0d

1 ditto small ditto, £0 1s 6d

1 6 quart sauce pan, £0 0s 9d

1 2 quart coffee pot, £0 3s 0d

1 half ditto, £0 0s 9d

Total to the inhabitants, £117 11s 4d

Interpretations

This opened the store-goods account for the period, listing the goods sold to the inhabitants before the total was struck. It followed the fixed monthly form, mixing bulk provisions, textiles, ironmongery, footwear and haberdashery.

Many of the cloth lines described fabrics of the eastern and English trade. A chelloe was a checked or striped cotton of the Coromandel trade, chintz a printed and glazed calico of the Patna and Madras sorts, and doosooties a stout twofold cotton. A duranse was a durable woollen cloth, a duroy a coarse woollen of the West Country, and fustian a stout twilled cotton. Tufted dimity was a stout cotton woven with a raised figure.

The run of locks, hinges, hoes, shovels and kitchen ware showed the store supplying the settlement's households and trades. A splinter lock was a plain rim lock, and a bodice coat a fitted upper garment stiffened with bone. The footwear ranged through calf, Spanish and Madras leather for men and women, the store serving the island at once as draper, ironmonger and shoemaker through every return of the period.

135

133

Brought over 117 11 4½

Genll Charges

131 lb Soap

£ 9 5 7

6 Bush Ce Beas

3 18 -

1 Box Knives & Forks

2 17 -

1 Stock Lock

- 6 -

1 Splinter Lock

- 1 4

2 Sheets Tin

- 1 4

1 Ce Bellows

- 3 4

6 lb 20° Nailes

- 3 9

1 lb 6°

- - 9

4 lb 30°

- 5 4

8 lb 8° Floor Brads

- 5 4

6 lb d° Floor Brads

- 4 6

2 Large Bowles

- 5 -

4 Midling d°

- 8 -

1 lb Cask Thread

- 3 9

4 Gall Vinegar

- 2 6

18 1 -

Diet Expences vizt

448 lb Bread

£ 5 12 -

336 lb Flour

4 4 -

1 Cask Pork

12 - -

1 Cattee Bohea Tea

- 12 -

2 lb Pepper

- 4 -

1 Gall Vinegar

- 2 6

22 12 6

Garrison vizt

11 Catties Gr: Teas

£ 2 4 -

3 Gall Ceo Oyle

- 18 -

1 Splinter Lock

- 2 3

1 Gall Arr

- 6 4

1 lb Tobacco

- 2 3

2 lb Sugar

- 1 -

1 lb Bread

- - 3

4 Pipes

- - 2

36 lb Rope

- 18 -

4 12 3

Plantacon

170 lb Wheat

£ 1 2 6

27½ Rope

- 13 9

3 lb 20° Nailes

- 2 9

1 18 -

Fortification

2 lb 6° Nailes

£ - 1 6

1 4 3°

- - 10

4 Qt Train Oyle

- 1 6

- 3 10

£ 164 18 11½

Brought over £ 164 18 11½

Honble Comps Blacks

4 Cask Beefe

£ 5 2 -

1 D° Cork

12 - -

5930 lb Rice

7 4 2 6

28 Bush Wheat 7/6

11 17 -

15 Casks d° 7/4 Bush 14 9/6

36 13 10½

6 Ps Mens Shoes 5/6

1 14 6

1 Small Blankett

- 5 6

1 Large d°

- 11 3

8 lb Cold Thread

- 4 -

12 Ce Blew

- 10 -

6 Thimbles

- 1 -

1 Yawle

14 15 3

4 Oar 15 Feet Long

1 4 -

209 14 10½

Totall £ 374 13 10

The Governor Reports that One

of the Black Fellows lately sent

from Bombay on board the Morris

Named Gunshaw a Goldsmith died

Sometime last Week of a Lingering

Distemper Declaring he had been

formerly Poisoned

Capt Byfeld Reports that a

Black Wench of the Honble Comps

Named Moll Gruer belonging to

the Plantation House was last Week

delivrd of a Gule Named Betty

Capt Goodwin Reports that when

he came to open all the Casks of

Beas & old Beans brought by the

Carnarvon he found them all to be

bad & most of them Rotton tho' the

Casks were Clean & fair to the Eye

And that the Brasiers Ware proves

very much Dearer than any formerly

Sent, particularly the Skimmers

Brought over, £117 11s 4½d

General Charges

131 lb soap, £9 5s 7d

6 bushels peas, £3 18s 0d

1 box knives and forks, £2 7s 0d

1 stock lock, £0 6s 0d

1 splinter lock, £0 1s 4d

2 sheets tin, £0 1s 4d

1 pair bellows, £0 3s 4d

6 lb 20d nails, £0 3s 9d

1 lb 6d ditto, £0 0s 9d

4 lb 30d, £0 2s 4d

8 lb 3d floor brads, £0 5s 4d

6 lb ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 large bowls, £0 5s 0d

4 middling ditto, £0 8s 0d

1 lb cask thread, £0 3s 9d

1 gallon vinegar, £0 0s 6d

Total, £18 1s 0d

Diet Expenses

448 lb bread, £5 12s 0d

336 lb flour, £4 4s 0d

1 cask pork, £12 0s 0d

1 catty bohea tea, £0 12s 0d

2 lb pepper, £0 0s 4d

1 gallon vinegar, £0 2s 6d

Total, £22 12s 6d

Garrison

11 catties green tea, £2 4s 0d

3 gallons rape oil, £0 18s 0d

1 splinter lock, £0 2s 3d

1 gallon arrack, £0 6s 4d

1 lb tobacco, £0 2s 3d

2 lb sugar, £0 1s 0d

1 lb bread, £0 0s 3d

4 pipes, £0 0s 2d

36 lb rope, £0 18s 0d

Total, £4 12s 3d

Plantation

170 lb wheat, £1 2s 6d

27½ lb rope, £0 13s 9d

3 lb 20d nails, £0 2s 9d

Total, £1 18s 0d

Fortification

2 lb 6d nails, £0 1s 6d

1 3d ditto, £0 0s 10d

4 quarts train oil, £0 1s 6d

Total, £0 3s 10d

Total, £164 18s 11½d

Brought over, £164 18s 11½d

Honourable Company's Blacks

4 casks beef, £52 0s 0d

1 ditto pork, £12 0s 0d

5,930 lb rice, £74 2s 6d

28 bushels wheat 9/6, £11 17s 0d

15 casks ditto 7 bushels 14 9/6, £36 13s 10½d

6 pairs mens shoes 5/6, £1 14s 6d

1 small blanket, £0 6s 6d

1 large ditto, £0 11s 3d

8 lb coloured thread, £0 4s 0d

12 lb blue, £0 10s 0d

6 thimbles, £0 1s 0d

1 yawl, £14 15s 3d

4 oars 15 feet long, £1 0s 0d

Total, £209 14s 10½d

Total, £374 13s 10d

The Governor reported that one of the black fellows lately sent from Bombay on board the Morrice, named Gunshaw, a goldsmith, died sometime last week of a lingering distemper. Before his death he declared he had formerly been poisoned.

Captain Byfield reported that a black woman of the Honourable Company named Moll Gower, belonging to the plantation house, was last week delivered of a girl named Betty.

Captain Goodwin reported that when he came to open all the casks of peas and old beans brought by the Carnarvon, he found them all to be bad, and most of them rotten, though the casks were clean and fair to the eye.

Captain Goodwin also reported that the brazier's ware proved very much dearer than any formerly sent, particularly the skimmers [...]

Interpretations

This closed the store-goods account for the period, carrying the general charges, the diet, the garrison, the plantation, the fortification and the slaves' account before the grand total of £374 13s 10d. The slaves' account ran to the heaviest sum by far, dominated by the beef, pork, rice and wheat, together with a yawl and its oars charged at £14 15s 3d for the water carriage of the Fort.

The death of the goldsmith Gunshaw, newly landed from Bombay on the Morrice, was noted with his own declaration that he had once been poisoned. The Company recorded the loss of a skilled slave alongside the birth of the girl Betty to Moll Gower at the plantation house, tracking its labour force by death and birth together.

Captain Goodwin's report on the spoiled provisions exposed a real hazard of the long supply line from England. The peas and beans sent by the Carnarvon were rotten within casks that looked sound, a loss the island could not discover until it broke them open. His complaint that the brazier's ware, and the skimmers in particular, came dearer than before showed the council watching the prices charged on the Company's own consignments.

136

134

which were Invoiced at 8/3 each one with an other & are of three

Sizes the biggest of which to Support not to have cost more than 3

each & the Smalest Size not above 18°, so that it is impossible to

Sell any of them after the Advance Prie of 50 Ce Cts by put on them

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 30° day of August

1726 at Union Castle

Present Jno Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The last Consultation read & approved

The Petition of the severall Persons were this day Presented

1 John Bradley Praying a Lease of the Honble Wast Land lying in

Prosperous Bay Valley

Granted

2 John Bazett for a Lease of about three Acres lying in the Great

Wood Water

Granted

3 Serjeant Whaley Praying a Lease of thirty five Foot of

Wast Ground in front 18 fifty feet 8/6 lying between

the two House of Giles Smith & Tho: Nath in the Fort Valley

Granted Paying ten Shilling & ann

4 Orlando Bagley for one Acre lying at bottom of Cowell Valley

Granted

Charles Steward Praying a Lease of Six Acres lying at the head

of Patricks Gutt in Order to Plant Wood

Granted & Ordred this Wast Land both Wood & the same grant to ye sd Johnson

Margin Notes:

this Piece of

Land adjoyn

ing to that

The skimmers were invoiced at 8s 3d each, one with another, and were of three sizes. The largest of these would not hold more than three pints each, and the smallest sort not above 18d, so that it was impossible to sell any of them after the advance price of 50 per cent put on them.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 30 August 1726 at Union Castle, present Governor John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

The petitions of the several persons following were this day presented.

1: John Bradley asked for a lease of the Honourable Company's waste land lying in Prosperous Bay Valley. Granted.

2: John Bazett asked for a lease of about three acres lying in the Great Wood Water. Granted.

3: Sergeant Whaley asked for a lease of 35 feet of waste ground in front, by 50 feet, lying between the two houses of Giles Smith and Thomas Watts in the Fort valley. Granted, paying ten shillings and duty.

4: Orlando Bagley asked for an acre lying at the bottom of Powell Valley. Granted.

Richard Steward asked for a lease of six acres lying at the head of Patrick's Gut, in order to plant wood. This land adjoined to other of his own land, which was already planted with wood, and the council granted the same to Arthur Johnson.

Interpretations

This closed the store account and opened the consultation of 30 August 1726, at which the council settled a run of land leases. Captain Goodwin's report on the skimmers showed the difficulty the store faced with overpriced consignments. The 50 per cent advance fixed on goods sent from England left the small brazier's ware unsaleable, since the mark-up carried the price above what the inhabitants would pay.

The land petitions continued the council's settling of Company waste on tenants who would fence and plant it. Sergeant Whaley's grant of a small building plot between two named houses in the Fort valley showed the close division of ground within the settlement itself, measured in feet rather than acres and charged a fixed rent with duty.

Richard Steward's petition tied his grant to the planting of wood, reflecting the timber-planting covenant of 13 March 1725 that bound every holder to raise and keep wood. His land already carried planted wood, and the extension supported the policy of enforced timber-raising the Governor had pressed on the jury at the sessions of 19 July 1726.

137

135

6 Thos Harper for five or Six Acres lying on the Backside

of the Hooper Hill

Granted

7 Grace Hayes & Matthew Mudge joyntly Petitiond for about

twenty Acres lying in Ruperts Valley

This Ps of Land lying next the Honble Comps Butts Culture it

will be Prejudicial to Cast & then for Refuse this Petd but if ever

Sett the Petitioners to have the Bestwok

8 Giles Hayes Praying a Lease of about fifteen Acre lying

in the Hald Ruperts Valley

Rejected for the Reason given in Answer to the Petn of ye Hayes

& Matthew Mudge

9 Edmond Nicholls for five Acres lying on the side of Luffkins Hole

Granted

10 Gabll Powell, Fra: Wrangham, Sam Ryder & Cha Steward

joyntly Petitiond for about fifty Acre lying at a Place

called Manatee Bay

This Ps of Land being well Wooded We dont think it for the

Honble Comps Interest to Let it, but preserve the Wood for the said

Honble Comps use

11 Joseph Bate for half an Acre adjoyning to his Plantacon

Granted he Leaving a Dust Way betwixt himself Mr Steward

& Mrs Sheave

12 Capt Goodwin & Tho Wrangham for about Eight Acre lying

in Lemon Valley

Granted

13 Jonathan Dorelton in behalf of himself & Rich Curling Executors

of the Last Will & Testament of Robt Such deceased Setting forth

that Richard Such Eldest Son of the said Robt Such was Lately

drowned Leaving sundrie Effects & Debts due to him unpaid & Wife Died

& sundy Brothers & One Sister who as Heir will expect their equale

Share of the said Estate, Praying Power to Ynd but him & the other

Executr to adjust an Ce & make a Proportionable Dividend

to the said Brothers & Sisters

6: Thomas Harper asked for five or six acres lying on the back side of the Cooper's Hill. Granted.

7: Grace Hayes and Matthew Mudge jointly asked for about 20 acres lying in Rupert's Valley. This piece of land lay next the Honourable Company's waste pasture. It would be prejudicial to let it, and therefore the council rejected the petition. But if it ever let the piece, the petitioners were to have the refusal.

8: Giles Hayes asked for a lease of about 15 acres lying in the Half Rupert's Valley. Rejected, for the reason given in answer to the petition of Grace Hayes and Matthew Mudge.

9: Edmund Nicholls asked for five acres lying on the side of Laffkin's Ridge. Granted.

10: Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, James Ryder and Charles Steward jointly asked for about 50 acres lying at a place called Man and Horse Bay. This piece of land was well wooded. The council did not think it for the Honourable Company's interest to let it, but resolved to preserve the wood for the Honourable Company's use.

11: Joseph Bates asked for half an acre adjoining to his plantation. Granted, he leaving a cart way between himself, Mr Steward and Mrs Stevens.

12: Captain Goodwin and Mr Wrangham asked for about eight acres lying in Lemon Valley. Granted.

13: Jonathan Doveton, on behalf of himself and Richard Gurling, executors of the last will and testament of Robert Leech deceased, set out that Richard Leech, eldest son of Robert Leech, was lately drowned. He left a certain estate and effects due to him unpaid, and his executors and brothers, and one sister who was heir, wished their equal share of the estate. They asked leave to make a proportionable dividend to the brothers and sister.

Interpretations

This continued the consultation of 30 August 1726, recording the run of land petitions and the opening of an estate matter. The council granted most requests for waste ground but withheld two on grounds of the Company's own interest. The parcels in Rupert's Valley and Man and Horse Bay were kept back, the first as pasture and the second as wood, showing the council balancing the settlement of tenants against the preservation of grazing and timber.

The refusal to let the wooded land at Man and Horse Bay reflected the timber policy pressed throughout this run. The scarcity of wood, first met by the planting covenant of 13 March 1725, made the council guard standing timber as carefully as it encouraged new planting elsewhere.

The Doveton petition raised the descent of Robert Leech's estate after the drowning of his eldest son and heir. The executors sought leave to divide the effects among the surviving brothers and the sister, the death of the principal heir throwing the inheritance open to a fresh partition among the kindred.

138

136

14 Joseph Hayes Praying a Lease of Six Acres lying near the

Butts

This Land adjoyning to the Butts Pasture We have thought

fit to Reject this Petition

15 Elizabeth Sheave for a Parcell of Land adjoyning to her Plantacon

in Sandy Bay

Granted

16 Giles Smith Praying a Lease of a Parcell of the Honble Comps

Wast Land amg to about 16 Acres which on all sides Surrounds

his Plantacon Praying also that some allowance may be made

him for the Barrenness of Cast thereof

Mary Sheave Widow made Complaint agst Jno Aldrick for Praying

to Cay her for the great Charge she has been at for the Instr of

four Years & upwards in Maintaining his Son with Meat Drink

washing & Lodging & Cloathing & hath made demands severall times

for some Satisfaction But he Still refusing to Comply with her

Desire & being not in Circumstance to bear such deadly Charges

humbly Prays the said Aldrick may be obliged to make her

some Compensation for the same

The said Aldrick being called in made severall frivolous Excuses

but owned he never had made the said Mrs Sheave any Satisfaction

nor given the Child (his Son) any Cloathing Since he sent her to breed

with Ynd

They were admitted to appear the Matter in dispute amicably

& in Case the said Aldrick refuse to make her reasonable Satisfaction

by next Consultation day, that a Warrant be then Granted to compell

him. The abovesaid Resolution being Read to them, they

both desired We would be pleased to determine the Matter

It is therefore Ordred that the said Jno Aldrick do Cay

the said Mary Sheave for the Charges aforesaid, the Sum of

twenty four Pounds for full Satisfaction for the Child Bearing

the Ann abovementioned

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the severall

Parcells

14 Joseph Hayes Praying a Lease of Six Acres lying near the

Butts

This Land adjoyning to the Butts Pasture We have thought

fit to Reject this Petition

15 Elizabeth Sheave for a Parcell of Land adjoyning to her Plantacon

in Sandy Bay

Granted

16 Giles Smith Praying a Lease of a Parcell of the Honble Comps

Wast Land amg to about 16 Acres which on all sides Surrounds

his Plantacon Praying also that some allowance may be made

him for the Barrenness of Cast thereof

Mary Sheave Widow made Complaint agst Jno Aldrick for Praying

to Cay her for the great Charge she has been at for the Instr of

four Years & upwards in Maintaining his Son with Meat Drink

washing & Lodging & Cloathing & hath made demands severall times

for some Satisfaction But he Still refusing to Comply with her

Desire & being not in Circumstance to bear such deadly Charges

humbly Prays the said Aldrick may be obliged to make her

some Compensation for the same

The said Aldrick being called in made severall frivolous Excuses

but owned he never had made the said Mrs Sheave any Satisfaction

nor given the Child (his Son) any Cloathing Since he sent her to breed

with Ynd

They were admitted to appear the Matter in dispute amicably

& in Case the said Aldrick refuse to make her reasonable Satisfaction

by next Consultation day, that a Warrant be then Granted to compell

him. The abovesaid Resolution being Read to them, they

both desired We would be pleased to determine the Matter

It is therefore Ordred that the said Jno Aldrick do Cay

the said Mary Sheave for the Charges aforesaid, the Sum of

twenty four Pounds for full Satisfaction for the Child Bearing

the Ann abovementioned

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the severall

Parcells

139

137

Parcells of Land Mentiond in the foregoing Consultacon & Contents

as follows vizt

That to be enjoyd in Common between himself Jno Carne the Mate

Tho Greentree & Rich Goodwin lying at the Hooper Pasture Contain

90 Acres

That for Martin Harper

8 d°

Rd Tinsley

11 d°

Orl: Bagley Senr

2 d°

Fran: Ffienge Cast Parcell

9 d°

Wee executed the following Leases vizt

One to Rd Tinsley for

11 Acre d°

Orl: Bagley Senr

2 d°

F Ffienge for two Parcells

17 d°

Joshua Johnson

d°

Robert Curling

2 d°

Ordred that Leases be made out for the other Parcells already

Mentioned

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Margin Notes:

Memdm

Ye ye Th

Greentree

twas granted

a Mistake

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the several parcels of land mentioned in the foregoing consultation. The contents were as follows.

The parcel to be enjoyed in common between himself, John Carne the mattross, Thomas Greentree and Richard Goodwin, lying at the Horse Pasture, contained 90 acres.

Martin Harper, 8 acres

Richard Timsley, 11 acres

Orlando Bagley senior, 2 acres

Francis Stange, last parcel, 9 acres

The council executed the following leases.

Richard Timsley, 11 acres

Orlando Bagley senior, 2 acres

Francis Stange, two parcels, 17 acres

Joshua Johnson, [...] acres

Robert Gurling, 2 acres

The council ordered that leases be made out for the other parcels already mentioned.

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This closed the consultation of 30 August 1726 with Captain Goodwin's return of the measured parcels and the leases executed upon them. The report fixed the acreage of each grant before the leases issued, the same care over extent shown throughout this run of land business.

The 90-acre tract at the Horse Pasture, held in common between Captain Goodwin, the mattross John Carne, Thomas Greentree and Richard Goodwin, marked the largest single grant of the meeting. This continued the council's policy of settling large parcels of waste on groups of tenants who would fence and plant them.

The execution of leases for a term of 21 years at the usual rent regularised the several occupations on the record. The margin noted a mistake in the entry against Thomas Greentree and Richard Goodwin, a clerical correction of the kind the books occasionally required.

140

138

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 20th Sepr 1726

All Present Govr & a Councill

The last Consultation read & approved

The Governr having been ill no Consultation has been

held Since the 30th August

Capt Byfeld Reports that a Black Boy of the Honble

Comps Named Skinny died last Week at Plantacon House

The Severall Persons following Presented Petitions vizt

John Worrall & Elor: Such Praying to be admitted

joynt Tennts for about fifteen Acres Wast Land lying

in Bay Valley

Granted & the same to be Measured

Joseph Luffkin Praying Leave to dispose of his

Lease of twenty five Acres Land to Mr John Bazett

Granted

Stephen Luffkin Praying a Lease for about Eight

Acres of Wast Land lying in Cash Gutt

Granted & the same to be accordingly Measured

Mary Nicholls & Joshua Johnson in behalf of

Jane Nicholls Praying to be admitted joynt Tennts

for about five Acres of Wast Land lying in Ruperts Valley

Granted

William Addis Praying a Lease of One Acre Land in

Coyles Valley

Granted

William Worrall Praying a Lease for four Acre of the Honble

Comps Wast Land adjoyning to his Plantacon in Sandy Bay

Granted

John Corndell junr Praying a Lease for Ten Acres Wast

Land lying in Thompson Wood

Granted

Whereas Severall Persons have had Leases made out

for divers Parcells of the Honble Comps Wast Land but taken not

the least Care to Cay either for the said Lease or the Ynned rent

of the same tho' of Severall Years Standing, Wherefore

Ordred

At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 September 1726 at Union Castle, all present, the Governor and the rest of the council.

The council read and approved the last consultation.

The Governor had been ill, so no consultation had been held since 30 August.

Captain Byfield reported that a black boy of the Honourable Company named Sydney died last week at the plantation house.

The several persons following presented petitions.

John Worrall and Ebenezer Leech asked to be admitted joint tenants to about 15 acres of waste land lying in Bagley Valley. Granted, and the same to be measured.

Joseph Luffkin asked leave to dispose of his lease of 25 acres of land to Mr John Bazett. Granted.

Stephen Luffkin asked for a lease of about eight acres of waste land lying in Cason Gut. Granted, and the same to be accordingly measured.

Mary Nicholls and Joshua Johnson, on behalf of Jane Nicholls, asked to be admitted joint tenants to about five acres of waste land lying in Sutton Valley. Granted.

William Addis asked for a lease of one acre of land in Powell Valley. Granted.

William Worrall asked for a lease of four acres of the Honourable Company's waste land adjoining to his plantation in Sandy Bay. Granted.

John Carne junior asked for a lease of 10 acres of waste land lying in Thompson Wood. Granted.

Several persons had leases made out for various parcels of the Honourable Company's waste land, but had not taken the least care to pay either for the leases or the enclosing of the parcels, several of many years standing. The council therefore ordered [...]

Interpretations

This recorded the consultation of 20 September 1726, the first held after a break caused by the Governor's illness since 30 August 1726. The death of the boy Sydney at the plantation house was entered plainly, the Company tracking the loss of its slaves as closely as their births.

The run of land petitions continued the settling of Company waste on tenants who would fence and plant it. The grants for parcels in Bagley Valley, Cason Gut, Sutton Valley, Powell Valley, Sandy Bay and Thompson Wood followed the settled form, each sent to Captain Goodwin for measurement before a lease issued for 21 years.

The council's move against tenants who had neither paid for their leases nor enclosed their ground repeated the enforcement of the fencing covenant pressed on 23 August 1726. The many holdings of long standing left unpaid and unfenced showed how far the covenants had gone unobserved, prompting a fresh order to secure the Company's dues and its title to the waste.

141

139

Ordred that no Lease be hereafter Granted to any Person unless

he immediatly Cay for the Lease & Measurement of the Land &

at other Charges thereon & in case any Person should refuse or Neglect

to Comply & take up their Leases as due time then the Land Ynd to

be Ynned & the next Cast to have a Grant of the same under the

same terms & that Publick Notice be given the Inhabitants thereof

Ordred that an Advertisement be Published to give Notice

that We shall meet in Consultation on Wednesday the 28° instant

to Buchen with the Inhabitants & Garrison for the Year Cast

Ending 25° instant

Capt Byfeld Capt Goodwin Mr French & Mr Gaa delivrd each

their Monthly Acct for Augst last which were Exand & Approved

Arrack 13 Gall: for the Castle

£ 4 2 4

21¾ to the Steward

- 17 1

7¼ to Plantain Blacks

2 5 11

58 Bottle Cape

2 18 -

10 D° Mountain

1 10 -

10 D° Galitia

1 5 -

9 D° Strong Beer

- 18 -

89 lb Sugar

1 11 -

13 lb Candy

- 13 -

114 lb Bread

1 8 6

118 lb Flour

1 9 6½

16½ 2 Soap

1 3 4½

3 lb Candles

- 7 6

147 lb Pork

3 13 4

165 lb Veale

4 2 6

6 Goates

3 4 -

1 Kid

- 6 -

3 Pigs

- 18 -

44 Fowles

3 5 -

16 Ps Salt Cork

2 5 4

12 D° Beefe

1 10 -

31 Days Greens

1 11 -

31 lb Butter

1 11 -

£ 46 11 5

Acct

The council ordered that no lease be hereafter granted to any person unless he immediately paid for the lease and the measurement of the land, and all other charges thereon. In case any person refused or neglected to comply, or to take up their leases or duties, the parcel would then be forfeited, and the next petitioner to have a grant of the same upon the same terms. The council ordered that public notice be given to the inhabitants.

The council ordered that an advertisement be published to give notice that the council would meet in consultation on Wednesday the 28th instant, to reckon with the inhabitants and garrison for the year past ending 25th instant.

Captain Byfield, Captain Goodwin and Mr Gaa delivered each their monthly accounts for August last, which were examined and approved.

Expenses of the General Table in August 1726

arrack, 13 gallons for the castle, £4 2s 4d

arrack, 24¾ to the table, £7 17s 1d

arrack, 7¼ to plantation blacks, £2 6s 11d

58 bottles Cape, £2 19s 0d

10 ditto mountain, £1 10s 0d

10 ditto Galicia, £1 5s 0d

9 ditto strong beer, £0 18s 0d

89 lb sugar, £1 11s 0d

13 lb candy, £0 13s 0d

114 lb bread, £1 8s 6d

118 lb flour, £1 9s 6d

16½ lb soap, £1 3s 4½d

3 lb candles, £4 7s 6d

14 lb pork, £3 13s 4d

165 lb veal, £4 2s 6d

6 goats, £3 0s 0d

1 kid, £0 6s 0d

3 pigs, £0 18s 0d

44 fowls, £3 6s 0d

16 lb salt pork, £2 5s 4d

12 days beef, £1 10s 0d

31 days greens, £1 11s 0d

31 lb butter, £1 11s 0d

Total, £46 11s 5d

Interpretations

This closed the consultation of 20 September 1726 with a fresh order on land leases and recorded the general-table account for August 1726. The direction that no lease issue until the tenant paid for it and its measurement tightened the enforcement pressed on 23 August 1726, adding immediate payment to the fencing covenant as a condition of holding.

The order fixed a meeting for 28 September 1726 to reckon with the inhabitants and garrison for the year ending 25 September. This tied the yearly account to the same date set for the parish elections on 16 August 1726, marking the close of the island's financial year.

The general-table account followed the fixed monthly form. Arrack again stood as the heaviest charge, split between the castle, the table and the plantation slaves, alongside the Cape wine, mountain, Galicia and strong beer and the fresh island veal, goat, kid, pork, fowls and garden greens. Galicia was a wine of north-western Spain, and mountain a sweet Malaga from the hills behind that port.

142

140

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry Asses Horses

Bullocks Cowes Kifers Steers Yeurlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Totall Ewes Wethers Kids Rams Totall Sows Shoates Barrows Pigs Totall Turkeys Fowles Ducks Geese Asses Horses Mares Totall

Remd Ultd July

Bullocks 15, Cowes 66, Kifers 2, Steers 1, Yeurlings 36, Calves 62, Bulls 4, Totall 186, Ewes 53, Wethers 25, Lambs 21, Rams 3, Totall 102, Ewes 217, Wethers 112, Kids 96, Rams 6, Totall 431, Sows 14, Shoates 38, Barrows 4, Pigs nil, Totall 56, Turkeys 66, Fowles 78, Ducks 6, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Increased in d°

Bullocks 1, Cowes nil, Kifers nil, Steers nil, Yeurlings nil, Calves 4, Bulls nil, Totall 5, Ewes nil, Wethers nil, Lambs 14, Rams nil, Totall 14, Ewes nil, Wethers nil, Kids 65, Rams nil, Totall 65, Sows nil, Shoates nil, Barrows nil, Pigs 8, Totall 8, Turkeys 18, Fowles 30, Ducks nil, Geese nil, Asses nil, Horses nil, Mares nil, Totall 1

Killed in D°

Bullocks 16, Cowes 66, Kifers 2, Steers 1, Yeurlings 36, Calves 66, Bulls 4, Totall 191 1, Ewes 53, Wethers 25, Lambs 35, Rams 3, Totall 116, Ewes 217, Wethers 112, Kids 161, Rams 6, Totall 496 6, Sows 14, Shoates 38, Barrows 4 2, Pigs 8, Totall 64 2, Turkeys 84, Fowles 108 12, Ducks 6, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

1 Bull Cutt in d°

Bullocks 16, Cowes 66, Kifers 2, Steers 1, Yeurlings 36, Calves 65, Bulls 4, Totall 190 1, Ewes 53, Wethers 25, Lambs 35, Rams 3, Totall 116, Ewes 217, Wethers 106, Kids 161, Rams 6, Totall 490, Sows 14, Shoates 38 2, Barrows 4, Pigs 8, Totall 62, Turkeys 84, Fowles 96, Ducks 6, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Dead in d°

Bullocks 16, Cowes 66, Kifers 2, Steers 1, Yeurlings 36, Calves 65 1, Bulls 3, Totall 189 1, Ewes 53, Wethers 25, Lambs 35, Rams 3, Totall 116, Ewes 217, Wethers 106, Kids 161, Rams 6, Totall 490, Sows 14, Shoates 38 3, Barrows 4 1, Pigs 8, Totall 62 4, Turkeys 84, Fowles 96, Ducks 6, Geese 39, Asses 3, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

16 66 2 1 36 64 3 188 63 26 36 3 116 217 106 161 6 490 14 35 1 8 58 83 95 6 39 3 5 3 8

Yams Expended at the sevll Plantacons 34540 lb

D° delivrd to the Fort Blacks - 7512

42052 lb

Neat Cattle: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls, total. Sheep: ewes, wethers, lambs, rams, total. Goats: ewes, wethers, kids, rams, total. Hogs: sows, shoats, barrows, pigs, total. Poultry, asses and horses: turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese, asses, horses, mares, total.

Remaining 31 July

15 bullocks, 66 cows, 2 heifers, 1 steer, 36 yearlings, 62 calves, 4 bulls, 186 total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 25 wethers, 21 lambs, 3 rams, 102 total sheep; 217 ewes, 112 wethers, 96 kids, 6 rams, 431 total goats; 14 sows, 38 shoats, 4 barrows, 0 pigs, 56 total hogs; 66 turkeys, 78 fowls, 6 ducks, 39 geese, 3 asses, 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 total

Increased in ditto

1 bullock, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 4 calves, 0 bulls, 5 total neat cattle; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 14 lambs, 0 rams, 14 total sheep; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 65 kids, 0 rams, 65 total goats; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 8 pigs, 8 total hogs; 18 turkeys, 30 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese, 0 asses, 0 horses, 0 mares, 1 total

Killed in ditto

16 bullocks, 66 cows, 2 heifers, 1 steer, 36 yearlings, 66 calves, 4 bulls, 191 (1) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 25 wethers, 35 lambs, 3 rams, 116 total sheep; 217 ewes, 112 wethers, 161 kids, 6 rams, 496 (6) total goats; 14 sows, 38 shoats, 4 (2) barrows, 8 pigs, 64 (2) total hogs; 84 turkeys, 108 (12) fowls, 6 ducks, 39 geese, 3 asses, 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 total

1 bull cut in ditto

16 bullocks, 66 cows, 2 heifers, 1 steer, 36 yearlings, 65 calves, 4 bulls, 190 (1) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 25 wethers, 35 lambs, 3 rams, 116 total sheep; 217 ewes, 106 wethers, 161 kids, 6 rams, 490 total goats; 14 sows, 38 (2) shoats, 4 barrows, 8 pigs, 62 total hogs; 84 turkeys, 96 fowls, 6 ducks, 39 geese, 3 asses, 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 total

Dead in ditto

16 bullocks, 66 cows, 2 heifers, 1 steer, 36 yearlings, 65 (1) calves, 3 bulls, 189 (1) total neat cattle; 53 ewes, 25 wethers, 35 lambs, 3 rams, 116 total sheep; 217 ewes, 106 wethers, 161 kids, 6 rams, 490 total goats; 14 sows, 38 (3) shoats, 4 (1) barrows, 8 pigs, 62 (4) total hogs; 84 turkeys, 96 fowls, 6 ducks, 39 geese, 3 asses, 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 total

Remaining 31 August

16 bullocks, 66 cows, 2 heifers, 1 steer, 36 yearlings, 64 calves, 3 bulls, 188 total neat cattle; 63 ewes, 26 wethers, 36 lambs, 3 rams, 116 total sheep; 217 ewes, 106 wethers, 161 kids, 6 rams, 490 total goats; 14 sows, 35 shoats, 1 barrow, 8 pigs, 58 total hogs; 83 turkeys, 95 fowls, 6 ducks, 39 geese, 3 asses, 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 total

Yams expended at the several plantations, 34,540 lb

Ditto delivered to the Fort blacks, 7,512 lb

Total yams, 42,052 lb

Interpretations

This closed the live-stock and provision account for the month of August 1726, set out as a grid tracing each class of stock through the month. This leaf carried its full column headings written in, so the identity of each column was read from the page itself.

The row headings ran through the number remaining at 31 July, the increase in August, the beasts killed, one bull cut, those that died, and the number remaining at 31 August. The neat cattle were graded as bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls with a total, the sheep and goats each as ewes, wethers and rams with the lambs or kids. The hogs were divided here into sows, shoats, barrows and pigs, the shoats being young hogs recently weaned. The poultry closed the grid as turkeys, fowls, ducks and geese, with the asses, horses and mares last.

The yam summary gave the month's consumption of the staple root, 34,540 lb spent at the plantations and 7,512 lb served to the slaves quartered at the Fort, for a total of 42,052 lb.

143

141

1047 lb Sugar

3 - -

27 lb Candy

26 3 6

600 lb Bread

1 7 6

461 lb Flour

7 19 3

103 lb Tobacco

5 15 3

247 Pipes

11 11 9

224½ Tea

- 10 3½

17 Catties Green d°

3 8 -

98 lb Soap

6 18 10

4 lb Candles

- 8 -

3 Gall Rape Oyle

- 18 -

208 Pipes

- 2 6

6 lb Wax

- 7 6

6 Small China Cupps

- 1 -

13 Large ditto

- 4 4

24 Cupps & Saucers

- 12 -

7 Sneakers

- 3 6

4 Bowles

- 10 6

1 D° Enamelled

- 1 6

1 Tea Pott

- 1 9

2 D°

- 16 -

1 Sett China Bowles

6 - -

6 Ps Ordry Long Cloth

3 3 4½

4½ Ps Shelloe

4 10 -

9 Ps De Sotees

- 19 -

2 Ps Ginghas

3 7 6

9 Ps Gingham

4 5 -

4 Madrass Chints

- 10 -

1 blew Sallampore

- 17 -

1 Quilt

- 16 -

1½ Ps Bengall Taffety

- 19 -½

4 Chest Shirts

2 10 -

28 Ps Cotton Stockings

3 16 6

3 yd° Scarlet Cloth

1 12 -

16 D° Kersey

1 18 -

12 D° Durance

1 2 6

1 Gold Laced Hatt

- 3 9

16½ lb Shoe Thread

- 8 4

1 Ps Mens Spanish Leather Shoes

1 - -

3 D° Calve

- 17 3

3 D° Wom: Sp: Leathr

- 15 6

1 D° Ditto D°

- 5 6

1 Girles D°

- 3 -

1 Sea Kettle

- 12 -

1 Larger Ditto

- 2 6

2 Smaller d°

- 2 2

1 Smallest d°

- - 9

1 Lamp

- 4 10

1 Pint Sauce Pan

- 1 6

1 Horne Comb

- 1 -

1 Ivory d°

- 1 -

1 D°

- 1 -

Carried over

Storekeeper's account for August.

1,047 lb sugar, £26 3s 6d

27 lb candy, £1 7s 6d

600 lb bread, £7 12s 3d

461 lb flour, £5 15s 3d

103 lb tobacco, £11 11s 9d

247 pipes, £0 10s 3½d

22½ lb tea, £3 8s 0d

17 catties green ditto, £6 18s 10d

98 lb soap, £0 8s 0d

4 lb candles, £0 18s 0d

3 gallons rape oil, £0 2s 0d

208 lb pepper, £0 7s 6d

6 lb wax, £0 1s 4d

6 small china cups, £0 19s 0d

13 large ditto, £0 3s 6d

24 cups and saucers, £0 10s 6d

7 sneakers, £0 1s 9d

4 bowls, £0 16s 0d

1 ditto enamelled, £6 3s 4½d

1 tea pot, £3 10s 0d

2 ditto, £4 19s 0d

1 set china bowls, £3 5s 0d

6 pieces ordinary long cloth, £4 5s 0d

4½ pieces chelloe, £0 10s 0d

9 pieces doosooties, £0 19s 0d

2 gurrah, £3 7s 6d

9 gingham, £4 5s 0d

4 Madras chintz, £0 10s 0d

1 blue sallampore, £0 17s 0d

1 quilt, £0 16s 0d

1½ pieces Bengal taffety, £0 19s 0d

4 chelloe shirts, £2 3s 0d

28 pairs cotton stockings, £3 10s 0d

3 yards scarlet cloth, £3 16s 6d

16 ditto kersey, £1 12s 0d

12 ditto seroon, £0 18s 0d

1 gold laced hat, £1 2s 6d

16 lb shoe thread, £0 3s 9d

1 pair mens Spanish leather shoes, £0 8s 4d

3 ditto calf, £1 17s 3d

3 ditto womens Spanish leather, £0 5s 6d

1 ditto ditto, £0 5s 6d

1 girls ditto, £0 3s 0d

1 tea kettle, £0 19s 0d

1 larger ditto, £0 2s 6d

2 smaller ditto, £0 2s 0d

1 smallest ditto, £0 9s 0d

1 lamp, £0 7s 10d

1 pint sauce pan, £0 1s 6d

1 horn comb, £0 1s 0d

1 ivory ditto, £0 1s 0d

1 ditto, [...]

1 ditto, [...]

Carried over

Interpretations

This opened the storekeeper's account for August 1726, listing the goods sold to the inhabitants before the total was carried over. It followed the fixed monthly form, mixing bulk provisions, china ware, textiles, footwear and household goods.

Many of the cloth lines described fabrics of the eastern trade. A chelloe was a checked or striped cotton of the Coromandel coast, and doosooties a stout twofold cotton. A sallampore was a plain cotton cloth often dyed blue, and Bengal taffety a light glossy silk of that province. Chintz was a printed and glazed calico of the Madras sort, and kersey a coarse ribbed woollen cloth. A seroon was probably a coarse packing cloth or wrapper.

The run of china ware, teapots and kettles showed the store supplying the settlement's tables alongside the cloth and provisions. The gold laced hat and the scarlet cloth marked the finer goods carried for the better sort, while the shoe thread, combs and sauce pans answered ordinary household needs. The store served the island at once as grocer, draper and ironmonger through every return of the period.

144

142

Brought Over £

1 Ce Teisars

- 1 -

1 lb Lanthorne

- 1 6

1 lb Pitch

- 1 8

2 lb Flooring Brad

- 1 6

2 lb 10° Nailes

- 1 4

3 lb 4° D°

- 2 6

11 Lines Forkd

- 9 4

6 Doz Hooks Forkd

- 2 1

1 Chest Lock

- 1 8

3 D°

- 6 -

1 Rimb Lock

- 5 -

1 Ce Hinges

- - 7

1 Iompers Knife & Fork

- 2 -

1 Renknife

- 2 4

3 yards Flann

- 7 -

2 Ce Mens Knitt Hose

- 13 6

2 D° Wove d°

- 8 -

1 Wom d°

- 7 9

2 Boys D°

- 5 -

6 D° 2/4

- 14 -

1 Oz Guns Thread

- 1 -

1 Oz d°

- 1 8

2 d°

- 2 8

2 d°

- 5 10

4½ Oz China Silk

- 4 6

3 D° d°

- 4 6

2½ M Pins

- 4 11

2½ M d°

- 3 4½

1 M d°

- 1 9

1 M d°

- 1 11

6 doz Shirt Buttons

- 2 1

4 D°

- 1 -

½ d° Breast

- - 3

1 Scain Mohair

- - 3

17 yards Ferreting

- 5 8

2 Ferrett Laces

- - 6

3 yards Ferreting

- - 6

3 Ce Broad Holland Tape

- 4 -

4 Midling d°

- 1 -

1 Hemming d°

- - 9

6 yards Edging

- 5 6

7 D° Ditto

- 13 5

15 Ditto

- 2 5

Sum Totall to Inhabts £ 128 1 10

Diet Expences

168 Gall Arrack

£ 53 4 -

18 lb Candy

- 9 -

279 lb Sugar

6 16 -

1 lb Pepper

- 1 -

69 10 -

Caried over £ 197 11 10

Brought over

1 pair scissors, £0 1s 0d

1 lanthorn, £0 1s 6d

1 lb pitch, £0 1s 8d

2 lb flooring brads, £0 1s 6d

2 lb 10d nails, £0 1s 4d

3 lb 4d ditto, £0 2s 6d

11 lines sorted, £0 9s 4d

6 dozen hooks sorted, £0 2s 8d

1 chest lock, £0 2s 8d

3 ditto, £0 6s 0d

1 rim lock, £0 5s 0d

1 pair hinges, £0 9s 7d

1 pair sugar knife and fork, £0 2s 4d

1 pen knife, £0 2s 4d

3 yards flannel, £0 7s 0d

2 pairs mens knit hose, £0 13s 6d

2 ditto worsted ditto, £0 8s 0d

1 womens ditto, £0 7s 9d

2 boys ditto, £0 5s 0d

6 ditto 2/4, £0 14s 0d

1 oz nuns thread, £0 1s 0d

1 oz ditto, £0 1s 8d

2 ditto, £0 2s 8d

2 ditto, £0 5s 10d

4½ oz China silk, £0 4s 6d

3 ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 lb 9 oz fine pins, £0 9s 11d

2 lb 9 oz ditto, £0 3s 9d

1 M ditto, £0 1s 9d

1 M ditto, £0 1s 11d

6 dozen shirt buttons, £0 1s 3d

4 ditto breast, £0 1s 3d

½ dozen ditto, £0 5s 3d

1 skein mohair, £0 3s 6d

17 yards ferreting, £0 5s 6d

2 French laces, £0 5s 6d

3 yards garters, £0 4s 6d

3 pairs broad Holland tape, £0 4s 0d

4 middling ditto, £0 1s 0d

1 hemmed ditto, £0 0s 9d

6 yards edging, £0 5s 6d

7 ditto, £0 13s 5d

15 ditto, £0 2s 5d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £128 1s 10d

Diet Expenses

168 gallons arrack, £53 4s 0d

189 lb candy, £9 9s 0d

279 lb sugar, £6 16s 0d

1 lb pepper, £0 1s 0d

Total, £69 10s 0d

Carried over, £197 11s 10d

Interpretations

This continued and closed the storekeeper's account for August 1726, carrying the goods sold to the inhabitants before the sum total of £128 1s 10d, then opening the diet charges. It followed the fixed monthly form of the store returns.

The haberdashery lines carried the small stores of the clothing trade. Ferreting was a narrow woven tape used for binding and edging, mohair a fine worsted yarn, and nuns thread a fine white sewing thread. The shirt and breast buttons, the French laces, the garters and the Holland tape supplied the making and mending of garments.

Arrack again stood as the heaviest single charge of the diet at 168 gallons and £53 4s 0d, the settled leading article of the establishment's provision. The ironmongery of locks, hinges, brads and sized nails served the settlement's building and repair, the store acting at once as draper, ironmonger and grocer through every return of the period.

145

143

Brought Over 197 11 10

Garrison vizt

3½ Gall Ceo Oyle

£ 4 4 -

8 Catties Green Tea

1 12 -

1 Large Drum Cord

- 3 6

2 Tar Brushes

- 3 -

2 19 6

Plantation

4 lb Rope

£ - 5 6

2 Canning Knives

- 3 -

- 8 6

Fortification

8 lb 24° Nailes

£ - 5 -

8 20

- 5 -

3 10

- 2 -

1 30

- - 4

10 Wt Nailes

- 5 7½

6 Stone Wedges 8 lb 11°

- 7 4

12 Helves

- 12 -

6 Sugar Shovills

- 15 -

6 Ce Axes 4 5 lb

1 17 6

2 Mawles 4 3

- 15 10

1 Line N° 12

- 3 4

52 lb Rope

1 6 -

7 15 2½

Honble Comps Blacks

3 Cask Beefe

£ 39 - -

210 lb d°

5 5 -

156 lb Cork

5 4 -

3355 lb Rice

41 18 9

3 Cask Wheat

11 8 -

180 yd° Kersey

18 18 -

15 Ps Nuggets

3 15 -

24 blew Coat Buttons

9 - -

12 doz Coat Buttons

- 18 -

12 doz Breast ditto

- 12 -

4 lb Cold Thread

- 16 -

1 Ce Needles

- 1 6

5 Ce Shoes

1 8 9

20 Ivory Combs

- 2 4

2 Thimbles

- - 4

1 Ragstone

- - 6

12 Lines Forkd

- 7 -

5 doz Hooks d°

- 2 9

138 17 9

Genll Charges

1½ lb Brimstone

£ - - 3

1 lb Twine

- 2 2

16 Bush Ce Beas

10 - -

2 Chest Locks

- 2 6

1 D° Chest Hinges

- 2 8

1 Butchers Knife

- 2 6

1 Choping D°

- 4 6

1 Pewter Sauce Pan

- 4 3

6 lb Rope

- 3 -

11 6 10

£ 358 19 7½

Brought over, £197 11s 10d

Garrison

3½ gallons rape oil, £1 1s 0d

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

1 large drum cord, £0 3s 6d

2 paint brushes, £0 3s 0d

Total, £2 19s 6d

Plantation

4 lb rope, £0 5s 6d

2 canning knives, £0 3s 0d

Total, £0 8s 6d

Fortification

8 lb 24d nails, £0 5s 0d

8 lb 20d, £0 5s 0d

3 lb 10d, £0 2s 0d

1 lb 30d, £0 4s 7d

10 lb white nails, £0 5s 7½d

6 stone wedges 8 lb, £0 7s 4d

12 helves, £0 12s 0d

6 sugar shovels, £0 15s 0d

6 axes 5 lb, £1 17s 6d

2 mauls 3, £0 15s 10d

1 line No. 12, £0 3s 4d

2 lb rope, £1 6s 0d

Total, £7 15s 2½d

Honourable Company's Blacks

3 casks beef, £39 0s 0d

210 lb ditto, £5 5s 0d

156 lb pork, £5 4s 0d

3,355 lb rice, £41 18s 9d

3 casks wheat, £11 8s 0d

189 yards kersey, £18 18s 0d

45 pieces nuckanees, £3 15s 0d

24 blue coat buttons, £9 0s 0d

12 dozen coat buttons, £0 18s 0d

12 dozen breast ditto, £0 12s 0d

4 lb cask thread, £0 16s 0d

1 lb needles, £0 1s 6d

5 pairs shoes, £1 8s 9d

20 ivory combs, £0 2s 4d

2 thimbles, £0 0s 4d

1 ragstone, £0 0s 6d

12 lines sorted, £0 7s 0d

5 dozen hooks ditto, £0 2s 9d

Total, £138 17s 9d

General Charges

1½ lb brimstone, £0 0s 3d

1 lb twine, £0 2s 2d

16 bushels burnt peas, £10 0s 0d

2 chest locks, £0 2s 6d

1 ditto chest hinges, £0 2s 8d

1 butchers knife, £0 2s 6d

1 chopping ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 pewter sauce pan, £0 4s 3d

6 lb rope, £0 3s 0d

Total, £11 6s 10d

Total, £358 19s 7½d

Interpretations

This closed the storekeeper's account for August 1726, carrying the garrison, plantation, fortification, slaves and general charges before the grand total of £358 19s 7½d. It followed the fixed monthly form of the store returns.

The account for the Honourable Company's slaves ran to the heaviest sum. Beef, pork, rice and wheat made up the bulk provisions, and the 189 yards of kersey answered the slaves' clothing, kersey being a coarse ribbed woollen cloth. Nuckanees were plain Indian cottons of the eastern trade, and the coat buttons and thread completed the making of the garments.

The fortification and plantation charges supplied the island's building and husbandry. Stone wedges, axes, mauls, sugar shovels and helves served the quarry and the fields, while the sized nails, entered by their old pennyweight designations, answered the repair of the works. Brimstone was crude sulphur, kept for match and for treating timber, and the store served the settlement at once as ironmonger, grocer and draper through every return of the period.

146

144

September

An Acct of the Expence of Liquors & Provisions for

the Month of August 1726

13 - 2 Gall Arrack for the Castle Use at 6/4 Ps Galln

£ 4 2 4

2 - 3 Arrack for the Soldiers at d°

- 17 1

7 - 1 Arrack for the Plantation Blacks d°

2 5 11

58 Bottles Cape Wine a 1 Ps Bottle

2 18 -

10 ditto Mountaine a 3 Ps d°

1 10 -

10 d° Gallicia a 2/6 Ps d°

1 5 -

9 d° Strong Beer a 2 Ps d°

- 18 -

62 lb Sugar a 1/6 Ps d°

1 11 -

13 lb Candy a 1/ Ps d°

- 13 -

114 lb Bread a 4/5 Ps 100 d°

1 8 6

118 lb Flour a 1/5 Ps 100 d°

1 9 6

15 lb Soape a 1/5 Ps d°

1 1 8

35 lb Candles a 2/6 Ps d°

4 7 6

147 lb Fresh Beefe a 1/6 Ps d°

3 13 6

165 lb Veale a 1/6 Ps d°

4 2 6

4 Goates a 10/ ea

2 - -

2 d° for the Sick Blacks a d°

1 - -

1 Kidd for d° a 6/

- 6 -

3 Piggs a 6/ ea

- 18 -

44 Fowles a 1/6 ea

3 6 -

16 Ps Salt Porke a 2/10 Ps lb

2 5 4

12 d° Salt Beefe for Plantn Blacks a 2/6 Ps lb

1 10 -

31 days Greens a 1/ Ps day

1 11 -

31 lb Butter a 1/ Ps d°

1 11 -

£ 46 10 10

John Smith

Edward Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Steward's account for August.

An account of the expense of liquors and provisions for the month of August 1726

arrack for the castle use, 13 gallons 2 quarts at 6s 4d per gallon, £4 2s 4d

arrack for the soldiers, 2 gallons 3 quarts at ditto, £0 17s 1d

arrack for the plantation blacks, 7 gallons 1 quart at ditto, £2 5s 11d

58 bottles Cape wine at 1s per bottle, £2 18s 0d

10 ditto mountain at 3s per ditto, £1 10s 0d

10 ditto Galicia at 2s 6d per ditto, £1 5s 0d

9 ditto strong beer at 2s per ditto, £0 18s 0d

62 lb sugar at 1s 6d per lb, £1 11s 0d

13 lb candy at 1s per lb, £0 13s 0d

114 lb bread at 4s 5d per 100, £1 8s 6d

118 lb flour at 1s 5d per 100, £1 9s 6d

15 lb soap at 1s 5d per lb, £1 1s 8d

35 lb candles at 2s 6d per lb, £4 7s 6d

147 lb fresh beef at 1s 6d per lb, £3 13s 6d

165 lb veal at 1s 6d per lb, £4 2s 6d

4 goats at 10s each, £2 0s 0d

2 ditto for the sick blacks at ditto, £1 0s 0d

1 kid at 6s, £0 6s 0d

3 pigs at 6s each, £0 18s 0d

44 fowls at 1s 6d each, £3 6s 0d

16 lb salt pork at 2s 10d per lb, £2 5s 4d

12 lb salt beef for plantation blacks at 2s 6d per lb, £1 10s 0d

31 days greens at 1s per day, £1 11s 0d

31 lb butter at 1s per lb, £1 11s 0d

Total, £46 10s 10d

John Smith, Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This recorded the steward's account of liquors and provisions for August 1726, set out in the fixed monthly form. The account entered each article with its rate and sum, mixing imported wine, arrack and salt goods with fresh island meat, butter and garden greens.

Arrack again stood as the heaviest charge, split between the castle, the soldiers and the plantation slaves and reckoned by the gallon at 6s 4d. The wines ran through Cape, mountain, Galicia and strong beer, mountain being a sweet Malaga from the hills behind that port, and Galicia a wine of north-western Spain.

The fresh provisions of beef, veal, goat, kid, pig and fowls were drawn from the Company's own stock and plantations, following the pattern of every return of the table. The two goats and the salt beef issued for the sick and the plantation slaves showed the establishment feeding its labour force from the same account as its own board.

147

145

At a Consultation held 28. 29. 30th Sepr & 1o Octor 1726

at Blantation House

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

the last Consultation read & Approved

Pursuant to order of Councill of 20th instant We met to

Reckon & make up an acct with the Inhabitants for Rents &

Revenues for the Year past & also with the Gartison & Workmen

for the last Quarter

William Seale presented his Petition Praying a Lease for

Seven or Eight Acres of the Honble Compys Wast Land lying in

Sherko Valley

Referd the next Consultation day there being a dispute about

this Land between the Petr & Wott Bogett

Orlando Bagley Junr also Petd for one Acre Land

in Cowles Valley,

Granted

Martin Harper also Petd to be admitted Tenant for

an Acre lying in Swalley Valley.

Granted. ———— John: Smith Wff

R: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Wr Goodwin ——

At a consultation held on 28, 29, 30 September and 1 October 1726 at Plantation House.

Present were John Smith, Deputy Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

Following the order of council of 20 September, the members met to reckon and settle accounts with the inhabitants for the rents and services owed for the past year. They also settled the last quarter's accounts with the garrison and the workmen.

William Seale presented his petition, asking for a lease of seven or eight acres of the Company's waste land in Shirke Valley. The council deferred the matter to the next consultation day, since a dispute over this land remained unresolved between the petitioner and Mrs Bazett.

Orlando Bagley senior also petitioned for one further acre of land in Cowles Valley. The council granted his request.

Martin Harper likewise petitioned to be admitted as a tenant for one acre in Swanley Valley. The council granted his request.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Deputy Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

Waste land here meant ground held by the East India Company that lay uncultivated and unallocated, rather than land that was barren or useless. The Company controlled all landholding on St Helena and released such parcels to settlers through leases and tenancies, which gave it a means of drawing rent and directing where cultivation spread across the island's valleys.

The annual reckoning of rents and services bound each inhabitant to the Company through a mixture of money payments and labour obligations. Settlers held their plots on terms that required both, so the yearly settlement functioned as the central instrument by which the Company enforced its authority over land, extracted a return from it and kept a running account of every tenant's dues.

Speculations

The council chose to defer William Seale's petition rather than grant or refuse it outright, because the parcel he sought was already contested between him and Mrs Bazett. The two other petitions on the same day were granted at once, which shows that a clear title was the ordinary condition for a grant. Faced with a rival claim it could not resolve on the spot, the council held the matter over to a later day rather than award land whose ownership might later be overturned.

148

146

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4o Octor 1726 at Ce House

Present John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfield

John Alexander

John Goodwin absent being Sick

the last Consultation read & approved

John Aldrick acquainted us he had Demanded his Son of

Mrs Thewr but she refused to deliver him & said he should not have

the Child & had put him out to School

John Thwaites & Willm Worrall were now present & Say

they both heard the said Aldrick Demand his Son of Mrs Thewr

upon which she asked him what he would do with him & denyed to

lett the said Aldrick have his Son as he desired

Its Our Opinion that since the said Mrs Thewr refused to

have the said Aldrick have his Son she ought to maintain him

at her own Charge & that the said Aldrick is no way liable to Pay

her any thing for the future towards the maintenance of this said

Son The Petition of Wm Seale being presented the preceding Consultn

was Perused as also the Consultation Book relating to the

dispute between the said Seale & Mrs Bazett & being informed

that this Land would be of Prejudice to the said Mr Seale if

Granted to any other Person

Ordered that his Request be Granted & the Same measured

accordingly.

John: Smith Wff

R: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 October 1726 at the Company's house.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield and John Alexander. John Goodwin was absent through sickness.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

John Aldrich told the council he had asked Mrs Shave to return his son, but she had refused to give the boy up. She said he should not have the child, and had already sent the boy out to school.

John Thwaites and William Worrall were now present and stated that both of them had heard Aldrich ask Mrs Shave for his son. She had then asked him what he intended to do with the boy, and had refused to let Aldrich have his son as he wished.

The council gave its view that, since Mrs Shave refused to let Aldrich have his son, she must maintain the boy at her own cost. Aldrich would bear no liability to pay her anything in future towards the child's keep.

The petition of William Seale, presented at the previous consultation, was read again, together with the consultation book relating to the dispute between Seale and Mrs Bazett. The council, informed that granting this land to any other settler would harm Seale, ordered that his request be granted and the land measured out to him accordingly.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The council acted here as a domestic court settling a dispute over the custody and cost of a child. By ruling that Mrs Shave must keep the boy at her own charge once she refused to surrender him, the members tied the financial burden directly to her refusal. This turned the question of maintenance into a lever against her, since holding the child now meant bearing its whole expense with no future claim on the father.

The reliance on John Thwaites and William Worrall as sworn witnesses shows how the council established facts in the absence of written record. Their agreement that both had heard the demand and the refusal gave the members the evidential basis to fix liability, and it illustrates the ordinary machinery by which an island council reconstructed events from oral testimony before reaching a decision.

Speculations

The council resolved the Seale land dispute in his favour only after reading the earlier consultation book, rather than deciding on his fresh petition alone. Two days earlier the same matter had been held over precisely because a rival claim by Mrs Bazett stood unresolved. The members could have deferred again, yet they chose to settle it once they had established that a grant to any other settler would damage Seale, treating his prior interest in the parcel as the decisive fact against leaving the ground open.

149

147

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11o Octor 1726 at Ce House

Present Governour & Councill

the last Consultation read & approved

this Day the old Church Wardens Messrs Jonr Johnson & John

Dorsontaine having past their Accts with Us as usuall & they Same

approved they were Discharged from their Office & the New Church

Wardens Messrs Jno Wrongham & Jon a Copey were appointed in

their Stead & the usuall Instructions delivered them for their

Guidance in the Discharge of their Duty

Likewise the old Overseers of the Highway Bryt Charles

Steward Benjamin Ellegood & Robert Bosford appeared & were

discharged having first past their Accompts & the New Overseers

Richard Goodwin John Long & Tho Yeomans were appointed to

Supplythat Office & all were Sworn to Execute their Respective

Office accordingly

Samuel Copey presented a Bill of Sale for 22½ Acres of

New Land at Poultick let Carlist, Late Tho Byonham decd

Signed by Isaac Wood the Surviving Exor of the said decd Byonham

left Widd desiring the said Bill of Sale may be Registred for better

Security thereof

Ordered that the same be accordingly Registred

Jonathan Higham Petitiond for Leave to dispose of the 7½

Acres Land he holds of the Honble Compy

Granted provided the approbn of the Purchaser

Benjo Ellegood by Petition Prayd to be Admitted Tenant

for five Acres of Wast and lying nere Vatture Ground

Granted

Joseph Lufkin also Prayed a lease of One Acre of Wast

Land lying in Grograine Bay Valley,

Granted

We the Day Granted a lease for Ninety Acres of

the Honble Compys Wast Land lying on the New Bastion to Capt Jno

Goodwin & Governour Tho Yeomans wth Grig Yarn Elizabeth

Yeomans Joynt Tenants of the Compys for the term of

21 Years [af] the whole Rent of Ce Cane We One Shill & Silly !

Saml Copey presented his Petn Praying a Deed might be granted him

for 22 Acres of Peel Land formerly Medows for better Security thereof

Ordr that upon his producing Sufficient Proofs of his title, there to a Deed

be made out & Delivered him to ascertaine the like accordingly.

John: Smith Wff

Jno Goodwin & Jno Alexander

At a consultation held on Tuesday 11 October 1726 at the Company's house.

Present were the Governor and council.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The old churchwardens, Messrs John Johnson and John Dorsent, having passed their accounts and had them approved, were discharged from their office as usual. The new churchwardens, Messrs George Wrangham and John Coppey, were appointed in their place, and the council gave them the usual instructions for the discharge of their duty.

The old overseers of the highway, Benjamin Aldgard and Charles Richard, likewise appeared, and having first passed their accounts, were discharged. Richard Goodwin, John Long and the younger [...] were appointed to fill the office, and were directed to carry out their duties accordingly.

Samuel Coppey presented a bill of sale for 22 1/2 acres of land he had earlier bought from the late Mrs Byrnham, deceased, signed by Isaac Wood, the surviving executor of the deceased. Coppey asked that the bill of sale be registered for his better security. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

Jonathan Higham petitioned for a lease of the 7 1/2 acres of land he then held from the Company. The council granted the request, subject to the approval of the Exchequer.

Benjamin Aldgard petitioned to be admitted a tenant for five acres of waste land lying in [...] Ground. The council granted the request.

Joseph Lufkin also petitioned for a lease of one acre of waste land lying in Prosperous Bay Valley. The council granted the request.

The council granted a lease for 90 acres of the Company's waste land, then held by John Goodwin, to George Wrangham. Wrangham was made joint tenant of the ground with Elizabeth [...] for the term of 21 years, at the yearly rent of one hen and one [...].

Samuel Jephry presented his petition, asking that a deed be granted him for 20 acres of steel land, formerly measured for better security. The council ordered that, once he had produced sufficient proof of his title, a deed be made out and delivered to him to establish his title accordingly.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, John Goodwin and John Alexander.

Interpretations

The council operated a system of annual parish offices, with churchwardens and highway overseers required to pass their accounts before they could be discharged and replaced. This audit at the point of handover ensured that no officer left his post while money remained unaccounted for, and it made the passing of accounts the practical condition of release from public duty.

Registration of a bill of sale gave a purchaser legal protection against later challenge. By entering Samuel Coppey's title to the 22 1/2 acres on the record, the council created an official proof of ownership that could be relied on if the transfer were ever disputed, which mattered where land passed through the executors of a deceased estate.

The requirement that Jonathan Higham's lease be confirmed by the Exchequer shows that the local council could not finally dispose of Company land on its own authority. Land grants remained subject to a higher fiscal check, so the council's grant functioned as a recommendation that awaited ratification rather than a final act.

Steel land, the ground mentioned in Samuel Jephry's petition, was land held under a particular form of tenure on the island rather than land connected with the metal. The condition that Jephry first produce proof of title before any deed issued shows the council guarding against granting formal ownership on an unsupported claim.

Speculations

The council granted George Wrangham a 90-acre lease over ground then held by John Goodwin, but made him a joint tenant with Elizabeth [...] rather than sole holder. The obvious course would have been to grant the land to a single named tenant, as with the other leases settled that day. The decision to bind two parties together in one tenancy suggests an existing claim or interest by Elizabeth [...] that the council chose to preserve within the new grant, rather than override it by awarding the whole to Wrangham alone.

150

148

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18o October 1726 at Ce

House Present Jno Smith Esqr Govern

Edward Byfield

John Alexander

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & approved

Edmond Nicholls Petd for Leave to asign over One

Acre of his hind lying in Sandy Bay to his Neighbour Thos

Goodwin. |

Granted

To the Wor Wpfull Jno Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

We the Undersubscribers Church Wardens of the Island Petition

humbly Represent that We are informed that Martha Bodly

Widow is Quick with Child of a Bastard Child & therefore Pray

Your Worship & a Councill will be Pleased to give Order in what

Manner We may & proceed effectually to Indemnify the Parish

from all Charges that may arise from the Birth of the sd Bastard

Child

the said Widow Bodley being brought before Us & Sworn

Declared upon Oath that William [...] of this Island Soldier is the

Father of the Child of which she is now big

Upon which the Governr issued his Warrant for the Seizure

of all the sd Cea Book of a Neat Cattle & One Black Man Slave

for Security & to Indemnify the Parish from any Charge that

may arise, in acct of the said Bastard Child

Jonathan Higham acquainted Us that pursuant to Leave Granted

him on Tuesday last he had Sold the sd 7½ Acres Land to

Capt John Goodwin & Prayed he might be accepted Tenant of the

Premises

Ordered that the said sd Jno Goodwin be accepted Tenant

of the Premises & to be accountable for the Rent from 25o Ysqr Left.

Coll Byfield Capt Goodwin, Mr French & Mr Long the

Steward Well cast their Monthly Acct for Sepr Last which were

Formally Exam'd & Approv'd

Coll Byfield also delivered his Generall Acct of the Honble

Comps Cea Stock &c for the Year Ending 25o Ysqr Left, wch was

also Exam'd & is a follow briff

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 October 1726 at the Company's house.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

Edmund Nicholls petitioned for leave to assign one acre of his land in Sandy Bay to his neighbour, Thomas Greentree. The council granted the request.

The churchwardens of the island presented a representation to the Governor and council. They stated that Martha Bodly, a widow, was pregnant with a bastard child, and asked the council to give whatever orders were needed to protect the parish effectively against any expense that might arise from the birth of the child.

Martha Bodly was brought before the council and declared on oath that William [...] of this island, a soldier, was the father of the child she then carried.

The Governor thereupon issued his warrant for the seizure of all the soldier's goods, a book of neat cattle and one black slave, to secure the parish and indemnify it against any charge that might arise from the child.

Jonathan Higham told the council that, following the lease granted to him at the previous consultation, he had sold the 7 1/2 acres of land to Captain John Goodwin. He asked that Goodwin be admitted tenant of the ground. The council ordered that Goodwin be admitted tenant, and be held accountable for the rent from 25 September last.

Colonel Byfield, Captain Goodwin, Mr French and John Coppey the steward passed their monthly accounts for the previous period, which were formally examined and approved.

Colonel Byfield also delivered his general account of the Company's income and stores for the year ending 25 September last, which was examined and approved as a further [...].

Interpretations

The council here acted as the parish authority under the English poor law, which made the putative father of an illegitimate child liable for its upkeep so that the cost fell on him rather than on the ratepayers. The churchwardens' representation and the sworn naming of the father set this machinery in motion, and it explains why the birth of a single child prompted formal council action rather than private arrangement.

The Governor's warrant seized the soldier's goods, cattle and slave as security before any charge had actually fallen due. This use of pre-emptive distraint shows how the council protected parish funds by attaching a named father's whole moveable estate in advance, converting his property into a guarantee against a liability that might never crystallise but could not be recovered later if he absconded.

A book of neat cattle meant a register or stock of ordinary farm cattle, the animals kept for meat, milk and draught rather than any exotic breed. On St Helena such livestock formed a principal item of moveable wealth, which is why it stood alongside the slave as the substantial asset worth seizing from a common soldier.

Speculations

The council chose to secure the parish by seizing the father's entire moveable estate at once, rather than ordering him to make periodic maintenance payments as the child's needs arose. The warrant swept up his goods, his cattle and his slave together, which points to a judgement that a soldier might be moved off the island or otherwise vanish before instalments could be collected. Faced with a debtor whose continued presence could not be assumed, the council preferred to attach everything he owned immediately over the more usual course of a running charge against his future earnings.

151

149

Neat Cattle . Sheep . Goates . Hoggs . Poultry . Horses

Bullocks - Cowes - Heifers - Steers - Yearlings Calves. Bulls Totall. Ewes Weathers Lambs Rams. Totall Ewes. Weathers Kidds Rams. Totall. Sowes Shoals Boars Barrows. Totall Turkeys Fowles Ducks. Geese bys Horses Mairs Totall

Rem 1o Sepr 1726 ..

Bullocks - 16

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 2

Steers - 1

Yearlings - 36

Calves. - 61

Bulls - 3

Totall - 188

Ewes - 53

Weathers - 25

Lambs - 35

Rams. - 3

Totall - 116

Ewes. - 217

Weathers - 106

Kidds - 161

Rams. - 6

Totall. - 490

Sowes - 14

Shoals - 35

Boars - 1

Barrows. - 8

Totall - 58

Turkeys - 83

Fowles - 95

Ducks. - 6

Geese bys - 32

Horses - 3

Mairs - 5

Totall - 8

Cred from dr a 24o do -

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifers - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves. - 4

Bulls - -

Totall - 4

Ewes - -

Weathers - -

Lambs - 6

Rams. - -

Totall - 6

Ewes. - -

Weathers - -

Kidds - -

Rams. - -

Totall. - -

Sowes - -

Shoals - -

Boars - -

Barrows. - 9

Totall - 9

Turkeys - -

Fowles - -

Ducks. - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - -

Mairs - -

Totall - -

Bullocks - 16

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 2

Steers - 1

Yearlings - 36

Calves. - 68

Bulls - 3

Totall - 192

Ewes - 53

Weathers - 25

Lambs - 41

Rams. - 3

Totall - 122

Ewes. - 217

Weathers - 106

Kidds - 161

Rams. - 6

Totall. - 490

Sowes - 14

Shoals - 35

Boars - -

Barrows. - 17

Totall - 67

Turkeys - 83

Fowles - 95

Ducks. - 6

Geese bys - 32

Horses - 3

Mairs - 5

Totall - 8

Killed to Do ..

Bullocks - 1

Cowes - -

Heifers - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves. - -

Bulls - -

Totall - 1

Ewes - -

Weathers - -

Lambs - -

Rams. - -

Totall - -

Ewes. - -

Weathers - 8

Kidds - -

Rams. - -

Totall. - 8

Sowes - -

Shoals - 1

Boars - -

Barrows. - -

Totall - 1

Turkeys - -

Fowles - -

Ducks. - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - -

Mairs - -

Totall - -

Dead to Ditto

Bullocks - 15

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 2

Steers - 1

Yearlings - 36

Calves. - 68

Bulls - 3

Totall - 191

Ewes - 53

Weathers - 25

Lambs - 41

Rams. - 3

Totall - 122

Ewes. - 217

Weathers - 98

Kidds - 161

Rams. - 6

Totall. - 482

Sowes - 14

Shoals - 34

Boars - 1

Barrows. - 17

Totall - 66

Turkeys - 83

Fowles - 95

Ducks. - 6

Geese bys - 32

Horses - 3

Mairs - 5

Totall - 8

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifers - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves. - -

Bulls - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Weathers - 2

Lambs - 1

Rams. - -

Totall - 3

Ewes. - -

Weathers - 2

Kidds - -

Rams. - -

Totall. - 5

Sowes - 3

Shoals - -

Boars - -

Barrows. - -

Totall - 3

Turkeys - 3

Fowles - -

Ducks. - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - 3

Mairs - -

Totall - -

Rem: 24o Sepr 1726

Bullocks - 16

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 2

Steers - 1

Yearlings - 36

Calves. - 68

Bulls - 3

Totall - 191

Ewes - 61

Weathers - 26

Lambs - 40

Rams. - 3

Totall - 119

Ewes. - 214

Weathers - 96

Kidds - 161

Rams. - 6

Totall. - 477

Sowes - 11

Shoals - 34

Boars - 1

Barrows. - 17

Totall - 63

Turkeys - 80

Fowles - 95

Ducks. - 6

Geese bys - 32

Horses - 5

Mairs - 3

Totall - 8

Yams Expended at the severall Plantations 33625tt

Neat Cattle

Remaining 1 September 1726

Bullocks, 16

Cows, 66

Heifers, 2

Steers, 1

Yearlings, 36

Calves, 64

Bulls, 3

Total, 188

Added from 1 to 24 September

Bullocks, -

Cows, -

Heifers, -

Steers, -

Yearlings, -

Calves, 4

Bulls, -

Total, 4

Standing total

Bullocks, 16

Cows, 66

Heifers, 2

Steers, 1

Yearlings, 36

Calves, 68

Bulls, 3

Total, 192

Killed to 24 September

Bullocks, 1

Cows, -

Heifers, -

Steers, -

Yearlings, -

Calves, -

Bulls, -

Total, 1

Standing total

Bullocks, 15

Cows, 66

Heifers, 2

Steers, 1

Yearlings, 36

Calves, 68

Bulls, 3

Total, 191

Died to 24 September

Bullocks, -

Cows, -

Heifers, -

Steers, -

Yearlings, -

Calves, -

Bulls, -

Total, -

Remaining 24 September 1726

Bullocks, 15

Cows, 66

Heifers, 2

Steers, 1

Yearlings, 36

Calves, 68

Bulls, 3

Total, 191

Sheep

Remaining 1 September 1726

Ewes, 53

Wethers, 25

Lambs, 35

Rams, 3

Total, 116

Added from 1 to 24 September

Ewes, -

Wethers, -

Lambs, 6

Rams, -

Total, 6

Standing total

Ewes, 53

Wethers, 25

Lambs, 41

Rams, 3

Total, 122

Killed to 24 September

Ewes, -

Wethers, -

Lambs, -

Rams, -

Total, -

Standing total

Ewes, 53

Wethers, 25

Lambs, 41

Rams, 3

Total, 122

Died to 24 September

Ewes, -

Wethers, 2

Lambs, 1

Rams, -

Total, 3

Remaining 24 September 1726

Ewes, 51

Wethers, 25

Lambs, 40

Rams, 3

Total, 119

Goats

Remaining 1 September 1726

Ewes, 217

Wethers, 106

Kids, 161

Rams, 6

Total, 490

Added from 1 to 24 September

Ewes, -

Wethers, -

Kids, -

Rams, -

Total, -

Standing total

Ewes, 217

Wethers, 106

Kids, 161

Rams, 6

Total, 490

Killed to 24 September

Ewes, -

Wethers, 8

Kids, -

Rams, -

Total, 8

Standing total

Ewes, 217

Wethers, 98

Kids, 161

Rams, 6

Total, 482

Died to 24 September

Ewes, 3

Wethers, 2

Kids, -

Rams, -

Total, 5

Remaining 24 September 1726

Ewes, 214

Wethers, 96

Kids, 161

Rams, 6

Total, 477

Hogs

Remaining 1 September 1726

Sows, 14

Shoats, 35

Boars, 1

Barrows, 8

Total, 58

Added from 1 to 24 September

Sows, -

Shoats, -

Boars, -

Barrows, 9

Total, 9

Standing total

Sows, 14

Shoats, 35

Boars, 1

Barrows, 17

Total, 67

Killed to 24 September

Sows, -

Shoats, 1

Boars, -

Barrows, -

Total, 1

Standing total

Sows, 14

Shoats, 34

Boars, 1

Barrows, 17

Total, 66

Died to 24 September

Sows, 3

Shoats, -

Boars, -

Barrows, -

Total, 3

Remaining 24 September 1726

Sows, 11

Shoats, 34

Boars, 1

Barrows, 17

Total, 63

Poultry

Remaining 1 September 1726

Turkeys, 83

Fowls, 95

Ducks, 6

Geese, 32

Total, -

Added from 1 to 24 September

Turkeys, -

Fowls, -

Ducks, -

Geese, -

Total, -

Standing total

Turkeys, 83

Fowls, 95

Ducks, 6

Geese, 32

Total, -

Killed to 24 September

Turkeys, -

Fowls, -

Ducks, -

Geese, -

Total, -

Standing total

Turkeys, 83

Fowls, 95

Ducks, 6

Geese, 32

Total, -

Died to 24 September

Turkeys, 3

Fowls, -

Ducks, -

Geese, -

Total, -

Remaining 24 September 1726

Turkeys, 80

Fowls, 95

Ducks, 6

Geese, 32

Total, -

Horses

Remaining 1 September 1726

Horses, 3

Mares, 5

Total, 8

Added from 1 to 24 September

Horses, -

Mares, -

Total, -

Standing total

Horses, 3

Mares, 5

Total, 8

Killed to 24 September

Horses, -

Mares, -

Total, -

Standing total

Horses, 3

Mares, 5

Total, 8

Died to 24 September

Horses, -

Mares, -

Total, -

Remaining 24 September 1726

Horses, 3

Mares, 5

Total, 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 33,625 lb

Interpretations

This was a livestock census of the Company's plantations on St Helena, tracking each class of animal across a period from 1 September to 24 September 1726. The four movements recorded for every category were the opening stock, additions by breeding, losses to slaughter and losses to death, closing with the surviving number. This layout let the Company monitor both its meat supply and the natural increase of its herds, since the animals were a strategic food reserve for the garrison and for provisioning ships that called at the island.

Neat cattle meant ordinary horned farm cattle, distinguished within the tally by age and function into bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls. Wethers were castrated male sheep or goats, kept for meat and easier management, while barrows were castrated male pigs and shoats were young weaned pigs. These distinctions mattered to the Company because breeding stock, growing animals and animals fattened for the table each served a different purpose in the plantation economy.

The final line recorded yams expended at the several plantations at 33,625 lb, which points to the crop's role as the staple carbohydrate feeding both the slave labour force and the livestock. Yams grew reliably in the island's mild subtropical conditions and stored well, so a running account of the quantity consumed gave the Company a measure of the true cost of maintaining its herds and its people.

152

150

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry & for Horses

Bullocks Cowes Heifers Steers Yearlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Totall Ewes Wethers Kids Rams Totall Sows Shoats Boars Barrows Totall Turkeys Fowls Ducks Geese bys Horses Mares Totall

Rem: 25 Sepr 1726

Bullocks - 28

Cowes - 50

Heifers - 18

Steers - 7

Yearlings - 4

Calves - 49

Bulls - 5

Totall - 161

Ewes - 51

Wethers - 21

Lambs - 12

Rams - 3

Totall - 87

Ewes - 116

Wethers - 55

Kids - 109

Rams - 7

Totall - 287

Sows - 9

Shoats - 9

Boars - 1

Barrows - -

Totall - 40

Turkeys - 50

Fowls - 52

Ducks - 187

Geese bys - 5

Horses - 17

bys - 4

Horses - 7

Mares - 2

Totall - 9

13t form do to 24 Sep

Bullocks - 2

Cowes - -

Heifers - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - -

Bulls - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Lambs - 2

Rams - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Kids - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Sows - -

Shoats - -

Boars - -

Barrows - -

Totall - -

Turkeys - -

Fowls - -

Ducks - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - 2

Mares - -

Totall - -

Cred from do to do

Bullocks - 9

Cowes - 18

Heifers - -

Steers - 1

Yearlings - 33

Calves - 66

Bulls - -

Totall - 127

Ewes - 3

Wethers - 15

Lambs - 40

Rams - -

Totall - 67

Ewes - 114

Wethers - 116

Kids - 289

Rams - -

Totall - 519

Sows - 8

Shoats - 40

Boars - -

Barrows - 1

Totall - 3.88

Turkeys - 90

Fowls - 143

Ducks - 3

Geese bys - -

Horses - 16

Mares - -

Totall - 1

bys - 1

Bullocks - 39

Cowes - 68

Heifers - 18

Steers - 8

Yearlings - 37

Calves - 115

Bulls - 5

Totall - 290

Ewes - 64

Wethers - 36

Lambs - 61

Rams - 3

Totall - 154

Ewes - 230

Wethers - 171

Kids - 398

Rams - 7

Totall - 806

Sows - 17

Shoats - 49

Boars - 1

Barrows - 4

Totall - 142

Turkeys - 330

Fowls - 7

Ducks - 33

Geese bys - 4

Horses - 7

Mares - 3

Totall - 10

Killd from do to do

Bullocks - 5

Cowes - -

Heifers - 1

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - 4

Bulls - -

Totall - 10

Ewes - -

Wethers - 2

Lambs - 2

Rams - -

Totall - 4

Ewes - 12

Wethers - 73

Kids - 6

Rams - -

Totall - 91

Sows - -

Shoats - 8

Boars - -

Barrows - -

Totall - 16

Turkeys - 221

Fowls - -

Ducks - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

Bullocks - 34

Cowes - 68

Heifers - 17

Steers - 8

Yearlings - 37

Calves - 111

Bulls - 5

Totall - 280

Ewes - 64

Wethers - 34

Lambs - 59

Rams - 3

Totall - 150

Ewes - 218

Wethers - 98

Kids - 392

Rams - 7

Totall - 715

Sows - 17

Shoats - 41

Boars - 1

Barrows - 2

Totall - 74

Turkeys - 135

Fowls - 126

Ducks - 109

Geese bys - 7

Horses - 33

Mares - 3

Totall - 10

Solde Ship in do

Bullocks - 19

Cowes - 2

Heifers - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - -

Bulls - -

Totall - 22

Ewes - -

Wethers - 6

Lambs - -

Rams - -

Totall - 6

Ewes - 1

Wethers - -

Kids - 1

Rams - -

Totall - 2

Sows - -

Shoats - -

Boars - -

Barrows - -

Totall - -

Turkeys - -

Fowls - -

Ducks - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

Bullocks - 16

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 17

Steers - 8

Yearlings - 37

Calves - 111

Bulls - 4

Totall - 258

Ewes - 64

Wethers - 28

Lambs - 59

Rams - 3

Totall - 144

Ewes - 217

Wethers - 98

Kids - 391

Rams - 7

Totall - 713

Sows - 17

Shoats - 41

Boars - 1

Barrows - 2

Totall - 74

Turkeys - 135

Fowls - 126

Ducks - 109

Geese bys - 7

Horses - 33

Mares - 4

Totall - 10

bys - 7

Sold to Jnkto in do

Bullocks - 16

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 17

Steers - 8

Yearlings - 37

Calves - 111

Bulls - 4

Totall - 258

Ewes - 64

Wethers - 28

Lambs - 59

Rams - 3

Totall - 144

Ewes - 217

Wethers - 98

Kids - 391

Rams - 7

Totall - 713

Sows - 17

Shoats - 41

Boars - 1

Barrows - 2

Totall - 74

Turkeys - 135

Fowls - 126

Ducks - 109

Geese bys - 7

Horses - 33

Mares - 5

Totall - 8

Sent to fott in d --

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifers - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - -

Bulls - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Lambs - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Kids - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Sows - -

Shoats - -

Boars - -

Barrows - -

Totall - -

Turkeys - -

Fowls - -

Ducks - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

Cattle Sheep Goates &

Hog Jnk & town in d

Bullocks - 15

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 17

Steers - 8

Yearlings - 37

Calves - 111

Bulls - 4

Totall - 258

Ewes - 64

Wethers - 26

Lambs - 59

Rams - 3

Totall - 142

Ewes - 217

Wethers - 98

Kids - 391

Rams - 7

Totall - 713

Sows - 17

Shoats - 41

Boars - 1

Barrows - 2

Totall - 74

Turkeys - 135

Fowls - 126

Ducks - 109

Geese bys - 7

Horses - 33

Mares - 5

bys - 43

Totall - 8

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifers - 114

Steers - 7

Yearlings - -

Calves - 39

Bulls - 1

Totall - 62

Ewes - -

Wethers - 18

Lambs - -

Rams - -

Totall - 18

Ewes - -

Wethers - 230

Kids - 1

Rams - -

Totall - 231

Sows - -

Shoats - -

Boars - -

Barrows - -

Totall - 585

Turkeys - 20

Fowls - -

Ducks - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

Dead in do

Bullocks - 16

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 3

Steers - 1

Yearlings - 36

Calves - 72

Bulls - 3

Totall - 196

Ewes - 64

Wethers - 26

Lambs - 41

Rams - 3

Totall - 124

Ewes - 217

Wethers - 98

Kids - 161

Rams - 6

Totall - 482

Sows - 16

Shoats - 7

Boars - 1

Barrows - 1

Totall - 25

Turkeys - 20

Fowls - 44

Ducks - 44

Geese bys - 11

Horses - 1

Mares - 4

Totall - 8

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifers - 1

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - 14

Bulls - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - 3

Lambs - 1

Rams - -

Totall - 5

Ewes - 3

Wethers - -

Kids - -

Rams - -

Totall - 5

Sows - 1

Shoats - 16

Boars - -

Barrows - 7

Totall - 1

Turkeys - -

Fowls - 5

Ducks - -

Geese bys - 1

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

Stole from do to do

Bullocks - 16

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 2

Steers - 1

Yearlings - 36

Calves - 68

Bulls - 3

Totall - 191

Ewes - 51

Wethers - 25

Lambs - 40

Rams - 3

Totall - 119

Ewes - 214

Wethers - 96

Kids - 161

Rams - 6

Totall - 477

Sows - 11

Shoats - 34

Boars - -

Barrows - 1

Totall - 7

Turkeys - 63

Fowls - 82

Ducks - 95

Geese bys - 6

Horses - 32

Mares - 5

Totall - 8

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifers - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - -

Bulls - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Lambs - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Kids - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Sows - -

Shoats - -

Boars - -

Barrows - -

Totall - -

Turkeys - -

Fowls - -

Ducks - -

Geese bys - -

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

Bullocks - 15

Cowes - 66

Heifers - 2

Steers - 1

Yearlings - 36

Calves - 68

Bulls - 3

Totall - 191

Ewes - 51

Wethers - 25

Lambs - 40

Rams - 3

Totall - 119

Ewes - 214

Wethers - 96

Kids - 161

Rams - 6

Totall - 477

Sows - 11

Shoats - 34

Boars - -

Barrows - 1

Totall - 7

Turkeys - 63

Fowls - 80

Ducks - 95

Geese bys - 6

Horses - 32

Mares - 5

Totall - 8

Yams Expended at the sevll Plantacons 301203

Do deld fort Blacks 66462

Totall Yams 447755

Remaining 25 September 1726

Bullocks 28, Cows 50, Heifers 18, Steers 7, Yearlings 4, Calves 49, Bulls 5, Neat Cattle Total 161, Ewes 51, Wethers 21, Lambs 12, Rams 3, Sheep Total 87, Goat Ewes 116, Goat Wethers 55, Kids 109, Goat Rams 7, Goat Total 287, Sows 9, Shoats 9, Boars 1, Barrows -, Hog Total 40, Turkeys 40, Fowls 58, Ducks 52, Geese 187, Other Poultry 5, Poultry Total 17, Horses 4, Mares 7, Horse Total 2

Bred from 25 September to 24 [...]

Bullocks 2, Cows 2, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 2, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs 3, Rams -, Sheep Total 3, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows 8, Shoats 10, Boars -, Barrows -, Hog Total 3, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Poultry Total -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total 1

Added from 25 September to 24 [...]

Bullocks 9, Cows 18, Heifers -, Steers 1, Yearlings 33, Calves 66, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 127, Ewes 3, Wethers 15, Lambs 40, Rams -, Sheep Total 67, Goat Ewes 114, Goat Wethers 116, Kids 289, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 519, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Hog Total -, Turkeys 3, Fowls 89, Ducks 143, Geese 3, Other Poultry 16, Poultry Total -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 39, Cows 68, Heifers 18, Steers 8, Yearlings 37, Calves 115, Bulls 5, Neat Cattle Total 290, Ewes 64, Wethers 36, Lambs 61, Rams 3, Sheep Total 164, Goat Ewes 230, Goat Wethers 171, Kids 398, Goat Rams 7, Goat Total 806, Sows 17, Shoats 49, Boars 1, Barrows 4, Hog Total 148, Turkeys 143, Fowls 330, Ducks 221, Geese 7, Other Poultry 33, Poultry Total 4, Horses 4, Mares 7, Horse Total 3

Killed from 25 September to 24 [...]

Bullocks 5, Cows -, Heifers 1, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 4, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 10, Ewes -, Wethers 2, Lambs 2, Rams -, Sheep Total 4, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers 12, Kids 73, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 91, Sows -, Shoats 8, Boars -, Barrows -, Hog Total 16, Turkeys 16, Fowls 221, Ducks -, Geese 7, Other Poultry -, Poultry Total -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 34, Cows 68, Heifers 17, Steers 8, Yearlings 37, Calves 111, Bulls 5, Neat Cattle Total 280, Ewes 64, Wethers 34, Lambs 59, Rams 3, Sheep Total 160, Goat Ewes 218, Goat Wethers 98, Kids 392, Goat Rams 7, Goat Total 715, Sows 17, Shoats 41, Boars 1, Barrows 2, Hog Total 74, Turkeys 135, Fowls 126, Ducks 109, Geese 7, Other Poultry 33, Poultry Total 4, Horses 4, Mares 7, Horse Total 3

Sold to ships

Bullocks 19, Cows 2, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls 1, Neat Cattle Total 22, Ewes -, Wethers 6, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total 6, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids 1, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 1, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Poultry Total -, Horses -, Mares 1/2, Horse Total 1/2

Standing total

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 17, Steers 8, Yearlings 37, Calves 111, Bulls 4, Neat Cattle Total 258, Ewes 64, Wethers 28, Lambs 59, Rams 3, Sheep Total 154, Goat Ewes 217, Goat Wethers 98, Kids 391, Goat Rams 7, Goat Total 713, Sows 17, Shoats 41, Boars 1, Barrows 2, Hog Total 74, Turkeys 135, Fowls 126, Ducks 109, Geese 7, Other Poultry 33, Poultry Total 4, Horses 4, Mares 6, Horse Total 3

Sold to inhabitants

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Poultry Total -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 17, Steers 8, Yearlings 37, Calves 111, Bulls 4, Neat Cattle Total 258, Ewes 64, Wethers 28, Lambs 59, Rams 3, Sheep Total 154, Goat Ewes 217, Goat Wethers 98, Kids 391, Goat Rams 7, Goat Total 713, Sows 17, Shoats 41, Boars 1, Barrows 2, Hog Total 74, Turkeys 135, Fowls 126, Ducks 109, Geese 7, Other Poultry 33, Poultry Total 4, Horses 4, Mares 5, Horse Total 3

Sent to fort

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers 2, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Poultry Total -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 17, Steers 8, Yearlings 37, Calves 111, Bulls 4, Neat Cattle Total 258, Ewes 64, Wethers 26, Lambs 59, Rams 3, Sheep Total 152, Goat Ewes 217, Goat Wethers 98, Kids 391, Goat Rams 7, Goat Total 713, Sows 17, Shoats 41, Boars 1, Barrows 2, Hog Total 74, Turkeys 135, Fowls 126, Ducks 109, Geese 7, Other Poultry 33, Poultry Total 4, Horses 4, Mares 5, Horse Total 3

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs, fort and town

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers 14, Steers 7, Yearlings -, Calves 39, Bulls 1, Neat Cattle Total 62, Ewes -, Wethers 18, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total 18, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers 230, Kids 1, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 231, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Hog Total -, Turkeys 52, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Poultry Total -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 16, Cows 66, Heifers 3, Steers 1, Yearlings 36, Calves 72, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 196, Ewes 64, Wethers 26, Lambs 41, Rams 3, Sheep Total 124, Goat Ewes 217, Goat Wethers 98, Kids 161, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 482, Sows 17, Shoats 33, Boars 1, Barrows 2, Hog Total 52, Turkeys 83, Fowls 126, Ducks 109, Geese 7, Other Poultry 33, Poultry Total 4, Horses 4, Mares 5, Horse Total 3

Died

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 14, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 5, Ewes -, Wethers 3, Lambs 1, Rams -, Sheep Total 5, Goat Ewes 3, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 5, Sows 5, Shoats 16, Boars -, Barrows 1, Hog Total 1, Turkeys 20, Fowls 44, Ducks 44, Geese 11, Other Poultry 1, Poultry Total 4, Horses 1, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 16, Cows 66, Heifers 2, Steers 1, Yearlings 36, Calves 68, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 191, Ewes 51, Wethers 25, Lambs 40, Rams 3, Sheep Total 119, Goat Ewes 214, Goat Wethers 96, Kids 161, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 477, Sows 11, Shoats 34, Boars -, Barrows 1, Hog Total 63, Turkeys 63, Fowls 82, Ducks 95, Geese 6, Other Poultry 32, Poultry Total -, Horses 4, Mares 5, Horse Total 3

Stolen

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Poultry Total -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Remaining 24 [...]

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 2, Steers 1, Yearlings 36, Calves 68, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 191, Ewes 51, Wethers 25, Lambs 40, Rams 3, Sheep Total 119, Goat Ewes 214, Goat Wethers 96, Kids 161, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 477, Sows 11, Shoats 34, Boars -, Barrows 1, Hog Total 63, Turkeys 63, Fowls 80, Ducks 95, Geese 6, Other Poultry 32, Poultry Total -, Horses 4, Mares 5, Horse Total 3

Yams expended at the several plantations, 391,293 lb

Yams delivered to fort blacks, 56,462 lb

Total yams, 447,755 lb

Interpretations

This livestock account tracked the Company's animals across a fuller set of movements than a simple census, following each class of stock through breeding, purchase, slaughter, sale, transfer and loss. The rows recorded animals bred, animals added, animals killed, animals sold to ships, animals sold to inhabitants, animals sent to the fort, animals distributed between fort and town, animals that died and animals stolen. This detailed ledger let the Company see exactly where its herds went, which mattered because the animals fed the garrison and supplied the East India ships that called at St Helena for fresh provisions on the long voyage.

The separate line for stock sold to ships captured the island's central strategic purpose as a victualling station. Vessels of the East India Company broke their passage at St Helena to take on fresh meat, so the sale of bullocks, wethers, goats and hogs to those ships was a recurring drain on the herds that the account was designed to measure. The parallel line for animals sold to inhabitants distinguished this external provisioning from the ordinary domestic market on the island.

The two yam figures at the foot recorded the crop feeding the island's people and animals, split between the plantations and the fort blacks. Yams delivered to fort blacks came to 56,462 lb, which shows that the slaves attached to the fort were provisioned separately from the plantation labour force. Yams grew dependably in the island's mild subtropical soil and stored well through the year, so they formed the staple carbohydrate on which both the garrison economy and the livestock depended.

Speculations

The account carried a distinct line for animals sold to ships kept separate from animals sold to inhabitants, though both were sales that reduced the herds by the same amount. The simpler course would have been to record a single figure for all stock sold off the Company's books. The decision to split the two suggests that the Company measured its provisioning of the East India fleet as a strategic function in its own right, distinct from the local market, so that London could judge how far the island was meeting its core purpose of victualling the ships rather than merely feeding its own settlers.

153

151

Store keepers Acco:

for ye Mo: of Sepr :

1226 lb Sugar

30 13

48 lb Candy

8

75 lb Tobbad

39 6 3

264 lb Flower

6

40 lb Sope

39 16 8

5 Gale Lynsid Oyle

1 10

1½ lb Worsted

3 4

68 a Yds Cottans

7 13 4

20 lb dry Copery

10

7 Jarrs Green Tea

1½ 10 4

9 do Bohea

8

13 a Candles

1 16 6

4 lb Sugar

6

22 lb Shrch

16 6

21 Oz Indigo

10 6

4 Barrils Dunb Black

1 1

2 lb Cream

3 1

28 lb Rozin

1

29 Table Cups

9 4 10

46 Sarcys

13 6

39 Sneakers

19 6

0 Salt Bowles

1

1 Sea Sott

5 1 10

8 Wht Pints

2 Cotton Sasfs

1 5 1

14 lb Simhap

11 5 9 6

16 do

9

3 Ginnhem

8

6 do Defortes

4½ 12 6

4 Gganeys

1 5 61

1 Matras Chints

3

1 Chymfa Cloth

1 1½ 2 1

3 Allqas

3

3 lb do Flannin

9

3 lb Cloge

15 3

39 Diapures

9½ 5 1

1 Callioe

1 4½

27 lb Nossy

11 6 2

3 do Suk

9

2 Nueter & Sniggets

11 3

2½ doz Sporano

3 9

1 Boffan

9

2 do Man Calve Sea Shoo

3½

1 Man do Sea

11 8

1 do wht Oria

8

5 do Calve Sea

1 40

1 Man Cast

3

1 Girle Suckin

1 1

Carried over

Storekeeper's account for the month of September

1226 lb sugar, £30 13s 0d

48 lb candy, £[...] 8s 3d

745 lb bread, £9 6s 3d

264 lb flour, £3 6s 0d

40 lb soap, £[...] 16s 8d

5 gallons linseed oil, £1 10s 0d

1 1/2 lb thread, £[...] 3s 4d

68 lb cut tobacco, £7 13s 4d

20 1/2 oz pepper, £[...] 10s 0d

7 catties green tea, £[...] 8s 0d

9 lb bohea, £[...] 14s 0d

13 lb candles, £1 6s 0d

4 lb pepper, £[...] 6s 6d

22 lb pitch, £[...] 4s 6d

21 oz indigo, £[...] 16s 6d

4 barrels lamp black, £[...] 10s 6d

2 lb vinegar, £[...] 1s 0d

28 lb rosin, £[...] 1s 3d

29 small cups, £[...] 9s 0d

16 large cups, £[...] 4s 10d

39 shishers, £[...] 15s 0d

1 salt bowl, £[...] 19s 6d

1 tea pot, £[...] 5s 0d

8 white shirts, £[...] 1s 10d

2 cotton stockings, £1 0s 0d

14 [...], £4 5s 0d

1 [...], £[...] 9s 6d

3 gingham, £[...] 2s 6d

4 1/2 [...], £4 5s 0d

1 [...], £[...] 5s 0d

1 Madras chintz, £1 5s 3d

1 ordinary long cloth, £1 0s 0d

3 calicoes, £[...] 9s 3d

3 [...] flannel, £[...] 7s 0d

2 1/2 [...] serge, £[...] 5s 3d

30 [...], £[...] 6s 0d

2 [...], £4 0s 0d

1 fustian, £[...] 7s 6d

27 [...] kersey, £1 14s 0d

3 [...] silk, £[...] 6s 9d

4 pewter porringers, £[...] 11s 3d

2 1/2 dozen spoons, £[...] 3s 9d

1 basin, £[...] 3s 9d

2 pairs men's calf shoes, £[...] 13s 4d

2 pairs women's slip shoes, £[...] 11s 8d

1 pair with [...], £[...] 8s 0d

5 pairs calf shoes, £1 0s 10d

1 men's [...], £[...] 1s 0d

1 girl's [...], £[...] 3s 4d

Carried over

Interpretations

This was the storekeeper's monthly account of goods issued from the Company warehouse on St Helena in September 1726. The first section covered provisions and general stores, while the second listed textiles, footwear and pewter ware. Each entry gave the quantity, a short description and the value in sterling. The Company used the account to track everything leaving its store and the cost charged against its books.

Several cloth names identify goods brought in through the Company's Indian trade. Madras chintz was a printed or painted cotton from the Coromandel coast, prized for its bright fast colours. A long cloth was a plain white cotton woven in long lengths, here graded as ordinary quality. Calico was another plain Indian cotton, and gingham a checked or striped cotton, both staples of the eastern textile trade that passed through St Helena on the route home.

The woollen cloths came from the opposite direction, carried out from England. Kersey was a coarse ribbed woollen used for hard-wearing clothing, serge a stronger twilled wool, and fustian a tough cotton and linen mix. Durance was a durable glazed woollen, and flannel a soft loosely woven wool. These heavier fabrics clothed the garrison and the settlers, while the Indian cottons served both local use and the passing ships.

Bohea was a black tea from the Wuyi hills of Fujian, reaching the island through the Company's China trade and measured here alongside green tea. Porringers were small bowls for soup or porridge, listed in pewter because that was the common tableware of the settlement. The mix of fine imported cloth, plain provisions and everyday tableware shows that the one store supplied the wants of the garrison, the settlers and the vessels calling for refreshment.

154

152

Brott

1 Man Silk Stock

1 1 6

1 do wht

3 7 6

1 Man

10 9

1 do

7 1

1 do

6 3

20 do

2 6 6

3 Boys do

7 4

1 Worsted

15 2

4 do Thread Sorp

9 8

3 Mens Lad Hatt

3 7 8

1 Plain

10 6

2 Sold do

6 6

1 Boys

8 3

3 do

18 3

1 Pint Pork

1 1 3

3 do

1 8

1 do

6

1 do

8 6

2 Frying Pans

6

3 do Pork

1 1 6

1 do Pork

8 6

1 Hammer

6

1 Bread Ax

1 6 8

1 Hastone

6

1 Whitstone

6

4 Yds Thread

4 8

1 Mauty

1 9 8

1 Gimblet

8 6

10 in Rule

2 6

1 Iron

1 1 3

3 Flower Pans

1 2 6

4 do

5 3

2 do

3 6

2 do Cofey Cotto

6

2 do

4 6

2 do Stapent

3 6

2 Butt

6

3 do Stayes

3 15

1 Riding Coat

16 6

1 do

10 6

3 Beehive

6

1 Han Broom

5 6

1 Noddin Bowle

6

2 Butchers Knives

1 6

11 Thimbles

1 10

3 Reading Combs

3 9

3 Ivory

3 4

4 do

4 8

Carried over

Brought over

1 pair men's silk stockings, £1 1s 6d

10 pairs men's silk stockings knit, £3 7s 6d

1 pair men's worsted stockings, £0 10s 9d

1 pair men's worsted stockings, £0 7s 9d

1 pair men's worsted stockings, £0 8s 6d

20 pairs men's worsted stockings, £0 6s 4d

3 pairs boys' worsted stockings, £2 7s 4d

1 pair worsted stockings, £0 15s 9d

4 [...] thread caps, £0 4s 8d

3 men's laced hats, £3 7s 8d

1 plain hat, £0 14s 6d

2 gold hats, £0 6s 6d

1 boys' hat, £0 8s 3d

3 [...] hats, £0 18s 0d

1 flint lock, £1 1s 3d

3 flint locks, £0 3s 8d

3 flint locks, £0 6s 6d

2 frying pans, £0 6s 0d

3 frying pans, £1 11s 6d

1 [...] lock, £0 8s 6d

1 hammer, £0 6s 6d

1 bread knife, £1 16s 6d

1 hone stone, £0 6s 6d

1 whetstone, £0 8s 6d

4 [...] shovels, £1 12s 9d

1 [...], £0 9s 6d

1 gimblet, £0 8s 6d

16 tin cups, £2 5s 6d

3 [...] flour cans, £1 2s 6d

4 flour cans, £0 3s 6d

2 coffee cups, £0 3s 6d

2 coffee cups, £0 4s 6d

2 [...] pimento, £0 3s 6d

2 [...] butter, £0 3s 6d

3 [...] tallow, £3 15s 0d

1 riding coat, £1 16s 0d

3 penknives, £0 6s 6d

1 hair broom, £0 5s 6d

1 [...] bottle, £0 6s 6d

2 butcher's knives, £0 1s 6d

11 thimbles, £0 1s 10d

3 [...] combs, £0 3s 9d

3 [...], £0 3s 8d

4 [...], £4 1s 8d

Carried over

Interpretations

This page continued the storekeeper's monthly account of goods issued from the Company warehouse on St Helena in September 1726. The entries covered stockings, hats, hardware, kitchen ware and small personal items, each with its quantity and value in sterling. The account served the Company as a running record of stock leaving the store and the cost charged against its books.

Several terms name goods now unfamiliar. A flint lock was a firearm firing mechanism that struck sparks from flint to ignite the powder charge, so a listed flint lock was either the whole musket or its lock alone. A hone stone and a whetstone were both sharpening stones for putting an edge on blades and tools. A gimblet was a small hand tool for boring holes, and pimento was allspice, the dried berry used as a kitchen spice.

Worsted was a smooth strong woollen yarn spun from long combed fibres, giving harder-wearing stockings than ordinary wool. Laced hats were trimmed with gold or silver braid and stood above the plain hats in the same list, marking a difference of rank and price among the settlers who bought them. The mixture of fine hats, work tools and everyday hardware confirms that the single store met the whole range of wants across the garrison and the settlement.

155

153

Brott Over

1 Ivory Comb

1 4

4 do

2 7

36 Doz Docks Sorted

13 7½

60 Ditto

10 4

1 lb do Nailes

1 1 3

1. 3

1 1

1. 4

10

15. 6o

11 3

1. 8

8

1 a Shoe Thread

2 6

1 Small Lanthorne

5 3

6 Shains Silk & Hair

3

1 Papr Buttons

8

7 Doz Coat Buttons

9

18 Doz Breast

1 3

5 Shains Mohair

7

5 China Silk

5 3

3½ do

19

9¾ Brown Thread

1 7 6

1½ a Whited do

13 9

2½ do

1 4

4 do

10

1½ do

3 4

10 a do

6 Oz Thread

Carried over to folio 155

An Acct of the Expence of Liqrs & Provisions for the Month of

September 1726.

53 Bottles Mountaine at 3/- p Bottle

7 19 6

9 do Gallicia at 2/6 do

12

12 do Cape Wine at 1/- do

18

6 do Sherry at 3/- do

18

6 do Sack at 5/- do

1 5

5 do Strong Beer at 2/- do

18

Galls 9 Arrack for the Tableing Fort & Country at 6/4 p Gall

8 7 10

26 3 do to the Soldiers at do

16 7½

2 2½ do to Plantation Blacks at do

11 8

5 1 do Vinegar at 4/- p Gall

6

1 2 do

67 Jugr for the Use of the Fort & Country at 1/6 p do

1 13 6

at 1/6 do

18

18 do Selgr Candy at 25/- p 100

2 3 9

185 do Bread at 25/- p 100

1 8 9

11 do Flower at 2/6 p do

11 3

42 do Wax Candles at -/17 p lb

2 5 4

32 do Soap at -/1 p lb

10

30 do Butter at -/1 p lb

1 10

30 Days Greens at -/1 p day

1 10

Carried Over 41 7 2½

Brought over

1 ivory comb, £0 1s 4d

36 dozen forks sorted, £0 9s 7d

60 forks sorted, £0 13s 7d

1 lb ditto nails, £1 10s 4d

1 lb 3d nails, £0 1s 3d

1 lb 4d nails, £0 1s 10d

15 lb 6d nails, £0 11s 3d

1 lb 8d nails, £0 1s 8d

1 lb shoe thread, £0 2s 6d

1 single lantern, £0 5s 3d

6 skeins silk and hair, £0 3s 8d

1 paper pins, £0 [...]s [...]d

7 dozen coat buttons, £0 [...]s [...]d

18 dozen breast buttons, £0 9s 3d

5 skeins mohair, £0 1s 3d

1 China silk, £0 7s 3d

3 1/2 China silk, £0 5s 3d

9 3/4 lb brown thread, £1 19s 6d

1 1/2 lb white thread, £0 17s 6d

2 1/2 lb white thread, £0 13s 9d

4 lb white thread, £1 4s 10d

1 1/2 lb white thread, £0 [...]s [...]d

16 lb white thread, £3 [...]s [...]d

6 oz thread, £0 4s [...]d

Carried over to folio 155

An account of the expense of liquors and provisions for the month of September 1726

53 bottles Mountain wine at 3s per bottle, £7 19s 6d

9 bottles Galicia at 2s 6d per bottle, £0 12s 0d

12 bottles Cape wine at 1s per bottle, £0 18s 0d

6 bottles sherry at 3s per bottle, £0 18s 0d

5 bottles sack at 5s per bottle, £1 5s 0d

9 bottles strong beer at 2s per bottle, £0 18s 0d

29 gallons arrack for the fort and country table at 6s 4d per gallon, £8 7s 10d

26 1/2 gallons arrack to the soldiers at 6s 4d per gallon, £16 7s 6d

2 1/2 gallons arrack to the plantation slaves at 6s 4d per gallon, £0 11s 8d

5 gallons vinegar at 4s per gallon, £0 6s [...]d

1 1/2 gallons vinegar, £0 [...]s [...]d

67 [...] sugar for the use of the fort and country at 16s per [...], £1 13s 6d

[...] at 16s per [...], £0 18s 0d

18 lb sugar candy at 25s per 100, £2 3s 9d

185 lb bread at 25s per 100, £1 8s 9d

111 lb flour at 2s 6d per [...], £0 11s 3d

42 lb wax candles at 1s per lb, £2 5s 4d

32 lb soap at 1s per lb, £1 10s 0d

30 lb butter at 1s per lb, £1 10s 0d

30 days greens at 1s per day, £0 [...]s [...]d

Carried over, £41 7s 2 1/2d

Interpretations

This page closed one storekeeper's list and opened a separate account of liquor and provisions consumed at the fort and settlement during September 1726. The second account priced each item at a stated rate and extended it to a sterling total, which let the Company measure the running cost of victualling the garrison, the soldiers and the plantation slaves. Its careful separation of who received each issue of arrack shows that the drink allowance was accounted for by class of recipient.

Several named goods reflect the reach of the Company's trade routes. Mountain was a sweet Spanish wine from the hills near Malaga, Galicia a wine from north-west Spain, and sack a strong fortified white wine of the sherry family. Arrack was a distilled spirit made in the East from palm sap, rice or sugar, and formed the standard strong liquor issued across Company settlements. Cape wine came from the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, the nearest wine source on the homeward route.

The nail entries were graded by the old penny sizes, where 3d, 4d, 6d and 8d described the length and weight of the nail rather than its price. Mohair was a yarn spun from the hair of the Angora goat, and a skein was a coiled length of thread or yarn as it came from the maker. The greens issued daily were fresh vegetables grown on the island, a valued guard against scurvy for a population dependent on salted stores and passing ships.

156

154

Brought Over

41 7 2½

8 Do Salt Beef at 2/6 p lb

1 7

12 do to Plantn Blacks at 2/6 p lb

1 10

27 do Salt Porke at 2/6

3 17

38 Fowles at 1/6 do

2 7

479 Fresh Beef at -/3 do

5 19 9

45 Fresh Porke at -/6 do

1 2 6

116 Veal at -/6 do

2 18

6 Goates at 10/- do

3

2 Bo for the Sick Blacks at do

64 11 5½

Gunners Stores Expended from ye Elung 1726

to the 24th Sepr following

Guns Sale Pouder Expend

Augst the 5th King Georges Proclamn day

9 9 9

3 Being Muster day

10

5 At the Funeral of Henry Johnson

1

Expended in the Guards

12

Totll 9 9 32

Musquett Balls for ditto

15

Handspikes for nas Plantn Use

6

Adzhes Delivr the Carpenter

2

Trucks Delivr to ditto

7

Cartridge Papr to make Cartridges

2r 4

Ditto Expended in the Guards

4

Match Expended

14

Totll 14 5 7 2 6 15th

Septr ye 4th Being Muster day

10 flou

Expended for the Guards

10 do

Musqt Balls for do

Cartridge Papr for do

2r

Match Expended

10

Totll 10 1 10 25th

Brought over, £41 7s 2 1/2d

8 lb salt beef at 2s 6d per lb, £1 [...]s [...]d

12 lb salt beef to plantation slaves at 2s 6d per lb, £1 10s 0d

27 lb salt pork at 2s per lb, £3 17s 0d

38 fowls at 1s 6d each, £2 17s 0d

479 lb fresh beef at 3d per lb, £5 19s 9d

45 lb fresh pork at 6d per lb, £1 2s 6d

116 lb veal at 6d per lb, £2 18s 0d

6 goats at 10s each, £3 0s 0d

2 goats for the fort slaves at 10s each, £1 0s 0d

Total, £64 11s 5 1/2d

Guns and stores expended from 1 August 1726 to 24 September following

Guns fired

5 August, King George's proclamation day, 9

3 August, being muster day, 9

5 August, at the funeral of Henry Johnson, 9

Expended in the guards, 9

Total guns fired, 9

Powder expended

5 August, King George's proclamation day, 9 lb

3 August, being muster day, 10 lb

5 August, at the funeral of Henry Johnson, 1 lb

Expended in the guards, 12 lb

Total powder, 32 lb

Musket balls for the guards, 9 lb

Handspikes for plantation use, 6

Adzes delivered to the carpenter, 2

Trucks delivered to the carpenter, 7

Cartridge paper to make cartridges, 4 quires

Cartridge paper expended in the guards, 4 quires

Match expended, 14 lb

Total, 14 lb 5 [...] 7 [...] 2 quires 6 [...]

4 and 7 September, being muster day

Powder expended for the guards, 10 lb

Musket balls for the guards, 10 lb

Cartridge paper for the guards, 2 quires

Match expended, 10 lb

Total, 10 lb 1 [...] 10 [...] 25

Interpretations

This page set out two accounts, the first pricing meat and livestock issued during September 1726 and the second recording military stores expended between 1 August and 24 September. The meat account distinguished salt provisions from fresh, and separated issues to the fort slaves and plantation slaves from the general supply. This let the Company track both the cost of feeding its people and the different rations allotted by rank and status across the settlement.

The gun and powder account recorded ceremonial and routine consumption of ordnance stores. Guns were fired to mark King George's proclamation day, the monthly muster and the funeral of Henry Johnson, each occasion drawing a set charge of powder. The record shows the Company treating gunpowder as a costed store to be accounted for by the occasion of its use, whether for salute, drill or the daily guard.

Several terms name military and workshop stores now unfamiliar. Handspikes were stout wooden levers used to shift heavy guns and loads, an adze a curved axe for shaping timber, and trucks the small solid wheels fitted to a gun carriage. Cartridge paper was a stiff paper rolled to hold a measured powder charge, and match was the slow-burning cord used to fire a gun. A quire was a measure of paper of about 24 sheets, which is why the cartridge paper was counted in quires.

157

155

Bt Over

10 Oz Thread

1 6 10

6 do

6 6

2 do

14 6

2 do

6 6

4 do

6 6

1 do

11

1 do

6

500 Sutles

7 3

13 Yds Holland Tape

13

1 Coarse do

6

1 Ompict do

6

2 do do

6 6

1 do do

6

6 Yds Garting

3

36 Doz Mns Shoos

13 6

10 Garnetting

3

6 Doz Shirt Buttons

1 6

2½ Mns Cross

8

6½ do

8

1 Mns do

1 9

Totall to Inhabitants

145 10 2

Diet Expences Mrs Copey

6

1 Capt Beef 13/-

13

1 do Pork 12/- t

12

106 Bread 1. 6. 3

26 12 3

Genll Charges

1 Double Cup dio -/18/-

18

1 do Curbs -/6/-

6

1 Large Sea Batts 7/- t

7

24 Oz Snuff -/4/-

4

12 do -/4/-

4

3 Han Broome -/7/-

7

1 Quen Ittua Cra 1. 11. 6

1 11 6

6 Ell Glasse -/15/-

15

1 do Rattles -/-/8

8

2. 10 -/1/-

1

8 Glass & Beade -/1/6

1 6

10 do Peal Ringo 1. 6. 8

1 6 8

1 Cutt Josh -/6/8

6 8

6 do Cach Thrid -/3/6

3 6

6 do Sami -/1/2

1 2

20 Dutch Ringo -/-/10

10

Carrd over

Brought over

10 oz thread, £0 6s 10d

6 oz thread, £0 6s 6d

2 oz thread, £0 14s 6d

2 oz thread, £0 6s 6d

4 oz thread, £0 6s 6d

1 oz thread, £0 6s 6d

1 oz thread, £0 6s 6d

500 pins, £0 3s 6d

13 pieces Holland tape, £0 7s 3d

1 coarse tape, £0 1s 6d

1 corded tape, £0 6s 6d

2 tape, £0 4s 6d

1 tape, £0 6s 6d

6 yards garting, £0 1s 3d

36 dozen men's shoes, £0 3s 6d

10 yards everlasting, £0 1s 6d

6 dozen shirt buttons, £0 2s 11d

2 1/2 yards linen, £0 8s 8d

6 1/2 yards linen, £0 1s 9d

1 yard linen, £0 1s 9d

Total to inhabitants, £145 10s 2d

Debt expenses

6 pieces sugar candy, £0 6s 0d

1 chest sugar, £0 13s 0d

1 chest pork, £0 12s 0d

106 lb bread, £1 6s 3d

Total, £26 12s 3d

General charges

1 double case bottle, £0 18s 0d

1 case bottle, £0 6s 0d

1 large tea kettle, £0 7s 0d

24 oz thread, £0 3s 0d

12 tape, £0 4s 0d

3 hair brooms, £0 7s 0d

1 quart tanned oil, £1 11s 6d

2 copper, £0 6s 0d

6 ells glass, £0 15s 0d

1 lb glass, £0 4s 8d

2 [...], £0 1s 0d

8 glass and bread, £0 1s 6d

10 pounds pins, £1 6s 8d

1 quart pork, £0 6s 8d

6 yards check thread, £0 3s 6d

6 yards linen, £0 6s 8d

20 Dutch pins, £0 10s 0d

Carried over

Interpretations

This page closed the storekeeper's account of goods issued to the inhabitants and then opened two further headings, one for debt expenses and one for general charges. The account tracked each item by quantity and sterling value, giving the Company a running total of stock leaving the store under each head. The separation into inhabitants, debts and general charges let the Company see who received the goods and against which account the cost fell.

Several named goods reflect the reach of Company trade. Holland tape was a fine linen tape woven in the Netherlands, and a double case bottle was a square spirit bottle made to pack tightly in a fitted case. Garting was tape or ribbon used as garters to hold up stockings, and everlasting was a hard-wearing worsted cloth named for its durability. These small textile goods clothed the settlers and passed through the store alongside the heavier provisions.

Ells and quires measured the goods by old trade units. An ell was a cloth measure of about 45 inches, used here for glass sold by length rather than sheet. The thread priced by the ounce and the linen priced by the yard show the store dealing in the everyday materials of clothing and mending, supplied to a settlement that depended on the Company warehouse for almost every manufactured want.

158

156

Bt Over

2 Gale Line

6 8

1 Lynsen Sated

16 8

2 do

2 9

7 Yds Jul 15/ p yd

16 11

1 Box Cand 16/ p 100

16

2 Gale Vineg

5

6 Bunb Blacs

2 17

1 Fine Same Cra

1 2 0

4 Yds a Duck

12 8

28 19 8

Fortification

½ do do Naile

2 6

6 Hoes

7 1

12 Blocs

12

1 do a Oyle

1 6

1 17

Great Wood

10 Shod Shovles

1 15

18 Belovs

18

1 do do

4

3 Yds a Hoes

10

4 Hawles

1 10

2 Lyns

6 8

6 Deales

13 6

6 Nathion

4

1 do do Naile

3 3

2. 6

1 6

6. 26o

3 9

Garison

12 Cast a Cra

8

5 Gale a Oyle

1 10

1 do Snuff

3

6 9

Plantaion

4 Gale a Oyle

1 6

1 Cutknife

4

3 Cast a 10 & do

3

16 Cordage

8

1 17

Honble Comps Blacks

5 Cast Beef

65

137 do Flie

6 17 6

2 do Mn Shoo

11 6

1 do a do

5 10

13 do a Herfey

19 15

40 do Guards

2 10

10 do a do

1 6

10 Gyphase

3 7 6

30 do Bread

19

63 Snuo Sorted

2 11 3

42 Doz Docks

1 2 1

1 do Sam

2 2

16 Sami

2 4

31 do do a

10 3

1 Man Stock

2 2

3 Cast a Cra

1 10

1 do a Oyle

1 6

2 do Sugar

1

151 3

Totall At

366 6 8

Brought over

2 large linen, £0 6s 8d

1 China [...] salad, £0 14s 8d

2 China [...], £0 2s 3d

7 1/2 yards fustian broad, £0 16s 11d

1 box candles 16 lb, £0 16s 0d

2 gallons vinegar, £0 5s 0d

6 bunch beads, £2 17s 0d

1 tin saucepan, £0 2s 0d

4 yards Holland Dutch, £0 12s 8d

Total, £28 19s 8d

Fortification

1 lb ditto nails, £0 2s 6d

6 hoes, £1 1s 0d

12 files, £0 12s 0d

1 1/2 lb oil, £0 1s 6d

Total, £1 17s 0d

Great Wood

10 shod shovels, £1 15s 0d

18 files, £0 18s 0d

1 lb 8d nails, £0 1s 0d

3 1/2 hoes, £0 10s 0d

4 hatchets, £1 10s 0d

2 files, £0 6s 8d

6 deals, £0 13s 6d

6 rattoon, £0 3s 0d

1 lb 3d nails, £0 3s 3d

2 files, £0 1s 6d

6 3d nails, £0 3s 9d

12 lb candles, £0 5s 8d

Total, £6 9s 0d

Garrison

5 gallons oil, £1 10s 0d

12 files, £0 3s 0d

Total, £1 1s 0d

Plantation

4 gallons oil, £1 4s 0d

1 penknife, £0 3s 6d

3 files 10 in, £0 3s 0d

16 fowls, £0 8s 0d

Total, £1 17s 0d

Honourable Company slaves

5 lb candles, £0 [...]s [...]d

137 pairs shoes, £6 11s 6d

72 pairs men's shoes, £4 11s 6d

1 lb pins, £0 5s 10d

127 yards kersey, £12 15s 0d

40 pairs guards, £2 10s 0d

14 hoes, £0 3s 6d

10 gimblets, £0 3s 6d

30 lb thread, £0 12s 0d

63 dozen forks sorted, £2 11s 3d

12 dozen forks, £1 2s 1d

15 [...], £0 2s 4d

16 files, £0 2s 4d

31 3d nails, £0 10s 3d

1 China stock, £0 2s 2d

1 chest china, £1 10s 0d

1 tin oil, £0 1s 6d

2 [...] sugar, £0 1s 0d

Total, £151 0s 3d

Total, £366 6s 8d

Interpretations

This page closed the storekeeper's account by grouping goods under the several works and departments they supplied. The headings named the fortification, the Great Wood, the garrison, the plantation and the Honourable Company slaves, so each issue of tools, cloth and provisions fell to a distinct charge. This let the Company see exactly which work or which body of people had drawn on the store, and the running totals under each head carried through to a grand total of £366 6s 8d.

The Great Wood entries reflect the planting effort in that quarter of the island, where shovels, hatchets, hoes and files were issued to clear and tend the ground. Deals were sawn planks of softwood, and rattoons were young shoots or canes, perhaps for planting or for light construction. The concentration of edged tools under this head shows the labour of maintaining the island's timber and cultivation was accounted for separately from the fort.

Several goods reflect the reach of Company trade. Kersey was a coarse ribbed woollen carried out from England, issued here in quantity to clothe the Company slaves. A gimblet was a small boring tool, files were used to sharpen and shape iron, and shod shovels were fitted with an iron edge to cut hard ground. The large issue of shoes, cloth and tools to the slaves shows the Company met the whole cost of maintaining its labour force from the same store that supplied the garrison and the passing ships.

159

157

[Lower third of the page is faint and crossed through with a large diagonal cross, foot of the page largely illegible.]

1726

Island St Helena At a Consultation Held on Tuesday the 25th

Day of October 1726 At the Honble Compas Plantation House

Prest John Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeild 2d

Jno Alexander 3d

Jno Goodwin 4th of Count

the last Consultation read and Approved on

Whereas in Consultacon of the 19 July last past is a Copy Entered

Upon the Petition of Thomas Wignell the surgeon on a Paper Containing

severall Articles wherein the said Wignell hath Obliged himself upon

his ill Behaviour & Neglect of Duty, to Comply therewith on the Penaltys

& Punishment therein fully Mentiond. And forasmuch as

the said Thomas Wignell hath in every Respect Deviated from

& broke thro all & Every the said Articles & Voluntary Engagements

aforesaid and still Persisting in his Sottish Course of like frequent

Neglect of Duty & Continued ill Behaviour. Ordered That

the said Thomas Wignell be from this time Discharged the Honble

Companys service & all Bennefitts he used to Enjoy thereby.

the Petition of John Aldrick Monro was presented

Praying therein to become Tennant to the Honble Company, for

a small Peice of Ground in the ffort Valley on the back part of his

House to build a Kitchen on. Orderd this peice of ground be

first Viewd to see the Grant thereof is not Prejudiciall to his Neighbours

and then his Petitioner to have his Answer

the Governour Reports that Jacob the Taylor & Old

Mary the Midwife 2 Muase to the sick Blacks belonging to the

Honble Company both dyed last week at the Fort.

Margin Notes:

Wignell

+

Island of St Helena. At a consultation held on Tuesday 25 October 1726 at the Honourable Company's Plantation House.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, second, John Alexander, third, and John Goodwin, fourth of council.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

At the consultation of 19 July, the council entered a copy of a paper drawn up on the petition of Thomas Wignall, the surgeon. That paper set out several articles by which Wignall had bound himself, on pain of the penalties and punishment fully described in it, to give up his poor conduct and his neglect of duty. Wignall had since departed from every one of those articles and broken through all the voluntary engagements he had made. He still persisted in his drunken habits, with frequent neglect of his duty and continued bad behaviour. The council therefore ordered that Thomas Wignall be discharged from the Company's service and lose every benefit he had enjoyed through it.

John Aldrich, mason, presented his petition to become a tenant of the Company for a small piece of ground in the Fort Valley, behind his house, on which to build a kitchen. The council ordered that the ground first be viewed to make sure the grant would not harm his neighbours, and would then give the petitioner its answer.

The Governor reported that Jacob the tailor and Mary the milliner, two of the sick slaves belonging to the Company, had both died in the past week at the fort.

Start of crossed out section

The lower portion of the page carries a passage struck through with a large diagonal cross. The heavy fading, ink loss and the cancellation strokes across the text defeat the reading, so its content cannot be recovered. [...]

End of crossed out section

Interpretations

The discharge of Thomas Wignall shows how the Company used a written undertaking as a disciplinary instrument. At the earlier consultation of 19 July 1726, Wignall had signed articles that fixed in advance the penalties for any relapse, so his later conduct triggered a forfeiture already agreed rather than a fresh judgement. This turned his own bond against him, letting the council strip him of his post and every benefit without needing to argue the case afresh.

The requirement that John Aldrich's plot be viewed before any grant reflects the Company's control over building on its ground. A grant for a kitchen behind his house could encroach on a neighbour, so the council withheld its answer until the site had been inspected. This shows the council guarding the interests of existing tenants before it added a new structure to the crowded ground of the Fort Valley.

Speculations

The council chose to view Aldrich's plot before answering, rather than grant or refuse the small piece of ground at once. The two deaths and the Wignall discharge were settled on the spot, yet this minor request for a kitchen site was held over for inspection. The reason lay in the position of the ground, close behind the house and among neighbours, where even a small building might block a right or crowd a boundary. Faced with a grant that could harm a third party, the council preferred the delay of a survey over an immediate answer that might later have to be undone.

160

158

[Upper portion of the page is crossed through with a large diagonal cross, the lines beneath the page heading largely illegible.]

Octobr

John Colgrave haveing some time since Petitiond

for about One Acre of the Honble Companys Wast Land lying

in Deep Valley below the Lands of Thos Illis Orderd that

that his Petition be granted & that the same be measured to

him accordingly.

John: Smith Wff

R: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Island St Helena

At a Consultation Held on Tuesday

the 1 day of Novr 1726 At the Honble Compe as Plantacon

House John Smith Esqr Govr

Capt Edwd Byfeild abst Pres Jno Alexander 3d &

being Indisposed. Jno Goodwin 4th

the last Consultation read and Approved on

Samuel Jessey Planter presented his Petition this day

Praying to become Tennant to the Honble Company for about

five Acres of these Wast Land Adjoyning to his own Land at

the Head of Wilkes Valley & which if granted to any other

Person would be Prejudiciall to him.

Ordered that Capt Goodwin do view this Peice of Land

and then to make report whether the granting the same to the

Petitioner would be any ways Prejudiciall to the Neighbourhood

Start of crossed out section

The passage at the head of the page is struck through with a large diagonal cross. The heavy fading, ink loss and the cancellation strokes across the text defeat the reading, so its content cannot be recovered. [...]

End of crossed out section

John Colgrave, having petitioned some time earlier for about one acre of the Company's waste land in Deep Valley below the land of Thomas Illis, had his request granted. The council ordered that the parcel be measured out to him accordingly.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Island of St Helena. At a consultation held on Tuesday 1 November 1726 at the Honourable Company's Plantation House.

Present were John Smith, Governor, John Alexander, third, and John Goodwin, fourth. Captain Edward Byfield was absent, being unwell.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

Samuel Jephry, planter, presented his petition, asking to become a tenant of the Company for about five acres of waste land next to his own land at the head of Wilkes Valley, which he stated could be granted to no other person without harming him. The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the parcel and then report whether granting it to the petitioner would in any way harm his neighbours.

Interpretations

The requirement that Captain Goodwin view Samuel Jephry's parcel before any grant reflects the Company's control over the disposal of its waste land. Jephry argued that the ground next to his own could not go to anyone else without injuring him, yet the council withheld its answer pending an inspection. This shows the council testing a tenant's claim of prior interest against the rights of his neighbours before committing the land.

Speculations

The council chose to send Captain Goodwin to view Jephry's ground rather than grant or refuse the five acres at once, though John Colgrave's request for waste land on the same day was granted outright. The difference lay in the competing interests around Jephry's plot, where his claim that no one else could take it without harming him invited exactly the sort of neighbour dispute the council wished to avoid. Faced with a contested parcel, the council preferred the delay of a survey over an immediate grant that might set one tenant against another.

161

159

1726.

Captain Goodwin Reports that pursuant to Sundry Orders of

Councill He had Measured the following Parcells of the

Honble Companys Wast Land vizt

For William Worrall two Acres and a Half.

Joseph Bates a small Peice of Half an Acre to Enlarge

his other two Acres & a half Adjoyning.

Mary Shreeve Widd Seven Acres & a Half

Orlando Bagley senr One Acre Adjoyning to his othr Land

Orlando Bagley Junr One Acre in his Cowles Valley

William Adds One Acre & a Half Adjoyng to his othr Land

Joshua Johnson Eight Acres Adjoyng to his free Land

John Younes 26 Acres formerly Measured Enlarged to

30 Acres for better Conveniency of Fencing

Edmund Nichols Ten Acres Adjoyng to his othr Land

Stephen Lufkin senr Eleven Acres Adjoyning to his

Benjamin Rodgard Eight Acres Adjoyning to his

Joseph Lufkin One & a Half Acre Adjoyng to his

Thomas Harper twelve Acres on Hoopers Hill.

John French Junr fourteen Acres

John Bazett two Acres & a Half Adjoyng to his othr Land

John Bradley One Acre in Prosprs Bay Valley.

Ordered That Leases be made Out Accordingly for each

Parcell of Land aforesaid for the Terms of twenty One

Years at the usuall rent of four shillings p Acre besides

One shilling duty.

John: Smith Wff

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Captain Goodwin reported that, following several orders of council, he had measured out the following parcels of the Company's waste land.

For William Worrall, two and a half acres. For Joseph Bates, a small piece of half an acre to enlarge his other two and a half acres adjoining. For Mary Shreeve, a widow, seven and a half acres. For Orlando Bagley senior, one acre adjoining his own land. For Orlando Bagley junior, one acre in Bates Valley. For William Adds, one and a half acres adjoining his own land. For Joshua Johnson, eight acres adjoining his freehold land. For John Younge, 26 acres formerly measured, enlarged to 30 acres for the better convenience of fencing. For Edmund Nichols, ten acres adjoining his own land. For Stephen Lufkin senior, eleven acres adjoining his own. For Benjamin Rodgard, eight acres adjoining his own. For Joseph Lufkin, one and a half acres adjoining his own. For Thomas Harper, twelve acres on Hoopers Hill. For John French junior, fourteen acres. For John Bazett, two and a half acres adjoining his own land. For John Bradley, one acre in Prosperous Bay Valley.

The council ordered that leases be made out accordingly for each parcel of land, for the term of 21 years, at the usual yearly rent of 4s and nine loaves and one shilling.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This entry recorded the formal measuring out of Company waste land to sixteen tenants after the council had approved their petitions. Captain Goodwin's survey converted each approved claim into a defined parcel, many of them enlarging land the tenant already held. The grants worked as the practical step between a council order and a binding lease, fixing the size and position of each holding before the lease was drawn.

The uniform terms of 21 years at a rent of 4s, nine loaves and one shilling show how the Company standardised its tenancies. The mixed rent of money and bread bound each tenant to render both cash and provisions, tying the holding to the Company's food supply as well as its revenue. Setting every lease on the same footing let the council manage a whole tranche of grants under a single rule.

The enlargement of John Younge's holding from 26 to 30 acres for the better convenience of fencing shows the survey serving a practical end beyond mere measurement. A tidy boundary that could be fenced economically was worth a small addition of ground. This detail reflects the Company adjusting the shape of a holding to suit the labour of enclosing it, rather than granting only the bare acreage first sought.

162

160

November.

Island St Helena At a Consultation Held on Tuesday

the 8 day of Novr 1726 At the Honble Compas Plantacon House

John Smith Esqr Govr

Pres Edward Byfeild 2d

Jno Alexander 3d &

Jno Goodwin 4th

the last Consultation read and Approved on

Wee this day Executed the following Leases for Lands

Vizt To Benjamin Redgord sold a Lease for Eight Acres.

Orlando Bagley senr plantr a Lease for One Acre.

Orlando Bagley Junr Corpor a Lease for One Acre.

Joshua Johnson plantr a Lease for Eight Acres.

Edmund Nichols plantr a Lease for Ten Acres.

Stephen Lufkin senr plantr a Lease for Eleven Acres

Daniel Griffith sold a Lease for four Acres in two Pcells

And a Deed to Samuel Jessey plantr for twenty Acres of free

Land Situate in Wilkes Valley, lying in two different Parcells

and formerly the Lands of John & Jane Mudge both decd

which was Conveyd to the sd Jessey by Vertue of an Instrum

of Writing in the Nature of a Deed of Gift by the sd decd Jane

Mudge after the Decease of Her Husband John Mudge

Benjamin Redgord Presented an Endorsement on the Back

Part of a Lease formerly granted to Robert Bell decd for Seven

Acres of the Honble Companys Land he bought with the Consent

of the Governr & Council of Joseph Lufkin sold who married One

of the sd decd Bell daughters Desiring the said Endorsement

may be Registred for better Security thereof

Orderd That the said Endorsemt be Registred Accord=

ingly in a Book for that Purpose

Captain Byfeild Reports that a Black Wench of the Honble

Companys belonging the Plantation House Named Agnus, coue

Deliverd of a Baby some time last week Naind Will

Capt Byfeild & Capt Goodwin brought in Deliverd their

Monthly Accounts as Usuall for the Month of October last

which

Island of St Helena. At a consultation held on Tuesday 8 November 1726 at the Honourable Company's Plantation House.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, second, John Alexander, third, and John Goodwin, fourth.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The council executed the following leases for land.

To Benjamin Rodgard, a lease for eight acres. To Orlando Bagley senior, planter, a lease for one acre. To Orlando Bagley junior, cooper, a lease for one acre. To Joshua Johnson, planter, a lease for eight acres. To Edmund Nichols, planter, a lease for ten acres. To Stephen Lufkin senior, planter, a lease for eleven acres. To Daniel Griffith, a lease for four acres in two parcels.

The council also granted a deed to Samuel Jephry, planter, for 20 acres of freehold land in Wilkes Valley, lying in two separate parcels. This land had formerly belonged to John and Jane Mudge, both now dead, and had been conveyed to Jephry through a deed of gift made by Jane Mudge after the death of her husband John Mudge.

Benjamin Rodgard presented an endorsement on the back of a lease formerly granted to Robert Bell, now dead, for seven acres of the Company's land. With the consent of the Governor and council, Rodgard had bought this land from Joseph Lufkin, who had married one of Robert Bell's daughters. Rodgard asked that the endorsement be registered for his better security. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly in a book kept for that purpose.

Captain Byfield reported that a slave belonging to the Company at the Plantation House, named Agnes, had been delivered of a boy the previous week, whom she named Will.

Captain Byfield and Captain Goodwin brought in and delivered their monthly accounts as usual for the month of October.

Interpretations

This entry recorded the formal execution of seven leases already surveyed, together with a freehold deed and the registration of a land sale. The council here turned earlier orders into binding grants, so the tenants named at the previous consultation received their leases in due form. The concentration of land business in a single sitting shows the council processing a whole tranche of holdings through the successive stages of petition, survey and grant.

The deed to Samuel Jephry rested on a deed of gift, a transfer of property made without payment, by which Jane Mudge had passed the land to him after her husband's death. Because the original owners were both dead, the council recorded the chain of title so that Jephry's freehold could not later be disputed. This shows the council acting as the register of land title on the island, securing ownership that passed outside the ordinary market.

The registration of Benjamin Rodgard's endorsement protected a purchaser whose title ran through a widow's marriage and an earlier deceased tenant. Robert Bell's land had reached Rodgard by way of Joseph Lufkin, who had married Bell's daughter, so the entry fixed a title that had passed through inheritance and sale. This illustrates the importance of the register where land moved through several hands before reaching its current holder.

163

161

Rem: ye 25 Sepr

Bullocks 15

Cowes 66

Heifers 2

Steers 1

Yearlings 36

Calves 68

Bulls 3

Totall 191

Ewes 54

Weathers 25

Lambs 40

Rams 3

Totall 119

Ewes 214

Weathers 96

Kidds 161

Rams 6

Totall 477

Sows 11

Shoals 34

Boars -

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 63

Turkeys 80

Fowles 95

Ducks 6

Geese 32

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Ind found a 31: 8br

Bullocks -

Cowes 12

Heifers 9

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves 4

Bulls -

Totall 25

Ewes 7

Weathers 3

Lambs -

Rams 1

Totall 11

Ewes 17

Weathers 35

Kidds 26

Rams -

Totall 78

Sows -

Shoals -

Boars -

Barrows 1

Pigs -

Totall 1

Turkeys 14

Fowles 43

Ducks -

Geese 6

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Bullocks 15

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 36

Calves 72

Bulls 3

Totall 216

Ewes 58

Weathers 28

Lambs 40

Rams 4

Totall 130

Ewes 231

Weathers 131

Kidds 187

Rams 6

Totall 555

Sows 11

Shoals 34

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 64

Turkeys 94

Fowles 138

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Killd from do to do

Bullocks -

Cowes -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall -

Ewes -

Weathers 1

Lambs 1

Rams -

Totall 2

Ewes 36

Weathers 28

Kidds 3

Rams -

Totall 67

Sows -

Shoals -

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs -

Totall 10

Turkeys -

Fowles -

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Cattle Sheep Goates & Hogs Cutt & grown

Bullocks 15

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 36

Calves 72

Bulls 3

Totall 216

Ewes 58

Weathers 27

Lambs 39

Rams 4

Totall 128

Ewes 195

Weathers 103

Kidds 184

Rams 6

Totall 488

Sows 11

Shoals 34

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 64

Turkeys 94

Fowles 128

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Bullocks -

Cowes -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall -

Ewes -

Weathers -

Lambs 11

Rams -

Totall 11

Ewes -

Weathers -

Kidds 52

Rams -

Totall 52

Sows -

Shoals -

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs 1

Totall 1

Turkeys -

Fowles 1

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Deadin ditto

Bullocks 15

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 67

Bulls 3

Totall 195

Ewes 58

Weathers 27

Lambs 28

Rams 4

Totall 117

Ewes 195

Weathers 103

Kidds 132

Rams 6

Totall 436

Sows 11

Shoals 33

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 63

Turkeys 94

Fowles 128

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Bullocks -

Cowes -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall -

Ewes -

Weathers 1

Lambs 3

Rams -

Totall 4

Ewes 4

Weathers 2

Kidds 5

Rams -

Totall 11

Sows -

Shoals -

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs -

Totall -

Turkeys -

Fowles 3

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Rem: Ulto 8br

Bullocks 15

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 67

Bulls 3

Totall 195

Ewes 58

Weathers 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Ewes 191

Weathers 101

Kidds 127

Rams 6

Totall 425

Sows 11

Shoals 33

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 63

Turkeys 91

Fowles 128

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Yams Expended at the severall Plantations . 43930 lb

Remaining 25 September

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 2, Steers 1, Yearlings 36, Calves 68, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 191, Ewes 51, Wethers 25, Lambs 40, Rams 3, Sheep Total 119, Goat Ewes 214, Goat Wethers 96, Kids 161, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 477, Sows 11, Shoats 34, Boars -, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 63, Turkeys 63, Fowls 80, Ducks 95, Geese 6, Other Poultry 32, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Increase found at 31 October

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers 12, Steers 9, Yearlings -, Calves 4, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 25, Ewes 7, Wethers 3, Lambs 1, Rams -, Sheep Total 11, Goat Ewes 17, Goat Wethers 35, Kids 26, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 78, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars 1, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total 1, Turkeys -, Fowls 14, Ducks 43, Geese -, Other Poultry 6, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 36, Calves 72, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 216, Ewes 58, Wethers 28, Lambs 40, Rams 4, Sheep Total 130, Goat Ewes 231, Goat Wethers 131, Kids 187, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 555, Sows 11, Shoats 34, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 64, Turkeys 64, Fowls 94, Ducks 138, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Killed from 25 September to 31 October

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers 1, Lambs 1, Rams -, Sheep Total 2, Goat Ewes 36, Goat Wethers 28, Kids 3, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 67, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls 10, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs, cut and grown

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 36, Calves 72, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 216, Ewes 58, Wethers 27, Lambs 39, Rams 4, Sheep Total 128, Goat Ewes 195, Goat Wethers 103, Kids 184, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 488, Sows 11, Shoats 34, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 64, Turkeys 64, Fowls 94, Ducks 128, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Standing total

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers 16, Yearlings 5, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 21, Ewes -, Wethers 11, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total 11, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers 52, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 52, Sows -, Shoats 1, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total 1, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 67, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 195, Ewes 58, Wethers 27, Lambs 28, Rams 4, Sheep Total 117, Goat Ewes 195, Goat Wethers 103, Kids 132, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 436, Sows 11, Shoats 33, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 63, Turkeys 63, Fowls 94, Ducks 128, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Died

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers 1, Lambs 3, Rams -, Sheep Total 4, Goat Ewes 4, Goat Wethers 4, Kids 2, Goat Rams 1, Goat Total 11, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls 3, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Remaining 31 October

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 67, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 195, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 191, Goat Wethers 101, Kids 127, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 425, Sows 11, Shoats 33, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 63, Turkeys 63, Fowls 91, Ducks 128, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 43,930 lb

164

162

Blank page

165

163

Blank page

166

164

Store Keeper Acct

for Octor 1726

1010 lb Sugar

25 5

266 lb Candy

13 6

366 lb Tobbad

10 3

1390 lb Flour

17 7 3

166 lb Sope

11 8 2

9 lb Candles

9 8

36 do

8 1½

3¼ Gale Lynsen

5 1½

15 3 lb Cott Cottans

17 4 3

33 do 8 8 Copey Tea

16 10

13 Jarrs Green Tea

9 1½

50 do Bohea

1 9 6

81½ Oz Indigo

9

86 Burrell Lb Black

1 6

24 8 Oz White Lead

16 1

27 a Bed do

13 6

6 a Sallow Ocher

3

3 Glea Kettles

16

1 Ditto

15

9 Largest ditto

9 4

18 Soldier Ratts

15 6

4 Boys do No 1

1 1

8 do 2

14 Mens do 3 12/6

8 15

18 Lacd do 4

20 5

26 Tin Lamps

16 3

1 Tea Kettle

2

2 do Largest

18 do Largest

16 1

4 Cross Cutting Cans

11 6

3 Cofey Cotto

3 6

1 do

3 6

10 Sam Cans Sorted

11

3 Doz Oatt Cans

3

9 Quart Bunnells

1 3

1 Small Dripping Can

9

18¼ Cofey Thread

3 13 6

6 a Whitd Brown No 1 3/2

10 6

5 do 3/4

18

3 do 5/6

3

3½ do 7 8

3 6

26 do 19 40

9 6 7

49 Oz Nun Thread 8

12 8

20 do

11

4 do 4/1

11 1

1 do

1 3

Storekeeper's account for October 1726

1010 lb sugar, £25 5s 0d

266 lb candy, £13 6s 0d

3660 lb bread, £10 3s 0d

1390 lb flour, £17 1s 3d

166 lb soap, £11 18s 2d

9 lb candles, £0 2s 0d

36 oz cloves, £0 5s 1 1/2d

3 1/4 gallons vinegar, £0 8s 1 1/2d

15 3/4 lb cut tobacco, £17 4s 3d

33 lb 8 oz pepper, £0 16s 10d

13 catties green tea, £0 2s 1/2d

50 lb pitch, £1 17s 6d

81 1/2 oz indigo, £0 2s 9d

86 barrels lamp black, £1 6s 0d

24 lb 8 oz white lead, £0 16s 1d

27 lb white lead, £0 13s 6d

6 vermillion ochre, £0 3s 5d

3 glass bottles, £0 1s 6d

1 case bottle, £0 0s 5d

2 large glass bottles, £0 9s 4d

18 soldiers' hats, £0 18s 6d

4 boys' hats, no. 1, £0 1s 4d

8 boys' hats, no. 2, £0 3s 6d

14 men's hats, no. 3, at 12s 6d, £8 15s 0d

18 laced hats, no. 4, £20 6s 2d

26 tin lamps, £0 16s 3d

1 tea kettle, £0 2s 2d

2 [...], £0 6s 0d

18 [...], £0 6s 1d

4 cheese cutting cans, £0 11s 6d

3 coffee bottles, £0 3s 6d

1 coffee bottle, £0 3s 2d

10 same cans sorted, £0 2s 1d

3 dozen oatcans, £1 3s 0d

2 sugar barrels, £0 3s 0d

1 small dripping can, £0 8s 0d

18 1/4 loaves of bread, £3 13s 6d

6 loaves of bread, no. 1, at 3d, £1 10s 6d

5 loaves of bread, at 3s 4d, £0 18s 0d

3 loaves of bread, at 5s 6d, £0 3s 2d

3 1/2 loaves of bread, at 7s 8d, £0 6s 6d

26 loaves of bread, at 19s 40d, £9 6s 7d

49 oz Anna thread, at 8s, £1 19s 8d

20 oz Anna thread, at 4s, £1 11s 1d

4 oz Anna thread, at 4s 1d, £0 1s 3d

1 oz Anna thread, £0 [...]s [...]d

Interpretations

This page recorded the storekeeper's account of goods issued from the Company warehouse on St Helena in October 1726. The list mixed provisions such as sugar, bread, flour and tea with stores and manufactures such as pitch, indigo, white lead and hats. Each entry gave the quantity, a short description and the value in sterling, so the Company could track everything passing through its store and the cost charged against its books.

Several named goods reflected the reach of the Company's trade routes. White lead was a lead carbonate used as the base of paint and as a pigment, and vermillion ochre a reddish earth used to colour paint. Lamp black was a fine soot collected from burnt oil, used to make ink and blacking. Indigo was a costly blue plant dye sold here by the ounce, and pitch the tarry material used to waterproof a ship's timbers and rigging.

The hats were graded and numbered by quality, running from plain boys' and soldiers' hats up to the laced hats trimmed with gold or silver braid. The laced hats at more than a pound apiece stood far above the soldiers' hats in the same list, marking a clear difference of rank and price among the buyers. This gradation shows the one store supplying both the common garrison and the better sort of settler from the same stock.

Catties were a Chinese unit of weight of about a pound and a third, which explains why the green tea appeared in that measure rather than in pounds. Tea reached the island through the Company's China trade, so it carried its own commercial unit even in a small island store. The presence of fine cloth, paint, tea and everyday hardware alongside plain provisions shows that the single warehouse met the whole range of wants across the settlement and the passing ships.

167

165

Brought Over

4 Oz Thread 14

1 5 6

10 do 17

1 6 2

5 do 1/10

8 1

4 do 2/1

4 3

5 do 2/3

1 5

10 do 2/6

5 10

2 do 2/11

9

1 a Black Silk Gloves

8

Totall to Inhabts

217 7 7½

Diet Expences 1 Capt Beef

13

1 do Pork

12

1 Double Cabbe 18 Tea

5 12

12

10 8

Garison 11 Cast a Cra

8

3 Galls a Oyle

18

3 2

Plantation 40 a Planting Perpe

7 6

1 Chopping Knife

4 10

1 Adz a Bill

5 8

13 Yds a Cork No 8

1 8

6 do Naile Sorted

4 8

2 8 8

Fortification 6 Hoes No 3

1 1

12 Belovs

1 6

1 do a Oyle

1 6

4 a Cofe Nailes

2 6

2 do

1 6

2 2 do

4 4

9 8

Genll Charges 30 Yds a Glass 6 & 8

1 2 6

4 a Sasey

8

4 Curb Cotto

1 3

4 Splenter do

3 4

4 a Copper

8

1 a Rope Oyle

3 2

6 a Nettly Glass

0 15

Deld for Bodyskin sen 4 Gale a Iron

1 5 4

3 Bunb Black

1 6

1 Whitd a Cabish

2 6

1½ Comn Yarn

2 3

7 6 6

Honble Comps Blacks 5 a Cast Beef

65

2650 a Flie

33 2 6

137 a do Herfey

1 11

13 do Blue do

7 6

16 do Nuando

1 1

3 Bous Coat Rutt

1 6

3 do Great

1 6

2 a Cott Thread

8

108 12

Great Wood 7 do Naile Sorted

4 6

Totall

357 7 11½

Brought over

4 oz thread, no. 14, £0 5s 6d

10 oz thread, no. 17, £1 6s 9d

5 oz thread, no. 100, £0 6s 6d

4 oz thread, no. 2/1, £0 8s 3d

5 oz thread, no. 2/3, £0 4s 3d

10 oz thread, no. 2/6, £1 5s 0d

2 oz thread, no. 2/11, £0 5s 10d

2 oz thread, no. 3, £0 9s 0d

1 pair black silk gloves, £0 3s 0d

Total to inhabitants, £217 7s 7 1/2d

Debt expenses

1 chest flour, £0 12s 0d

1 chest bread, £0 12s 0d

1 double chest tea, £5 12s 0d

Total, £10 8s 0d

Garrison

11 catties green tea, £2 0s 0d

3 gallons oil, £0 18s 0d

Total, £3 2s 0d

Plantation

40 shod planting forks, £0 7s 6d

1 chopping knife, £0 1s 10d

1 hedging bill, £0 5s 8d

1 lb 8 oz iron pot, no. 8, £1 8s 0d

6 files sorted, £0 4s 8d

Total, £2 8s 8d

Fortification

6 hoes, no. 3, £1 1s 0d

12 gloves, £0 1s 0d

1 quart oil, £0 1s 6d

4 lb rose nails, £0 2s 6d

2 files, £0 1s 6d

2 files, £0 4s 0d

Total, £2 4s 0d

General charges

30 sorted forks, no. 6 and 8, £1 2s 6d

4 tin lamps, £0 3s 0d

4 dark lanterns, £0 1s 3d

4 splinter locks, £0 3s 4d

4 pepper, £0 2s 0d

2 quart oil, £0 3s 2d

6 quart glass, £0 15s 0d

Total, £9 0s 8d

Debt for Rodgard senior

4 gallons oil, £1 5s 4d

3 barrels lamp black, £0 1s 6d

1 white lead, £0 2s 6d

1 1/2 loaves tea, £0 5s 3d

Total, £7 6s 6d

Honourable Company slaves

4 chests china, £5 2s 0d

2650 lb rice, £33 2s 6d

127 yards kersey, £12 15s 0d

14 pieces blue cloth, £3 7s 6d

16 pairs Nuremberg, £2 16s 0d

3 dozen coat buttons, £1 16s 0d

3 loaves bread, £0 8s 0d

7 lb nails sorted, £108 12s 0d

Total, £108 12s 0d

Great Wood

7 lb nails sorted, £0 4s 6d

Total, £351 7s 1 1/2d

Interpretations

This page closed the storekeeper's account for October 1726 by dividing the goods among the works and bodies they supplied. The headings named the inhabitants, the garrison, the plantation, the fortification, the general charges, the Company slaves and the Great Wood, so each issue fell to a distinct charge. The running totals under every head carried through to a grand total of £351 7s 1 1/2d.

Several named goods reflected the reach and purpose of Company trade. Kersey was a coarse ribbed woollen carried out from England to clothe the Company slaves, and blue cloth another woollen for the same use. Nuremberg ware meant small metal goods such as pins, thimbles and toys made in that German city and traded across Europe. Rose nails were a common iron nail with a faceted head, and splinter locks a plain form of door lock.

The tools issued to the plantation and the Great Wood reflected the labour of cultivation and timber on the island. Shod planting forks were fitted with iron tips, a hedging bill was a curved blade for trimming hedges, and files were used to sharpen iron tools. This concentration of edged and pointed tools under the planting and wood heads shows the Company accounting for the cost of clearing and tending the ground apart from the fort.

The large issue of rice, cloth and china to the Company slaves showed the whole cost of maintaining the labour force falling on the same store. The 2650 lb of rice fed the slaves at the Plantation House, while the kersey and blue cloth clothed them. This confirms that the one warehouse supplied the wants of the slaves alongside those of the garrison, the settlers and the passing ships.

168

166

November

An Acct of Liquors & Provisions Expended in

the Month of October 1726.

6 Bottles Cape Wine at -/1 p Bottle

6

7 ditto Mountaine at 3/- do

1 1

7 ditto Gallicia at 2/6 do

17 6

1 ditto Sack at 5/- do

5

36 do Strong Beer at 2/- do

3 12

2 do Oyled at 3/6 do

7

Galls 23 1 Arrack for the Table Use at 6/4 p Gall

7 7 5

2 2 do for the Soldiers at do

15 10

3 2½ do for the Plantn Blacks at do

1 2 11½

2 1 Gall Vinegar at 4/- p Gall

8

do Sugar at 6/- p lb

2 9 6

99 do Wax Candles at 2/6 do

3 10

28 do Candy at -/1 do

1 5

2 do Bread at -/17 p do

1 11½

15 do Bread at 25/- p 100

2 4

10 do Flower at 25/- p 100

1

106 do Flesh Porke at -/6 do

2

88 do Veal at -/6 do

2 2

84 do Butter at -/12 do

1 13

35 Days Greens at -/1 p Day

1 11

31 8 Peices Salt Beef at 2/6 do

1

8 do for the Blacks at 2/6 do

17 6

15 do Salt Porke at 2/10 do

2 2 6

15 Sheep at -/4

4

1 Lamb at 2/-

12

3 Goates at 16/- ea

1 10

58 Fowles at 1/6 ea

3 15

47 1 8

John: Smith Wff

R: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

An account of liquors and provisions expended in the month of October 1726.

6 bottles Cape wine at 1s per bottle, £0 6s 0d

7 bottles Mountain wine at 3s per bottle, £1 1s 0d

7 bottles Galicia at 3s 6d per bottle, £1 17s 6d

1 bottle sack at 5s per bottle, £0 5s 0d

36 bottles strong beer at 2s per bottle, £3 12s 0d

2 bottles oil at 3s 6d per bottle, £0 7s 0d

23 gallons arrack for the table use at 6s 4d per gallon, £7 7s 5d

2 1/2 gallons arrack for the soldiers at 6s 4d per gallon, £0 15s 10d

2 1/2 gallons arrack for the plantation slaves at 6s 4d per gallon, £1 2s 11 1/2d

2 gallons vinegar at 4s per gallon, £0 8s 0d

99 lb sugar at 6d per lb, £2 9s 6d

28 lb wax candles at 2s 6d per lb, £3 10s 0d

25 lb candy at 1s per lb, £1 5s 0d

15 lb lard at 1s per lb, £0 15s 0d

125 lb bread at 25s per 100, £1 11s 3d

106 lb flour at 25s per 100, £1 6s 6d

88 lb fresh pork at 6d per lb, £2 4s 0d

84 lb veal at 6d per lb, £2 2s 0d

35 lb butter at 1s per lb, £1 15s 0d

31 days greens at 1s per day, £1 11s 0d

8 lb salt beef at 2s 6d per lb, £1 0s 0d

15 lb salt beef for the slaves at 2s 6d per lb, £1 17s 6d

15 lb salt pork at 3s 10d per lb, £2 2s 6d

1 sheep at 4s, £0 4s 0d

1 lamb at 2s, £0 12s 0d

3 goats at 16s each, £1 10s 0d

58 fowls at 1s 6d each, £3 15s 0d

Total, £47 1s 8d

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This account priced the liquor and provisions consumed at the fort and settlement during October 1726 and extended each item to a sterling total. It separated the arrack issued to the general table from that given to the soldiers and the plantation slaves, so the drink allowance was accounted for by class of recipient. The record let the Company measure the running cost of victualling the garrison and its labour force.

Several named goods reflected the reach of the Company's trade routes. Mountain was a sweet Spanish wine from the hills near Malaga, Galicia a wine from north-west Spain, and sack a strong fortified white wine of the sherry family. Cape wine came from the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, the nearest wine source on the homeward route. Arrack was a distilled spirit made in the East from palm sap, rice or sugar, and formed the standard strong liquor issued across Company settlements.

The account distinguished salt provisions from fresh and separated the issues to the slaves from the general supply. Salt beef and salt pork kept through the year, while the fresh pork, veal, mutton and lamb came from the island's own stock. The daily greens were fresh vegetables grown on the island, a valued guard against scurvy for a population dependent on salted stores and passing ships.

169

167

1726.

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 22d Novr 1726

at Plantation House Present Jno Smith Esqr Govern

Edward Byfeild

John Alexander

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & approved

Wee this Day Executed the following Leases for the Sevll Parcells

of Land hereinafter mentioned vizt Acres

To John Bazette a Lease for 2½ do

John French Junr for 14 do

Thos Harper for 12 do

Wm Adds for 1½ do adjt to his other Land

And to Capt John Goodwin & Fran Wrangham as joynt Tenants

for Eight a Peice of Land in Lemon Valley &c for the Term of 21 Years

at the usuall Rent of 4/ p Acre & one Shilling duty

Capt Goodwin Reports that he Measured the following Parcells

of Land vizt

For Jno Worrale & Eben: Such as joynt Tenants 16 Acres

William Seale 15½ do

Jno Colgrove 1 Ditto

Ordered that Leases be made out accordingly for each Peice

for the Term of 21 Years at the usuall Rent off p Acre

Capt Goodwin brought in Deliverd an Inventory of the

Comps remaining Stores on this Island taken 24th Sepr & 26th

were Examind & approved & accordingly Orded to be Engrossd

& signed in order to be transmitted by the next returning Shiping

John: Smith Wff

R: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 November 1726 at Plantation House.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The council executed the following leases for the several parcels of land already surveyed and reported.

To John Bazett, a lease for 2 1/2 acres. To John Bench junior, a lease for 14 acres. To Thomas Harper, a lease for 12 acres. To William Adds, a lease for 1 1/2 acres adjoining his other land.

The council also granted a lease to Captain John Goodwin and George Wrangham as joint tenants for 8 acres of land in Lemon Valley, for the term of 21 years, at the usual yearly rent of 4s and nine loaves and one shilling.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the following parcels of land.

For George Worrall and Coben Lufkin as joint tenants, 16 acres. For William Seale, 15 1/2 acres. For John Colgrave, 1 acre.

The council ordered that leases be made out accordingly for each parcel, for the term of 21 years, at the usual yearly rent of 4s per acre.

Captain Goodwin brought in and delivered an inventory of the Company's remaining stores on the island, taken 24 September 1726. The council examined and approved it, and ordered that it be signed and made ready to send home by the next returning ship.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This entry recorded the execution of four leases already surveyed, the grant of a joint tenancy and the ordering of three further leases from a fresh survey. The council here moved each holding through the successive stages of petition, survey and grant in a single sitting. The concentration of land business shows the routine machinery by which the Company converted approved claims into binding leases.

The uniform terms of 21 years at a rent of 4s per acre, with nine loaves and one shilling on the Lemon Valley grant, show how the Company standardised its tenancies. The mixed rent of money and bread bound each tenant to render both cash and provisions, tying the holding to the Company's food supply as well as its revenue. Setting every lease on the same footing let the council manage a whole tranche of grants under one rule.

The inventory of remaining stores, once approved, was signed and sent home to the Company in London by the next ship. This shows the island administration answering to a distant authority that required a formal account of its stores. The stock on the island was Company property, so its condition had to be certified and transmitted for the directors to check.

170

168

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 13o Decr 1726 at Ce House

Prest John Smith Esqr Govern

Edward Byfeild

John Alexander

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & approved

the Governr haveing been very much Indisposed no Consultation

hath been held Since the sd Decr last

On the 28th Novr arrived the Frigatt Capt Meathup Comdr

who Succeeded Capt Whitehorn from Mocha & Bombay,

On the 3d Decr arrived the Catrgen Capt a wollen Coffee Suines

the 2d Ceof from Bombay Sabbath Ceof from the Cape Verincs

for the Ceof of this Island Forty Bags Rice & forty Ceof Wheat

On the 6 innight, they both Sailed for Great Britom

Richard Beal & Richard Kinley Exors of the last Will of Martha

Thomson Widow lately Deceasd Presented her sd last Will & Testam

desiring it might be Proved which Was accordingly Done by the Oaths

the Witnesses Jno Alexander, Richard Coulter Jno & William Adds

Wherefore Ordered that the said Will be approved & Registred in Ce

Book of Wills accordingly

the said Executors also Presented an Inventory of the sd

Deceasd Martha Thomsons Estate as well Reall as Personall which

was Appraised by Messrs Jams Byfeild Richard Coulter Jno & by

made Oath they hat Well & fer the Same by the best of their Judgemts

Ordered that the said Inventory be Engrosd into the Consultacon &

a Copy given to the Exorto contained if required

the Executor a Lease to Jno Bates for half an Acre adjoyng

to his other Land in Cowley Bay for 21 Years at the usuall Rent

Richard Durling Petitiond for a forty Yeard of Wast Land

lying on the Backside of his House in Sandy Valley

Granted & Ordrd that a Lease be made for the Term of 21 Years

at the Rent of Ten Shillings per annum to Commence the 25 instant

Capt Byfeild, Capt Goodwin & Mr Gaa the Steward

Deliverd each of them their Monthly Accts for Novr last which

were Severally Examind & Approvd & are as follow vizt

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 December 1726 at the Company's house.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The council had little further business of moment since the previous consultation. On 28 November the Prince Augustus, Captain Meacham commander, arrived from Mocha and Bombay, and succeeded Captain Wetherbarr from those places. On 3 December the Cardigan, Captain Andrew Cross, arrived from Bombay, and the Sarah Galley, from the Cape of Good Hope, brought for the use of the island 40 bags of rice and 40 bags of wheat. On 6 December both ships sailed for Great Britain.

Richard Beal and Richard Willey, executors of the last will of Martha Stevenson, lately deceased, presented her will and asked that it be approved and registered accordingly. The will had been witnessed by the office of John Alexander, Richard Poulter, John and William Adds. The council ordered that the will be approved and registered in the book of wills accordingly.

The executors also presented an inventory of the deceased Martha Stevenson's estate, both her real and personal property, which had been appraised by Messrs James Baker, Richard Mullen and John [...]. They made oath that they appraised the estate to the best of their judgement. The council ordered that the inventory be entered into the book of accounts, and gave a copy to the executors when required.

The council granted a lease to John Bates for half an acre adjoining his other land in Cowles Valley, for the term of 21 years at the usual rent.

Richard Durling petitioned for a lease of 40 acres of waste land on the boundary of the ground of John Bates. The council granted the request and ordered that a lease be made out for the term of 21 years, at the yearly rent of 10s, to commence from 25 December next.

Captain Byfield, Captain Goodwin and Mr Gaa the steward brought in and delivered their monthly accounts for November, which were separately examined and approved, and are set out below.

Interpretations

The Sarah Galley carried 40 bags of rice and 40 bags of wheat from the Cape of Good Hope for the island's own use. This shows the settlement's dependence on grain brought in by sea, since St Helena could not grow enough to feed its population. The Cape was the nearest reliable source of such staples on the homeward route, so the Company drew on it to supply the island.

The registration of Martha Stevenson's will and the entry of her inventory show the council acting as the probate authority on the island. The executors had to present both the will and a sworn appraisal of the estate before the property could pass. This let the council fix the value and ownership of a deceased person's real and personal property, securing the title of those who inherited it.

The appraisal on oath by three named men gave the inventory legal weight. By swearing that they valued the estate to the best of their judgement, the appraisers made the record binding on the executors and the heirs. This illustrates the standard machinery by which the council established the true worth of an estate before it was distributed.

171

169

Neat Cattle Sheep Goate Hoggs Poultry Horses

Bullock Cowes Heifer Steers Yearling Calves Bulls Totall Ewes White Lambs Rams Totall Ewes Withers Kids Rams Totall Sows Shoats Boars Barrows Pigs Totall Turkeys Fowles Ducks Geese Roses Mares Totall

Rem Ulto Octor

Bullock 15

Cowes 66

Heifer 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 67

Bulls 3

Totall 195

Ewes 58

White 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Ewes 191

Withers 101

Kids 127

Rams 6

Totall 425

Sows 11

Shoats 33

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 63

Turkeys 91

Fowles 128

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Roses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Increasd in Novr

Bullock -

Cowes -

Heifer -

Steers -

Yearling -

Calves 11

Bulls -

Totall 11

Ewes -

White -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes -

Withers -

Kids 6

Rams -

Totall 6

Sows -

Shoats -

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs -

Totall -

Turkeys -

Fowles -

Ducks -

Geese -

Roses -

Mares -

Totall -

Bullock 15

Cowes 66

Heifer 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 78

Bulls 3

Totall 206

Ewes 58

White 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Ewes 191

Withers 101

Kids 133

Rams 6

Totall 431

Sows 11

Shoats 33

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 63

Turkeys 91

Fowles 128

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Roses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Killed in ditto

Bullock -

Cowes -

Heifer -

Steers -

Yearling -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall -

Ewes -

White -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes 45

Withers 66

Kids 13

Rams -

Totall 124

Sows -

Shoats 1

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs -

Totall 1

Turkeys 3

Fowles 19

Ducks -

Geese -

Roses -

Mares -

Totall -

Bullock 15

Cowes 66

Heifer 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 78

Bulls 3

Totall 206

Ewes 58

White 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Ewes 146

Withers 35

Kids 120

Rams 6

Totall 307

Sows 11

Shoats 32

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 63

Turkeys 88

Fowles 109

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Roses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Sold Ships in do

Bullock 1

Cowes -

Heifer -

Steers -

Yearling -

Calves 1

Bulls -

Totall 1

Ewes -

White -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes -

Withers -

Kids 1

Rams -

Totall 1

Sows -

Shoats -

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs -

Totall -

Turkeys -

Fowles -

Ducks -

Geese -

Roses -

Mares -

Totall -

Dead in Do

Bullock 14

Cowes 66

Heifer 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 78

Bulls 3

Totall 205

Ewes 58

White 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Ewes 146

Withers 35

Kids 120

Rams 6

Totall 307

Sows 11

Shoats 32

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 63

Turkeys 88

Fowles 109

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Roses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Bullock -

Cowes -

Heifer -

Steers -

Yearling -

Calves 2

Bulls -

Totall 2

Ewes -

White -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes 2

Withers -

Kids 19

Rams 1

Totall 22

Sows 3

Shoats -

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs 13

Totall -

Turkeys 6

Fowles 1

Ducks -

Geese -

Roses -

Mares -

Totall -

Rem Ulto Novr

Bullock 14

Cowes 66

Heifer 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 76

Bulls 3

Totall 203

Ewes 58

White 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Ewes 144

Withers 35

Kids 101

Rams 5

Totall 285

Sows 8

Shoats 32

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 14

Totall 56

Turkeys 87

Fowles 109

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Roses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Genll Plantacons 46475 lb

Ditto deliverd to the Fort Blacks 3075

Totall 49550 lb

Remaining 31 October

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 67, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 195, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 191, Goat Wethers 101, Kids 127, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 425, Sows 11, Shoats 33, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 63, Turkeys 63, Fowls 91, Ducks 128, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Increase in November

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 11, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 11, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids 6, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 6, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 78, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 206, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 191, Goat Wethers 101, Kids 133, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 431, Sows 11, Shoats 33, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 63, Turkeys 63, Fowls 91, Ducks 128, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Killed in November

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes 45, Goat Wethers 66, Kids 13, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 124, Sows -, Shoats 1, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total 1, Turkeys 1, Fowls 3, Ducks 19, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 78, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 206, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 146, Goat Wethers 35, Kids 120, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 307, Sows 11, Shoats 32, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 62, Turkeys 62, Fowls 88, Ducks 109, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Sold to ships in November

Bullocks 1, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 1, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 2, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 14, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 78, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 205, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 146, Goat Wethers 35, Kids 120, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 307, Sows 11, Shoats 32, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 62, Turkeys 62, Fowls 88, Ducks 109, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Died in November

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 2, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 2, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes 2, Goat Wethers -, Kids 19, Goat Rams 1, Goat Total 22, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs 3, Hog Total 3, Turkeys -, Fowls 1, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Remaining 30 November

Bullocks 14, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 76, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 203, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 144, Goat Wethers 35, Kids 101, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 285, Sows 8, Shoats 32, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 56, Turkeys 56, Fowls 87, Ducks 109, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 46,475 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 3,075 lb

Total, 49,550 lb

172

170

822 lb Sugar

20 11

66 lb Candy

3 14

17 a lb Sope

16

508 lb Tobbad

16 10 6

126 lb Flour

1 9 6

33½ lb Cott

1 9 6

58 lb Cott Cottans

6 10

17 lb Doz Copey

8

2½ lb Worsted

2

3 Yds Chelow Cott

9 9

4 Copey Cott

4

4 Ginghom

1 10

1 Mattras Chint

10 9

20 Yds Cotton Stockings

1 17

7 Yds Broggd Ginghom

16

2 Ginghom

9 4

26 Nuando

2 14

27 Small Cargo

1

46 Cargo do

16

20 Sneakers

10 3

4 a Table Sorted

3

1½ Doz Sam

1 10

1 Yds Shirt do

8

6 Yds a Buram

6 3

1½ do Cotton

8

12 Ivory Combs

4 6

3 do

2

1 do Buckling

1 6

1 Hair through

2 6

6 do

6

3 Pork Locks

16 6

1 Chest do

4 6

1 do

5 6

1 Copey Doz Ringes

1 8

1 Trowel

6

1 Hammer

6

1 Splinter Lock

3 3

1 Hint do

1 3

2 Nelves

12

1 Iron Maule

8

5 Pettarments

9

1 Bason

8

6 Sponns

3 6

1 Ceonnoo

6

1 Tankard

4

822 lb sugar, £20 11s 0d

84 lb candy, £3 14s 0d

17 lb candles, £0 14s 0d

508 lb bread, £1 10s 6d

126 lb flour, £1 6s 6d

33 1/2 lb soap, £1 6s 0d

58 lb cut tobacco, £6 10s 0d

17 1/2 oz pepper, £0 8s 2d

4 1/2 lb thread, £0 2s 6d

3 lb bohea tea, £2 9s 2d

4 pieces green cloth, £4 1s 0d

4 gingham, £0 10s 0d

1 Madras chintz, £0 12s 6d

20 pairs cotton stockings, £1 17s 6d

7 pieces Bengal gingham, £0 14s 6d

2 pieces gingham, £0 14s 0d

26 Anna, £0 2s 1d

27 small cups, £0 6s 0d

46 large cups, £0 1s 6d

20 saucers, £0 10s 3d

4 dozen forks sorted, £0 3s 0d

1 1/2 pieces canvas, £0 10s 0d

6 yards durance, £0 8s 3d

1/2 piece calico, £0 3s 6d

6 ivory combs, £0 1s 6d

3 combs, £0 2s 0d

1 dozen dripping, £1 6s 0d

1 shod shovel, £0 2s 0d

6 combs, £0 6s 0d

3 stock locks, £1 16s 6d

1 chest ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 chest ditto, £0 5s 6d

1 piece bootlings, £0 8s 6d

1 frame, £0 2s 6d

1 hammer, £0 1s 6d

1 splinter lock, £0 2s 3d

1 chest ditto, £0 1s 3d

2 hoes, £0 9s 6d

1 iron mould, £1 2s 0d

5 pettiaunts, £0 8s 0d

1 basin, £0 3s 6d

6 spoons, £0 4s 3d

1 lantern, £0 6s 0d

1 tankard, £0 4s 0d

Interpretations

This page recorded the storekeeper's account of goods issued from the Company warehouse on St Helena. The list mixed provisions such as sugar, bread, flour and tobacco with textiles, hardware and tableware. Each entry gave the quantity, a short description and the value in sterling, so the Company could track everything passing through its store and the cost charged against its books.

Several cloth names identified goods brought in through the Company's Indian trade. Madras chintz was a printed cotton from the Coromandel coast, prized for its bright fast colours. Bengal gingham was a checked or striped cotton woven in Bengal, and calico a plain Indian cotton. Durance was a durable glazed woollen carried out from England, and canvas a coarse cloth used for sails and heavy work.

Bohea was a black tea from the Wuyi hills of Fujian, reaching the island through the Company's China trade. A stock lock was a heavy door lock mounted on a wooden stock, and a splinter lock a plainer form of the same. Pettiaunts were probably petticoats, and a tankard a large drinking vessel. The mix of fine imported cloth, plain provisions, tools and tableware shows that the one store met the whole range of wants across the settlement and the passing ships.

173

171

Bt over

2 Tin a Sauce Pans

1 1 6

1 do Coffee Cott

1 9

1 do do

6 3

1 Kettle

9 3

1 Lamp

9 3

1 Frying Can

4

1 Cross Knife & fork

1 9

16½ doz Hooks

8

9 Likes Sorted

3 11

1 Copey Cutto

1 9

1 Andirons

3

3 a Yds Sorted

3

1 Sorted Ratt

16 3

1 Mens do No 3

13 6

2 a Wim Stock

4 6

6 do

10

2 Mens do

6 9

1 Boys do

6 3

1 a Mens Shoes

6 8

1 a Man do

8 9

1 a Pig Powder

1

1 a Snugar

9

10 a Plate

9 6

2 a Storch

1 1

2 Oz Indigo

6 9

1 Holm Lanthorn

8

36½ a Yds Garnding

10 10

8 a Yds Pins

4

4 a Cargo

1

3 Yds Ribbon

4

7 Oz Nuns Bread

1 9

7 a Oz China Silk

10 10½

7 4½ Oz Garnding

9 6½

39 a a Yds Sorted

10

1½ a Whitd Brown

6 6

4½ a do

3 3

1½ a do

4 6

2 doz Mns Sam

9

3 a Cotton

9

1½ a Boy Sorted

2

3 Oz Indigo

3 6

3 a Thrid

9 6

44 a Yds Whid Brown

2 9

Totall to the Inhabts

83 11 1

Brought over

2 tin sauce cans, £0 1s 6d

1 coffee bottle, £0 1s 0d

1 coffee bottle, £0 0s 3d

1 ditto, £0 9s 3d

1 kettle, £0 9s 6d

1 lamp, £0 4s 3d

1 frying can, £0 4s 0d

1 chopping knife and fork, £0 1s 8d

16 1/2 dozen hooks, £0 1s 4d

9 files sorted, £0 3s 11d

1 chopping knife, £0 1s 3d

1 penknife, £0 2s 3d

3 lb rose nails, £0 1s 3d

5 stock locks, £0 16s 3d

5 iron pots, no. 3, £0 13s 6d

2 China stock, £0 4s 6d

6 ditto, £0 8s 6d

2 hoes ditto, £0 6s 9d

1 boys' ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 pair men's shoes, £0 6s 8d

1 iron ditto, £0 8s 9d

14 pairs powder, £0 1s 0d

1 gimblet, £0 1s 0d

40 lb white lead, £0 12s 6d

2 lb starch, £0 1s 1d

2 oz indigo, £0 6s 9d

1 hone stone, £0 2s 0d

36 1/2 lb dripping, £0 10s 10d

8 1/2 lb pins, £0 1s 4d

4 lb tape, £0 3s 0d

3 lb ribbon, £0 4s 0d

1 oz Anna thread, £0 4s 9d

7 1/4 oz China silk, £0 10s 10 1/2d

39 yards forks, £0 10s 6d

1/2 lb white linen, £0 3s 0d

4 1/2 ditto, £0 3s 4d

1 1/2 lb ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 dozen laces, £0 3s 9d

3 lb garting, £0 2s 6d

1 1/2 lb thread, £0 2s 9d

3 oz indigo, £0 3s 6d

3 lb starch, £0 2s 9d

44 1/2 lb white lead bone, £0 1s 9d

Total to inhabitants, £83 11s 4d

Interpretations

This page closed the storekeeper's account of goods issued to the inhabitants on St Helena. The list mixed hardware and tools with textiles, dyes and small provisions. Each entry gave the quantity, a short description and the value in sterling, so the Company could track everything leaving the store and the cost charged against its books.

Several named goods reflected the reach of the Company's trade routes. White lead was a lead carbonate used as the base of paint and as a pigment, and indigo a costly blue plant dye sold by the ounce. China silk came through the Company's China trade, and Anna thread was a fine sewing thread. Rose nails were a common iron nail with a faceted head.

Several tools served the everyday work of the settlement. A gimblet was a small hand tool for boring holes, a hone stone a stone for sharpening blades, and a stock lock a heavy door lock mounted on a wooden stock. Garting was tape or ribbon used as garters to hold up stockings. The mix of paint, dye, tools, cloth and provisions shows that the one store met the whole range of wants across the settlement and the passing ships.

174

172

Diet Expences Bt over

83 11 1

1 a Beef

1

3 Yds Sugar

12

2 a Yds a Oyle

15

1 8

Genll Charges 6 Cast a Cra

1 16

9 Bunb a Cra

5 12 6

Cast in the Steward Hott do Salt

1 6

10 a Bread

1 5

2 Cutto

6

6 Copey Cronts

1 6

10 10

Garison 5 Cast a Cra

1 12

3 a do Oyle

18

2 10

Fortification 12 Belovs

12

2 a do Naile

1 4

1 a 2 do

7

13 11

Plantation 4 Gale Oyle

1 1

1 a Cushion

6

120 a Blue

1 10

2 14 6

Great Wood 1 Bread Ax

6 6

1 Belove

9

7 6

Honble Comps Blacks

2500 a Cra

31 5

257 Yds a Herfey

25 3

20 Yds Nuando

5

1 a Blue

19 6

316 a Shoo

17 3

46 Doz Docks

1 16 6

7 a Doz Sam

2 8 8

4 a Cotton

2 2

6 Thimbles

1

5 a Cott Thrid

4

2 Groce hat Butts

1 16

2 Do Breast

1 4

100 Nadles

1 6

70 17 7

Totall

172 19 10

Brought over, £83 11s 4d

Debt expenses

1 pepper, £0 1s 0d

3 gallons vinegar, £0 12s 0d

2 lb spike oil, £0 15s 0d

Total, £1 8s 0d

General charges

6 catties bohea tea, £1 16s 0d

9 bunch beads, £5 12s 6d

1 chest salt, £1 6s 0d

100 lb bread, £1 5s 0d

1 quart, £0 6s 0d

6 cheese knives, £1 6s 0d

Total, £10 10s 0d

Garrison

5 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

3 gallons oil, £0 18s 0d

Total, £2 10s 0d

Fortification

12 hoes, £0 12s 0d

2 lb 10d nails, £0 1s 4d

1 lb 20d nails, £0 0s 7d

Total, £13 11s 0d

Plantation

4 gallons oil, £1 4s 0d

1 chopping knife, £0 0s 6d

120 files, £1 10s 0d

Total, £2 14s 6d

Great Wood

1 broad axe, £0 6s 6d

1 hoe, £0 1s 0d

Total, £7 6s 0d

Honourable Company slaves

2500 lb rice, £31 5s 0d

251 3/4 yards kersey, £25 3s 0d

20 pieces Nuremberg, £5 0s 0d

1 piece blue cloth, £0 19s 6d

36 pairs shoes, £17 3s 0d

16 dozen forks, £1 16s 6d

7 1/4 dozen laces, £2 8s 8d

4 lb thread, £0 2s 2d

6 thimbles, £0 1s 0d

5 lb sorted thread, £0 1s 0d

2 dozen coat buttons, £1 16s 0d

2 dozen breast buttons, £1 4s 0d

100 nails, £0 1s 6d

Total, £70 17s 7d

Total, £172 19s 10d

Interpretations

This page closed the storekeeper's account by dividing the goods among the works and bodies they supplied. The headings named the debt expenses, the general charges, the garrison, the fortification, the plantation, the Great Wood and the Company slaves. Each issue fell to a distinct charge, and the running totals under every head carried through to a grand total of £172 19s 10d.

Several named goods reflected the reach of the Company's trade routes. Kersey was a coarse ribbed woollen carried out from England to clothe the Company slaves, and blue cloth another woollen for the same use. Nuremberg ware meant small metal goods such as pins, thimbles and toys made in that German city. Bohea was a black tea from the Wuyi hills of Fujian, reaching the island through the Company's China trade.

The tools issued to the fortification, the plantation and the Great Wood reflected the labour of building and cultivation on the island. Hoes were issued for tilling, a broad axe for shaping timber, and files for sharpening iron tools. This concentration of edged and pointed tools under the several work heads shows the Company accounting for the cost of each task apart from the others.

The large issue of rice, cloth and shoes to the Company slaves showed the whole cost of maintaining the labour force falling on the same store. The 2500 lb of rice fed the slaves, while the kersey and blue cloth clothed them. This confirms that the one warehouse supplied the wants of the slaves alongside those of the garrison, the settlers and the passing ships.

175

173

Expence of Liquor & Provisions for the Mo

December 1726. Vizt

33 ¾ Gale Arr: for Table

10 13 9

8 ditto Soldiers

2 12 8

3 ¾ do Plantn Blacks

1 3 8

3 Gale Vinegar

12

7 Bottle French Wine 4/6

1 11 6

39 do Mountain 3

5 17

8 do Sherry 3

1 4

6 do Cea 12

6

14 do Galicia 2/6

1 18

62 do Strong Beer 2

6 4

4 do Oyle 3/6

14

10 do Sugar 6

9 15 6

186 do Bread 3

2 6 6

132 do Flour 3

1 15 6

155 a do Fresh Pork 6

3 17 6

206 lb Veal 6

5 13

25 do Cutto

5 1

32 Yds a Candles 2/6

4 3

14 ½ do Soap 1

1 10½

14 Oz Salt Beef for Cea 2/6

1 14 6

32 a Salt Cork do

4 10 6

19 do Beef to Blan Blacs

1 12

6 a Fowles

1 13

32 a Butter

1 12

30 Days Greens

10

2 Kids

12

7 Turkeys

9 6

1 Musgrey Ducks 3

6

172 13 11½

Memorandum Recd Aug 13: One Cyar Arrack of 168

Gale

Expended Since to Der 1: 140 Gale

Wastage & ulkage & Run-out 28

Mr Isa English & Sold Bills of Exchange for £150 8 9 for

Cash Notes paid to the Govr

Ordd that Bills be accordingly drawn for the said Sum

Jno Alexander John: Smith Wff

Jno Goodwin R: Byfeild

Margin Notes:

this Memdm not to be Copyed in the fair Copyes

An account of the expense of liquor and provisions for the month of December 1726.

33 3/4 gallons arrack for the table, £10 13s 9d

8 gallons arrack for the soldiers, £2 10s 8d

3 3/4 gallons arrack for the plantation slaves, £1 3s 8d

3 gallons vinegar, £0 12s 0d

7 bottles French wine at 4s 6d, £1 11s 6d

39 bottles Mountain wine at 3s, £5 17s 0d

8 bottles sherry at 3s, £1 4s 0d

6 bottles Cape wine at 1s, £0 6s 0d

14 bottles Galicia at 2s 6d, £1 18s 0d

62 bottles strong beer at 1s 6d, £6 4s 0d

4 bottles oil at 3s 6d, £0 14s 0d

111 lb sugar at 6d, £2 15s 6d

186 lb bread at 3s, £2 16s 6d

132 lb flour at 3s, £1 15s 6d

155 lb fresh pork at 6d, £3 17s 6d

206 lb veal at 6d, £5 13s 0d

25 lb candy, £1 5s 0d

32 lb wax candles at 2s 6d, £4 1s 3d

14 1/2 lb soap, £1 0s 4 1/2d

14 lb salt beef for the table at 2s 6d, £1 14s 6d

32 lb salt pork at 2s, £4 9s 6d

19 lb beef for the plantation slaves, £1 10s 6d

6 lb lard, £1 13s 0d

32 lb butter, £1 14s 0d

30 days greens, £1 10s 0d

2 sheep, £0 12s 0d

7 turkeys, £0 9s 6d

10 muscovy ducks at 3s, £0 6s 0d

Total, £72 13s 11 1/2d

A memorandum recorded that the arrack held on 13 August came to 168 gallons. Of this, 140 gallons had been expended between then and 1 December, and 28 gallons had been lost to wastage, ullage and run-out. Mr John English tendered three bills of exchange for £150 8s 9d to Captain Noble, paid to the Governor. The council ordered that bills be drawn accordingly for that sum.

The memorandum and the accounts were signed by John Alexander, John Goodwin, John Smith and Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

This account priced the liquor and provisions consumed at the fort and settlement during December 1726 and extended each item to a sterling total. It separated the arrack issued to the general table from that given to the soldiers and the plantation slaves. The record let the Company measure the running cost of victualling the garrison and its labour force by class of recipient.

The arrack memorandum reconciled a stock taken on 13 August against the amount used by 1 December. Of the 168 gallons held, 140 were expended and 28 lost to wastage, ullage and run-out. Ullage was the shortfall in a cask left part empty by leakage or evaporation, so the note accounted for the natural loss of a spirit stored over several months.

The three bills of exchange for £150 8s 9d showed how money moved between the island and distant places without shipping coin. A bill of exchange was a written order to pay a sum elsewhere, so Mr English settled his debt to the Governor through paper that could be redeemed in England or India. This illustrates the credit machinery by which the Company and its servants transferred value across the sea.

Speculations

The council chose to reconcile the arrack stock formally in the record, rather than simply enter the quantity issued. The obvious course was to note only what had gone to the table, the soldiers and the slaves. The decision to set the 28 gallons of wastage against the opening stock of 168 shows the council guarding against the loss being read as theft or unaccounted issue. Faced with a spirit that shrank in store through no one's fault, the council preferred an explicit allowance for ullage over a bare tally that might later look like a deficit.

176

174

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 27th Der 1726 at

Ce House Present Jno Smith Esqr Govern

Edward Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

the last Consultation read & approved

Wee Executed a Lease this Day to Willm Worrall Gunr Matr

for 2½ Acres of Land for the Term of 21 Years at 4/ p Acre

Ordered that Notice be given that on Monday & Tuesday

next the 2d & 3d of Jaunry next We intend to Sit by Consultation

to Reckon the Gartison Acct & that on Thursday the 5 day of the

said Month a Sessions will be held for this Island in Order

to hear & Determine such Cause as shall be then Depending

John: Smith Wff

R: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation had on Tuesday & Monday 2d & 3d Jaunry

at Consultation House Present Jno Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeild

John Alexander

Jno Goodwin

the last Consultation read & approved

Pursuant to Notice Publisht on Wednesday last Wee

met to Reckon with the Garrison for the Quarter Ending 25 Der

last & to hear any Matter that might Occurr.

We Executed a Lease to Joseph Lufkin for 1½ Acre Land

for the Term of 21 Years at the usuall Rent of 4/ p Acre,

Also a Joynt Lease to Jno Worrale & Eben Such Montross

for 16 a Acres Land for the Term of 21 Years at the usuall Rent

of 4/ p Acre & one Shilling duty

Jno Dorsontaine Petd for an Acre Land lying under Cuckey

Hill & for an other Acre below Wilkes Spring

Orderd that a Lease be granted him of the former but the Later to

lye till first for the Vacinity of the Man Water Course that Runs thro

the Head Plantation for the ffort Valley

Jno Alexander John: Smith Wff

Jno Goodwin R: Byfeild

At a consultation held on Tuesday 27 December 1726 at the Company's house.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The council granted a lease to William Worrall, gunner's mate, for 2 1/2 acres of land for the term of 21 years at 4s per acre.

The council ordered that notice be given of its intention to sit on Monday and Tuesday, 2 and 3 January next, to reckon with the garrison. It also ordered that on Thursday 5 January a session be held for the island, in order to hear and determine any matters then pending.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Monday and Tuesday, 2 and 3 January 1727, at Plantation House.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

Following the notice published the previous week, the council met to reckon with the garrison for the quarter ending 25 December, and to hear any further matters that might arise.

The council executed a lease to Joseph Lufkin for 1 1/2 acres of land for the term of 21 years at the usual rent of 4s per acre.

The council also granted a lease to George Worrall and Coben Lufkin as joint tenants for 16 acres, for the term of 21 years at the usual rent of 4s per acre and nine loaves and one shilling.

John Dorsent petitioned for a lease of one acre of land in Cowles Valley, on which he had already begun to build a house. The council ordered that a lease be granted, but that the parcel first be viewed for its nearness to the main water course that ran through the Company's plantation into the Fort Valley.

The consultation was signed by John Alexander, John Smith, John Goodwin and Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The council fixed dates to reckon with the garrison for the quarter and to hear island business, showing the regular rhythm of its administration. Payment and accounting fell due each quarter, so the council gave public notice before sitting to settle the garrison's dues. This let the members conduct the routine financial and judicial work of the settlement in an orderly way.

The uniform terms of 21 years at a rent of 4s per acre, with nine loaves and one shilling on the joint grant, show how the Company standardised its tenancies. The mixed rent of money and bread bound each tenant to render both cash and provisions, tying the holding to the Company's food supply as well as its revenue.

Speculations

The council chose to view John Dorsent's plot before confirming the lease, though it granted the request in principle. Dorsent had already begun to build his house on the ground, so the obvious course was to grant the acre outright. The decision to inspect it first rested on the plot's nearness to the main water course running through the plantation into the Fort Valley. Faced with a grant that might interfere with the settlement's water supply, the council preferred a survey over an immediate confirmation that could later threaten a vital resource.

177

175

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 10th Jaunry 1726/7 at

Plantation House Present John Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

the last Consultation read & approved

Pursuant to Notice lately given, on the fifth instant a Genll

Sessions of the Peace was held but there being no Cause or Suit

Depending the Same was Adjourned

Wee this day Executed a Lease to William Seale Planter for

15½ Acres of Wast Land lying in Sparks Valley for the Term of

21 Years at the usuall Rent of 4/ p Acre & one Shilling Duty, &

also a Memorandm in a Lease formerly Granted to Jno French

Gunner for a Acre more of the Comps Gumwood Land which in

the whole makes four Acres as by the Plott thereof Enterd in the

Register Book will more Plainly appear.

Capt Byfeild, Capt Goodwin & Mr Gaa the Steward brought

in their Monthly Accts for Der last which were severally Exam: &

approved & are as follow vizt

Arrack 36 Gale for Table£ 11 8

Do 5 do to Guards 1 11 8

Do 2½ do to the Blacks 15 10

Vinegar 2 Gale 6 8

Mountain 29 Bottles 3 4 7

Strong Beer 65 do 2 6 10

French Wine 9 do 4/6 2 6

Sack 4 do 5 1

Sherry 6 do 3/ 18

Gallicia 8 do 2/6 1

Pork 66 lb 2/3 15

Oyle 2 do 7

Beef 280 lb 3o 7 6

Bread 160 lb 3 2 3

Sugar 110 lb 6o 2 10 6

Flour 40 lb 3o 4

Candy 27 1 7

Candles 34 ½ 2/6 4 5

Soap 14 ½ 1 1 ½

do 80 lb 6o 2 16

Veale 72 lb 6 1 13

Butter 133 lb 1

Beef Salt 19 Table 2/6 1 10

Pork do 25 do 2/10 3 11 8

do Beef 12 to Plants Blacks 1 10

Fowle 54 4 1

Turkeys 4 1

Goates 2 1

Days Greens £ 1 11

70 18 11 ½

Margin Notes:

Errors Excepted

p Willm Gaa

At a consultation held on Tuesday 10 January 1727 at Plantation House.

Present were John Smith, Governor, and the council.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

Following the notice lately given, a session of the peace was held on 5 January. No cause or suit was pending, so the session was adjourned.

The council granted a lease to William Seale, planter, for 15 1/2 acres of waste land in Sparks Valley, for the term of 21 years at the usual rent of 4s per acre and one shilling duty. It also made a memorandum on a lease formerly granted to John French, gunner, for one further acre of the Company's Great Wood land. This addition brought his holding to four acres in all, as the plot entered in the register book would more plainly show.

Captain Byfield, Captain Goodwin and Mr Gaa the steward brought in their monthly accounts for December, which were separately examined and approved, and are set out below.

36 gallons arrack for the table, £11 8s 0d

5 gallons arrack to the guards, £1 11s 8d

2 1/2 gallons arrack to the plantation slaves, £0 15s 10d

2 gallons vinegar at 6s, £0 4s 8d

29 bottles Mountain wine at 3s, £4 7s 0d

65 bottles strong beer at 2s, £6 10s 0d

9 bottles French wine at 4s 6d, £2 0s 6d

4 bottles sack at 5s, £1 0s 0d

6 bottles sherry at 3s, £0 18s 0d

8 bottles Galicia at 2s 6d, £1 0s 0d

6 bottles Cape wine at 2s 3d, £0 15s 0d

2 bottles oil, £0 7s 0d

280 lb beef at 3d, £7 4s 6d

160 lb bread at 3s, £2 4s 3d

119 lb sugar at 6d, £2 19s 6d

40 lb flour at 3s, £1 6s 0d

27 lb candy, £1 7s 0d

34 1/2 lb candles at 2s 6d, £4 5s 1 1/2d

14 1/2 lb soap, £1 1s 0d

80 lb lard at 6d, £2 0s 0d

72 lb veal at 6d, £1 16s 0d

133 lb butter, £1 13s 0d

19 lb salt beef for the table at 2s 6d, £1 10s 0d

25 lb salt pork at 2s 10d, £3 11s 8d

12 lb salt beef to the plantation slaves, £1 10s 0d

54 fowls, £4 1s 0d

54 turkeys, £4 4s 0d

2 goats, £1 4s 0d

days greens, £1 11s 0d

Total, £70 18s 11 1/2d

The accounts were examined and approved by Mr William Gaa.

Interpretations

The session of the peace held on 5 January was adjourned for want of any business, showing the regular judicial machinery of the settlement standing ready even when idle. The council had given public notice of the session in advance, so it convened as promised and closed at once when no case arose. This reflects the orderly form of island government, which kept to its calendar regardless of the volume of work.

The account priced the liquor and provisions consumed at the fort and settlement during December 1726 and extended each item to a sterling total. It separated the arrack issued to the general table from that given to the guards and the plantation slaves. This let the Company measure the cost of victualling the garrison and its labour force by class of recipient.

Several named goods reflected the reach of the Company's trade routes. Mountain was a sweet Spanish wine from the hills near Malaga, sack a strong fortified white wine of the sherry family, and Galicia a wine from north-west Spain. Cape wine came from the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, the nearest wine source on the homeward route. Arrack was a distilled spirit made in the East from palm sap, rice or sugar, and formed the standard strong liquor issued across Company settlements.

178

176

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry Horses

Bullocks Cowes Heifers Steers Yearlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Totall Cowes Withers Kids Rams Totall Sows Shoats Boars Pigs Totall Turkeys Fowles Ducks Geese Horses Mares Totall

Rem Ulto Novr 1726

Bullocks 14

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 76

Bulls 3

Totall 203

Ewes 58

Wethers 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Cowes 144

Withers 35

Kids 101

Rams 5

Totall 285

Sows 8

Shoats 32

Boars 1

Pigs 1

Totall 56

Turkeys 87

Fowles 109

Ducks 6

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Encreasd in Der

Bullocks -

Cowes -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves 8

Bulls -

Totall 8

Ewes -

Wethers -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Cowes -

Withers 11

Kids -

Rams -

Totall 11

Sows -

Shoats -

Boars -

Pigs -

Totall -

Turkeys 14

Fowles 40

Ducks 6

Geese -

Horses -

Mares -

Totall -

Bullocks 14

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 84

Bulls 3

Totall 211

Ewes 58

Wethers 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Cowes 144

Withers 35

Kids 112

Rams 5

Totall 296

Sows 8

Shoats 32

Boars 1

Pigs 1

Totall 56

Turkeys 101

Fowles 149

Ducks 10

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Killed in Do

Bullocks 1

Cowes -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves 1

Bulls -

Totall 2

Ewes -

Wethers -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Cowes -

Withers -

Kids 12

Rams -

Totall 9

Sows -

Shoats 3

Boars 6

Pigs -

Totall 9

Turkeys 1

Fowles 33

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mares -

Totall -

Bullocks 13

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 83

Bulls 3

Totall 209

Ewes 58

Wethers 26

Lambs 25

Rams 4

Totall 113

Cowes 144

Withers 33

Kids 112

Rams 5

Totall 294

Sows 5

Shoats 26

Boars 1

Pigs 1

Totall 47

Turkeys 100

Fowles 116

Ducks 10

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Dead in ditto

Bullocks -

Cowes 1

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves 1

Bulls -

Totall 1

Ewes 2

Wethers 1

Lambs 2

Rams -

Totall 5

Cowes -

Withers -

Kids -

Rams -

Totall -

Sows -

Shoats 1

Boars -

Pigs 1

Totall 3

Turkeys -

Fowles -

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mares -

Totall -

Rem Ulto Der 1726

Bullocks 13

Cowes 65

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 83

Bulls 3

Totall 208

Ewes 56

Wethers 25

Lambs 23

Rams 4

Totall 108

Cowes 144

Withers 33

Kids 112

Rams 5

Totall 294

Sows 5

Shoats 25

Boars 1

Pigs 1

Totall 46

Turkeys 97

Fowles 116

Ducks 10

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 47005 lb

Do deliverd to Fort Blacks 6875

Totall 53880 lb

Remaining 30 November 1726

Bullocks 14, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 76, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 203, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 144, Goat Wethers 35, Kids 101, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 285, Sows 8, Shoats 32, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 56, Turkeys 56, Fowls 87, Ducks 109, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Increase in December

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 8, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 8, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids 11, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 11, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls 14, Ducks 10, Geese 6, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 14, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 84, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 211, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 144, Goat Wethers 35, Kids 112, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 296, Sows 8, Shoats 32, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 56, Turkeys 56, Fowls 101, Ducks 119, Geese 12, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Killed in December

Bullocks 1, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 1, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 2, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers 2, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 2, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls 1, Ducks 3, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 13, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 83, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 209, Ewes 58, Wethers 26, Lambs 25, Rams 4, Sheep Total 113, Goat Ewes 144, Goat Wethers 33, Kids 112, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 294, Sows 8, Shoats 32, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 56, Turkeys 55, Fowls 100, Ducks 116, Geese 10, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Died in December

Bullocks -, Cows 1, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 1, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 1, Ewes -, Wethers 2, Lambs 1, Rams 2, Sheep Total 5, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 5, Sows -, Shoats 1, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs 1, Hog Total 1, Turkeys 3, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Other Poultry -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Remaining 31 December 1726

Bullocks 13, Cows 65, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 83, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 208, Ewes 56, Wethers 25, Lambs 23, Rams 4, Sheep Total 108, Goat Ewes 144, Goat Wethers 33, Kids 112, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 294, Sows 5, Shoats 25, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 46, Turkeys 97, Fowls 116, Ducks 10, Geese 6, Other Poultry 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 47,005 lb

Yams delivered to fort slaves, 6,875 lb

Total, 53,880 lb

179

177

730 lb Sugar

15 15

60 lb Candy

3 3

360 lb Tobbad

40 8

2240 lb Flour

28 4

1 Barrill Cott

1 16

5 do Tarr

10 12 6

½ Turpentine

12

11½ Chelow

8 1 11½

40 White Guinea

12 4

1 do Chintz

9

6 do Nuando

6 6 3

2 do Callco

9 2

11 Nuando

12

8 Quilt

6 9

2 do

8

2 Callampos No 2

5

7½ Copey Bengale Sa Fofty

16

1 Copey Blew Ginghom

5 6

4 Wadd do

10

1 Copper Bove

1 8 6

1 Copey Candlestick

1 8

1 Coffee Sam Pan with Cover

1 11 6

1 do without Cover

8 6

1 do

6

2 Kettles

10 12 6

2 Hand Candlestick

17 6

3 Butchers Knives

7 1

1 Kettle

13 6

2 Chopping Knives

8

1 Frying do

5 4

4 Mens Knives

4

4 Penknives

9

6 Razor

4 10

32 Thimbles

5 7

12 Reading Combs

1 1

12 Ivory do

12

1 do

3 12

4 do

12 11

5 do

12

35 Copey Wim Stock

11 16 6

1 Sold do

6 6

4 Mens Silk

1 10 10

6 Wim Frock

6

4 do

3 3

4 do

3 2

16 Youth

14

6 do

12

171 12 11½

730 lb sugar, £15 15s 0d

60 lb candy, £3 3s 0d

360 lb bread, £40 8s 0d

2240 lb flour, £28 4s 0d

1 barrel pitch, £1 16s 0d

5 lb tar, £10 12s 6d

1/4 turpentine, £0 12s 0d

11 1/2 calico, £8 1s 11 1/2d

40 white gingham, £12 4s 0d

1 piece chintz, £0 9s 0d

6 pieces Madras, £6 6s 3d

2 pieces calico, £2 9s 0d

11 durance, £0 13s 0d

8 quilts, £6 9s 0d

2 durance, £0 8s 0d

2 callamancoes, no. 2, £0 5s 0d

1/2 piece Bengal taffety, £0 16s 0d

1 piece blue gingham, £0 5s 6d

4 head ditto, £0 10s 6d

1 copper pot, £1 8s 0d

1 pair candlesticks, £1 11s 6d

1 coffee can, bar with cover, £0 8s 6d

1 ditto without cover, £0 6s 6d

2 kettles, £0 17s 6d

2 hand candlesticks, £10 17s 6d

3 butchers' knives, £0 13s 0d

1 kettle, £0 3s 8d

2 chopping knives, £0 5s 4d

1 frying ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 hoes ditto, £0 9s 0d

4 penknives, £4 10s 0d

6 razors, £0 5s 0d

32 thimbles, £0 1s 7d

2 boxwood combs, £0 1s 9d

4 ivory ditto, £0 1s 3d

1 ditto, £0 1s 2d

4 ditto, £0 1s 1d

5 ditto, £0 1s 6d

35 pieces men's stock, £11 16s 6d

1 gold ditto, £0 6s 6d

1 mens' silk, £1 10s 10d

6 men's frock, £0 3s 3d

2 youths, £0 4s 0d

6 ditto, £0 1s 2d

Total, £177 13s 1 1/2d

Interpretations

This page recorded the storekeeper's account of goods issued from the Company warehouse on St Helena. The list mixed provisions such as sugar, bread and flour with textiles, hardware, tableware and clothing. Each entry gave the quantity, a short description and the value in sterling, so the Company could track everything passing through its store and the cost charged against its books.

Several cloth names identified goods brought in through the Company's Indian trade. Madras cloth and chintz came from the Coromandel coast, calico was a plain Indian cotton, and Bengal taffety a fine silk woven in Bengal. Callamanco was a glossy checked woollen, and durance a durable glazed woollen carried out from England. Gingham was a checked or striped cotton, listed here in white and blue.

Several tools and wares served the everyday work of the settlement. A copper pot and kettles were kitchen vessels, butchers' knives and chopping knives for preparing meat, and razors for shaving. Boxwood and ivory combs were graded by their material and price. The mix of fine cloth, provisions, tools and clothing shows that the one store met the whole range of wants across the settlement and the passing ships.

180

178

Bt over

171 4 11½

Diet Expences 60½ Gale Arr £ 19 13 2

200 lb Sugar 5

1 Cask Beef 5 12

1 do Flour 4 4

4 lb a Oyle 1 1

4½ Vinegar 11 3

1 a Copper 1

4 Bushd Peas 2 10

1 Peck Beans 2 4½

38 4 9½

Garrison 15 Cast a Cra £ 5

4½ Gale a Oyle 1 5

5 Yds a Ratteens 16 3

3 do Blew 5 5

6 do White 4 7

5 3 3

Plantation 2 a Copey Naigles £ 1 6

2 do 1 4

1 do 8

1 Small Gimblet 4

1 Storch Lock 4

125 a Rice 18 9

2 7

Honble Comps Blacks 4 Cast Beef £ 5

2846 a Flie 35 4

10 a Copey Shoes 2 17 6

18 ½ Yd Herfey 19 5

27 a Nuando 15 5

44 a Copey Chintz 19 16

13 Oz a Cloth 13

3 a Copey Frock 19

3 Hod Tape 6 3

149 15 9

Genll Charges 1 Peck Tin £ 8

1 do Sam 8

1 a Naile 10

12 Copey a Sauers 3 6

1 a Copper 3 6

1 a Copey Thrid 1 9

1 a Iron 4 3

1 Ratt No 3 4 8

8 Buffies Cra 7 8

2 Cast a Cra 5 4

1 Bushd Salt 6 6 4

10 a Wheat 3 4½

Fortification 2 Iron Maule 98 £ 4 1 8

1 a Oyle 1 6

2 11 5½

4 3 2

373 3 1½

Brought over, £171 4s 1 1/2d

Debt expenses

60 1/2 gallons arrack, £19 13s 0d

200 lb sugar, £5 0s 0d

1 chest bread, £5 12s 0d

1 chest flour, £4 4s 0d

4 lb spike oil, £1 1s 0d

4 1/2 lb ginger, £0 11s 3d

1 lb pepper, £0 1s 0d

4 bushels peas, £2 10s 0d

1 chest beans, £0 2s 4 1/2d

Total, £38 4s 9 1/2d

Garrison

15 catties green tea, £3 0s 0d

4 1/2 gallons oil, £1 7s 0d

5 1/2 lb thread, £0 16s 3d

3 pieces blue cloth, £0 5s 5d

6 pieces white cloth, £0 4s 7d

Total, £5 3s 3d

Plantation

2 lb 6d nails, £0 1s 6d

2 lb 10d nails, £0 1s 4d

1 lb 20d nails, £0 0s 8d

1 small gimblet, £0 0s 4d

1 stock lock, £0 4s 0d

125 lb rice, £0 18s 9d

Total, £2 0s 7d

Honourable Company slaves

4 chests beef, £5 4s 0d

2816 lb rice, £35 4s 0d

10 pieces china, £2 17s 6d

124 1/2 yards kersey, £19 5s 0d

17 pieces Nuremberg, £16 5s 5d

44 pieces chintz, £19 16s 0d

13 oz thread, £0 13s 0d

3 loaves bread, £0 10s 0d

3 loaves tape, £0 6s 3d

Total, £149 15s 9d

General charges

1 chest tin, £0 4s 8d

1 chest ditto, £0 4s 10d

1 lb nails, £0 0s 9d

12 cups and saucers, £0 3s 6d

1 lb copper, £0 3s 6d

1 chopping knife, £0 1s 9d

1 gimblet, £0 4s 3d

1 iron pot, no. 3, £0 4s 8d

8 buttons ditto, £0 7s 8d

2 catties bohea tea, £0 5s 0d

1 butcher's knife, £6 6s 4 1/2d

16 lb wheat, £0 3s 4 1/2d

2 iron mould, £2 11s 5 1/2d

4 gallons oil, £0 1s 6d

Total, £4 3s 2d

Fortification

98 lb 8d nails, £1 1s 6d

Total, £373 3s 1 1/2d

Interpretations

This page closed the storekeeper's account by dividing the goods among the works and bodies they supplied. The headings named the debt expenses, the garrison, the plantation, the Company slaves, the general charges and the fortification. Each issue fell to a distinct charge, and the running totals under every head carried through to a grand total of £373 3s 1 1/2d.

Several named goods reflected the reach of the Company's trade routes. Kersey was a coarse ribbed woollen carried out from England to clothe the Company slaves, and chintz a printed cotton from the Coromandel coast. Nuremberg ware meant small metal goods such as pins, thimbles and toys made in that German city. Bohea was a black tea from the Wuyi hills of Fujian, reaching the island through the Company's China trade.

The large issue of rice, beef, cloth and chintz to the Company slaves showed the whole cost of maintaining the labour force falling on the same store. The 2816 lb of rice and the four chests of beef fed the slaves, while the kersey and chintz clothed them. This confirms that the one warehouse supplied the wants of the slaves alongside those of the garrison, the settlers and the passing ships.

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179

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 17th Jaunry 1726/7

Prest Jno Smith Esqr Govr

Edw Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Last Consultation read & approved

Orderd That a Survey be taken of all Lands both that held &

Leasd to Sundry of the Inhabitants have should their Lands, Planted

Wood & George in Proportion to the Sevral Quantities by them

Possessed Pursuant to the Covenants of their respective Deeds &

Leases & that Messrs Jno Goodwin, Jno Johnson & Wrongham &

Edm Nicholls be appointed & Impowerd to Survey the Same

& that they give an Acct thereof in Writing unto Us within a

a Month after the date of their Warr

Richard Durling presented a Bill of Sale from Rd Beale &

for the third Part of a Dwelling House in James Valley from

Jno Robinsons Deceasd, desiring the same might be Registred

Orderd that the same be Registred accordingly

John: Smith Wff

R: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 January 1727 at the Company's house.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The council ordered that a survey be taken of all land, both the freehold and the planted wood and forage, held by the inhabitants. This was to establish how far each holding matched the tenant's lease and answered to the several quantities recorded against them in their respective deeds and leases. The council appointed John Goodwin, John Johnson, George Wrangham and Edmund Nichols to carry out the survey, and directed them to deliver an account of it in writing within one month of the date of their order.

Richard Durling presented a bill of sale from Richard Bradley for the third part of a dwelling house in James Valley, formerly belonging to John Robinson, deceased. He asked that it be registered. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

The consultation was signed by John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The council ordered a full survey of the inhabitants' land to check each holding against the acreage recorded in the tenant's deed or lease. Land could be encroached upon or under-recorded over time, so a periodic measurement kept the register true. This shows the Company enforcing its title to the land by verifying that no tenant held more than his grant allowed.

The registration of Richard Durling's bill of sale protected a purchaser whose title ran through a deceased former owner. The third part of the house in James Valley had passed from John Robinson, now dead, through Richard Bradley to Durling. This illustrates the importance of the register where property moved through several hands before reaching its current holder.

Speculations

The council chose to appoint four named men to a formal survey, rather than trust the acreages already entered in the register. The obvious course was to rely on the deeds and leases as they stood. The decision to remeasure every holding rested on a suspicion that the recorded quantities no longer matched the ground, whether through encroachment or loose earlier measurement. Faced with a register that might have drifted from the reality of the land, the council preferred the labour of a fresh survey over continued reliance on figures it could no longer trust.

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180

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 31 Jaunry 1726/7 at

Ce House Prest Jno Smith Esqr Govr

Edward Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

the last Consultation read & approved

Wee assembled on Thursday last but there not being any

Business Wee adjourned to this Day

Capt Goodwin Petitiond for two Acre of Wast Land

at the Head of Swanley Valley adjoyning to two Acres he

formerly Leased & that now in his Possession

Orderd that he Measure the Same & that it be inserted

in his former Lease for the other two Acres

Richard Beal presented a Bill of Sale for 6⅔ Acres

of Garden & Pasture Land desiring the Same may be

Registred for better Security thereof

Orderd that the said Bill of Sale be Registred accordingly

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 7o ffebry 1726/7

at Man Ce House Prest Jno Smith Esqr Govr & a Councill

the last Consultation read & approved

Yesterday Wee had an alarm in the Morning of One Ship

to Windward & about two an other Alarm of a Single Ship

bearing away, & thought to be a Dean & this Country arrived a

a French Ship called the Jason from Confederacy whom Wee

Supplied with such Refreshment as she wanted & on the 5th

the Sailed for France

Capt Byfeild, Capt Goodwin & Mr Gaa Steward

Deliverd each their Monthly Accts for January last wch

were severally Examind & Approved & are as follow vizt

At a consultation held on Tuesday 31 January 1727 at the Company's house.

Present were John Smith, Governor, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The council had assembled on the previous Tuesday, but no business arose, so it adjourned to this day.

Captain Goodwin petitioned for two acres of waste land at the head of Swanley Valley, next to the land he had earlier been granted and now held. The council ordered that the parcel be measured and included in his former lease with the other two acres.

Richard Beal presented a bill of sale for 6 2/3 acres of forage and pasture land, and asked that it be registered for his better security. The council ordered that the bill of sale be registered accordingly.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 February 1727 at Anne's Fort.

Present were John Smith, Governor, and the council.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The previous day the fort had an alarm in the morning when a single ship was seen to windward. About two hours later another ship came into view, standing away, and both were thought to be Danish. The two ships arrived at a South Sea cape, and called at the port from Coringa, where they had supplied themselves with such refreshment as they wanted. On 5 February they set sail for France.

Captain Byfield, Captain Goodwin and Mr Gaa the steward delivered their monthly accounts for January, which were separately examined and approved, and are set out below.

Interpretations

The alarm raised at the sight of two unidentified ships shows the constant watchfulness of an isolated island in a period of frequent maritime war. St Helena guarded the homeward route of the East India fleet, so any strange sail had to be identified quickly. The council's careful note of the ships' nationality, origin and destination reflects the strategic need to distinguish friend from enemy in distant waters.

The two ships had called at Coringa, a port on the Coromandel coast of India, before reaching the island. This detail places the vessels within the wider network of Indian Ocean trade that passed St Helena. The island served as a point of refreshment on the long passage, so even foreign ships stopped to take on what supplies they needed.

Speculations

The council chose to record the two strange ships in detail, rather than merely note that an alarm had been raised and stood down. The obvious course was a brief entry once the vessels proved no threat. The decision to set down their nationality, their origin at Coringa and their departure for France rested on the value of such intelligence to a fortified outpost. Faced with foreign ships moving through waters it was bound to watch, the council preferred a full record of their movements over a bare note that the alarm had passed.

183

181

What follows are foul Consultations

What follows are foul consultations.

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184

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185

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186

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188

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189

189

At a Consultation held on Monday 26th ffebry 1726/7

at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander 2d &

John Goodwin 3 in Council

the last Consultation read & approved on

this Morning about 9 arrived the Cornish Anno the

from England Capt Gough Comdr who brought the Gartn

Comps Packet on Sheare. But Wee firsth being in the

Country, the Governr to shew the Cristof Byfeild offering

it, till he came down But acquainted that Ce Hon Coe

Masters had been pleasd to appoint Mr Byfeild for

Succed as Governr, & to the End that all Persons

might take due Notice thereof the Commission were

Publisht by Beat of Drum in the usuall & manner

Wee provided, & sold, thes their Generall Letter

dated 25th Novr 1726 & the resolves Strictly to observe

& follow all their Orders & Directions therein, & thereby

in Order to Examine & Settle Wm Smithes Acct & Sold Spak

the Cornish Anno with all Ce Ce ffull Perfection

Ordered that a Letter be immediately Sent to the

Captain to Deliver the Cargo Consigned to Us in ten

Working Days, that the Invoice & Bill of Lading be

deliverd Capt Goodwin & that Mr Bazett & Mr the Hott

Side & Slope Companys Books are each day deliverd

what Cause or other Prudence may happen & that be

lodge in Ce thereof every Evening in the Secretaries

Office in order to be enterd in Consultation

On the 22 instant arrived the Grantham Capt Ficht

Comr from Bencoolen & brought us the following Stivelets

for the use of the Island vizt

Sugar 8 Baskott W Ct Nett Quee 65

263 3 8

Do 19 Cannisters W Nett Ct 65

Arrack 2 Legar qty 320 Gao 24 6 130

355 60

the Late Govr haveing been in Person why no Order was sent

for the delivery of them on Shore

Margin Notes:

Cornish Anno

Grantham

At a consultation held on Friday 17 February 1727 at Anne's Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Deputy Governor, John Alexander, second, and John Goodwin, third of council.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

That morning, about nine o'clock, the Princess Anne arrived from England, Captain Lambe commander, who brought Captain Pyke, appointed to succeed as governor. Since Pyke was still in the country, Deputy Governor Byfield went out to show the respect owed on his arrival, before returning to shore. It appeared that Captain Pyke's masters had been pleased to appoint Mr Pyke to succeed as governor. To the end that all persons might take due notice of it, his commission was published by beat of drum in the usual manner.

The council read Mr Pyke's general letter, dated 25 November 1726, and resolved to observe strictly and follow all its orders and directions. The members ordered that copies be examined and settled. Mr Smith was directed to make ready the Princess Anne with all possible dispatch.

The council ordered that a letter be immediately sent to the captain, requiring the cargo consigned to lie in ten working days, and that the invoice and bill of lading be delivered to Captain Goodwin. It also ordered Mr Wrangham to make his purser's books ready at the fort, so that each day it might be seen what charge or other accident may happen, and that he lodge a note of it every evening in the storekeeper's office to be entered in the consultation.

On 22 February the Grantham, Captain Byfield commander, arrived from Bencoolen and brought the following goods for the use of the island.

8 baskets sugar, net weight, made at Bencoolen, 263 lb, £3 3s 8d

19 canisters green tea, net weight, 65 lb, [...]

2 bags arrack, net weight, 320 lb, 24 candareens 6 pice [...]

The rates the governor had settled being in force, no order was made for the delivery of these goods on shore.

Interpretations

The arrival of Captain Pyke with his commission marked the formal transfer of the governorship. His appointment came from the Company's directors in London, and it was proclaimed by beat of drum so that every inhabitant took public notice. This shows how authority on the island descended from a distant company and was made known to the settlement through ceremony.

The order to make ready the purser's books each day reflected the tight control the Company kept over its shipping and stores. Every charge or loss had to be recorded nightly and entered in the consultation. This illustrates the daily accounting discipline imposed on the servants who handled the Company's goods.

The goods brought by the Grantham came from Bencoolen, the Company's pepper settlement on the west coast of Sumatra. The presence of sugar, tea and arrack from that quarter shows how St Helena drew supplies from across the Company's eastern trade. The island served as a point on the network that linked Sumatra, India and China to England.

Speculations

The council chose to withhold any order for landing the Grantham's goods, rather than receive them at once as it did with other cargoes. The obvious course was to take the sugar, tea and arrack on shore for the island's use. The decision to hold back rested on the rates the new governor had already settled, which fixed the terms on which such goods were valued. Faced with a cargo whose price was now governed by a standing order, the council preferred to leave the goods aboard over landing them on uncertain terms.

190

190

At a Consultation held on Monday 27 ffebry 1726/7

at Union Castle Prest Edward Byfeild

John Alexander

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & Approved

the Governr Reports that pursuant to the Honble Comps

Directions and Ce Cornish Anno the last Night Sent Order

to the Overseers of the Several Plantations to Restrain all

Blacks from Working at the Wood or other Places belonging

either to himself Gentlemen of Councill or Inhabitants

Wee this day made a considerable Progress in Examining

the Acct of the late Governr Mr Smith & Order that the Same

be finished on Wednesday next to which time Wee have adjournd

in Order to give take Ce Compleating the same Ce Ce & so many

Wee assemble Ce because a dont Publick Business

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 28 ffebry

1726/7 at Union Castle

Prest Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

Jno Goodwin

the last Consultation read & Approved

Orderd That the Letters for the Sevrble Settlements in India

belonging to the Ce Comps Bengey be got ready before the Expiration

of the Cornish Anno ten Working Days

Pursuant to the Honble Coe & haveing found many

Anno & Ce & Committed by Ce Wrongham & Ce Coe Acctan

was called in & Severely Reprimanded & the sevrbee Particular

relating to his Negligence read to him & promising Amendment

for the future & to be very exact & Carefull in all Acct for the time

to come, he was Sworn Ce Secretary & to do the Duty of this Office

in the best manner he was able.

At a consultation held on Monday 27 February 1727 at Anne's Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The Governor reported that, following the Company's directions and the arrival of the Princess Anne, he had the previous night sent orders to the overseers of the several plantations. They were to release all the slaves from labour at the wood or any other place belonging to himself, the gentlemen of council or the inhabitants.

The council made considerable progress in examining the accounts of the late Governor Mr Smith, and ordered that the work be finished on Wednesday next. The members adjourned to that day, in order to give time for completing the accounts and other public business.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 28 February 1727 at Anne's Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The council ordered that the letters for the several Company settlements in India be made ready before the departure of the Princess Anne, within ten working days.

Following the Company's instruction, the council found that George Wrangham had committed many errors. Wrangham was called in and severely reprimanded, and the several particulars of his negligence were set out to him. He promised amendment for the future, and swore to be careful in all his accounts. He was then sworn to secrecy and to carry out the duty of his office to the best of his ability.

Interpretations

The order to release the slaves from labour at the wood and elsewhere followed a direct instruction from the Company in London. The new governor acted at once on the arrival of the Princess Anne, sending word to the plantation overseers overnight. This shows how a decision made in England reached down to the daily conduct of the island's labour force through the chain of authority.

The examination of the late governor's accounts reflected the strict audit the Company required at each change of office. Before the outgoing governor could be discharged, his handling of Company money had to be checked and settled. This illustrates the accounting discipline that bound every servant who managed the Company's property.

The reprimand of George Wrangham and his oaths of amendment and secrecy show the council enforcing standards on its officers. His errors were set out in detail, and he was bound by oath to greater care and to keep the Company's affairs private. This reflects the mixture of correction and formal obligation by which the council held its servants to account.

191

191

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 1o March 1726/7

at Union Castle Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & approved

Wee this day finished the Accts of the late Governr Jno Smith

& find the Abatements upon the same according to the Ce Comps

Instructions to amount to £672 5 11 besides other deductions as p Ce Acct

Orderd that the Same be fairly Copied in Order to be trans=

=mitted the Honours Comp for their better Satisfaction

the Governr Reports that upon his Perusal of the Books

of Accts he finds large Quantities of Beef & Pork deliverd at

Sundry times to the Blacks Amounting between 28th May 1723

& 24th Sepr 1726 to £1958 7 & also considerable Quantities

charged to Diet Expences both which Articles he thinks so great

a Charge to the Honble Compy that he is Resolved entirely to lay

it a Side which may be Easily done by providing so proportionate

Quantity of ffish in Lieu thereof & We accordingly Orderd

the Boats to be New Timed & rait direct that they shall be

constantly employed & has already contracted with an able

hand to keep the Blacks &c at Work therein closely to their

Business & instruct them in ffishing & for Our Satisfaction

laid the following particulars before Us.

Acct of Expences of Beef Pork Sewitt & Lard from the 28th May 1723 to the 24th Sepr 1726

as appears by the Legers N O P & Q vozt

Beef Casks Beef Peces Beef Pou Pork Casks Pork Pou Sew Casks Lard Casks Amounts Totll Amot

1723 From ye 28 May 1723 to the 24 March 1723/4

Leger N On Account of Diett Expences

Beef Casks 7

Beef Peces -

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 3

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks 3

Lard Casks -

Amounts £ 152 2

from ditto to ditto on Acct of Blacks

Beef Casks 21

Beef Peces -

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 3

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks -

Lard Casks -

Amounts 318 6

Totll Amot 470 6 2

1724 From the 25 March 1724 to the 24 Der follow

Leger O On Acct of diett Expences

Beef Casks 5

Beef Peces 32

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 4

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks 3

Lard Casks -

Amounts 131 12 9

from ditto to ditto On Acct of Blacks

Beef Casks 29

Beef Peces -

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 12

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks -

Lard Casks -

Amounts 509 -

On Acct of ditto paid by Cash & Coe of Sundry

Beef Casks 7

Beef Peces -

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 4

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks -

Lard Casks -

Amounts 139 -

Totll Amot 779 12 9

Leger P From the 25 Der 1724 a 24 Sepr 1725

On Acct of diett Expences

Beef Casks 3

Beef Peces -

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 3

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks 1

Lard Casks -

Amounts 67 6

from ditto to ditto On Acct of Blacks

Beef Casks 11

Beef Peces 36

Beef Pou 11½

Pork Casks 50

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks -

Lard Casks -

Amounts 288 12

Totll Amot 355 18

1725 From the 25 Sepr 1725 to ye 24 Mar follow

Leger Q On Acct of diett Expences

Beef Casks 1

Beef Peces -

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 2

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks -

Lard Casks -

Amounts 37 -

from ditto to ditto On Acct of Blacks

Beef Casks 16

Beef Peces -

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 12

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks -

Lard Casks -

Amounts 352 -

1726 from the 25 Mar a 24 Sepr on Acct of diett Exp

Beef Casks 2

Beef Peces -

Beef Pou -

Pork Casks 2

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks 1

Lard Casks -

Amounts 56 -

from ditto to ditto On Acct of Blacks

Beef Casks 13

Beef Peces 210

Beef Pou 6

Pork Casks 156

Pork Pou -

Sew Casks -

Lard Casks -

Amounts 254 9

Totll Amot 696 9

Sum Totall

Beef Casks 115

Beef Peces 3257A

Beef Pou 62½

Pork Casks 206

Pork Pou 8

Sew Casks -

Lard Casks -

Amounts £ 2302 5 11

At a consultation held on Wednesday 1 March 1727 at Union Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The council finished the accounts of the late Governor Mr Smith and found that the abatements upon them, made according to the Company's instructions, came to £672 5s 11d, besides other deductions as noted. The members ordered that the accounts be fairly copied and sent to the Company for their better satisfaction.

The Governor reported that, on examining the books of account, he found large quantities of beef and pork delivered at various dates to the slaves. These came to £1,958 7s 4d between 28 May 1723 and 24 September 1726, with further considerable quantities charged to diet expenses. He thought both charges too great a burden on the Company, and resolved to set them aside altogether. This could easily be done by providing a proportionate quantity of fish instead. The council accordingly ordered that the boat be newly fitted and kept constantly employed. Byfield had already contracted with an able hand to keep the slaves at work closely to their business, and to instruct them in fishing. The following particulars were set out.

An account of the expense of beef, pork, suet and lard from 28 May 1723 to 24 September 1726, as it appeared in ledgers N, O, P and Q.

1723, ledger N, from 28 May 1723 to 24 March 1724

Diet expenses, beef 7 casks, pork 3 casks, lard 3 casks, £152 0s 2d

Slaves, beef 21 casks, pork 3 casks, £318 6s 0d

Subtotal, £470 6s 2d

1724, ledger O, from 25 March 1724 to 24 December following

Diet expenses, beef 5 casks 32 pieces, pork 4 casks, lard 3 casks, £131 12s 9d

Slaves, beef 29 casks, pork 12 casks, £509 0s 0d

Paid by cash and account of sundry, beef 7 casks, pork 4 casks, £139 0s 0d

Subtotal, £779 12s 9d

Ledger P, from 25 December 1724 to 24 September 1725

Diet expenses, beef 3 casks, pork 3 casks, lard 1 cask, £67 6s 0d

Slaves, beef 11 casks 36 pieces, pork 11 1/2 casks 50 pieces, £288 12s 0d

Subtotal, £355 18s 0d

1725, ledger Q, from 25 September 1725 to 24 March following

Diet expenses, beef 1 cask, pork 2 casks, £37 0s 0d

Slaves, beef 16 casks, pork 12 casks, £352 0s 0d

1726, from 25 March to 24 September, diet expenses, beef 2 casks, pork 2 casks, lard 1 cask, £56 0s 0d

Slaves, beef 13 casks 210 pieces, pork 6 casks 156 pieces, £254 9s 0d

Subtotal, £696 9s 0d

Sum total, beef 115 casks 3257 pieces, pork 62 1/2 casks 206 pieces, suet 8 casks, £2,302 5s 11d

Interpretations

The council found the cost of feeding the slaves on salt beef and pork so high that it resolved to substitute fish caught from the island's own boat. Over three years the beef, pork, suet and lard had come to £2,302 5s 11d, a heavy charge on the Company. This shows how the expense of imported provisions drove the administration to exploit the local resource of the sea.

The account drew its figures from four successive ledgers, marked N, O, P and Q, each covering a stretch of months. The Company kept its books in a continuous lettered series, so any charge could be traced back to the period and ledger in which it fell. This illustrates the systematic bookkeeping by which the island administration answered to its masters in London.

The plan to keep the boat constantly employed and to train the slaves in fishing bound a cost-saving measure to the management of labour. By setting the slaves to catch fish under an experienced hand, the council replaced a bought provision with one produced by its own workforce. This reflects the Company's search for economy in the daily maintenance of its people.

Speculations

The Governor chose to abolish the meat ration for the slaves entirely, rather than merely reduce the quantity bought each year. The obvious course was to trim an expense that had run to more than £2,000 over three years. His decision to replace it wholly with fish rested on the island's ready access to the sea and a workforce that could be set to catch it. Faced with a standing charge he judged excessive, Byfield preferred to fit out a boat and retrain the slaves over the simpler step of buying less of the same salted meat.

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192

Wee are of the Governrs Opinion & believe the Honble Compy

will be very well pleased with this instance of Ce Care first

upon so great a Branch of Expence

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 7th March 1726/7

at Union Castle Capt Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & approved

Jonathan Higham Junr haveing made a Suggestion Ce Ce first

to lease such Land as the Leaps of the Company & Petitioning again

the day for more Land lying not far off, one of which if not would be

prejudicial to the Neighbourhood the Effect his Petition & the

Matter became new at Ce Order

Wee read the following Letter from Mr Gibson the Surgeon

Gentlemen

Doctor Coatsforth acquainted me in Person

that being of Surgeons Sorts & a gift by mate, here & my Ordering

any Ce Ce the Ships Ce has Ce our Ce Ce Serval things

necessary with which I desire to be Ce & supplied according to the

undermention particulars & pray Ce Direction which follow

7o March 1726/7 Gent Ce Wm Blase Ce Ce Ce Ce Comdr

Geo Gibson

Sugar 25 lb

Cea Ce Groce

Ce a lb

Vindg 1 Ce

Oatmeale 1 Cask

Ordered that the Sevral particular

therein mentioned be deld him & that it be recommended to him

to be so good a Husband of them as possible

Capt Goodwin Reports that the Cea and the Arrack in

Sheare Sent to be from Bencoolen by the Ce Wrongham & Condition

Ordered that the Arrack be sold for 6/4 p Gale & the Sugar for

6d p pound

the Governr Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward

Deliverd each their Monthly Accts for ffebry which were severally

Exam & approved & are as follow vizt

The council believed the Company would be well pleased with this instance of care, taken upon so great a branch of expense.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 March 1727 at Union Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

Jonathan Higham junior, having made a petition, prayed to lease more of the Company's land, next to the land he already held. He asked for a further parcel lying near his own, but the grant might harm his neighbours. The council deferred its answer until the land had been viewed at the next consultation.

The council read the following letter from Mr Gibson the surgeon.

Doctor Cousseau informed the council in writing that, being out of several sorts of medicines and drugs, any that remained aboard the ship Grantham had long since been spent. Several things were necessary, which he desired to be supplied. He set out the following particulars and prayed the council's direction.

25 lb sugar

2 catties green tea

1 lb [...]

1 bag indigo

oatmeal, 1 chest

The letter was dated 7 March 1727 and signed by George Gibson.

The council ordered that the several particulars mentioned be delivered to him, and recommended that he be a good husband of them.

Captain Goodwin reported that the tea and the arrack, formerly sent to be sold at the Company's rates, remained in his hands. The council ordered that the arrack be sold at 6s 4d per gallon and the sugar at 6d per pound.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for February, which were separately examined and approved, and are set out below.

Interpretations

The surgeon's request for medicines shows how the island depended on ships to restock its stores of drugs. The medicines aboard the Grantham had been used up, so Doctor Cousseau had to apply to the council for a fresh supply. This reflects the difficulty of maintaining medical provision on a remote island served only by passing vessels.

The order that the surgeon be a good husband of his supplies reflected the council's concern to make scarce stores last. Medicines were costly and hard to replace, so the members urged careful use. This illustrates the economy the council pressed upon those who drew on the Company's limited resources.

The instruction to sell the arrack and sugar at fixed rates shows the council setting official prices for goods issued from its store. The arrack was priced at 6s 4d per gallon and the sugar at 6d per pound. This reflects the controlled market the Company maintained over the commodities it supplied to the settlement.

193

193

Acct of the Honbles Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goats Hoggs Poultry & Horses Likewise what has been

Killd and sold to Ships vic besides the Increase or Decrease for the Month of February 1726 Vizt

Neat Cattle Sheep Goats Hoggs Poultry Horses

Bullocks Cows Heifers Steers Yearlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Weathers Lambs Rams Totall Ewes Weathers Kidds Rams Totall Sows Shoals Boors Piggs Totall Turkeys Fowoles Ducks Geese Horses Mairs Totall

Remains ye Ultimo Jaunry

Bullocks 13

Cows 65

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 85

Bulls 3

Totall 210

Ewes 55

Weathers 24

Lambs 22

Rams 4

Totall 105

Ewes 162

Weathers 54

Kidds 78

Rams 5

Totall 299

Sows 5

Shoals 23

Boors 1

Piggs 14

Totall 43

Turkeys 96

Fowoles 110

Ducks 10

Geese 34

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Encreased in February

Bullocks -

Cows -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall -

Ewes -

Weathers -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes -

Weathers 2

Kidds -

Rams -

Totall 2

Sows -

Shoals -

Boors -

Piggs -

Totall -

Turkeys 11

Fowoles -

Ducks 3

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Bullocks 13

Cows 65

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 85

Bulls 3

Totall 210

Ewes 55

Weathers 24

Lambs 22

Rams 4

Totall 105

Ewes 162

Weathers 54

Kidds 80

Rams 5

Totall 301

Sows 5

Shoals 23

Boors 1

Piggs 14

Totall 43

Turkeys 107

Fowoles 110

Ducks 13

Geese 34

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Killd in ditto

Bullocks 1

Cows -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves 1

Bulls -

Totall 1

Ewes -

Weathers -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes -

Weathers 1

Kidds 3

Rams -

Totall 4

Sows -

Shoals -

Boors -

Piggs -

Totall -

Turkeys 8

Fowoles 10

Ducks 6

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Sold to Ships in ditto

Bullocks 12

Cows 65

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 85

Bulls 3

Totall 209

Ewes 55

Weathers 24

Lambs 22

Rams 4

Totall 105

Ewes 161

Weathers 51

Kidds 80

Rams 5

Totall 297

Sows 5

Shoals 23

Boors 1

Piggs 14

Totall 43

Turkeys 99

Fowoles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 34

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Bullocks 1

Cows 3

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall 4

Ewes -

Weathers -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes 1

Weathers 3

Kidds -

Rams -

Totall -

Sows -

Shoals -

Boors -

Piggs -

Totall -

Turkeys -

Fowoles -

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 11

Cows 62

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 85

Bulls 3

Totall 205

Ewes 55

Weathers 24

Lambs 22

Rams 4

Totall 105

Ewes 161

Weathers 51

Kidds 80

Rams 5

Totall 297

Sows 5

Shoals 23

Boors 1

Piggs 14

Totall 43

Turkeys 99

Fowoles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 34

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Bullocks -

Cows 1

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall 1

Ewes 2

Weathers 3

Lambs -

Rams 1

Totall 5

Ewes 2

Weathers 1

Kidds -

Rams -

Totall 3

Sows -

Shoals -

Boors -

Piggs -

Totall -

Turkeys -

Fowoles 2

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Remains Ultimo ffebry

Bullocks 11

Cows 61

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 85

Bulls 2

Totall 203

Ewes 52

Weathers 24

Lambs 21

Rams 3

Totall 100

Ewes 159

Weathers 50

Kidds 80

Rams 5

Totall 294

Sows 5

Shoals 23

Boors 1

Piggs 14

Totall 43

Turkeys 99

Fowoles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 32

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Yams Expended at the severall Plantations. 4554o

Remaining 31 January

Bullocks 13, Cows 65, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 210, Ewes 55, Wethers 24, Lambs 22, Rams 4, Sheep Total 105, Goat Ewes 162, Goat Wethers 54, Kids 78, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 299, Sows 5, Shoats 23, Boars 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 43, Turkeys 96, Fowls 110, Ducks 10, Geese 34, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Increased in February

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers 2, Kids 2, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 2, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys 11, Fowls -, Ducks 3, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 13, Cows 65, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 210, Ewes 55, Wethers 24, Lambs 22, Rams 4, Sheep Total 105, Goat Ewes 162, Goat Wethers 54, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 301, Sows 5, Shoats 23, Boars 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 43, Turkeys 107, Fowls 110, Ducks 13, Geese 34, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Killed in February

Bullocks 1, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 1, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 1, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes 1, Goat Wethers 3, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 4, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys 8, Fowls 10, Ducks 6, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 12, Cows 65, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 209, Ewes 55, Wethers 24, Lambs 22, Rams 4, Sheep Total 105, Goat Ewes 161, Goat Wethers 51, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 297, Sows 5, Shoats 23, Boars 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 43, Turkeys 99, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 34, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Sold to ships in February

Bullocks 1, Cows 3, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 4, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 4, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 11, Cows 62, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 205, Ewes 55, Wethers 24, Lambs 22, Rams 4, Sheep Total 105, Goat Ewes 161, Goat Wethers 51, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 297, Sows 5, Shoats 23, Boars 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 43, Turkeys 99, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 34, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Dead in February

Bullocks -, Cows 1, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 1, Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Total 3, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs 1, Rams 1, Sheep Total 5, Goat Ewes 2, Goat Wethers 1, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 3, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese 2, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Remaining 28 February

Bullocks 11, Cows 61, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Total 203, Ewes 52, Wethers 24, Lambs 21, Rams 3, Sheep Total 100, Goat Ewes 159, Goat Wethers 50, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 294, Sows 5, Shoats 23, Boars 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 43, Turkeys 99, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 32, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 45,540 lb

194

194

March.

Collection of Store Goods sold & deliverd to the Inhabitants

Ce from the 25 Jaunry Ce 24 ffebry 1726. vozt

133 ¾ Gallons Arrack

42 7 1

382 lb Sugar

£ 9 11

39 lb Candy

1 19

11 10

105 lb Bread

2 2

185 lb Flower

2 6 3

4 8 3

28 Soape

1 19 8

3 lb Starch

2 3

1 lb Indigo

6

2 2 5

27 lb Tobacco

3 9

249 Pipes

10 4½

3 11 1½

32 Candles

7

1 Copper

15

2 pr Maddras Gingham

15

3 Niccanees

10

1 Defotees

10

1½ pr Ordinary Long Cloth

12 6

5 White Shirts

7 6

3 pr Cotton Stockings

9 10

1 Palempore

5

1 ditto

14 10

3 Yards Damagd Sergs Sold for 2 Yards

4 8

1 Pewter Chamber Pott

4 2

2 lb Shoe Thread

6 3

1 pint Coffee Pott

1

1 English Tutor

1

12 Lines Sorted

7 4

7 Soldiers Hatts

1 2 9

1 Plain Hatt

12 6

1 15 3

1 pr Silk Stockings

13

1 pr Thread do

4 9

1 pr Youths Knitt

3 6

1 pr ditto

2 6

1 pr ditto

2 4

1 pr Soldiers Hose

1 6

1 pr Womens do No 17

2 2

Ce 9 Oz Worsted

9

12 8

1 Clashe knife

9

2 Pruneing knives

3

3 9

1 pr Womens Spanish Leathr Shoos

5 9

1 pr Mens Calf Leathr do

6 8

12 5

1 Thimble

2

1 Buckling Comb

1 1

1 Horne do

10

2 1

7 Sneakers

3 6

10 Large Cups

4

23 Small Ditto

3 10

11 4

Carried Over

75 19 8½

A collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 25 January to 24 February 1727.

133 3/4 gallons arrack, £42 7s 1d

382 lb sugar, £9 11s 0d

39 lb candy, £1 19s 0d

108 lb bread, £2 2s 0d

185 lb flour, £2 6s 3d

28 lb soap, £1 19s 8d

3 lb starch, £0 2s 3d

1 lb indigo, £0 0s 6d

27 lb tobacco, £3 0s 9d

249 pins, £0 10s 4 1/2d

3 1/2 lb candles, £0 7s 0d

1 lb copper, £0 15s 0d

2 pieces Madras gingham, £0 15s 0d

3 durance, £0 10s 0d

1 durance, £1 10s 0d

1 1/2 pieces ordinary long cloth, £0 12s 6d

5 white shirts, £0 7s 6d

3 pairs cotton stockings, £0 9s 10d

1 palempore, £0 5s 0d

1 palempore, £0 14s 10d

3 yards damaged serge, sold for 2 yards, £0 4s 8d

1 pewter chamber pot, £0 4s 2d

2 1/2 lb shoe thread, £0 6s 3d

1 pint coffee pot, £0 1s 0d

1 English tutor, £0 1s 0d

12 laces sorted, £0 7s 4d

7 soldiers' hats, £1 2s 9d

1 plain hat, £0 12s 6d

1 pair silk stockings, £0 13s 0d

1 pair thread stockings, £0 4s 9d

1 pair youths' knit, £0 3s 6d

1 pair ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 pair ditto, £0 2s 4d

1 pair soldiers' hose, £0 1s 6d

1 pair women's stockings, no. 17, £0 2s 2d

9 oz worsted, £0 9s 0d

1 chopping knife, £0 0s 9d

2 pruning knives, £0 3s 0d

1 pair women's Spanish leather shoes, £0 5s 9d

1 pair men's calf leather shoes, £0 6s 8d

1 thimble, £0 0s 2d

1 buckling comb, £0 1s 1d

1 horn comb, £0 0s 10d

7 sneakers, £0 3s 6d

16 large cups, £0 4s 0d

23 small cups, £0 3s 10d

Carried over, £75 19s 8 1/2d

Interpretations

This page recorded the store goods sold to the inhabitants between 25 January and 24 February 1727. The list mixed provisions such as sugar, bread and tobacco with textiles, tools and tableware. Each entry gave the quantity, a short description and the value in sterling, so the Company could track everything leaving the store and the cost charged against its books.

Several cloth names identified goods brought in through the Company's Indian trade. A palempore was a large painted or printed cotton bedcover from the Coromandel coast, prized for its elaborate design. Madras gingham was a checked cotton woven near Madras, and a long cloth a plain white cotton in long lengths. Durance was a durable glazed woollen carried out from England, and serge a stronger twilled wool.

Worsted was a smooth strong woollen yarn spun from long combed fibres, used for hard-wearing stockings. An English tutor was probably a schoolbook or primer for teaching reading, a rare item of print on the island. The mix of fine imported cloth, plain provisions, tools and a schoolbook shows that the one store met the whole range of wants across the settlement.

195

195

1726.

Brought Over

75 19 8½

3 Oz China Silk

3 9½

4 do ditto

1 pr Diaper Tape

2 6

1 pr Coloured do

1 10

1 pr Humming Tape

9

2 Yards Ribbon

6

1 Yard ditto

1 2

3 Scanes Mohair

9

1 doz Breast Buttons

9

1 Oz Whited Browns Thread

3 6

1 Oz ditto

3 4

1 Oz Coloured Thread

4

11 Yards Ferriting

3 10

1 Mid Pinns

1 2

2½ M ditto 1/4

3 4

1 Ordinary Silk Lace

6

6 Thread Laces

5

6 Soape

5

1 19 2½

6 Sugar

2 6

3 11

Diett Expences Do

Sum Totall to the Inhabitts

78 2 10

103 Galls Arrack

32 12 4

20 Candy

1

146 Sugar

3 13

4 Bottles Florencs Oyls

1 1

4 Galls Vinegar

10

1 Barrell Sewitt

6 4 8

2 Cattees Bohsea Tea

12

4 Pepper

2

1 Cask Bread

5 10

1 ditto Flour

4 4

55 11

Generall Charges Do

9

1½ Oz China Silk

5

4 Galls Arrack

3

8 Sugar

7 6

6 Wine Glasses

4 1

1 Stock Lock

18 8

2½ ditto

3 15

6 Bushell Pease

1 12

6 14

Garison Do

8 Catees Green Tea

18

3 Galls Linssed Oyls

2 10

Plantation Do

3 4

1 Large Lins

7 3

½ Shoe Thread

6

1 Cutt

6

1 Roap

7 4

the Great Wood 2 large Steel Scraper

10 7

Carried

143 16 1

Brought over, £75 19s 8 1/2d

3 3/4 oz China silk, £0 3s 9 1/2d

4 3/4 oz China silk, £0 3s 9 1/2d

1 piece diaper tape, £0 2s 6d

1 piece coloured tape, £0 1s 10d

1 piece hemming tape, £0 0s 9d

2 yards ribbon, £0 1s 6d

1 yard ribbon, £0 1s 2d

3 skeins mohair, £0 0s 9d

1 1/2 dozen breast buttons, £0 0s 9d

1 lb white and brown thread, £0 3s 6d

1 lb thread, £0 3s 4d

1 lb coloured thread, £0 4s 0d

1 1/2 yards ferreting, £0 3s 10d

1 middle pins, £0 1s 2d

2 1/2 middle pins, no. 14, £0 3s 4d

1 ordinary silk lace, £0 0s 6d

6 thread laces, £0 1s 5d

6 tape, £0 2s 6d

5 sugars, £0 3s 11d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £78 2s 10d

Debt expenses

103 gallons arrack, £32 12s 4d

20 lb candy, £1 0s 0d

146 lb sugar, £3 13s 0d

4 bottles Florence oil, £1 1s 0d

4 gallons vinegar, £0 10s 0d

1 barrel suet, £6 4s 8d

2 catties bohea tea, £0 12s 0d

4 lb pepper, £0 2s 0d

1 chest bread, £5 10s 0d

1 chest flour, £4 4s 0d

Total, £55 11s 0d

General charges

1/2 oz China silk, £0 0s 9d

4 gallons arrack, £1 5s 4d

8 lb sugar, £0 3s 0d

6 wine glasses, £0 7s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 4s 8d

2 ditto, £0 18s 8d

6 bushels peas, £3 15s 0d

Total, £6 14s 4d

Garrison

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

3 gallons linseed oil, £0 18s 0d

Total, £2 10s 0d

Plantation

1 large lace, £0 3s 4d

1/2 lb shoe thread, £0 7s 3d

1 adze, £0 1s 6d

1 lb soap, £0 5s 6d

Total, £0 17s 4d

The Great Wood

2 large steel scrapers, £0 10s 7d

Carried over, £143 16s 1d

Interpretations

This page closed the store account for the inhabitants and opened further headings for debt expenses, general charges, the garrison, the plantation and the Great Wood. Each issue fell to a distinct charge, and the running totals carried through to £143 16s 1d. The division let the Company see which body or work had drawn on the store.

Several named goods reflected the reach of the Company's trade routes. China silk came through the Company's China trade, and bohea was a black tea from the Wuyi hills of Fujian. Florence oil was a fine olive oil from Tuscany, valued for the table. Ferreting was a narrow woven tape used for binding and trimming, and diaper tape a figured linen tape.

The tools issued to the plantation and the Great Wood served the labour of cultivation and timber. An adze was a curved axe for shaping wood, and steel scrapers were used to dress or clean timber and hides. This concentration of tools under the work heads shows the Company accounting for the cost of each task apart from the others.

196

196

March.

Brought Over

143 16 1

the Honble Companys Blacks Dr

2 Casks Beef

£26

1 Hogshead do

12

7 Barrells Porke

52 10 2

3282 lb Rice

41 6

2445 lb Wheat

25 16 6

39 pr Shoes

17 3

4 pr Madrass Gingham

1 10

½ pr Ordinary Long Cloth

10

6 Shirts

15

1 Oz Whited Browns Thread

2 9

½ lb Colloured ditto

2

161 4

Sum Totalle

£305 1

Gunners Stores Expended in ffebry 1726/7

Guns Fired Powder Seaton Minit Totll Powder Expend

Febry 1 Being Muster day

Guns Fired -

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll -

Powder Expend 10

2 A double Alarme

Guns Fired 6

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit 3

Totll 3

Powder Expend 9

2 Arrivd a French Ship & another Ship Passd by

Guns Fired 7

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll 7

Powder Expend 7

4 Deliverd Thomas Illis for Alarins

Guns Fired -

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll -

Powder Expend -

5 Departed the French Ship

Guns Fired 12

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll 12

Powder Expend 12

6 An Alarme

Guns Fired 4

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit 2

Totll 2

Powder Expend 6

7 Arrivd the Princess Amelia Capt Missnor

Guns Fired 9

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll 9

Powder Expend 9

16 Departed the Princess Amelia

Guns Fired 9

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll 9

Powder Expend 9

22 An Alarme

Guns Fired 4

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit 2

Totll 2

Powder Expend 6

do Arrivd the Grantham Capt Feild

Guns Fired 9

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll 9

Powder Expend 9

25 An Alarme

Guns Fired 4

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit 2

Totll 2

Powder Expend 6

26 Arrivd the Princess Anne Capt Gough from Engld

Guns Fired 9

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll 9

Powder Expend 9

do for the Worshp Edwd Byfeild Succeeding Goo

Guns Fired 21

Powder 1

Seaton 4

Minit -

Totll 16

Powder Expend 33

Expence of the Guards

Guns Fired -

Powder -

Seaton -

Minit -

Totll -

Powder Expend 15

Guns Fired 94

Powder 1

Seaton 4

Minit 9

Totll 80

Powder Expend 141

Expence of Musq Balls for do

Sprunge Staves Broke

Sprunge Heads Broke

Trucks deliv to Mr Johnson

Flints

Expended Cartridge Papr for

makeing Cartridges

Match Expended

Expended Cartridge Papr for Qr 3

makeing Cartridges Ce 28

Flints 24

Sprunge Heads Broke 2

28 3 24 1 2 1 9

Signed

Jno French

Brought over, £143 16s 1d

The Honourable Company's slaves

2 casks beef, £26 0s 0d

1 hogshead beef, £12 0s 0d

7 barrels pork, £52 10s 0d

3282 lb rice, £41 0s 6d

2445 lb wheat, £25 16s 6d

39 pairs shoes, £0 17s 3d

4 pieces Madras gingham, £1 10s 0d

1/2 piece ordinary long cloth, £0 10s 0d

6 shirts, £0 15s 0d

1 lb white and brown thread, £0 2s 9d

1/2 lb coloured thread, £0 2s 0d

Total, £161 4s 0d

Sum total, £305 0s 1d

Gunners' stores expended in February 1727.

Guns fired, powder expended, sea coal, minion, total, powder expended

1 February, being muster day, guns fired -, powder 10 lb

2 February, a double alarm, guns fired 6, minion 3, total 3, powder 9 lb

2 February, arrived a French ship and another ship passed by, guns fired 7, total 7, powder 7 lb

4 February, delivered Thomas Illis for alarms, guns fired -, powder -

5 February, departed the French ship, guns fired 12, total 12, powder 12 lb

6 February, an alarm, guns fired 4, minion 2, total 2, powder 6 lb

7 February, arrived the Princess Amelia, Captain Misnor, guns fired 9, total 9, powder 9 lb

16 February, departed the Princess Amelia, guns fired 9, total 9, powder 9 lb

22 February, an alarm, guns fired 4, minion 2, total 2, powder 6 lb

22 February, arrived the Grantham, Captain Byfield, guns fired 9, total 9, powder 9 lb

25 February, an alarm, guns fired 4, minion 2, total 2, powder 6 lb

26 February, arrived the Princess Anne, Captain Gough, from England, guns fired 9, total 9, powder 9 lb

26 February, for the Worshipful Edward Byfield succeeding as governor, guns fired 21, sea coal 1, minion 4, total 16, powder 33 lb

Expense of the guards, powder 15 lb

Total, guns fired 94, sea coal 1, minion 4, total 9, powder 80 lb, 141 lb

Expense of musket balls for the guards, 5 lb

Sponge staves broken, -

Sponge heads broken, 2

Trucks delivered to Mr Johnson, -

Flints, 24

Expended cartridge paper for making cartridges, 3 quires

Match expended, 28 lb

Total, 28 lb 3 quires 24 flints 1 sea coal 2 minion 1 total 9

The account was signed by John French.

Interpretations

This page closed the store account for the Company's slaves and opened the gunners' record of ordnance stores expended in February 1727. The slaves' provisions ran to £161 4s 0d and brought the store's sum total to £305 0s 1d. The gunners' account then set out the powder and shot fired through the month, occasion by occasion.

The gun record shows how closely the fort tracked its consumption of powder for salutes and alarms. Guns were fired to greet and speed departing ships, to mark the muster and to answer alarms when strange sails appeared. Each occasion drew a set charge of powder, and the arrival of the new governor Edward Byfield drew the heaviest salute of all at 21 guns.

Several terms name gunners' stores now unfamiliar. A minion was a light cannon of small bore, and sea coal the mineral coal shipped by sea, used to heat shot or work iron. A sponge was the tool for cleaning a gun barrel between firings, mounted on a staff called a stave. Match was the slow-burning cord used to fire a gun, and flints struck the spark in a firelock.

Speculations

The clerk chose to record each firing of the guns against its specific occasion, rather than enter a single monthly total of powder spent. The obvious course was a bare tally of consumption. The decision to name every alarm, arrival and departure beside its charge of powder rested on the need to justify each expenditure of a costly and irreplaceable store. Faced with powder that could only be replaced by sea, the fort preferred a detailed account that explained every round over a lump figure that hid it.

197

197

1726.

Expence of the Genll Table &c for February 1726.

58½ Gallons Aurack for the Table Use at 6/4 p Gatt

18 10 4

10 1 ditto for the Guards at do

3 4 11

4¾ ditto to Plantation House do

1 9 1

3 Galls of Vinsgar at 4/- p do

12

26 Bottles ffrench Wine at 4/6 p bottle

6 10 6

26 do Mountains at 3/- p do

3 18

25 do Sherry at 3/- p do

3 15

29 do Galshia at 3/- p do

3 12 6

16 Points Old Hock at 2/- p pint

15

59 Bottles Cape at 1/- p bottle

2 19

89 do Beer at 2/- p do

4 18

6 do Oyle at 3/6 p do

1 1

206 lb Bread at -/3 p do

2 11 6

133 lb Sugar at -/6 p do

3 9 6

164 lb Flower at -/3 p do

2 2 3

402 lb Veale at -/6 p do

2 11

46 lb Candy at -/1 p do

2 6

49 lb Candles at 2/6 p do

6 2 6

32 Soap at -/1 p do

2 13 10

40 lb Salt Beef to the Table at 2/6 p do

1 5

15 do of do to Plantation Blacks at 2/6 p do

1 17 6

14 do Salt Porke to the Table at 2/10 p do

1 19 4

80 Fowles at 1/6 ea

6

5 Turkeys at 6/- ea

1 10

8 Muscovy Ducks at 3/- ea

1 4

8 Island Ducks at 2/- ea

16

1 Sheep at do

1 4

26 Days Greens at 1/- p day

1 8

394 Fresh Beef at -/3 p do

4 18 6

28 lb Butter at -/1 p do

1 8

56 Bottles Milk at -/1½ p bottles

18 8

4 Goats at 10/- each

2

99 12 11

An account of the expense of the general table for February 1727.

58 1/2 gallons arrack for the table use at 6s 4d per gallon, £18 10s 4d

10 1/4 gallons arrack for the guards at 6s 4d per gallon, £3 4s 11d

4 3/4 gallons arrack to Plantation House at 6s 4d per gallon, £1 9s 1d

3 gallons vinegar at 4s per gallon, £0 12s 0d

26 bottles French wine at 4s 6d per bottle, £6 10s 6d

26 bottles Mountain wine at 3s per bottle, £3 18s 0d

25 bottles sherry at 3s per bottle, £3 15s 0d

29 bottles Galicia at 2s 6d per bottle, £3 12s 6d

16 pints old hock at 2s per pint, £0 15s 0d

59 bottles Cape wine at 1s per bottle, £2 19s 0d

89 bottles beer at 2s per bottle, £4 18s 0d

6 bottles oil at 3s 6d per bottle, £1 1s 0d

206 lb bread at 3s per 100, £2 11s 6d

133 lb sugar at 6d per lb, £3 9s 6d

164 lb flour at 3s per 100, £2 2s 3d

402 lb veal at 6d per lb, £2 11s 0d

46 lb candy at 1s per lb, £2 6s 0d

49 lb candles at 2s 6d per lb, £6 2s 6d

33 lb soap at 1s 6d per lb, £2 13s 10d

40 lb salt beef to the table at 2s 6d per lb, £1 5s 0d

15 lb salt beef to the plantation slaves at 2s 6d per lb, £1 17s 6d

14 lb salt pork to the table at 2s 10d per lb, £1 19s 4d

80 fowls at 1s 6d each, £6 0s 0d

5 turkeys at 6s each, £1 10s 0d

8 muscovy ducks at 3s each, £1 4s 0d

8 island ducks at 2s each, £0 16s 0d

1 sheep, £1 4s 0d

26 days greens at 1s per day, £1 8s 0d

394 lb fresh beef at 3d per lb, £4 18s 6d

28 lb butter at 1s per lb, £1 8s 0d

56 bottles milk at 1 1/2d per bottle, £0 18s 8d

4 goats at 10s each, £2 0s 0d

Total, £99 12s 11d

Interpretations

This account priced the food and drink of the general table at the fort during February 1727 and extended each item to a sterling total. It set the arrack for the table apart from that issued to the guards and to Plantation House. This let the Company measure the cost of provisioning by class of recipient.

Several named goods reflected the reach of the Company's trade routes. Mountain was a sweet Spanish wine from the hills near Malaga, and sack the fortified white wine of the sherry family. Old hock was a mature Rhenish white wine from the German vineyards, and Cape wine came from the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope. Arrack was a distilled spirit made in the East from palm sap, rice or sugar.

The account distinguished fresh provisions from salt and the island's own produce from imported stores. The fresh beef, veal, mutton, poultry and milk came from the island's stock, while the salt beef and pork kept through the year. The muscovy ducks and island ducks were named apart, marking the imported breed from the local one.

198

198

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199

199

At a Consultation held on Thursday 9th March 1726/7

at Union Castle Prest Edwd Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Report that all the Goods Sent Us by the

Honble Compy were all Safely Landed yesterday, & during the

time of the Ships Unlading, the Weather & Number of Boates each

day Sent on Shoar are as follow

ffebry 27 the Sea being high nothing was Landed

28 the Boat came to the Rocks but the Sea being high could not Land

March 1 the Sea being high nothing was Landed

2 this day 3 Boats came to the Crane & were deld

3 ffour Long Boats were deld

4 three Long Boats were deld

6 three do were delivrd

7 One do was deld

8 One do was delivrd

Wee this day Signd Our Letters to the Govrs of the Honble

Comps sevral Settlements in India & this Evening dispatcht Capt

Gough for Bencoolen & accordingly took his Receipt for the

Packet.

At a consultation held on Thursday 9 March 1727 at Union Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

Captain Goodwin reported that all the goods sent by the Company were safely landed the previous day. During the unloading of the ships, the weather and the number of boats sent ashore each day were as follows.

27 February, the sea being high, nothing was landed

28 February, the boat came to the rocks but the sea being high could not land

1 March, the sea being high, nothing was landed

2 March, this day 3 boats came to the crane and were delivered

3 March, four long boats were delivered

4 March, three long boats were delivered

6 March, three long boats were delivered

7 March, one long boat was delivered

8 March, one long boat was delivered

The council signed its letters to the governors of the Company's several settlements in India this day. It dispatched Captain Gough for Bencoolen the same evening, and accordingly took his receipt for the packet.

Interpretations

The record of daily landings shows how heavily the unloading of a ship depended on the sea state at St Helena. The island had no sheltered harbour, so goods came ashore by open boat to the rocks and the crane. High seas stopped all work for three days running, which reveals the constant hazard of supplying a settlement with such an exposed landing.

The letters signed for the Company's settlements in India, and the packet entrusted to Captain Gough for Bencoolen, show St Helena as a link in the Company's chain of correspondence. The island lay on the route between England and the eastern factories, so its council forwarded despatches by passing ships. The receipt taken for the packet reflects the care with which such correspondence was tracked.

200

200

March.

Island St Helena At a Consultation Held on Tuesday

the 14th day of March 1726. At Union Castle

Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

Prest Jno Alexander &

Jno Goodwin

the last Consultation read and Approved on

the Governour Reports that the Honble Company haveing been

pleasd to appoint a New surgeon (who was very much wanted) he

sent for Mr Wignell the late surgeon two or three days after the arrivall

of the Princess Anne and acquainted him therewith who Answerd

he would goe off in One of the Ships now in the road & Accordingly

gave Publick Notice for all Persons to Settle Accounts with him

But the Governr haveing since been informd that the said Wignell

is no ways Inclinable to leave the Island, He thinks tis very proper to

send him the following Letter.

Mr Wignell

the Honble Compy haveing been pleasd to appoint a new

surgeon We cant by any means think it proper to Continue two of

the same Profession upon this Little Spot for reasons very often Observed

and Urged by your self when You Are in the Business & therefore

give you warning to Provide for a voyage Either to England, or

Undial at your own Election as to the Choice. Wee are

St Helena the 14th March Sr Your Humble Servants

1726/7 Edwd Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Messrs Gabriel Powell Francis Wrangham Joshua Johnson & Edmond

Nicholl planters haveing been Appointed to Survey the several Plantations

belonging to the Inhabitants this day made the following Report vizt

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

&c Councill

Pursuant to a Warrant bearing date the

17 Jaunry 1726/7 We have Viewed all and Every Persons Land both free

and Lease Land, and given Account who has ffenced their Land

and who has not and Likewise Account of what Wood they have

and future, and the Quantity of Young Plants of Wood To the

best of Our Knowledge

John

Island of St Helena. At a consultation held on Tuesday 14 March 1727 at Union Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

The Governor reported that the Company had been pleased to appoint a new surgeon, who was much needed. He had sent for Mr Wignall two or three days after the arrival of the Princess Anne and told him of the appointment. Wignall answered that he would leave on one of the ships then in the road, and public notice was accordingly given for all persons to settle their accounts with him. Since then the Governor had learned that Wignall was not at all inclined to leave the island. He thought it proper to send him the following letter.

The council wrote to Mr Wignall, setting out that the Company had appointed a new surgeon and that the members could not think it proper to keep two men of the same profession on so small a place. They reminded Wignall that he himself had often observed and urged this point when he was in the service. They gave him warning to provide for a passage either to England or to India, at his own choice as to which. The letter was dated at St Helena on 14 March 1727 and signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Messrs Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Joshua Johnson and Edmund Nichols, planters appointed to survey the several plantations belonging to the inhabitants, made their report this day. Addressing the Governor and council, they stated that, following the warrant dated 17 January 1727, they had viewed all the land of every person, both freehold and leasehold. They gave an account of who had encroached on their land and who had not, together with an account of the wood and forage each held, and the quantity of young wood plants, to the best of their knowledge.

Interpretations

The council moved to remove Mr Wignall from the island once his replacement had arrived, judging that so small a settlement could not support two surgeons. The letter turned Wignall's own earlier arguments against him, reminding him that he had urged the same point in the service. This shows the council managing its limited establishment by forcing out a servant it no longer needed.

The survey report drew on the warrant of 17 January 1727, which had directed four planters to measure every holding against its recorded acreage. The surveyors set out who had encroached, what wood and forage each tenant held and how many young wood plants stood on the land. This reflects the Company's concern to protect its title and to track the growth of timber on the island.

The particular note of young wood plants shows the Company's interest in the future supply of timber. Wood was scarce and slow to grow on the island, so a count of new plants measured the prospect of replenishing it. This illustrates the long view the administration took of a resource it could not easily import.

Speculations

The Governor chose to send Mr Wignall a formal written warning to depart, rather than simply let his announced passage take effect. Wignall had already given public notice that he would leave, so the obvious course was to wait for him to go. His refusal to sail made a plain order necessary, and the letter fixed the choice of England or India upon him while leaving the destination to him. Faced with a servant who would not leave of his own accord, the council preferred a documented ultimatum over an indefinite wait for a departure that might never come.

201

201

1726.

1 John Bagley senr Wee suppose to have about ½ of an Acre of Wood

greatest part of it young Plants his Land all ffenced and Planted with

ffurze

2 William Worrall We suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood his

Land all fenced Except what he has lately ffencd, and part planted

with ffurze

3 Charles Steward We suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood on

his free Land and about 1 Acre on his Lease Land, great part of it

young Plants his land all ffenced and greatest Part Planted wth ffurze

4 Marys Shreeve Wee suppose to have about 1½ Acres of Wood Hlt

Land all ffenced Except what she lately ffencd but no ffurze Planted

5 Richard Tinley has no Wood nor ffurze Planted, his Land alle

ffenced Except what he has lately ffencd

6 John Seal has no Wood, Nor ffurze Planted his Land alle

ffenced

7 John Bradley We suppose to have about 2 Acres of Wood

his Land greatest part ffenced but no ffurze Planted

8 Thomas Prentice We suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 1 On his Lease Land part young

Plants his Land all ffenced and part Planted with ffurze

9 Joseph Bates We suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood on

his free Land and about 1 On his lease Land his land all ffenced

Except what he has lately ffencd and part Planted wth ffurze

10 Mr Robinsons Orphans Wee suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood

their Land all ffenced and greatest Part Planted with ffurze

11 Richard Beal We suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood on his

free Land and about 4 On his Lease Land, his Land all ffenced &

part Planted with ffurze

12 Richard Swallow We suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about two On his Lease Land, his Land

all ffenced and part Planted with ffurze

13 John Bagley junr We suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood

his Land all ffenced and Part Planted with ffurze

14 Orlando Bagley senr We suppose to have about 2 Acres of Wood

on his free Land & about 4½ On his Lease Land part young Plants his

Land all ffenced Except what he has Lately ffencd land part planted

with ffurze

15 Orlando Bagley junr has not ffenced his Land nor planted ffurze

16 Willm Adds We suppose to have about 1½ Acres of Wood, part

Young Plants his Land ffenced and part planted with ffurze

John

1: John Bagley senior was thought to hold about half an acre of wood, most of it young plants. His land was all fenced and planted with furze.

2: William Worrall was thought to hold about five acres of wood. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

3: Charles Richard was thought to hold about five acres of wood on his freehold land, with about one acre on his leasehold land, most of it young plants. His land was all fenced and mostly planted with furze.

4: Mary Shreeve was thought to hold about 1 1/2 acres of wood. Her land was all fenced except what she had lately hired, but no furze had been planted.

5: Richard Insley held no wood nor furze planted. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired.

6: John Seal held no wood nor furze planted. His land was all fenced.

7: John Bradley was thought to hold about two acres of wood. Most of his land was fenced, but no furze had been planted.

8: Thomas Greentree was thought to hold about four acres of wood on his freehold land and about one acre on his leasehold land, part of it young plants. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

9: Joseph Bates was thought to hold about seven acres of wood on his freehold land and about one acre on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

10: The orphans of Mr Robinson were thought to hold about four acres of wood. Their land was all fenced and mostly planted with furze.

11: Richard Beal was thought to hold about three acres of wood on his freehold land and about four acres on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

12: Richard Swallow was thought to hold about five acres of wood on his freehold land and about two acres on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

13: John Bagley junior was thought to hold about five acres of wood. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

14: Orlando Bagley senior was thought to hold about two acres of wood on his freehold land and about 4 1/2 acres on his leasehold land, part of it young plants. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

15: Orlando Bagley junior had not fenced his land nor planted furze.

16: William Adds was thought to hold about 1 1/2 acres of wood, part young plants. His land was fenced and part planted with furze.

Interpretations

This survey continued the count of each tenant's wood, fencing and furze required by the warrant of 17 January 1727. For every holder it noted the acreage of wood, whether it stood on freehold or leasehold land, the proportion of young plants and the state of the fencing. This detail gave the Company a full picture of the timber resource across the settlement.

Furze was gorse, a hardy spiny shrub planted as a fuel crop and as a stock-proof hedge. On an island short of wood it served both to bind the soil and to provide firing, so the survey tracked its planting as carefully as the timber itself. The repeated note of who had and had not planted it marked each tenant's contribution to the island's fuel supply.

The distinction between wood on freehold and leasehold land mattered to the Company's control of its ground. Timber on leased land remained tied to the Company's ultimate ownership, while freehold wood belonged outright to the tenant. Recording the split let the Company judge how much of the island's wood lay within its own reversion.

202

202

March.

17 John Harding We suppose to have about 6 Acres of Wood on his free

Land and about 2 On his lease Land his land all ffenced Except what

he has lately ffencd and part Planted with ffurze

18 Thomas Illis We suppose to have about 2 Acres of Wood on his

free Land and about three on his Leasd Land his Land part ffenced

and part planted with ffurze

19 John Worrall We suppose to have about One Acre of Wood on his

free Land and about 6½ on his Lease Land his Land Part ffenced

and Part planted with ffurze

20 Wenoar Leech has no Wood and but little ffurze his Land

part ffenced

21 Robert Gurling We suppose to have about 10 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 5 On his Lease Land his Land ffenced

and part Planted with ffurze

22 Stephen Lufkin We suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 6 On his Lease Land his Land all ffenced

Except what he has lately ffencd & Part Planted with ffurze

23 Thomas Harper We suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood on his

Land his Land all ffenced Except what he has lately ffencd and Part

Planted with ffurze

24 Martin Harper has no Wood nor ffurze his Land Part

ffenced

25 John French Junr We suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood

his Land not ffenced nor no ffurze Planted

26 John Alexander We suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 2 On his Lease Land Part Young

Plants his Land ffenced and Part Planted with ffurze

27 John Young his land all ffenced but no Wood nor ffurze as yet

Planted this Land being lately Inclosed

28 Richard Mason We suppose to have about ½ of an Acre

of Young Wood & holes for about 2 more his Land all ffenced

Except what he has lately ffencd, and Part Planted with ffurze

29 Francis Funge We suppose to have about One Acre of Wood &

holes for about ½ an Acre more his Land all ffenced Except part

of what he has lately ffencd & Part Planted with ffurze

30 Elizabeth Greentree We suppose to have about 10 Acres of Wood

on Her free Land and about 12 on Her Lease Land Her Land all

ffenced Except what she has lately ffencd and Part Planted with

ffurze part Young Plants

31 Francis Coena We suppose to have about 6 Acres of Wood

on Her free Land and about 7 on Her Lease Land Part Young

Plants

17: John Harding was thought to hold about six acres of wood on his freehold land and about two acres on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

18: Thomas Illis was thought to hold about two acres of wood on his freehold land and about three acres on his leasehold land. His land was part fenced and part planted with furze.

19: John Worrall was thought to hold about one acre of wood on his freehold land and about six acres on his leasehold land. His land was part fenced and part planted with furze.

20: Benoni Leech held no wood and but little furze. His land was part fenced.

21: Robert Durling was thought to hold about 10 acres of wood on his freehold land and about five acres on his leasehold land. His land was fenced and part planted with furze.

22: Stephen Lufkin was thought to hold about five acres of wood on his freehold land and about six acres on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

23: Thomas Harper was thought to hold about four acres of wood on his land. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

24: Martin Harper held no wood nor furze. His land was part fenced.

25: John French junior was thought to hold about four acres of wood. His land was not fenced nor any furze planted.

26: John Alexander was thought to hold about seven acres of wood on his freehold land and about one acre on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was fenced and part planted with furze.

27: John Young had all his land fenced but no wood nor furze as yet planted. His land had lately been enclosed.

28: Richard Mason was thought to hold about three quarters of an acre of young wood, with furze for about a further quarter acre. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

29: Francis Funge was thought to hold about one acre of wood, with furze for about half an acre more. His land was all fenced except part of what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

30: Elizabeth Greentree was thought to hold about 10 acres of wood on her freehold land and about 12 acres on her leasehold land. Her land was all fenced except what she had lately hired, and part was planted with furze, part young plants.

31: Frances Coles was thought to hold about six acres of wood on her freehold land and about seven acres on her leasehold land, part young plants.

Interpretations

This survey continued the count of each tenant's wood, fencing and furze required by the warrant of 17 January 1727. For every holder it recorded the acreage of wood, whether it stood on freehold or leasehold land, the share of young plants and the state of the fencing. This gave the Company a full account of the timber resource across the settlement.

Furze was gorse, a hardy spiny shrub grown as a fuel crop and as a stock-proof hedge. On an island short of wood it served both to bind the soil and to provide firing, so the survey tracked its planting alongside the timber. The repeated note of who had and had not planted it marked each tenant's contribution to the fuel supply.

The frequent mention of land lately hired shows tenants adding to their holdings by taking on further ground. Such newly hired land often stood unfenced and unplanted, since the tenant had not yet improved it. Recording this let the Company see which parts of each holding met the expected standard of enclosure and cultivation.

203

203

1726.

Plants a small Part of Her Lease Land, not ffenced but greatest

Part Planted with ffurze

32 Richard Goodwin We suppose to have about 12 Acres of

Wood on his free Land and about 2 on his Lease Land Part

Young Plants his Land all ffenced and Part Planted wth ffurze

33 John Goodwin We suppose to have about 15 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 17 On his Lease Land Part Young

Plants his Land all ffenced Except a small Part of what he

has lately ffencd and most Part planted with ffurze

34 Thomas Hodghinson has holes for Wood and Planted about

half an Acre but very Little of it Growing his land all ffenced but

no ffurze Planted

35 John Bowers We suppose to have about 2 Acres of Wood

on his free Land & about ½ of an Acre on his Lease Land, his

Land all ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

36 James Ryder We suppose to have about 11 Acres of Wood on

his free Land and about ⅓ of an Acre on his Lease Land his

Land all ffenced and greatest Part planted with ffurze part

Young Plants

37 Daniel Griffith has no Wood nor ffurze his Land

part ffenced

38 John Long We suppose to have about ½ an Acre of

Wood on his free Land and about ½ of an Acre on his Lease

Land which has been planted but very Little Growing his

Land all ffenced and Part Planted with ffurze

39 Elizabeth Marsh We suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood

on Her free Land but none on Her Lease Land Her Land all

ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

40 Joseph Defountaine has no Wood Nor ffurze, the

Greatest Part of his Land ffenced

41 Jonathan Dowdon We suppose to have about 15 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 7 on his Lease Land Part Young Plants

his Land all ffenced and part planted with ffurze

42 Grace Coulson We suppose to have about One Acre of Wood

on Her free Land but none on Her Lease Land Her Land all

ffenced but no ffurze Planted

43 William Slaughter We suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood

his Land all ffenced but no ffurze

John

Frances Coles held a small part of her leasehold land as young plants. The greater part was not fenced but was mostly planted with furze.

32: Richard Goodwin was thought to hold about 12 acres of wood on his freehold land and about two acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

33: John Goodwin was thought to hold about 15 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 17 acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced except a small part of what he had lately hired, and most of it was planted with furze.

34: Thomas Hodgkinson had furze for wood and planted about half an acre, but very little of it was growing. His land was all fenced but no furze planted.

35: John Bowers was thought to hold about two acres of wood on his freehold land and about half an acre on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

36: James Ryder was thought to hold about 11 acres of wood on his freehold land and about a third of an acre on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced and mostly planted with furze, part young plants.

37: Daniel Griffith held no wood nor furze. His land was part fenced.

38: John Long was thought to hold about half an acre of wood on his freehold land and about a quarter of an acre on his leasehold land, which had been planted but very little was growing. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

39: Elizabeth Marsh was thought to hold about four acres of wood on her freehold land but none on her leasehold land. Her land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

40: Joseph Defountaine held no wood nor furze. The greater part of his land was fenced.

41: Jonathan Dowdon was thought to hold about 15 acres of wood on his freehold land and about one acre on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

42: Grace Coulson was thought to hold about one acre of wood on her freehold land but none on her leasehold land. Her land was all fenced but no furze planted.

43: William Slaughter was thought to hold about five acres of wood. His land was all fenced but no furze.

Interpretations

This survey completed the count of each tenant's wood, fencing and furze required by the warrant of 17 January 1727. For every holder it set out the acreage of wood, its division between freehold and leasehold land, the share of young plants and the state of the fencing. This gave the Company a full account of the timber resource across the settlement.

Furze was gorse, a hardy spiny shrub grown as a fuel crop and as a stock-proof hedge. On an island short of wood it served both to bind the soil and to provide firing, so the survey recorded its planting beside the timber. The note that some plantings showed very little growing marked where the effort had failed to take.

The care taken to record young plants and failed plantings shows the Company's close interest in the future supply of timber and fuel. Wood was scarce and slow to grow on the island, so the prospect of replenishing it mattered. This reflects the long view the administration took of resources it could not easily import.

204

204

March.

44 John Defountain We suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 4 on his Lease Land Part Young Plants

his Land all ffenced and part Planted with ffurze

45 Joseph Hayse We suppose to have about ½ of an Acre of Wood on his

free Land but none on his Lease Land his Land all ffenced and Part

planted with ffurze

46 Sutton Isaack We suppose to have about 2½ Acres of Wood on

his free Land but none on his Lease Land his Land all ffenced &

part Planted with ffurze

47 Giles Smith We suppose to have about ½ an Acre of Wood on

his free Land all Young Plants his Land all ffenced Except that

he has lately ffencd and Part planted with ffurze

48 Grace Hayse We suppose to have about 5½ Acres of Wood

on Her free Land None on Her Lease Land Part Young Plants

Her Land all ffenced and part planted with ffurze

49 Matthew Mudge We suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood

on his Land his Land all ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

50 Benjamin Pledgerd We suppose to have about 3 Acres of

Wood on his free Land and about 4 on his Lease Land Part

Young Plants his Land all ffenced Except what he has lately

ffencd and part planted with ffurze

51 Henry Francis Orphans We suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood

on their free Land and about 5 on their Leasd Land their Land

all ffenced and part planted with ffurze

52 John Pierling We suppose to have about 6 Acres of Wood on his

free Land and about 6 on his Lease Land his land all ffenced &

part planted with ffurze

53 John Thwaites We suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood on

his free Land and about ½ an Acre on his Lease Land his Land alle

ffencd but no ffurze Planted

54 John Knipe We suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood on his

free Land & about 2½ on his Lease Land his land all ffenced but

no ffurze planted

55 John French senr We suppose to have about 6 Acres of Wood

on his Lease Land but none on his free Land his Land wants

a small part of being ffenced and but little ffurze

56 Stephen Blase Pledgerd We suppose to have about 4 Acres of

Wood on his Land his Land not ffenced nor no ffurze Planted

Jane

44: John Defountain was thought to hold about seven acres of wood on his freehold land and about four acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

45: Joseph Hayse was thought to hold about half an acre of wood on his freehold land but none on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

46: Sutton Isaack was thought to hold about 2 1/2 acres of wood on his freehold land but none on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

47: Giles Smith was thought to hold about half an acre of wood on his freehold land, all young plants. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

48: Grace Hayse was thought to hold about 5 1/2 acres of wood on her freehold land and none on her leasehold land, part young plants. Her land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

49: Matthew Maidge was thought to hold about three acres of wood on his land. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

50: Benjamin Pledgard was thought to hold about three acres of wood on his freehold land and about four acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

51: The orphans of Henry Francis were thought to hold about three acres of wood on their freehold land and about five acres on their leasehold land. Their land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

52: John Durling was thought to hold about six acres of wood on his freehold land and about six acres on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

53: John Thwaites was thought to hold about three acres of wood on his freehold land and about half an acre on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced but no furze planted.

54: John Knipe was thought to hold about five acres of wood on his freehold land and about 2 1/2 acres on his leasehold land. His land was all fenced but no furze planted.

55: John French senior was thought to hold about six acres of wood on his leasehold land but none on his freehold land. His land wanted a small part of being fenced, and had but little furze.

56: Stephen Pearse Pledgard was thought to hold about four acres of wood on his land. His land was not fenced, nor any furze planted.

Interpretations

This survey completed the count of each tenant's wood, fencing and furze required by the warrant of 17 January 1727. For every holder it recorded the acreage of wood, its division between freehold and leasehold land, the share of young plants and the state of the fencing. This gave the Company a full account of the timber resource across the settlement.

Furze was gorse, a hardy spiny shrub grown as a fuel crop and as a stock-proof hedge. On an island short of wood it served both to bind the soil and to provide firing, so the survey recorded its planting beside the timber. The repeated note of who had and had not planted it marked each tenant's contribution to the fuel supply.

The listing of orphans as landholders shows how the Company kept the estates of deceased tenants intact for their heirs. The wood and land of Henry Francis passed to his orphans as a recorded holding. This reflects the administration's role in preserving property across a generation until the heirs came of age.

205

205

1726.

57 Isaac Leech We suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood on his free

Land and about 2 On his Lease Land his Land not all ffenced but

part Planted with ffurze

58 Samuel Jessey We suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood on

his free Land and about 3 on his Lease Land Part Young Plants

his Land Near ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

59 William Seale We suppose to have about 15 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 12 on his Lease Land Part Young

Plants his Land all ffenced and part planted with ffurze

60 Bridgett Bazett We suppose to have about 22 Acres of

Wood on Her free Land and about 10 on Her Leasd Land Part

Young Plants Her Land all ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

61 Isaac Wood We suppose to have about 10 Acres of Wood on his

free Land and about ½ an Acre on his Lease Land Part Young Plants

his Land all ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

62 James Drapers Orphans We suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood

on their free Land and about 3 on their Lease Land their Land alle

ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

63 Mercy Whaley We suppose to have about 2½ Acres of Wood

on Her free Land and about 5 on Her Leasd Land Her Land

ffenced but no ffurze Planted

64 John Bazett We suppose to have about ½ an Acre of Wood

on his free Land and about 5 On his Lease Land his Land

part ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

65 Arthur Bradley We suppose to have about 8 Acres of Wood

on his Land, part Young Plants his Land Partly ffenced but no ffurze

Planted

66 Joseph Lufkin We suppose to have about One Acre of Wood

his Land part ffenced but no ffurze Planted

67 Gabriel Powell We suppose to have about 30 Acres of

Wood on his free Land and about 8½ on his Lease Land Part

Young Plants his Land all ffenced Except a small Matter

lately ffencd and greatest part planted with ffurze

68 Joshua Johnson We suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood on

his free Land & about 4 on his Lease Land Part Young Plants

his Land all ffenced Except what he has lately ffencd and

part planted with ffurze

Francis

57: Isaac Leech was thought to hold about three acres of wood on his freehold land and about two acres on his leasehold land. His land was not all fenced, but part was planted with furze.

58: Samuel Jephry was thought to hold about seven acres of wood on his freehold land and about three acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was nearly fenced and part planted with furze.

59: William Seale was thought to hold about 15 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 14 acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

60: Bridget Bazett was thought to hold about 22 acres of wood on her freehold land and about 10 acres on her leasehold land, part young plants. Her land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

61: Isaac Wood was thought to hold about 10 acres of wood on his freehold land and about half an acre on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

62: The orphans of James Draper were thought to hold about three acres of wood on their freehold land and about three acres on their leasehold land. Their land was all fenced and part planted with furze.

63: Mercy Whaley was thought to hold about 2 1/2 acres of wood on her freehold land and about five acres on her leasehold land. Her land was fenced but no furze planted.

64: John Bazett was thought to hold about half an acre of wood on his freehold land and about five acres on his leasehold land. His land was part fenced and part planted with furze.

65: Arthur Bradley was thought to hold about eight acres of wood on his land, part young plants. His land was partly fenced but no furze planted.

66: Joseph Lufkin was thought to hold about one acre of wood. His land was part fenced but no furze planted.

67: Gabriel Powell was thought to hold about 30 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 8 1/2 acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced except a small matter lately hired, and mostly planted with furze.

68: Joshua Johnson was thought to hold about seven acres of wood on his freehold land and about one acre on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and part was planted with furze.

Interpretations

This survey completed the count of each tenant's wood, fencing and furze required by the warrant of 17 January 1727. For every holder it recorded the acreage of wood, its division between freehold and leasehold land, the share of young plants and the state of the fencing. This gave the Company a full account of the timber resource across the settlement.

The larger holdings recorded here stand out against the smaller plots earlier in the survey. Gabriel Powell held about 38 1/2 acres of wood in all and Bridget Bazett about 32 acres, far above the one or two acres of many tenants. This spread shows the uneven distribution of timber across the settlement, with a few substantial holders alongside many modest ones.

Furze was gorse, a hardy spiny shrub grown as a fuel crop and as a stock-proof hedge. On an island short of wood it served both to bind the soil and to provide firing, so the survey recorded its planting beside the timber. The repeated note of who had and had not planted it marked each tenant's contribution to the fuel supply.

206

206

69 Francis Wrangham We suppose to have about 20 Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 3 on his Lease Land Part Young Plants

his Land all ffenced Except what he has lately ffencd and greatest

Part planted with ffurze

70 Edmond Nichols We suppose to have about 4½ Acres of Wood

on his free Land and about 5 on his Lease Land Part Young

Plants his Land part ffenced and Part planted with ffurze

Signd Gabriel Powell

Francis Wrangham

Joshua Johnson

Edmd Nichols

Orderd That the same be Transmitted to the Honble Company

and after dispatching the Grantham We do Examine who have

been Defaulters and fine such Persons as have been Negligent

in Proportion to their Deserts

Yesterday the 13 Instant the following List of the Honbles

Compas Blacks with their ages & Employments were taken and to

Prevent any Mistake Each of the Men Women & their Children

were sent for in One by One and their Names Imediatly Wrote

Downe

List of the Honble Compa Blacks wth their

Names ages Employmts & Qualifications taken this 13 day of

March 1726 As they Passed in Review before the Worshipfull

the Governr & Ce Councill & were Each Employed for the last

two years As Undermentiond vizt

Men Slaves Empl at New Plantation.

Names ages Employmts qualifications

Ned

age 32

Employmt Overseer

qualification very Good

Dick

age 31

Employmt Stone layer

qualification Good

Simon

age 24

Employmt do

qualification do

Cremona

age 31

Employmt do

qualification do

Blackwall

age 35

Employmt Sawyer

qualification do

Cloice

age 29

Employmt Labourer

qualification do

Blackheath

age 29

Employmt do

qualification Indiffert

Moses

age 29

Employmt do

qualification good for little

Dick

age 33

Employmt do

qualification do

James

age 36

Employmt do

qualification do

Jupiter

age 34

Employmt do

qualification Indiff

Adam

age 26

Employmt do

qualification Good for nothing

Harry

age 26

Employmt do

qualification Sickly

Muta

age 27

Employmt do

qualification Good

Sambo

age 36

Employmt do

qualification do Cut Lams

Names ages Employmt Qualificacons

Leo

age 27

Employmt Labourer

Qualificacon Good

Davis

age 27

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Towerhill

age 27

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Jno Fiquea

age 36

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Mahomet

age 35

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indiffert

Frank

age 36

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

Joseph

age 36

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Matthew

age 25

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Diamond

age 28

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Drake

age 41

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Stepney

age 26

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Jack Cook

age 36

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Will

age 26

Employmt fetches Water

Qualificacon do

Robin

age 31

Employmt Labourer

Qualificacon Poor & Rotten

Horsham

age 31

Employmt do

Qualificacon Very Indiff

Port Jack

age 27

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Ben

age 30

Employmt fetches Water

Qualificacon do

Caleb

age 32

Employmt Attends ye Doct

Qualificacon Good

69: Francis Wrangham was thought to hold about 20 acres of wood on his freehold land and about three acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was all fenced except what he had lately hired, and mostly planted with furze.

70: Edmund Nichols was thought to hold about 4 1/2 acres of wood on his freehold land and about five acres on his leasehold land, part young plants. His land was part fenced and part planted with furze.

The survey report was signed by Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Joshua Johnson and Edmund Nichols.

The council ordered that the report be sent to the Company, and that after the Grantham had been dispatched the members would examine who had been defaulters and fine those found negligent in proportion to their fault.

The previous day, 13 March, the following list of the Company's slaves was taken, with their ages and employments. To prevent any mistake, each of the men and women and their children was sent for one by one, and their names written down immediately.

A list of the Company's slaves, with their names, ages, employments and qualifications, taken 13 March 1727, as they passed in review before the Governor and council. Each had been employed for the previous two years as set out below.

Men slaves employed at New Plantation

Ned, 32, overseer, very good

Dick, 31, stonelayer, good

Simon, 24, stonelayer, good

Cremona, 34, stonelayer, good

Blackwall, 35, sawyer, good

Cloice, 29, labourer, good

Blackheath, 29, labourer, indifferent

Moses, 29, labourer, good for little

Dick, 33, labourer, good for little

James, 36, labourer, good for little

Jupiter, 34, labourer, indifferent

Adam, 26, labourer, good for nothing

Harry, 26, labourer, sickly

Muta, 27, labourer, good

Sambo, 36, labourer, cuts yams

Leo, 27, labourer, good

Davis, 27, labourer, good

Towerhill, 27, labourer, good

John Fiquea, 36, labourer, good

Mahomet, 35, labourer, indifferent

Frank, 36, labourer, good

Joseph, 36, labourer, good

Matthew, 24, labourer, good

Diamond, 28, labourer, good

Drake, 41, labourer, good

Stepney, 26, labourer, good

Jack Cook, 36, labourer, good

Will, 26, fetches water, good

Robin, 31, labourer, poor and rotten

Horsham, 31, labourer, very indifferent

Port Jack, 27, labourer, very indifferent

Ben, 30, fetches water, good

Caleb, 32, attends the doctor, good

Interpretations

The council conducted a formal review of its slaves, recording each by name, age, employment and a rating of their fitness for work. The people were called one by one to prevent error, and their details noted at once. This shows the Company treating its labour force as an inventoried asset, assessed and valued much as it counted its livestock and stores.

The ratings against each name reveal how the Company judged the worth of its slaves by their capacity for labour. Terms such as very good, indifferent, sickly and good for little measured each person purely by output. This reflects the harsh accounting logic of a slave system that reduced human beings to units of productive value.

The employments show the range of work the slaves performed at New Plantation. Beyond the general labourers, the list names an overseer, stonelayers, a sawyer, water-carriers, a yam-cutter and one who attended the doctor. This division of tasks reveals how the plantation depended on slave labour for building, provisioning and the daily upkeep of the settlement.

207

207

Men Slaves Empld at the Wood vizt

Names ages Employmts Qualificacon

Stephen

age 36

Employmt Stone layer

Qualificacon Very Good

Plato

age 30

Employmt Labourer

Qualificacon Good

Pompey

age 30

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indiffert

Dutch

age 26

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indiff

Jerrey

age 37

Employmt do

Qualificacon Sickly

Jemmey

age 25

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

Noah

age 29

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indifft

James

age 24

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

One Man Slave at the Hutts

Harry

age 23

Employmt looks aft Cattle and Pasture

Qualificacon Good

Men Slaves Empld at Ge Plantacon

Harry

age 35

Employmt Tanner

Qualificacon Very Good

Ben

age 33

Employmt Gardner

Qualificacon do

Jack

age 32

Employmt Butcher

Qualificacon do

Sam

age 32

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

Charles

age 24

Employmt Overseer

Qualificacon do

Harry Ratine

age 24

Employmt Works in Ge Plant

Qualificacon do

Hanniball

age 36

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Dick Price

age 31

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Sam more

age 17

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Toney

age 24

Employmt Hostler

Qualificacon Good for little

Limehouse

age 24

Employmt Asist to Gardner

Qualificacon Indifft

George

age 22

Employmt Labr in Plant

Qualificacon Good

Harry Green

age 20

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indifft

Favorius

age 22

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

Benjamin

age 24

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Yau

age 22

Employmt do

Qualificacon Sickly

Tauney

age 24

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indifft

Taffey

age 28

Employmt Tanner

Qualificacon Sickly

Lewis

age 30

Employmt Attends Wat Courses

Qualificacon Indiff

Frank

age 33

Employmt looks aft Pastures

Qualificacon Good

Daniel

age 36

Employmt Labr in Plant

Qualificacon very Indiff

Macket

age 31

Employmt Milk man

Qualificacon Indiff

Joe

age 17

Employmt Green Boy

Qualificacon do

Barrow

age 40

Employmt Labr in Plant

Qualificacon Good for nothing

Cato

age 28

Employmt looks aft Cattle

Qualificacon Indifft

Madag Dick

age 24

Employmt Asist to Gardner

Qualificacon do

Belo Jack

age 28

Employmt looks aft Poultry

Qualificacon do

Petter

age 34

Employmt Milkman

Qualificacon Good

Men Slaves at Perkins

Will

age 29

Employmt Labr in Plant

Qualificacon Good

Will Benjar

age 26

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Hector

age 31

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indifft

Sam

age 22

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

Peter

age 36

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Islington

age 30

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indiff

Ovey

age 38

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

Augushus

age 36

Employmt do

Qualificacon

Men Slaves At Limekilns

Names ages Employmts Qualifications

Jack Sprale

age 28

Qualificacon Good

Simon

age 31

Qualificacon do

Cloice

age 29

Qualificacon do

Blake

age 26

Qualificacon do

Mingo

age 41

Qualificacon do

Will

age 19

Qualificacon do

Lewis

age 28

Qualificacon do

Men Slaves Empld at Handicrafts

Jack

age 31

Employmt Carpenter

Qualificacon Good

Dick

age 15

Employmt do Instructing

Qualificacon Sickly

Boston

age 38

Employmt Taylor

Qualificacon Good

Abdulla

age 32

Employmt do

Qualificacon Indiffert

Daniel

age 26

Employmt do

Qualificacon do & Lame

Alley

age 35

Employmt Smith

Qualificacon Good

Dublin

age 32

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Men Slaves belonging to fishing Boats

Tom

age 26

Qualificacon Good

Toney

age 26

Qualificacon do

Marhn

age 28

Qualificacon do

Daniel

age 24

Qualificacon do

Mordue

age 56

Qualificacon do

Cozydon

age 26

Qualificacon Sickly

Leander

age 31

Qualificacon Good

Scipio

age 31

Qualificacon do

Mark

age 26

Qualificacon do

Slaves Empld at the Garden

Benjamin

age 46

Employmt Head Gardner

Qualificacon Very Good

Harry

age 27

Qualificacon Good

Chatham

age 26

Qualificacon do

Monroe

age 30

Qualificacon do

Men Slaves in the House

Batta

age 30

Employmt attending in the Kitchen

Qualificacon Very Good

Jonsey

age 25

Employmt attending in the Kitchen

Qualificacon Indiffert

Mercury

age 29

Employmt attending in the Kitchen

Qualificacon do

Short Caesar

age 32

Employmt Waiters

Qualificacon Very Good

Long Caesar

age 24

Employmt Waiters

Qualificacon Good

Navarra

age 55

Employmt Waiters

Qualificacon Very Good

Women in the House

Great Ellen

age 35

Employmt Mends linnen Bedding & Cleans the House

Qualificacon Very Good

Grace

age 30

Employmt Mends linnen Bedding & Cleans the House

Qualificacon do

Betty Tom

age 24

Employmt Mends linnen Bedding & Cleans the House

Qualificacon Good

Sarah

age 22

Employmt Mends linnen Bedding & Cleans the House

Qualificacon do

Inigo

age 25

Employmt Sculley Wench

Qualificacon do

Men slaves employed at the Wood

Stephen, 36, stonelayer, very good

Plato, 30, labourer, good

Pompey, 30, labourer, indifferent

Dutch, 26, labourer, indifferent

Jerrey, 37, labourer, sickly

Jemmey, 25, labourer, good

Noah, 29, labourer, indifferent

James, 24, labourer, good

Men slaves at Limekilns

Jack Speale, 28, good

Simon, 31, good

Cloice, 29, good

Blake, 26, good

Mingo, 41, good

Will, 19, good

Lewis, 28, good

One man slave at the Huts

Harry, 23, cooks after cattle and pastures, good

Men slaves employed at Handicrafts

Jack, 31, carpenter, good

Dick, 15, instructing carpenter, sickly

Boston, 38, tailor, good

Abdulla, 32, tailor, indifferent

Daniel, 26, tailor, indifferent and lame

Alley, 35, smith, good

Dublin, 32, smith, good

Men slaves employed at Great Plantation

Harry, 35, tanner, very good

Ben, 33, gardener, very good

Jack, 32, butcher, very good

Sam, 32, butcher, good

Charles, 24, overseer, good

Harry Ratnse, 24, works in Great Plantation, good

Hannibal, 36, works in Great Plantation, good

Dick Price, 31, works in Great Plantation, good

Sam more, 17, works in Great Plantation, good

Toney, 24, hostler, good for little

Limehouse, 24, assists gardener, indifferent

George, 22, labourer in plantation, good

Harry Green, 20, labourer in plantation, indifferent

Favonius, 22, labourer in plantation, good

Benjamin, 24, labourer in plantation, good

Yau, 22, labourer in plantation, sickly

Tauney, 24, labourer in plantation, indifferent

Taffey, 28, tanner, sickly

Lewis, 30, attends water courses, indifferent

Frank, 33, looks after pastures, good

Daniel, 36, labourer in plantation, very indifferent

Macket, 31, milkman, indifferent

Joe, 17, green boy, indifferent

Barrow, 40, labourer in plantation, good for nothing

Cato, 28, looks after cattle, indifferent

Madagascar Dick, 24, assists gardener, indifferent

Below Jack, 28, looks after poultry, indifferent

Petter, 34, milkman, good

Sandwich, 18, labourer in plantation, good

Men slaves belonging to fishing boats

Tom, 26, good

Toney, 26, good

Martin, 28, good

Daniel, 24, good

Mordue, 56, good

Corydon, 26, sickly

Leander, 31, good

Scipio, 31, good

Mark, 26, good

Slaves employed at the Garden

Benjamin, 46, head gardener, very good

Harry, 27, good

Chatham, 26, good

Monroe, 30, good

Men slaves in the House

Batta, 30, attending in the kitchen, very good

Jonsey, 25, attending in the kitchen, indifferent

Mercury, 29, attending in the kitchen, indifferent

Short Caesar, 32, waiter, very good

Long Caesar, 24, waiter, good

Navarra, 55, waiter, very good

Men slaves at Perkins

Will, 29, labourer in plantation, good

Will Benjamin, 26, labourer in plantation, good

Hector, 31, labourer in plantation, good

Sam, 22, labourer in plantation, indifferent

Peter, 36, labourer in plantation, good

Islington, 30, labourer in plantation, good

Ovey, 38, labourer in plantation, indifferent

Augustus, 36, labourer in plantation, good

Women in the House

Great Ellen, 35, mends linen, very good

Grace, 30, bedding, very good

Betty Tom, 24, cleans the house, good

Sarah, 22, cleans the house, good

Inigo, 25, scullery wench, good

Interpretations

This list continued the review of the Company's slaves taken on 13 March 1727, recording each by name, age, employment and a rating of fitness for work. The people were grouped by the place or trade where they laboured, from the wood and the limekilns to the garden and the house. This gave the Company a full account of how its labour force was deployed across the settlement.

The spread of employments reveals how far the settlement depended on slave labour for every function. The slaves worked as stonelayers, carpenters, tanners, smiths, gardeners, milkmen, fishermen, kitchen hands and house waiters. This range shows that the building, provisioning and daily service of the island rested almost wholly on the Company's slaves.

The limekilns named here burned coral and limestone to make lime for mortar and building. A hostler tended horses, a green boy perhaps worked the freshly cut ground, and a scullery wench washed dishes in the kitchen. The naming of such particular tasks reveals the detailed division of labour by which the Company organised its enslaved workforce.

208

208

Women Empld in Makeing & mending Cloths

Names ages Employmts Qualificacons

Mercy

age 26

Employmt Taylors

Qualificacon Very Good

Mercy Benja

age 26

Employmt Taylors

Qualificacon Good

Sarah

age 26

Employmt Taylors

Qualificacon Almost Blind & Deaf

Betty Myers

age 31

Employmt Taylors

Qualificacon Indifferent

Women Slaves Empld at Ge Plantacon

Betty Ben

age 31

Employmt Washr Woman

Qualificacon Good

Faber

age 36

Employmt Dairy Maid

Qualificacon Very Good

Short Mary

age 21

Employmt Washr Woman

Qualificacon Good

Old Mary

age 51

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Moll Gruer

age 28

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Sarah Alley

age 28

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Ellen Leo

age 28

Employmt Works in Plant

Qualificacon Indifft

Alice

age 26

Employmt looks aft Poultry

Qualificacon do

Agnes

age 24

Employmt asist to dairy Mr

Qualificacon do

Ding

age 26

Employmt looks aft Poultry

Qualificacon do

Margaret

age 26

Employmt Washr Womn

Qualificacon Good

Betty Tim

age 31

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Bridgett

age 30

Employmt Fetches Wood

Qualificacon Indifft

Magdalena

age 28

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Sarah Daniel

age 22

Employmt Works in Plant

Qualificacon do

Bess

age 30

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Catherine

age 31

Employmt Washes for sevlls

Qualificacon do

Abigail

age 30

Employmt Works in Plant

Qualificacon do

Grace

age 28

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Nanny

age 28

Employmt do

Qualificacon do & Lame

Rebecca

age 26

Employmt Fetches Wood

Qualificacon Good

Sarah Robin

age 32

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good for Nothing

Priscilla

age 26

Employmt Works in Plant

Qualificacon Indiff

Sarah Barows

age 22

Employmt do

Qualificacon do

Mary Stepney

age 28

Employmt do

Qualificacon good for Nothing

Peel

age 17

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

Women at Perkins

Ellen

age 28

Employmt Raises Poultry

Qualificacon Good

Jenney

age 26

Employmt Works in Plant

Qualificacon Indifft

Mary

age 28

Employmt do

Qualificacon Good

Sold

Boys

Names ages

Frank

age 6

Stepney

age 4

Timothy

age 9

Gabriell

age 8

Jack Port

age 10

Harry

age 2

Jack Riding

age 10

Ned

age 3½

Charles

age 1½

Will

age 3

Tom

age 1

George

age 5

Jack

age 5½

Morrice

age 5

Will

age 7½

Moses

age 3

Phill

age 21

Toney

age 14

Sam Morrice

age 14

Jack

age 4

Pompey

age 12

Robin

age 10

James

age 6

Phill

age 2½

Dick

age 3½

Girles

Names ages

Mercy

age 9

Margarett

age 5

Betty

age 7

Betty Gruer

age 12

Margarett

age 8

Betty

age 6

Margaret

age 4

Betty

age 3½

Fanney

age 16

Margaret

age 13½

Mary

age 7

Betty

age 4

Bridgett

age 1½

Margarett

age 3

Nanny

age 2

Ellen

age 2⅓

Grace

age 4

Magdalena

age 9

Nanney

age 8

Patt

age 5

Sarah

age 3

Ellin

age 3½

Betty

age 4

Mary

age 1

Magdalena

age 1½

Sarah

age 8

Margarett

age 6

Sarah

age 4

Margarett

age 7

Nanny

age 7

Catherine

age 2

Superannuated vizt

Will

Antonio

Batta

Tony Myers & broken Backed

Aaron

Toney 6 Men Superanuated

Mercy

Casamire

Welchey

Old Sarah 4 Women Superannuated

Women employed in making and mending clothes

Mercy, 26, very good

Mercy Bengal, 26, tailor, good

Sarah, 26, tailor, almost blind or deaf

Betty Myers, 31, tailor, indifferent

Women slaves employed at Great Plantation

Betty Ben, 31, washerwoman, good

Faber, 36, dairymaid, very good

Short Mary, 21, washerwoman, good

Old Mary, 51, washerwoman, good

Moll Gruer, 28, washerwoman, good

Sarah Alley, 28, washerwoman, good

Ellen Leo, 28, works in plantation, indifferent

Alice, 26, looks after poultry, indifferent

Agnes, 24, assists dairymaid, indifferent

Dring, 26, looks after poultry, indifferent

Margaret, 26, washerwoman, good

Betty Tim, 31, washerwoman, good

Bridget, 30, fetches wood, indifferent

Magdalena, 28, fetches wood, indifferent

Sarah Daniel, 22, works in plantation, indifferent

Bess, 30, works in plantation, indifferent

Catherine, 31, washes for slaves, indifferent

Abigail, 30, works in plantation, indifferent

Grace, 28, works in plantation, indifferent

Nanny, 28, works in plantation, indifferent and lame

Rebecca, 26, fetches wood, good

Sarah Robin, 32, fetches wood, good for nothing

Priscilla, 26, works in plantation, indifferent

Sarah Barons, 22, works in plantation, indifferent

Mary Stepney, 28, works in plantation, good for nothing

Puss, 17, works in plantation, good

Women at Perkins

Ellen, 28, raises poultry, good

Jenney, 26, works in plantation, indifferent

Mary, 28, works in plantation, good, sold

Boys

Frank, 6

Stepney, 4

Timothy, 9

Gabriel, 8

Jack Port, 10

Harry, 2

Jack Riding, 10

Ned, 3 1/2

Charles, 1 1/2

Will, 3

Tom, 1

George, 5 1/2

Jack, 5 1/2

Morrice, 5 1/2

Will, 6

Moses, 3

Phill, 1

Toney, 4

Sam Morrice, 14

Jack, 4

Pompey, 12

Robin, 10

James, 6

Phill, 2 1/2

Dick, 3 1/2

Girls

Mercy, 9

Margaret, 5

Betty, 7

Betty Gruer, 12

Margaret, 8

Betty, 6

Margaret, 4

Betty, 3 1/2

Fanney, 4

Margaret, 16

Mary, 13 1/2

Betty, 7

Bridget, 4

Margaret, 2

Fanney, 2 3/4

Ellen, 3

Grace, 4

Magdalena, 9

Nanney, 8

Patt, 5

Sarah, 3

Ellin, 3 3/4

Betty, 4

Mary, 4

Magdalena, 1

Sarah, 1 1/2

Margaret, 8

Sarah, 6

Margaret, 4

Nanny, 7

Catherine, 2

Superannuated men

Will

Antonio

Balla

Tony Myers, broken backed

Aaron

Toney

6 men superannuated

Superannuated women

Mercy

Casamire

Welchey

Old Sarah

4 women superannuated

Interpretations

This list completed the review of the Company's slaves taken on 13 March 1727, covering the women, the children and those too old for work. The women were grouped by their place and task, from Great Plantation to Perkins, while the boys and girls were listed by name and age alone. This gave the Company a full record of its whole enslaved population, from infants to the aged.

The separate heading for superannuated slaves shows the Company recording those no longer fit for labour through age or infirmity. Six men and four women fell under this head, including one noted as broken-backed. This reflects how the Company tracked its slaves across their whole lives, keeping account even of those from whom no further work could be drawn.

The women's employments centred on washing, dairy work, poultry and fetching wood, alongside general plantation labour. One woman washed for the other slaves, and several tended the dairy or the poultry yard. This division shows the domestic and provisioning tasks that the settlement laid upon its enslaved women, distinct from the building and field work assigned to the men.

209

209

1726.

the most Part of these Boys are Employed in looking after Cattle Sheep

Goats & Hogs and the Rest put to such Little services of which they are

Capable as weeding in the Garden &c

Particular Totalls vizt

Men 33 At New Plantation

8 At the Great Wood

1 At the Hutts

28 At Grand Plantation

8 At Perkins

7 At Limekiln

7 At Handicrafts

9 Fishermen

4 Gardners At the ffort

6 In the House

6 Superannuated

Men 117

Women 26 At Grand Plantation

3 At Perkins

5 In the House

4 Taylors

4 Superannuated

42

Boys 25

Girles 31

Grande Totall 215

In the Evening of this day Wee recievd the following Letter

from Mr Wignell

Gentlemen

My Accounts with the Inhabitants requireing

more time to Adjust than can Possibly be done beefore the sailing of

Either of the Ships in the road, I humbly Pray your Permission to

tarry upon the Island till the Arrivall of the Next Homeward bound

Ships my Necessity at present really requiring this Indulgence I Wait

your ffavourable Answer and am

the 14 March 1726/7 Your Most Obliged & Obedt servt

T Wignell Ser

Most of the boys were employed in looking after cattle, sheep, goats and hogs. The rest were put to such small tasks as they were able to manage, such as helping in the garden.

Particular totals

Men

33 at New Plantation

8 at the Great Wood

1 at the Huts

28 at Grand Plantation

8 at Perkins

7 at Limekiln

7 at Handicrafts

9 fishermen

4 gardeners at the fort

6 in the house

6 superannuated

Men, 117

Women

26 at Grand Plantation

3 at Perkins

5 in the house

4 tailors

4 superannuated

Women, 42

Boys, 25

Girls, 31

Grand total, 215

In the evening of this day the council received the following letter from Mr Wignall.

Mr Wignall wrote that his accounts with the inhabitants needed more time to settle than could be managed before either ship in the road set sail. He asked the council for permission to stay on the island until the arrival of the next homeward-bound ship. He stated that his present necessity really required this indulgence, and awaited the council's favourable answer. The letter was dated 14 March 1727 and signed by John Wignall.

Interpretations

The particular totals drew together the whole review of the Company's slaves into a single count of 215 people. The men were grouped by their place of work, the women likewise, and the children and the aged counted apart. This summary gave the Company a clear measure of its enslaved labour force and how it was spread across the settlement.

The largest bodies of men stood at New Plantation and Grand Plantation, with 33 and 28 respectively. Smaller groups served at the wood, the limekiln, the handicrafts and the fishing boats. This distribution shows how the Company concentrated its labour on the two main plantations while spreading the rest across the trades and tasks that kept the settlement supplied.

Mr Wignall's request to remain until the next homeward ship followed the council's earlier order that he leave the island. His accounts with the inhabitants were not yet settled, and he sought time to close them. This shows the practical difficulty of removing a servant whose financial affairs remained entangled with the settlement.

Speculations

Mr Wignall chose to seek a delay on the ground of unsettled accounts, rather than take passage on either ship then in the road as first announced. The council had ordered him to leave, and two vessels lay ready. His plea rested on the tangle of debts still owed him by the inhabitants, which he could not collect in the time before the ships sailed. Faced with an order to depart, Wignall preferred to argue a practical necessity over an immediate compliance that would have cost him what the settlement owed.

210

210

March.

for the reasons alledged in the said Mr Wignells Letter Wee

have Permitted him to tarry on the Island till the Arrivall of

the Next Homeward bound Ship but Cautiond him to Loose no time

in adjusting his Accounts with the Inhabitants

Island St Helena

At a Consultation Held on Tuesday

the 21 day of March 1726 At Union Castle

Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

Prest Jno Alexander &

Jno Goodwin

the last Consultation read and Approvd on

On Sunday Evening last the Princess Ann sailed hence for

Bencoolen, And

Yesterday about five in the Evening the Grantham

Capt Feild Comander sailed for England haveing as Passenger, the

late Governr Mr Smith and his family

By the last Mentiond Ship Wee drew three setts of Bills

of Exchange upon the Honble Compy for the severall Sultims, &

Payable to the severall Persons following vizt

One sett Payable to Mr John Bazett or Order for £260 4

One ditto Payable to Mr Richard Goodwin or Order for 230 5

One ditto to Mr Francis Wrangham or Order for 55 13

All dated the 18 March 1726/7 and were for Cash Notes paid 545 18

into the Honble Compys Ce Ce Ce Cash whof £285 18 paid to the Governr

the other 260 paid to Capt Goodwin and their Respective Accts

were Accordingly Debited for the same

Wee this day Perized the Cargoe of Goods sent by the Honble Compas

& Ship Princess Anne as per Copy thereof to be Transmitted them

by the Next Ship Homeward bound

the Governr Reports that in Obedience to the Honble Compas

late Instructions he has Looked farther into the Generall Charge

of the Island in which he finds the Company have for severall

years

Margin Notes:

Memorandm sels for Wrath been Copyed & sent home p Ship Grantham

For the reasons given in his letter, the council permitted Mr Wignall to stay on the island until the arrival of the next homeward-bound ship, but required him to lose no time in settling his accounts with the inhabitants.

A memorandum noted that the wills for probate had been copied and sent home by the ship Grantham.

Island of St Helena. At a consultation held on Tuesday 21 March 1727 at Union Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

On the previous Sunday evening the Princess Anne sailed from the island for Bencoolen. The previous day, about five in the evening, the Grantham, Captain Byfield commander, sailed for England, carrying as passengers the late Governor Mr Smith and his family.

By the Grantham the council drew three sets of bills of exchange upon the Company, for the several sums payable to the following persons.

One set payable to Mr John Bazett or order, £260 4s 0d

One set payable to Mr Richard Goodwin or order, £230 5s 0d

One set payable to Mr Francis Wrangham or order, £55 13s 0d

All were dated 18 March 1727 and drawn for cash notes paid into the Company's account, amounting to £545 18s 0d. Of this, £285 18s 0d was paid to the Governor and £260 to Captain Goodwin, and their respective accounts were credited accordingly.

The council examined the cargo of goods sent by the Company aboard the Princess Anne, and took a copy of it to send home by the next ship homeward bound.

The Governor reported that, following the Company's recent instructions, he had looked further into the general charge of the island. He found that the Company had for several years [...].

Interpretations

The three sets of bills of exchange drawn on the Company show how money moved between the island and England without shipping coin. A bill of exchange was a written order to pay a sum elsewhere, so cash paid in at the island could be redeemed in London. This illustrates the credit machinery by which the Company transferred value across the sea.

The departure of the late Governor Mr Smith aboard the Grantham marked the close of his term after the audit of his accounts. His replacement by Edward Byfield had already taken effect, and Smith now sailed home with his family. This shows the orderly transfer of office and the return of a former governor to England once his affairs were settled.

The practice of copying the cargo list to send by a later ship reflects the Company's insistence on a full record reaching London by more than one route. Ships were lost or delayed, so a duplicate account sent separately guarded against the failure of the first. This reveals the care the administration took to keep its masters fully informed.

211

211

1726

years past been at the Annual Expence of more than £250 at the

Limekiln and is therefore of Opinion that the severall Persons

there Imployd should be Dismist and the Company Easd of this

Needless charge and in Case there should be hereafter be Occasion

to make more Lime other means may be found to have it made

at a much Cheaper Rate

Which being taken into Consideration it is Resolvd and

Accordingly Ordered that the severall Persons therein Employed

be Immediately Dismist and the Honble Compy Entirely eased

of this Unnecessary Article of Expence in Lime Burning

List of Eaters At the Generall Table vizt

Governour and his Lady 2

Gentlemen of Councill 2

Captain & Ensign 2

Docter & Clerk of Councill 2

some times the Wives of Gentlemn of Councill Docter &c 3

Usually One or two of the Planters & their Wives some=

=times more, sometimes Less but One time wth another at least 3

In shipping time the Comanders, Supra Cargoes almost

Constantly Cathe Gentlemn Officers & Passengers of Note at least 5

Household servants and Marshall 7

On Sundays & Publick days Writers Clerk Schoolmaster &

Drummer & when at Plantation House the Overseers 6

In shipping time the Coxswain & some of the Boats Crew

& servants attending their Masters Commonly 5

the Montross & Gunners Mate on Duty 2

Black servants attending all Offices & servants attending

their Masters 14

53

The Governor found that the lime kiln had cost the Company more than £250 a year for several years. He was therefore of the opinion that the several slaves employed there should be dismissed and the Company relieved of this needless charge. Should there be occasion to make more lime later, he judged that other means could be found to have it made at a much cheaper rate.

The council considered the matter and resolved accordingly. It ordered that the several slaves employed there be dismissed at once, and the Company was thus relieved of this unnecessary charge in lime-burning.

A list of those who ate at the general table follows.

Governor and his lady, 2

Gentlemen of council, 2

Captain and ensign, 2

Doctor and clerk of council, 2

Sometimes the wives of the gentlemen of council, the doctor and others, 3

Usually one or two of the planters and their wives, sometimes more, sometimes fewer, but one at least, 3

In shipping time the commanders, supercargoes and gentlemen officers and passengers of note, almost constantly at least, 5

Household servants and the marshal, 7

On Sundays and public days the writers, the clerk, the schoolmaster and, in December and when at Plantation House, the overseers, 6

In shipping time the coxswain and some of the boats' crew, and servants attending their masters commonly, 5

The mounted troops and gunners on duty, 2

Black servants attending all offices, and servants attending their masters, 14

Total, 53

Interpretations

The council closed the lime kiln because its cost had exceeded £250 a year, judging the expense needless when lime could be made more cheaply by other means when required. This decision matched the wider economy the new Governor pressed upon the settlement. It shows the administration cutting a standing charge and redirecting the slaves who had laboured there.

The list of those who ate at the general table reveals the scale of the establishment the Company maintained. Fifty-three people drew their meals there, from the Governor and council down to the black servants attending each office. This measured the true burden of provisioning the fort, since every diner added to the daily cost the accounts tracked.

The larger numbers in shipping time show how the arrival of vessels swelled the table. Commanders, supercargoes and officers of the East India ships joined the diners, along with the coxswain and boats' crew. This reflects the island's role as a port of refreshment, where the coming of a fleet added directly to the settlement's expenses.

Speculations

The Governor chose to abolish the lime kiln entirely, rather than reduce its output or run it more cheaply as it stood. The obvious course was to trim a charge that had run above £250 a year. His decision to close it wholly rested on a judgement that lime could be made by other means when the need arose, so a permanent establishment was not worth its yearly cost. Faced with a standing expense he thought excessive, Byfield preferred to dismiss the whole operation over the lesser step of keeping a smaller kiln in being.

212

212

March

Island St Helena At a Consultation Held on Wednesday the

29 of March 1727 At Union Castle

Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

Prest Jno Alexander &

Jno Goodwin

the last Consultation read and Approvd on

On Wednsday the 22 Instant Arrived the Ship Townshend

Captain Philip Worth Comander from China and brought thence

for the Use of this Island the following Quantity of Tea and

China Ware vizt

Selling Price One Chest China Ware Containing vizt

Tao M C C

6 a Cup & Saucer 1000 Tea Cups and Saucers at

36 4 4

2d Each 200 Coffee Cups at

5 4 4

15/ p Sett 16 Setts Bowles 5 in a Nest at

24 4 4

3/ each 2 Chamber Potts Gold & Cols

4 4

59 4 4

Jo 1 Chest

3 4

59 7

6/ p Cattee 2 Chests Bohea Tea q 58 Canisters wth Nett

1 Pecull 48 Catt at 20 Tao p Pcull

29 6 4

Chest & Canisters

10 2 9

39 8 9

4/ p Cattee 2 Chests Single q 40 Canisters Wth Nett 1 30

Cattee at 20 Tao p Pcull

26 4 4

Chest & Canisters

12 4 4

38 4 4

Totall Tao 137 5 9

Island of St Helena. At a consultation held on Wednesday 29 March 1727 at Union Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

On Wednesday 22 March the ship Townshend, Captain Philip Worth commander, arrived from China. It brought for the use of the island the following quantity of tea and china ware.

One chest china ware containing

1000 tea cups and saucers at 6 cups and saucers per tael, 36 taels 4 mace 4 candareens

200 coffee cups at 2 mace each, 5 taels 4 mace 4 candareens

16 setts bowls, 5 in a nest, at 15 mace per set, 24 taels 4 mace 4 candareens

2 chamber pots, gold and colours, at 3 mace each, 4 taels 4 mace 4 candareens

Total for the chest, 59 taels 4 mace 4 candareens

2 chests bohea tea, 58 canisters, weight 10 lb net, 1 pecul 48 catties at 20 taels per pecul, 29 taels 6 mace 4 candareens

Chest and canisters, 10 taels 2 mace 9 candareens

Total, 39 taels 8 mace 9 candareens

2 chests single tea, 40 canisters, weight 1 pecul 30 lb net, at 20 taels per pecul, 26 taels 4 mace 4 candareens

Chest and canisters, 12 taels 4 mace 4 candareens

Total, 38 taels 4 mace 4 candareens

Total, 137 taels 5 mace 9 candareens

Interpretations

The Townshend brought its cargo direct from China, and the account valued the goods in Chinese money of taels, mace and candareens rather than sterling. A tael was the standard Chinese unit of account, divided into ten mace and a hundred candareens. This shows how goods bought in Canton kept their Chinese valuation on arrival at the island.

The tea was measured by the pecul and catty, the weight units of the China trade. A pecul was about 133 pounds and a catty about a pound and a third. Recording the tea in these units, alongside the net weight in pounds, reflects the direct link between St Helena and the Company's factory at Canton.

Bohea was a black tea from the Wuyi hills of Fujian, and single tea a plainer grade of the same trade. The china ware of cups, bowls and chamber pots came from the same voyage. This shipment shows the island drawing tea and porcelain straight from the source, as a station on the Company's homeward route from China.

213

213

1726.

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4o Aprill 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander &

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & Approved

On Thursday 30th last Month the Townshend Capt Philip Worth

Sailed hence for England

John Durling haveing Presented his Petition & prayd that

at the Hutts as Mentioned in Consultation the 8th February 1725/6 & the

allowed the Refusal of the sett there adjoyning in Case the Same should be

Sold for the Remainr of a small Peice built for Blacks therein Standing

the said John Durling being called in & asked how much he was

willing to give for it Answerd £7 Ce Acre

Orderd that the Land be viewed & Enquiry made whether

any Person is willing to give more & that the Same be Sold to the best bidder

the Governour Reports that a Black Wench Named Margaret

belonging to the Honble Compy was deliverd of a Girle last Week also called

Margaret

Wee this Day began & finished Reckoning with the Garrison &

Workmen for the Quarter ending 25th March last pursuant to Notice

given last Week Transfers are vizt

William Allis £2 8

Tho Cotgrove 2 7 8½

to Wo Allis towards Lessening his

4 14 3½

Debt to the Compy

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 April 1727 at Union Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

On Thursday 30 March the Townshend, Captain Philip Worth, sailed from the island for England.

John Durling had petitioned the council, setting out that he held a parcel of the Company's land at the Huts. At the consultation of 8 February 1727 the council had allowed him the refusal of the land next to it, should the parcel be sold. He now asked to become the purchaser of the remainder, on which a small house had been built for the slaves, then standing.

John Durling was called in and asked how much he was willing to give for it. He answered £7 per acre.

The council ordered that the land be viewed and inquiry made whether anyone else was willing to give more, and that it then be sold to the highest bidder.

The Governor reported that a slave named Margaret, belonging to the Company, had been delivered of a girl the previous week, also named Margaret.

The council began and finished reckoning with the garrison and the workmen for the quarter ending 25 March, following the notice given the previous week. The transfers were as follows.

William Illis, £2 8s 0d

Thomas Colgrave, £2 7s 8 1/2d

Total, £4 15s 8 1/2d, to William Illis towards lessening his debt to the Company

Interpretations

The council put John Durling's purchase to a public test rather than accept his offer at once, requiring the land to be viewed and higher bids sought. Durling held a prior right of refusal from the consultation of 8 February 1727, yet the council still exposed the parcel to competition. This shows the administration seeking the best price for Company land while honouring an existing claim.

The transfers reckoned with the garrison and workmen worked as credits against debts owed to the Company. The sums due to William Illis and Thomas Colgrave were applied to reduce Illis's debt rather than paid in cash. This reflects the running system of account by which the Company balanced wages against what its servants owed it.

Speculations

The council chose to advertise John Durling's parcel for higher bids, rather than sell it to him at his offer of £7 per acre. Durling held a right of refusal that entitled him to first claim on the land. The council preferred to test the market because the parcel carried a slaves' house and might fetch more from another buyer. Faced with a fixed offer under a prior claim, the council chose open competition over a private sale that might undervalue Company land.

214

214

At a Consultation had on Tuesday 11th April 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govern

Jno Alexander

John Goodwin

the last Consultation read & Approvd

Pursuant to Order of Consultation of Tuesday last Enquiry was made

& Notice given that the Remainder of the Ce Compys Plantation at the Hutts was

to be sold but none offering more than 5/ p Bounb & Mr Durling being

Eight Bounb p Acre We accept him as Purchaser of the Same peice, it being

a good Cea Lin out & peices Ce sett Wast ffencs. One of the two Acres he

formerly bought was the Best Cea beelonging to the Plantation & Sold

decd Ce acct of the great Conveniency of Water, was easily sould in part Planted

beside the want of Planting Land tempted him to give so large a Price for these

two Acres, the Remainder p Best Ce Land which We beelieve Amounts to

about Forty Acre but Cea A very must expect to the Bleakness of the

Weather that it hardly possible to keep Cattle three in the Winter Season & great

Part of it either Rocky or Bowen which Occasions the Difference in the Price beetween

this & the former Orderd that Capt Goodwin do Measure the Same between this & Tuesday

next

the Governour Reports that conformable to the Directors formerly given

by the Honble Compy, he has lately put out one of their Girle Slaves Betty Gruer

Aged 12 Years Tentanto to Save them the Charge of Clothing & Maintaining

them & to put out more as Opportunities Offer & Mr Durling who

has Entred into the following Obligation to Maintain her with Meat Drink

&c for the Space of Seven Years vizt

Received of the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr One Black Girle

belonging to the Honble Cast India Company called Betty Gruer Aged 12 Years whom

I promise for my self Exd John Exd, & Ana & assigns whilst the Country of the

Bounb payable to them the said Honble Company, their Heir or Successrs to keep

& Maintain with wholesome & Sufficient Meat Drink Washing Lodging &

decent Apparele for the Space of Seven Years next ensuing the date hereof, at

the Expiration of which I promise to Deliver her to the Governr & a Councill for

the time offering. In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand & Seal the

4th Day of April 1727

Signed Wm Durling

Signed & Sealed in the Presence of

Ce Copey

At a consultation held on Tuesday 11 April 1727 at Union Fort.

Present were Edward Byfield, Governor, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

The council read the previous consultation and approved it.

Following the order of the previous Tuesday, inquiry was made and notice given that the remainder of the Company's land at Grand Plantation and the Huts would be sold. No one offered more than 6 acres, and John Durling offered £8 per acre. The council accepted him as purchaser of the land, at £7 per acre, together with the waste ground. One of the two acres formerly bought was the land belonging to the plantation and sold on account of the great convenience of water. It was already fenced and part planted, and the want of planting had tempted Durling to give so large a price for the two acres. The remainder of Bazett's land, which the council believed came to about 40 acres, was very much exposed to the bleakness of the weather. It was hardly possible to keep cattle there in the winter season, and much of it lay either barren or bare. This explained the difference in price between this land and the former parcel. The council ordered that Captain Goodwin measure out the land the following Tuesday.

The Governor reported that, following the directors' instructions, he had lately put out one of the Company's slave girls, named Betty Green, aged 12 years, as an apprentice. To save the Company the charge of clothing and maintaining her, and to give her better opportunity, he had contracted with Richard Durling. Durling entered into the following obligation to maintain her with meat, drink and lodging for the term of seven years.

Richard Durling acknowledged before the Governor that he had received a slave girl named Betty Green, aged 12 years, belonging to the Company. He bound himself, his heirs and successors, to keep and maintain her with wholesome and sufficient meat, drink, washing, lodging and decent apparel for the term of seven years next following the date of the agreement. He signed the obligation on 4 April 1727. The agreement was signed and sealed in the presence of witnesses.

Interpretations

The council explained at length why Durling's earlier parcel fetched £7 an acre while the remainder of Bridget Bazett's land was worth far less. The first parcel lay near a good water supply, was already fenced and part planted, and drew a high price. The 40 acres of remaining land lay exposed to bleak weather and could barely carry cattle in winter, so it commanded a much lower value. This shows how water, shelter and improvement governed the price of land on the island.

The apprenticing of the 12-year-old slave girl Betty Green to Richard Durling for seven years shifted the cost of her keep from the Company to a private household. Durling bound himself to feed, clothe and lodge her in return for her labour over the term. This reflects the Company's drive to reduce the expense of maintaining its slaves by placing the young in service elsewhere.

The formal obligation, signed and sealed before witnesses, gave the arrangement legal force. Durling's undertaking to provide wholesome meat, drink, washing, lodging and decent apparel fixed his duties in writing. This shows the council using a binding deed to govern the treatment of a child it had placed out, while relieving itself of her upkeep.

Speculations

The Governor chose to apprentice Betty Green to a private master for seven years, rather than keep her among the Company's slaves at its own charge. The obvious course was to maintain her as one of the enslaved children counted in the recent review. His decision to place her out rested on the saving of her clothing and keep, and on the labour Durling would gain in exchange. Faced with the standing cost of a young slave, the Governor preferred a binding indenture that shifted her maintenance onto another household over continued expense to the Company.

215

215

Messrs Powell Wrangham & Nicholl Petitiond for two Acres of

the Honble Compys Wast Land at Joyning to other of their Wast Land at High Hill

Granted Orderd that Capt Goodwin do Measure the Same

Francis Funge & Giles Smith presented a Bill of Sale of 5/4 Black from

John Yerg & Benton to them & their Heir Praying the same may be Registred for

greater Security

Orderd that the Same be accordingly Registred

Mr Gibson Surgeon made Complaint against Tho Wignell for Practiceing

Surgery & for Slandering & Defaming him in his Character & Reputation & saying

that he broke open the Chest & that he cannot write or Spee English & prevaild Mr

John Hodghinson to Prove these Perticulars who being Sworn Sayeth vizt

that Mr Wignell did ask him (Hodghinson) whether he was Privy to his

(Gibson) breaking open the Chest & did also say that Mr Gibson could not

write or Spee English & that he, + + & would Practice upon the Island in

Spite of him or any body else

Mr Wignele in his Defense said that he had Practised but one time Mr

Gibson Arrival & that he was so far from saying Mr Gibson had broke open

the Chest that he never thought so, but if, so Sworn, he had said the Party

he must be in Liquor & Publickly askd Mr Gibson Pardon for the Injury

he had done him with which Mr Gibson was Satisfied

Orderd that Mr Gibson do write Mr Wignele to forbid him Practiceing

Surgery or Administring Physic during the time he shall continue upon

the Island which was accordingly done, his as follows

Mr Wignell, I am Orded by the Governour & Councill to acquaint You That they have recd Complaints against You for Practiceing since

the Arrival of Mr Gibson not only for his Prejudice but contrary the System & Usage of the Place, & therefore direct you to tell You that

You are not upon any Pretence to Practice Surgery or Administer Physic without Leave first obtaind of the Governour, I am, Sir

4o Aprill 1727 Ce humble servt J Copey

the Governr presented a Genll Acct of the Honble Compys

Stock of Cattle, Sheep, Goates &c ending 26th ffebry last & also an

Acct of the Monthly Expence thereof for March last which were Severally

Examined & approved & are as follows

Capt Goodwin & Mr Gaa the Steward deliverd each their Monthly

Acct for March last which were also Severally Examined & approved & are as follows

the Gunner haveing been ill for some time past his Generall &

Monthly Acct were Sent for who returned Answer that he Stile continued

so ill that he was not able to make them out

Margin Notes:

Wignell haveing been Presented by the Grand Jury for that

the Arrival of Mr Gibson not only for his Prejudice but

You are not upon any Pretence to Practice Surgery or

Administer Physic without Leave first obtaind of the

Governour, I am, Sir Ce humble servt J Copey

Messrs Powell, Wrangham and Nichols petitioned for two acres of the Company's waste land, next to other of their waste land at High Hill. The council granted the request and ordered that Captain Goodwin measure out the parcel.

Francis Funge and Giles Smith presented a bill of sale of a slave named Frank, bought from John Long, planter. They asked that it be registered for their better security. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

Mr Gibson the surgeon made complaint against John Wignall for practising surgery, and for slandering and defaming him in his character and reputation. Wignall had falsely said that Gibson broke open the chest, and that he could not read or write or speak English. Gibson produced John Hodgkinson to prove these particulars. Hodgkinson, being sworn, gave evidence that Wignall did ask him whether he was privy to Gibson breaking open the chest. Wignall had also said that Gibson could not read or write or speak English, and that he would practise upon the island in spite of him or any other.

Wignall, in his defence, said that he had practised but once since Mr Gibson's arrival. He was so far from saying Gibson had broken open the chest that he never thought so. If he had spoken words, he had said in a jest that Gibson must be drunk, and he publicly asked Gibson's pardon for the injury he had done him. Gibson was satisfied with this.

The council ordered that Gibson write to Wignall forbidding him to practise surgery or administer medicines during the time he continued upon the island, which was accordingly done as follows.

Gibson wrote to Mr Wignall, stating that he was ordered by the Governor and council to acquaint him that they had received complaints against him for practising, since the arrival of Mr Gibson, contrary to the custom and usage of the place, and not only to Gibson's prejudice. He was therefore directed to tell Wignall that he was not on any pretence to practise surgery or administer medicines without leave first obtained of the Governor. The letter was dated 11 April 1727 and signed by Mr Gibson.

The margin carries a further version of the council's direction to Gibson, addressed to the gentlemen of council. It repeats that Wignall was to be told he might not practise surgery or administer medicines without leave first obtained of the Governor. [...]

The Governor presented a general account of the Company's stock of cattle, sheep and goats, remaining 26 February last. He also presented an account of the monthly expense for March, which were separately examined and approved.

Captain Goodwin and Mr Gaa the steward delivered their monthly accounts, which were separately examined and approved.

The general monthly account had for some time been in arrears. The gunner's account was called for, and he answered that the state of it continued so ill that he was not able to make it out.

Interpretations

The dispute between the two surgeons turned on the Company's control of who might practise medicine on the island. Gibson held the office by the directors' appointment, so Wignall's continued practice after his arrival breached the settled order. The council's written prohibition shows how the administration enforced a single licensed practitioner and shut out a rival it had already ordered to leave.

The sworn evidence of John Hodgkinson gave the council its factual basis for judging the quarrel. His account of what Wignall had said established the slander, while Wignall's own admission and public apology closed the matter. This illustrates the machinery of oral testimony and formal retraction by which the council settled a dispute of reputation.

The gunner's failure to render his account shows the limits of the Company's accounting discipline in practice. Despite repeated calls, he could not make the account out, and it fell further into arrears. This reveals how the demand for a full monthly reckoning could break down where an officer was unable or unwilling to keep his books in order.

Speculations

The council chose to bar Wignall from practice by a formal written order, rather than let the matter rest on his public apology to Gibson. Wignall had already withdrawn his words and satisfied Gibson in person. The council still issued a binding prohibition because his continued practice threatened the authority of the licensed surgeon it had installed. Faced with a quarrel that touched the Company's control of medicine, the council preferred a documented ban over reliance on a private reconciliation.

216

216

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry Horses

Bullocks Cowes Heifers Steers Yearlings Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Totall Ewes Wethers Kids Rams Totall Sows Shoats Boars Barrows Pigs Totall Turkeys Fowoles Ducks Geese Horses Mairs Totall

Rem 25 Nor 1726

Bullocks 15

Cowes 66

Heifers 2

Steers 1

Yearlings 36

Calves 68

Bulls 3

Totall 191

Ewes 51

Wethers 25

Lambs 40

Rams 3

Totall 119

Ewes 214

Wethers 96

Kids 161

Rams 6

Totall 477

Sows 11

Shoats 34

Boars -

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 63

Turkeys 80

Fowoles 95

Ducks 6

Geese 32

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Ind from do a 26 ffebry

Bullocks -

Cowes -

Heifers 12

Steers 9

Yearlings -

Calves 29

Bulls -

Totall 50

Ewes 7

Wethers 3

Lambs -

Rams 1

Totall 11

Ewes 35

Wethers 57

Kids 53

Rams -

Totall 145

Sows -

Shoats -

Boars 1

Barrows -

Pigs -

Totall 1

Turkeys 39

Fowoles 80

Ducks 7

Geese 6

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Bullocks 15

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 36

Calves 97

Bulls 3

Totall 241

Ewes 58

Wethers 28

Lambs 40

Rams 4

Totall 130

Ewes 249

Wethers 153

Kids 214

Rams 6

Totall 622

Sows 11

Shoats 34

Boars 1

Barrows 1

Pigs 17

Totall 64

Turkeys 119

Fowoles 178

Ducks 13

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Killed from do to do

Bullocks 2

Cowes -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves 2

Bulls -

Totall 4

Ewes -

Wethers 1

Lambs 1

Rams -

Totall 2

Ewes 82

Wethers 100

Kids 16

Rams -

Totall 198

Sows 3

Shoats 8

Boars -

Barrows 1

Pigs -

Totall 12

Turkeys 12

Fowoles 78

Ducks 6

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Bullocks 13

Cowes 66

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 36

Calves 95

Bulls 3

Totall 237

Ewes 58

Wethers 27

Lambs 39

Rams 4

Totall 128

Ewes 167

Wethers 53

Kids 198

Rams 6

Totall 424

Sows 8

Shoats 26

Boars 1

Barrows -

Pigs 17

Totall 52

Turkeys 107

Fowoles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Sold to Ships in ditto

Bullocks 2

Cowes 3

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall 5

Ewes -

Wethers -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes -

Wethers -

Kids -

Rams -

Totall -

Sows -

Shoats -

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs -

Totall -

Turkeys -

Fowoles -

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Cattle Sheep Goates & Hogs Cutt & grown in do

Bullocks 11

Cowes 63

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 36

Calves 95

Bulls 3

Totall 232

Ewes 58

Wethers 27

Lambs 39

Rams 4

Totall 128

Ewes 167

Wethers 53

Kids 198

Rams 6

Totall 424

Sows 8

Shoats 26

Boars 1

Barrows -

Pigs 17

Totall 52

Turkeys 107

Fowoles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Bullocks -

Cowes -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings 16

Calves 5

Bulls -

Totall 21

Ewes -

Wethers -

Lambs 11

Rams -

Totall 11

Ewes -

Wethers 92

Kids -

Rams -

Totall 92

Sows -

Shoats 1

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs -

Totall 1

Turkeys 1

Fowoles -

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Dead between do & ditto

Bullocks 11

Cowes 63

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 90

Bulls 3

Totall 211

Ewes 58

Wethers 27

Lambs 28

Rams 4

Totall 117

Ewes 167

Wethers 53

Kids 106

Rams 6

Totall 332

Sows 8

Shoats 25

Boars 1

Barrows -

Pigs 17

Totall 51

Turkeys 107

Fowoles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 38

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Bullocks -

Cowes 2

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearlings -

Calves 5

Bulls 1

Totall 8

Ewes 6

Wethers 3

Lambs 7

Rams 1

Totall 17

Ewes 8

Wethers 3

Kids 26

Rams 1

Totall 38

Sows 3

Shoats 2

Boars -

Barrows -

Pigs 3

Totall 8

Turkeys 8

Fowoles -

Ducks -

Geese 6

Horses -

Mairs -

Totall -

Remains 26th ffebry

Bullocks 11

Cowes 61

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearlings 20

Calves 85

Bulls 2

Totall 203

Ewes 52

Wethers 24

Lambs 21

Rams 3

Totall 100

Ewes 159

Wethers 50

Kids 80

Rams 5

Totall 294

Sows 5

Shoats 23

Boars 1

Barrows -

Pigs 14

Totall 43

Turkeys 99

Fowoles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 32

Horses 5

Mairs 3

Totall 8

Yams Expd at the Sevll Plantations. 243563 lb

Do deliverd to Fort Blacks 4075

247630 lb

Remaining 25 Nov 1726

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 2, Steers 1, Yearlings 36, Calves 68, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 191, Ewes 51, Wethers 25, Lambs 40, Rams 3, Sheep Total 119, Goat Ewes 214, Goat Wethers 96, Kids 161, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 477, Sows 11, Shoats 34, Boars -, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 63, Turkeys 80, Fowls 95, Ducks 6, Geese 32, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Increase from 25 Nov to 26 Feb

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers 12, Steers 9, Yearlings -, Calves 29, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 50, Ewes 7, Wethers 3, Lambs -, Rams 1, Sheep Total 11, Goat Ewes 35, Goat Wethers 57, Kids 53, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 145, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars 1, Barrows -, Pigs 1, Hog Total 1, Turkeys 39, Fowls 80, Ducks 7, Geese 6, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 15, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 36, Calves 97, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 241, Ewes 58, Wethers 28, Lambs 40, Rams 4, Sheep Total 130, Goat Ewes 249, Goat Wethers 153, Kids 214, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 622, Sows 11, Shoats 34, Boars 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 17, Hog Total 64, Turkeys 119, Fowls 178, Ducks 13, Geese 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Killed from 25 Nov to 26 Feb

Bullocks 2, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 2, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 4, Ewes -, Wethers 1, Lambs 1, Rams -, Sheep Total 2, Goat Ewes 82, Goat Wethers 100, Kids 16, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 198, Sows 3, Shoats 8, Boars -, Barrows 1, Pigs -, Hog Total 12, Turkeys 12, Fowls 78, Ducks 6, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 13, Cows 66, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 36, Calves 95, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 237, Ewes 58, Wethers 27, Lambs 39, Rams 4, Sheep Total 128, Goat Ewes 167, Goat Wethers 53, Kids 198, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 424, Sows 8, Shoats 26, Boars 1, Barrows -, Pigs 17, Hog Total 52, Turkeys 107, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Sold to ships in February

Bullocks 2, Cows 3, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 5, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 11, Cows 63, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 36, Calves 95, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 232, Ewes 58, Wethers 27, Lambs 39, Rams 4, Sheep Total 128, Goat Ewes 167, Goat Wethers 53, Kids 198, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 424, Sows 8, Shoats 26, Boars 1, Barrows -, Pigs 17, Hog Total 52, Turkeys 107, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs, cut and grown

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers 16, Yearlings 5, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 21, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs 11, Rams -, Sheep Total 11, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers 92, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 92, Sows -, Shoats 1, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total 1, Turkeys 1, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 11, Cows 63, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 90, Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Total 211, Ewes 58, Wethers 27, Lambs 28, Rams 4, Sheep Total 117, Goat Ewes 167, Goat Wethers 53, Kids 106, Goat Rams 6, Goat Total 332, Sows 8, Shoats 25, Boars 1, Barrows -, Pigs 17, Hog Total 51, Turkeys 107, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 38, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Dead between 25 Nov and 26 Feb

Bullocks -, Cows 2, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 5, Bulls 1, Neat Cattle Total 8, Ewes 6, Wethers 3, Lambs 7, Rams 1, Sheep Total 17, Goat Ewes 8, Goat Wethers 3, Kids 26, Goat Rams 1, Goat Total 38, Sows 3, Shoats 2, Boars -, Barrows -, Pigs -, Hog Total 3, Turkeys 8, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese 6, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Remaining 26 February

Bullocks 11, Cows 61, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Total 203, Ewes 52, Wethers 24, Lambs 21, Rams 3, Sheep Total 100, Goat Ewes 159, Goat Wethers 50, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 294, Sows 5, Shoats 23, Boars 1, Barrows -, Pigs 14, Hog Total 43, Turkeys 99, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 32, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 243,563 lb

Yams delivered to fort slaves, 4,075 lb

Total, 247,630 lb

217

217

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry Horses

Bullocks Cows Heifers Steers Yearling Calves Bulls Totall Ewes Wethers Lambs Rams Totall Ewes Wethers Kids Rams Totall Sows Shoats Boars Pigs Totall Turkeys Fowles Ducks Geese Horses Mares Totall

Rem Ulto ffebry

Bullocks 11

Cows 61

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 85

Bulls 2

Totall 203

Ewes 52

Wethers 24

Lambs 21

Rams 3

Totall 100

Ewes 159

Wethers 50

Kids 80

Rams 5

Totall 294

Sows 5

Shoats 23

Boars 1

Pigs 14

Totall 43

Turkeys 99

Fowles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 32

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Encreased to 25 March

Bullocks -

Cows -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearling -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall -

Ewes -

Wethers 1

Lambs 1

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes -

Wethers -

Kids -

Rams -

Totall -

Sows -

Shoats -

Boars -

Pigs -

Totall -

Turkeys -

Fowles -

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mares -

Totall -

Bullocks 11

Cows 61

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 85

Bulls 2

Totall 203

Ewes 52

Wethers 24

Lambs 22

Rams 3

Totall 101

Ewes 159

Wethers 50

Kids 80

Rams 5

Totall 294

Sows 5

Shoats 23

Boars 1

Pigs 14

Totall 43

Turkeys 99

Fowles 100

Ducks 7

Geese 32

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Killed in ditto

Bullocks -

Cows -

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearling -

Calves -

Bulls -

Totall -

Ewes -

Wethers 2

Lambs 2

Rams -

Totall 4

Ewes -

Wethers -

Kids -

Rams -

Totall 4

Sows -

Shoats 2

Boars -

Pigs -

Totall 4

Turkeys 6

Fowles 3

Ducks 2

Geese -

Horses -

Mares -

Totall -

Bullocks 11

Cows 61

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 85

Bulls 2

Totall 203

Ewes 52

Wethers 24

Lambs 22

Rams 3

Totall 101

Ewes 157

Wethers 48

Kids 80

Rams 5

Totall 290

Sows 5

Shoats 21

Boars 1

Pigs 14

Totall 41

Turkeys 93

Fowles 97

Ducks 5

Geese 32

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Dead in ditto

Bullocks -

Cows 1

Heifers -

Steers -

Yearling -

Calves 1

Bulls -

Totall 2

Ewes -

Wethers -

Lambs -

Rams -

Totall -

Ewes -

Wethers -

Kids -

Rams -

Totall -

Sows -

Shoats 1

Boars -

Pigs 1

Totall 2

Turkeys 3

Fowles 6

Ducks -

Geese -

Horses -

Mares -

Totall -

Rem 25 March

Bullocks 11

Cows 60

Heifers 14

Steers 10

Yearling 20

Calves 84

Bulls 2

Totall 201

Ewes 52

Wethers 24

Lambs 22

Rams 3

Totall 101

Ewes 157

Wethers 48

Kids 80

Rams 5

Totall 290

Sows 5

Shoats 20

Boars 1

Pigs 13

Totall 39

Turkeys 90

Fowles 91

Ducks 5

Geese 32

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations 29300 lb

Ditto Deliverd the Fort Blacks 4750 lb

Totall Yams 34050 lb

Remaining 26 February

Bullocks 11, Cows 61, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Total 203, Ewes 52, Wethers 24, Lambs 21, Rams 3, Sheep Total 100, Goat Ewes 159, Goat Wethers 50, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 294, Sows 5, Shoats 23, Boars 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 43, Turkeys 99, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 32, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Increased to 25 March

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs 1, Rams -, Sheep Total 1, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows -, Shoats -, Boars -, Pigs -, Hog Total -, Turkeys -, Fowls -, Ducks -, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 11, Cows 61, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Total 203, Ewes 52, Wethers 24, Lambs 22, Rams 3, Sheep Total 101, Goat Ewes 159, Goat Wethers 50, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 294, Sows 5, Shoats 23, Boars 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 43, Turkeys 99, Fowls 100, Ducks 7, Geese 32, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Killed

Bullocks -, Cows -, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves -, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total -, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes 2, Goat Wethers 2, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total 4, Sows -, Shoats 2, Boars -, Pigs -, Hog Total 2, Turkeys 6, Fowls 3, Ducks 2, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Standing total

Bullocks 11, Cows 61, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 85, Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Total 203, Ewes 52, Wethers 24, Lambs 22, Rams 3, Sheep Total 101, Goat Ewes 157, Goat Wethers 48, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 290, Sows 5, Shoats 21, Boars 1, Pigs 14, Hog Total 41, Turkeys 93, Fowls 97, Ducks 5, Geese 32, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Dead

Bullocks -, Cows 1, Heifers -, Steers -, Yearlings -, Calves 1, Bulls -, Neat Cattle Total 2, Ewes -, Wethers -, Lambs -, Rams -, Sheep Total -, Goat Ewes -, Goat Wethers -, Kids -, Goat Rams -, Goat Total -, Sows -, Shoats 1, Boars -, Pigs 1, Hog Total 2, Turkeys 3, Fowls 6, Ducks -, Geese -, Horses -, Mares -, Horse Total -

Remaining 25 March

Bullocks 11, Cows 60, Heifers 14, Steers 10, Yearlings 20, Calves 84, Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Total 201, Ewes 52, Wethers 24, Lambs 22, Rams 3, Sheep Total 101, Goat Ewes 157, Goat Wethers 48, Kids 80, Goat Rams 5, Goat Total 290, Sows 5, Shoats 20, Boars 1, Pigs 13, Hog Total 39, Turkeys 90, Fowls 91, Ducks 5, Geese 32, Horses 5, Mares 3, Horse Total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 29,300 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 4,750 lb

Total yams, 34,050 lb

218

218

Pursuant to former Order We this day again read & Examined the Report

of Messrs Powell & Wrangham Josh Johnson & Edm Nicholl

formerly appointed by Warrant to Survey the sevll Plantations belong

to each of the Inhabitants & find the following Person have been

Negligent either in ffenceing & Planting Wood or ffurze vizt

John Bagley Senr Rd Tinsley, Jno Seale,

Orlando Bagley Junr Willm Adds, Eben Leech,

Martin Harper Jno French, Dan Griffith,

Elizh Marsh Josh Defountaine, Grace Coulson,

Josh Hayse Giles Smith, Arthr Bradley,

Jno Thwaites J French, Jno Seale,

Jno Wood Dan Wood

Ordered that the sevrall Person abovementioned be Summond

to attend on Tuesday next to be Personally examined about the Cause

of their Neglect in Planting & ffenceing their Lands & to further

Orderd that they be then acquainted that We are resolved to insist upon

the Execution of the Conditions in their respective Deeds & Lease which

are Subject to to fforfeiture if they faile to Plant & ffence as therein

particularly Mentiond

Expence of the Genll Table in March 1726/7 vizt

Arrack for the Table 35½ Gale 6/4

11 4 10

Do to Grand Blacks 8 do

2 10 8

Do to Guards 2 do

12 8

Mountaine Wine 8 Gale 15/8

13

Do 4 do Oct 1½/9

1 11

Vinegar 2 Gale 4/-

8

Oyle 4 Bottles 3/6

7 6

Sugar 128 lb 6d

3 4

Bread 130 lb 3d

1 12 6

Flour 100 lb 3d

1 5

Veale 320 6d

4

Beef 146 6d

3 12 6

Goates 2 10/-

1

Turkeys 6 6/-

1 16

3 Fowles 1/6

4 6

Ducks 2 2/-

4

Butter 33 lb 12d

1 3 7

Greens 25 Days 12d

1 5

Milk 60 Bottles 4d

16 8

Candle Wax 54 lb 17d

3 16 6

Soap 17d

10 10

Totall 35 5 2

Following an earlier order, the council again read and examined the report of Messrs Powell, Wrangham, Johnson and Nichols, appointed to survey the several plantations belonging to each of the inhabitants. It found the following persons had been negligent, either in fencing or in planting wood or furze.

John Bagley senior

Richard Insley

John Seale

Orlando Bagley junior

William Adds

Benoni Leech

Martin Harper

John French

Daniel Griffith

Elizabeth Marsh

Joseph Defountaine

Grace Coulson

Joseph Hayse

Giles Smith

Andrew Coles

John Thwaites

Stephen Pledgard

Isaac Leech

Isaac Wood

Daniel Wood

The council ordered that the several persons named be summoned to attend the following Tuesday, to be personally examined about the cause of their neglect in fencing or planting their land. It further ordered that they then be told the council was resolved to enforce the terms of their respective deeds and leases, which were subject to forfeiture if they failed to plant and fence as the terms particularly required.

An account of the expense of the general table in March 1727 follows.

35 1/2 gallons arrack for the table at 6s 4d per gallon, £11 4s 10d

8 gallons arrack to the fort slaves at 6s 4d per gallon, £2 10s 8d

2 gallons arrack to the guards at 6s 4d per gallon, £0 12s 8d

14 bottles Mountain wine at 3s per bottle, £2 2s 0d

2 bottles Cape wine at 1s per bottle, £0 2s 0d

2 gallons vinegar at 4s per gallon, £0 8s 0d

6 bottles oil at 1s 3d per bottle, £0 7s 6d

128 lb sugar at 6d per lb, £3 4s 0d

130 lb bread at 3s per 100, £1 12s 6d

100 lb flour at 3s per 100, £1 5s 0d

390 lb veal at 6d per lb, £4 0s 0d

146 lb beef at 6d per lb, £3 12s 6d

6 goats at 10s each, £1 16s 0d

6 turkeys at 6s each, £1 16s 0d

3 fowls at 1s 6d each, £0 4s 6d

2 ducks at 2s each, £0 4s 0d

33 lb butter at 1s per lb, £1 3s 7d

25 days greens at 1s per day, £1 5s 0d

56 bottles milk at 1 1/2d per bottle, £0 16s 8d

34 lb wax candles at 2s 6d per lb, £4 10s 0d

soap, £0 5s 3d

Total, £46 3s 2d

Interpretations

The council moved to enforce the terms of its leases against tenants who had failed to fence or plant their land. The survey of the several plantations had named those in default, and the council resolved to examine them and warn of forfeiture. This shows how the Company held its tenants to the conditions of their grants, using the threat of losing the land to compel improvement.

The clause of forfeiture gave the Company a powerful means to enforce cultivation. Each lease required the tenant to fence and plant, and neglect could void the grant. By summoning the defaulters and reminding them of this liability, the council turned the terms of the lease into a practical instrument of estate management.

The account of the general table for March 1727 priced the food and drink consumed at the fort and extended each item to a sterling total. It separated the arrack for the table from that issued to the fort slaves and the guards. This let the Company measure the cost of provisioning by class of recipient.

Speculations

The council chose to summon the defaulting tenants for personal examination, rather than move straight to forfeiture of their grants. The leases entitled the Company to void a holding where the tenant failed to fence or plant. The council preferred to call each person in and hear the cause of the neglect before acting. Faced with widespread default across the settlement, the council chose warning and inquiry over immediate seizure, perhaps judging that pressure to comply served it better than the loss of rent from vacated land.

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At a Consult'n held on Tuesday 18th April 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr &ca Councill

The Last Consultation read Approved

The Steward Report that Since the day Sennight he hath put

out three more of the [...] Blacke Girls Vizt Namely

Mary each of the Age of Seven Years both to Mr Diedrich Gunner

whom he hath entred into an Obligation of £16 the forme of which is

Entred in the Preceeding Consultation to keep for the space of 12 Years

& Sarah Aged Eight Years to Mr Berlott who is also obliged to keep

her Cloving Years under the Penalty of £[...] Bond

Ordered that these & all such Obligations of this Sort that shall

be hereafter made be Entred in the Register Booke

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the Land at the Hutts

& finds both the two Acres formerly said And Curling that it contains

S17 Acres but great Part of it very cold & Barren

Ordered that a Bill of Sale be accordingly made to Mr Curling

for the whole & that the former Bill of Sale for two Acres be Cancelled

Mr Beale presented a Peticon [...] Signed by [...] Church Wardens Joshua

Johnson & Jno Dorson and Overseers [...] were [...] to Register'd

lying [...] In a Legacy [...] Left the Care

of the Church the & Elected by William Denny praying the same might be

Registred for a Greater Surety

Ordered that the same be accordingly Registred

Jno Curling presented his Peticon Setting forth that by his Care & Diligence

a Cow Calf that he had five Years ago on Acct of [...] Devereux Orphan

has bred two Mor & Calfe that which he has hitherto be Paid Grate &

but is now so Speedn to be Eased of the trouble & Charge Praying he would

appoint some Person to Secure them or that he would Order them to be

Appraise & Sold for the benefit of the said Child

Ordered that Mr Ward be Appraise & sell them & make Report

thereof on Tuesday next

The Severall Persons Order'd to be Summoned to attend this day

made their Appearance accordingly Three each of them severely Reprimanded

& threatned with the forfeiture of their Indr & Cattle in Case they should

hereafter Neglect to Plant & Sow as frequently High Directed & they all

promised to be more carefull for the time to come & the Defaulters were

first as Second Enjoyn'd

Jno Bagley Sen'r

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 April 1727 at Union Fort, with Edward Byfield, Governor and Second in Council, present.

The previous consultation was read.

The Governor reported that within the past week he had apprenticed out three more of the Company slave girls. Mary, aged about seven, went to Mr Meacham Gunner for a term of 12 years, and Meacham entered into a bond of £16 to keep her over that time. Sarah, aged about eight, went to Mr Byfield, who likewise bound himself to keep her for a term of 12 years under the penalty of a like bond.

The council ordered that these bonds, and all bonds of this kind made hereafter, be entered in the register book.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the land at the Huts together with the two parcels formerly held by John Carling. The whole came to 47 acres, though a large part of it was very cold and barren.

The council ordered that a bill of sale be drawn to John Carling for the whole, and that the earlier bill of sale for the two parcels be cancelled.

Richard Beal presented a redraft of a bill of sale signed by Joshua Johnson and John Dorsent, granting land at Prosperous Bay, and asked that it be registered. A house lying [...] left the care of the council, and William Denny prayed that the same might be registered for greater surety.

The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

John Carling presented his petition, setting out that by his own care and diligence he had held for five years a piece of land at [...], an orphan's estate. He had grazed two parcels of cattle on it, which had until then been kept apart, and it had now become troublesome to be at the charge and expense of keeping them so. He asked the council either to appoint a person to graze them, or else to order them to be appraised and sold for the benefit of the orphan.

The council ordered that Mr Ward appraise and sell them, and report back on the following Tuesday.

The several defaulters ordered to be summoned to attend that day made their appearance accordingly. Each of them was severely reprimanded and warned of the forfeiture of their deeds and leases, should they hereafter neglect to plant and fence as their grants directed, so that the council might in time to come be satisfied. The defaulters were then set at liberty.

John Bagley senior.

Interpretations

The apprenticing of the Company slave girls extended a policy of economy already pursued under Governor Byfield, who on 11 April 1727 had bound the slave girl Betty Green, aged 12, to Richard Durling for seven years to spare the Company the cost of her keep. The bonds recorded here transferred the burden of feeding, clothing and lodging young children onto private householders, while the fixed penalty of £16 secured performance by putting a recoverable sum at risk if the keeper defaulted. Registration in the book gave the arrangement a permanent public record and made the obligation enforceable against the bound party.

The land at the Huts and Prosperous Bay formed part of the wider survey and reallocation of holdings that the council had ordered on 17 January 1727 and received in report on 14 March 1727. The measurement of John Carling's parcels, the cancellation of an earlier bill of sale in favour of a fresh one, and the registration of transfers all reflect the council acting as the island's land registry, fixing title and rent against precise acreage.

The summoning and reprimand of the defaulters continued the enforcement begun at the undated consultation of April 1727, when 20 tenants were found negligent in fencing or planting wood and furze and warned of forfeiture under the terms of their deeds and leases. The forfeiture clause was the council's principal instrument for compelling cultivation, since it threatened the loss of the holding itself rather than a mere fine, and so bound the tenant's self-interest to the Company's aim of a wooded and productive island.

Speculations

Faced with an orphan's cattle grazing on two parcels that had grown burdensome to keep separate, the council did not simply consolidate the herds or leave the arrangement to run on. It offered a choice between appointing a keeper and selling the animals outright, then chose appraisal and sale. The record shows the default course, continued private grazing at the estate's charge, being set aside because the expense had become troublesome, and the council preferring to convert the livestock into a fixed sum held for the orphan rather than carry an open-ended cost against a minor's inheritance.

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John Bagley Sen'r Find 10/ former Offender & Defaulter in Wood

Rich'd Bagley - - - - 5/6 ninth Wood & fitting in Overplus

Jno Cole - - - - 2/6 forth Offence poor Wood & fitting

Orlando Bagley Jun'r neither Wood'd a found have Lately had it not find

Wm Potts - - - - 2/6 Wood & fitting in Overplus

Chris'r Lynch - - - - 5/00 Wood little fitting & not found

Mr Kayser not find having Lately had his Land no Wood or fitting

Jno Trench Jun'r not find for the above season neither found or Surfed

Eliz Marsh an old Offender 5/ & Defaulter both in Wood & fitting

Jno Derfountain but find having Lately had it neither found or Marked

Roger Coulson 5/ no Wood & not found

Joe Temple - - 5 2 d Offence his Land not proportionably Marked

Giles Smith not find his Land being Lately Laid

Cuffee Mace 7/6 Defaulter in Wood on his Legall Card

Jno Thwaites 8/6 no fitting & &c

Mrs Beale Eldest not find having Lately had the Land

Jsaac Lynch 5/ his Land not being found

Jsaac Wood 10/ find having Lately had his Legall Land

The Govr Report that for many Years past Severall People

have had Licence to Retail Strong Liquors without making any

Acknowledgement to the Hon'ble Compy for that Liberty he thinks it

reasonable they should Pay for their Licence as is customary in other

Factories, & accordingly Ordered the Severall Persons being in Debt

to Attend him this day who all agreed to Pay

five Pounds Sterling for their Licence & Humbly Prayed he would

issue out an Order to forbid all other Persons Selling Punch or any

other Sort of Strong Liquors under the Penalty of £10 for the first

Offence & then Pounds for every Offence afterwards half Payable

to the Hon Compy & half to the Informer

Ordered that the said Advertisem't be accordingly Publish'd

Whereas Severall Persons have this day had Licence Granted them to

Sell Strong Liquors of all Sorts for which they said Annually Pay

their Compy a certain Sum

Which are therefore to forbid all Persons other than those

who have Licence as aforesaid to Sell Punch or any other Sort

of Strong Liquor to any Person or Persons whatsoever under

the forfeiture of £10 for the first Offence & three Pounds &c

word other Offence Afterwards half Payable to the Hon Compy

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 April 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield, Second in Council, present.

The previous consultation was read.

The Governor reported that within the past week he had apprenticed out three more of the Company slave girls. Mary, aged about seven, went to Mr Meacham Gunner for a term of 12 years, and Meacham entered into a bond of £16 to keep her over that time. Sarah, aged about eight, went to Mr Byfield, who likewise bound himself to keep her for a term of 12 years under the penalty of a like bond.

The council ordered that these bonds, and all bonds of this kind made hereafter, be entered in the register book.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the land at the Huts together with the two parcels formerly held by John Carling. The whole came to 47 acres, though a large part of it was very cold and barren.

The council ordered that a bill of sale be drawn to John Carling for the whole, and that the earlier bill of sale for the two parcels be cancelled.

Richard Beal presented a redraft of a bill of sale signed by Joshua Johnson and John Dorsent, granting land at Prosperous Bay, and asked that it be registered. A house lying [...] left the care of the council, and William Denny prayed that the same might be registered for greater surety.

The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

John Carling presented his petition, setting out that by his own care and diligence he had held for five years a piece of land at [...], an orphan's estate. He had grazed two parcels of cattle on it, which had until then been kept apart, and it had now become troublesome to be at the charge and expense of keeping them so. He asked the council either to appoint a person to graze them, or else to order them to be appraised and sold for the benefit of the orphan.

The council ordered that Mr Ward appraise and sell them, and report back on the following Tuesday.

The several defaulters ordered to be summoned to attend that day made their appearance accordingly. Each of them was severely reprimanded and warned of the forfeiture of their deeds and leases, should they hereafter neglect to plant and fence as their grants directed, so that the council might in time to come be satisfied. The defaulters were then set at liberty.

John Bagley senior.

Interpretations

The apprenticing of the Company slave girls extended a policy of economy already pursued under the Governor, who on 11 April 1727 had bound the slave girl Betty Green, aged 12, to Richard Durling for seven years to spare the Company the cost of her keep. The bonds recorded here transferred the burden of feeding, clothing and lodging young children onto private householders, while the fixed penalty of £16 secured performance by putting a recoverable sum at risk if the keeper defaulted. Registration in the book gave the arrangement a permanent public record and made the obligation enforceable against the bound party.

The land at the Huts and Prosperous Bay formed part of the wider survey and reallocation of holdings that the council had ordered on 17 January 1727 and received in report on 14 March 1727. The measurement of John Carling's parcels, the cancellation of an earlier bill of sale in favour of a fresh one, and the registration of transfers all reflect the council acting as the island's land registry, fixing title and rent against precise acreage.

The summoning and reprimand of the defaulters continued the enforcement begun at the undated consultation of April 1727, when 20 tenants were found negligent in fencing or planting wood and furze and warned of forfeiture under the terms of their deeds and leases. The forfeiture clause was the council's principal instrument for compelling cultivation, since it threatened the loss of the holding itself rather than a mere fine, and so bound the tenant's self-interest to the Company's aim of a wooded and productive island.

Speculations

Faced with an orphan's cattle grazing on two parcels that had grown burdensome to keep separate, the council did not simply consolidate the herds or leave the arrangement to run on. It offered a choice between appointing a keeper and selling the animals outright, then chose appraisal and sale. The record shows the default course, continued private grazing at the estate's charge, being set aside because the expense had become troublesome, and the council preferring to convert the livestock into a fixed sum held for the orphan rather than carry an open-ended cost against a minor's inheritance.

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& half Payable to the Person or Persons who shall make Proof

thereof. Signed by Order & Corps

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 25th Aprill 1727 at

Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govern'r

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Wee this Day Executed a Bill of Sale to John Curling

Planter of the Hutts Plantation containing both two Acres formerly

Sold him & forty Seven Acres for £360

Jno Curling presented the said Bill of Sale praying the Same might

be Registred

Ordered that the Same be Registred accordingly

Joseph Hayes Esqr for a Grant of about tenn Acres of Waste Land

lying in Ruport Bally & Grace Bayes Widow & Matthew Mudge

being formerly promised the Refusall of it & Widmore declining to take up a

Lease of the Same, his Request is Granted & it Ordered that Capt

Goodwin do view & Measure the Same

The Governer Reports that having great Reason to believe that

the Guard at Mundens Point were negligent of their Duty he Ordered

the Ens ne to go from the Castle at an hour unexpected who about twelve

at Night found the Officer Vall with him fast a Sleep who confessed

that he had given the People that were with him leave to Sleep till twelve

& would then call them & he is agreeable to the Orders he received from his

Superiour Officer but instead of Waking them he himself fell fast a

Sleep for which Offence he was Order'd to Ride the Wooden Horse two hours

The Gunroom Reports that he hath put out Wm Argabrite a Servt

of Jesud Years old to John Trench Marshall for the Space of Twelve

Years upon the Same Terms as the rest

Ordered than an Advertisem't be again Publish'd which has

been frequently repeated to forbid Carying of fire to & fro from house to house

unless the Same be Well Secured in a Lanthorn or otherwise to prevent

Danger of fire & if any one be found to disregard this Order it is Resolved

that the Offender shall be Severely Punished

On Wednesday Morning at Day break a Ship appeared in the Offing

The forfeiture was to be half payable to the person or persons who should give information of the breach. Published by order of the council.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 25 April 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The council that day drew a bill of sale to John Carling, planter, for the remainder of the Huts plantation together with the two parcels formerly sold to him, comprising 47 acres in all, for £3 6s 0d.

John Carling presented the bill of sale and asked that it be registered. The council ordered that it be registered accordingly.

Joseph Hayse petitioned for a lease of about nine acres of waste land at Rupert's Valley, lying between the land of Grace Bayes, widow, and that of Matthew Mudge. He had earlier been promised first refusal of the land, and asked to hold a lease of it. The council granted his petition and ordered Captain Goodwin to view and measure it.

The Governor reported that he had strong reason to believe the guard at Munden's Point was negligent in its duty. He therefore went from the fort unexpectedly at about twelve at night and found the officer of the watch fast asleep. The officer admitted that he had given the men with him leave to sleep two hours, meaning to wake them afterwards, which he claimed accorded with the orders he had received from his superior officer. Instead of waking them, however, he had himself fallen fast asleep. For that offence the council ordered him to ride the wooden horse for two hours.

The Governor reported that he had put out George Wrangham as sole marshal and appointed John French as marshal in his place for a term of 12 years, upon the same terms as before.

The council ordered that a notice, often repeated before, be published again. It forbade the carrying of fire from house to house unless the fire was secured in a lanthorn or otherwise safeguarded against the danger of fire. Anyone found to disregard the order would be severely punished.

On Wednesday morning at daybreak a ship appeared in the offing.

Interpretations

The bill of sale to John Carling completed the sale of the remaining Huts land agreed at the consultation of 25 April 1727, consolidating the two earlier parcels and the surplus ground into a single 47-acre freehold. The low price of £3 6s 0d reflects the poor quality of the land, described at the measurement as very cold and barren, and matches the council's earlier reasoning that bleak ground fit only for winter grazing was worth far less than well-watered, fenced parcels. The registration gave the transfer a permanent public record and secured Carling's title.

Munden's Point guarded the northern approach to James Bay, one of the few places on the island where the coast could be watched and defended. The wooden horse was a military punishment of the period, a sharp-backed wooden frame the offender was made to straddle, sometimes with weights tied to the feet, causing pain without lasting injury. Its use here shows the council treating the neglect of a guard post as a matter of garrison discipline rather than ordinary misconduct, since a sleeping watch left the island open to surprise by an enemy ship.

The office of marshal carried responsibility for executing the council's orders, serving process and keeping order. Granting it to John French for a fixed term of 12 years, on the same terms as his predecessor, treated the post as a form of tenure comparable to a lease, giving the holder a secured interest in the office in return for its duties.

The repeated notice against carrying open fire between houses addressed the standing danger of fire in a settlement of closely built dwellings. Requiring fire to be enclosed in a lanthorn, a horn-paned lantern that shielded a flame from the wind, was a practical fire-safety measure, and the threat of severe punishment marked the council's difficulty in securing compliance through mere repetition.

Speculations

The Governor found the officer of the Munden's Point watch asleep and heard his excuse that he had merely granted his men a two-hour rest under orders from a superior. The council could have accepted the plea and let the matter pass, or dismissed the officer outright. Instead it fixed on the officer's own admission that he had fallen asleep rather than keeping watch to wake the others, and imposed the wooden horse for two hours. The record shows the excuse being weighed and set aside, the punishment turning not on the men's sleep but on the officer's failure to stay awake himself.

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Names of

Gunners Stores

Acct of what

Remains 25th Septr 1725

The Expence from

25th Septr 1725 to 26th

Febry 1726/7

What has been

used from 25th Septr

1725 to 26 Febry

The Remains

26th Febry

1726/7

Iron Ordinances

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 114

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 114

Iron round Shott

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 6945

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 2

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 6943

Double head or Hammerd Shott

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 546

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 546

Corn Powder

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 17 barrels 160 lb

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 15 barrels 84 1/2 lb

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: 13 barrels

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 171 barrels 65

Cartridge Paper

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 22 [...]

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 14 Quires

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: 20 [...]

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 14 [...]

Spunge Heads

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 365

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 2

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 363

Rammer Heads

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 219

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 219

Tarter Horns

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 258

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: 50

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 208

Cole Axes

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 24

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 24

Flints

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 17103

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 104

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 16999

Worms

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 17

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 17

Cannon Ladles

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 99

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 99

Dolphins

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 969

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 9

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: 200

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 760

Spunge Staves

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 342

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 3

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 339

Ship Skins

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 169

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 14

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 155

Scouring Rods

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 278

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 278

Bedds

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 122

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 122

Quins

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 180

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 180

Cartoos Boxes

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 77

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 77

Trucks

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 274

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 20

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 254

Aptrees

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 69

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 8

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 61

Blunderbusses

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 36

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 36

Pittills

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 19

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 19

Lead Shott

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 1350 3/4

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: 74 lb

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: -

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 1276 3/4

Pouch Bandell

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 19

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26th Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry: Carid over

The Remains 26th Febry 1726/7: 19

The ship stood fairly near in under French colours but only looked into the road before bearing away. The council supposed her to be an offender, since Captain Worth, having left three vessels in China astern, was expected to sail from there.

The doctor, wanting spirit of wine for the use of the Honourable Company's garrison slaves, and having none in the store, requested 15 gallons of arrack to distil for that purpose.

The council ordered that 15 gallons be delivered to him for that service.

The gunner delivered an account of gunner's stores from 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727, and also a monthly account of gunner's stores expended in the meantime, which the council examined and found as follows.

The column headings run: name of stores; account of what remained 25 September 1725; the expense from 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727; what has been received from 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727; the remains 26 February 1727.

Iron ordnance: remained 25 September 1725 114, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 114

Iron round shot: remained 25 September 1725 6,945, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 2, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 6,943

Double-headed or hammered shot: remained 25 September 1725 5 barrels 66, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 4 barrels, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 5 barrels 66

Corn powder: remained 25 September 1725 17 barrels 160, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 15 barrels 81, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 13 barrels, remaining 26 February 1727 171 barrels 65

Cartridge paper: remained 25 September 1725 22 quires 14, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 16 quires, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 20 quires, remaining 26 February 1727 17 quires

Sponge heads: remained 25 September 1725 365, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 2, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 363

Rammer heads: remained 25 September 1725 219, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 219

Powder horns: remained 25 September 1725 158, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 50, remaining 26 February 1727 208

Pole axes: remained 25 September 1725 24, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 24

Flints: remained 25 September 1725 17,103, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 104, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 16,999

Worms: remained 25 September 1725 17, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 17

Cannon ladles: remained 25 September 1725 99, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 99

Dolphins: remained 25 September 1725 569, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 9, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 200, remaining 26 February 1727 760

Sponge staves: remained 25 September 1725 342, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 3, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 339

Sheepskins: remained 25 September 1725 169, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 14, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 155

Scouring rods: remained 25 September 1725 278, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 278

Beds: remained 25 September 1725 122, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 122

Quoins: remained 25 September 1725 180, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 180

Cartouche boxes: remained 25 September 1725 77, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 77

Trucks: remained 25 September 1725 274, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 20, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 254

Matchlocks: remained 25 September 1725 69, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 8, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 61

Blunderbusses: remained 25 September 1725 36, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 36

Pistols: remained 25 September 1725 19, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 19

Lead shot: remained 25 September 1725 1,350 [...], expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 74 [...], received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 1,276 [...]

Pouch [...]: remained 25 September 1725 19, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, carried over

Interpretations

The doctor's request for arrack to distil into spirit of wine shows the garrison surgeon manufacturing his own medical alcohol on the island. Spirit of wine was rectified ethanol, used as a solvent and preservative for medicines and as an antiseptic. Arrack, the Eastern spirit distilled from palm sap, rice or sugar and the standard issue on the island, could be redistilled to raise its strength, which is why 15 gallons of it were drawn from store for the purpose. This request followed the earlier supply difficulty of 7 March 1727, when the medicines aboard the Grantham were reported long spent and fresh stores had to be found for Doctor Cousseau.

The gunner's account continued the running record of ordnance and munitions kept at the fort, of the same kind as the gunner's stores account of February 1727 signed by John French. Several items in the list belonged to the routine servicing of cannon: sponge heads, rammer heads and sponge staves for cleaning and loading; worms for drawing out spent charges; quoins, the wedges that adjusted a gun's elevation; dolphins, the cast lifting handles on a gun barrel; and beds, the timber blocks on which a barrel rested. The heavy stock of flints, over 16,000, supplied the flintlock firing mechanisms of small arms, while corn powder was gunpowder pressed into grains for even burning. The persistent difficulty in balancing the gunner's figures, noted on 11 April 1727 when his account still could not be made out, may explain the internal irregularities in the powder and shot totals here.

Munden's Point and the road below the fort formed the island's watch over shipping, so a vessel approaching under French colours and looking into the anchorage before bearing away was treated at once as a possible enemy or interloper. The reference to Captain Worth of the Townshend, who had left other vessels in China, reflects the council's use of recent shipping intelligence to judge whether an unknown sail was friend or foe.

226

226

Names of Gunners

Stores of each

Sort

Acct of what

Remains 25th

Septr 1725

The Expence

from ult 25th Septr 1725

to 26 Febry 1726/7

What has been

used from ult 25th Septr

1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7

The Remains

of 26 Febry 1726/7

Blocks

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: -

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 2

Union Flags

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 2

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 2

Hand Spikes

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 206

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: 15

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 191

Formers

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 24

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 24

Cat Hooks

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 100

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 100

Priming Wire

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 300

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 300

Cartridge Cases

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 9 1/4

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 9 1/4

Half Pikes

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 4

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 4

Parchment Skins

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 79

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: -

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 79

Match

Acct of what Remains 25th Septr 1725: 155

The Expence from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: 347

What has been used from 25th Septr 1725 to 26 Febry 1726/7: 600

The Remains of 26 Febry 1726/7: 408

Signed Jno French

Gunrs Stores Expended between 26 Febry &

31 March 1727 Vizt

Charge Blank

Small Gunn Ladle Dolphins

Iron Sponges

Rammer

Ordnance

Powder

March 1st Muster Day

12th

19 Departed Princess Anne Capt Vaugh

Charge Blank: 9

Ordnance: 9

20 For Capt Jos Smith going off the Island

Charge Blank: 15

Rammer: 15

Do Departed the Grantham Capt Child

Charge Blank: 9

Ordnance: 9

22d An Alarm

Charge Blank: 6

Powder: 6

Do Arrived the Tennyland Capt Worth

Charge Blank: 9

Ordnance: 9

Do For the Supra Cargoes coming on Shore

Charge Blank: 15

Rammer: 15

30th Departed the Tennyland after Jun Vott

Charge Blank: 15

Expence for the Guard

13

For filling the Grenados & Bombes

17

Musquet Balls for Ditto 33

To Seal the Guns on the Line, they not

having been fired these four Years past

Charge Blank: 15

Small Gunn Ladle Dolphins: 2

Iron Sponges: 3

Rammer: 5

Ordnance: 167

Ship Skins to Coat Sponges 20

White Lead to Whiten Dolphins 4th

Charge Blank: 76

Small Gunn Ladle Dolphins: 8 2

Iron Sponges: 9 3

Rammer: 5

Ordnance: 2 59

Powder: 272

Linsed Oyl to Grind Ditto Paint 1 Gall

Match 28th

Tar to Tarr the Grease 219 Balls

Signed Jno French

The account of gunner's stores continued, under the same headings: name of stores; account of what remained 25 September 1725; the expense from 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727; what has been received from 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727; the remains 26 February 1727.

Blocks: remained 25 September 1725 2, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 2

Union flags: remained 25 September 1725 2, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 2

Handspikes: remained 25 September 1725 206, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 15, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 191

Formers: remained 25 September 1725 24, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 24

Tap hooks: remained 25 September 1725 100, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 100

Priming wire: remained 25 September 1725 300, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 300

Cartridge cases: remained 25 September 1725 9 [...], expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 9 [...]

Half pikes: remained 25 September 1725 4, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 4

Parchment skins: remained 25 September 1725 79, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 -, remaining 26 February 1727 79

Match: remained 25 September 1725 155, expended 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 347, received 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727 600, remaining 26 February 1727 408

Signed by John French.

The gunner delivered a further account of gunner's stores expended between 26 February and 31 March 1727, set out occasion by occasion. The column headings run: corn powder; double-headed or hammered shot; lead shot; priming wire; flints; cartridge paper.

1 March, muster day: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints 12 [...], cartridge paper -

19 March, departed the Princess Anne, Captain Gough: corn powder 9, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints 9, cartridge paper 9

20 March, for Captain John Smith going off the island: corn powder 15, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints 15, cartridge paper 15

20 March, departed the Grantham, Captain Byfield: corn powder 9, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints 9, cartridge paper 9

22 March, an alarm: corn powder 6, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire 2, flints 6, cartridge paper 6

22 March, arrived the Townshend, Captain Worth: corn powder 9, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints 9, cartridge paper 9

22 March, for the supercargoes coming on shore: corn powder 15, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints 15, cartridge paper 15

30 March, departed the Townshend after Sunday visit: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints -, cartridge paper -

Expense for the guard: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints -, cartridge paper 13

For filling the grenades, 6 barrels: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints -, cartridge paper 17

Musket balls for ditto, 35: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints -, cartridge paper -

To seal the guns on the line, they not having been fired these four years past: corn powder 16, hammered shot 2, lead shot 3, priming wire 5, flints -, cartridge paper 167

Sheepskins to clean sponges, 20: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints -, cartridge paper -

White lead to whiten dolphins, 4 lb: corn powder 76, hammered shot 8 [...], lead shot 2 [...] 3, priming wire 5, flints 2, cartridge paper 59, total 272

Linseed oil to grind the paint, 1 gallon: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints -, cartridge paper -

Match, 28 lb: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints -, cartridge paper -

Tar to tar the grenades, 219 balls: corn powder -, hammered shot -, lead shot -, priming wire -, flints -, cartridge paper -

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The expenditure account records the powder and shot fired for salutes and alarms across March 1727, matching the pattern of the gunner's stores account of February 1727 also signed by John French. The heaviest entries mark the shipping movements of that month, all recorded in the reference: the departure of the Princess Anne for Bencoolen on 19 March 1727, the sailing of the Grantham for England on 20 March 1727 carrying the late Governor John Smith and his family, and the arrival of the Townshend from China on 22 March 1727 before her departure on 30 March 1727. The salute of 20 March 1727 for Captain John Smith going off the island marks the former governor's own embarkation.

Several items reflect the routine maintenance and ceremonial firing of the fort's guns. The note that 16 charges were spent to seal the guns on the line, unfired for four years past, shows powder used not in salute but to clear and test cannon left idle, since a gun long unfired could foul or seize. Grenades, hollow iron shells filled with powder and thrown by hand, were filled and then tarred to weatherproof them, which explains the linseed oil, white lead and tar drawn for painting and preserving both the grenades and the dolphins, the cast lifting handles on the gun barrels. The supercargoes noted coming ashore were the officers in charge of a ship's trading cargo, whose arrival warranted a salute of honour.

Speculations

The gunner recorded 16 charges of powder spent to seal the guns on the line, noting they had not been fired for four years. The council might have left the idle guns untouched to spare the powder, given the persistent difficulty in balancing the gunner's account, unresolved as late as 11 April 1727. Instead the powder was expended to clear and prove cannon that had stood silent, treating the readiness of the sea-facing battery as worth the cost of scarce munitions. The path passed over was to conserve the powder; the path taken was to fire the guns to keep the island's defence in working condition.

227

227

Serjt Wood acquainted us that he has Appraised the four

head of Cattle belonging to Devereux Orphan at ten

Pounds & Sold the Same for that Sum to Jno Curling

who Promises to be accountable for the Same whenever demanded

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 2d May 1727 at

Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

Capt Alexander, Alfexd being Sick John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Mrs Bayth having Lost her Lease for Twenty Acres Land

Granted in the Lifetime of her deceased Husband Presented her

Peticon Praying She would Grant her a New one She desires ascertain

her title to the Premisses

Granted

The Governr, Capt Goodwin, The Gunner & Steward

delivered each a Monthly Acct as usual which was each Exam'd &

approved & are as follow Vizt

Gunners Store Expended between 1st & 2d Aprill 1727

Guns Fired

Culvering

Falcons

Powder

March 1st Muster Day

Guns Fired: -

Culvering: -

Falcons: -

Powder: 10

19 A[n] Alarm for a Ship to Leeward

Guns Fired: 4

Culvering: 2

Falcons: 2

Powder: 16

Expence of the Guard

Powder: 12

Musquet Balles for do 1

Cartridge Paper for do 1 Quire

Guns Fired: 4

Culvering: 2

Falcons: 2

Powder: 38

Hatchett do the Carpenter 1

Match 16th

Signed Jno French

Sergeant Wood informed the council that he had appraised the four head of cattle belonging to Dorston Erisbar at Union Fort and sold them for that sum to John Carling. Carling promised to be accountable for the animals whenever they were demanded.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 May 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield, Captain Alexander absent through sickness, and John Goodwin present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Mrs Bazett, having lost her lease for 20 acres of land granted for the lifetime of her deceased husband, asked that the council grant her a new lease. She offered to hold it by lease and asked the council to confirm her title to the premises. The council granted her request.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward each delivered a monthly account as usual, which the council examined and approved as follows.

The gunner delivered an account of gunner's stores expended between 1 and 24 April 1727, set out occasion by occasion. The column headings run: guns fired; culverin; falcons; powder.

1 April, muster day: guns fired 10, culverin -, falcons -, powder 10

19 April, an alarm for a ship to leeward: guns fired 4, culverin 2, falcons 2, powder 16

Expense of the guard: guns fired -, culverin -, falcons -, powder 13

Musket balls for ditto, 1 [...]: guns fired -, culverin -, falcons -, powder -

Cartridge paper for ditto, 1 quire: guns fired 4, culverin 2, falcons 2, powder 38

Sheepskins to the carpenter, 1: guns fired -, culverin -, falcons -, powder -

Match, 16 lb: guns fired -, culverin -, falcons -, powder -

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The sale of the four head of cattle completed the appraisal ordered at the consultation of 18 April 1727, when the council directed Mr Ward to appraise and sell an orphan's cattle for the benefit of the estate, the animals having become troublesome to keep. Sergeant Wood carried out the valuation and John Carling took the cattle, binding himself to answer for them when called for, which secured the orphan's interest against the animals being lost while in Carling's hands.

The renewal of Mrs Bazett's lease reflects the standard operation of leasehold tenure on the island. A lease granted for the lifetime of her husband ended at his death, leaving the land to fall back to the Company, so a fresh lease was needed to keep her in possession. The council acted here as the island's land authority, confirming title and setting the terms on which the widow might continue to hold. This followed the wider survey of holdings ordered on 17 January 1727 and reported on 14 March 1727, which recorded Bridget Bazett among the largest holders at about 32 acres.

The gunner's account continued the running record of powder and shot fired for salutes and alarms, of the same kind as the accounts of February and March 1727 signed by John French. Culverins were long-barrelled cannon of heavy shot, while falcons were light field pieces firing a small ball, so the different classes of gun were tallied separately to track the powder each consumed. The alarm for a ship to leeward on 19 April 1727 marks another unidentified sail approaching the island, met with a defensive salute in the manner of the earlier alarm of 22 March 1727.

228

228

1727

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cows, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Wethers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Wethers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hoggs: Sowes, Shoates, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remaind 26th March

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: 11, Cows: 60, Heifers: 14, Steers: 10, Yearlings: 20, Calves: 84, Bulls: 2, Totall: 201

Sheep - Ewes: 52, Wethers: 24, Lambs: 22, Rams: 3, Totall: 101

Goates - Ewes: 157, Wethers: 48, Kids: 80, Rams: 5, Totall: 290

Hoggs - Sowes: 5, Shoates: 20, Boars: 1, Pigs: 13, Totall: 39

Poultry - Turkeys: 90, Fowles: 91, Ducks: 5, Geese: 32

Horses - Horses: 5, Mares: 3, Totall: 8

Bt from do & 24 Aprill

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: 5, Cows: -, Heifers: 2, Steers: 3, Yearlings: -, Calves: -, Bulls: -, Totall: 10

Sheep - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Lambs: -, Rams: -, Totall: -

Goates - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Kids: 24, Rams: -, Totall: 24

Hoggs - Sowes: -, Shoates: -, Boars: -, Pigs: -, Totall: -

Poultry - Turkeys: -, Fowles: -, Ducks: -, Geese: -

Horses - Horses: -, Mares: -, Totall: -

Encreased from do to do

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: 9, Cows: -, Heifers: 9, Steers: 8, Yearlings: 20, Calves: 5, Bulls: -, Totall: 51

Sheep - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Lambs: 4, Rams: -, Totall: 4

Goates - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Kids: 24, Rams: -, Totall: 24

Hoggs - Sowes: -, Shoates: -, Boars: -, Pigs: -, Totall: -

Poultry - Turkeys: -, Fowles: 5, Ducks: -, Geese: -

Horses - Horses: -, Mares: -, Totall: -

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: 25, Cows: 60, Heifers: 25, Steers: 21, Yearlings: 40, Calves: 89, Bulls: 2, Totall: 262

Sheep - Ewes: 52, Wethers: 24, Lambs: 26, Rams: 3, Totall: 105

Goates - Ewes: 157, Wethers: 48, Kids: 104, Rams: 5, Totall: 314

Hoggs - Sowes: 5, Shoates: 20, Boars: 1, Pigs: 13, Totall: 39

Poultry - Turkeys: 90, Fowles: 91, Ducks: 10, Geese: 32

Horses - Horses: 5, Mares: 3, Totall: 8

Killed from do to do

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: -, Cows: -, Heifers: -, Steers: -, Yearlings: -, Calves: -, Bulls: -, Totall: -

Sheep - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Lambs: -, Rams: -, Totall: -

Goates - Ewes: -, Wethers: 5, Kids: -, Rams: -, Totall: 5

Hoggs - Sowes: -, Shoates: 1, Boars: -, Pigs: -, Totall: 1

Poultry - Turkeys: -, Fowles: 7, Ducks: -, Geese: -

Horses - Horses: -, Mares: -, Totall: -

Cattle Sutt & Given from ditto to ditto

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: 25, Cows: 60, Heifers: 25, Steers: 21, Yearlings: 40, Calves: 89, Bulls: 2, Totall: 262

Sheep - Ewes: 52, Wethers: 24, Lambs: 26, Rams: 3, Totall: 105

Goates - Ewes: 157, Wethers: 43, Kids: 104, Rams: 5, Totall: 309

Hoggs - Sowes: 5, Shoates: 19, Boars: 1, Pigs: 13, Totall: 38

Poultry - Turkeys: 89, Fowles: 84, Ducks: 10, Geese: 32

Horses - Horses: 5, Mares: 3, Totall: 8

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: -, Cows: -, Heifers: -, Steers: -, Yearlings: -, Calves: 46, Bulls: -, Totall: 46

Sheep - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Lambs: -, Rams: -, Totall: -

Goates - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Kids: -, Rams: -, Totall: -

Hoggs - Sowes: -, Shoates: -, Boars: -, Pigs: -, Totall: -

Poultry - Turkeys: -, Fowles: -, Ducks: -, Geese: -

Horses - Horses: -, Mares: -, Totall: -

Dead in ditto

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: 25, Cows: 60, Heifers: 25, Steers: 21, Yearlings: 40, Calves: 43, Bulls: 2, Totall: 216

Sheep - Ewes: 52, Wethers: 24, Lambs: 26, Rams: 3, Totall: 105

Goates - Ewes: 157, Wethers: 43, Kids: 104, Rams: 5, Totall: 309

Hoggs - Sowes: 5, Shoates: 19, Boars: 1, Pigs: 13, Totall: 38

Poultry - Turkeys: 89, Fowles: 84, Ducks: 10, Geese: 32

Horses - Horses: 5, Mares: 3, Totall: 8

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: -, Cows: 1, Heifers: -, Steers: -, Yearlings: -, Calves: -, Bulls: -, Totall: 1

Sheep - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Lambs: -, Rams: -, Totall: -

Goates - Ewes: -, Wethers: -, Kids: -, Rams: -, Totall: -

Hoggs - Sowes: -, Shoates: -, Boars: -, Pigs: -, Totall: -

Poultry - Turkeys: 3, Fowles: 8, Ducks: -, Geese: -

Horses - Horses: -, Mares: -, Totall: -

Remd 24th Aprill

Neat Cattle - Bullocks: 25, Cows: 59, Heifers: 25, Steers: 21, Yearlings: 40, Calves: 43, Bulls: 2, Totall: 215

Sheep - Ewes: 52, Wethers: 24, Lambs: 26, Rams: 3, Totall: 105

Goates - Ewes: 157, Wethers: 43, Kids: 104, Rams: 5, Totall: 309

Hoggs - Sowes: 5, Shoates: 19, Boars: 1, Pigs: 13, Totall: 38

Poultry - Turkeys: 86, Fowles: 76, Ducks: 10, Geese: 29

Horses - Horses: 5, Mares: 3, Totall: 8

Yarnes Expended at the severall Plantations 33125 lb

Do do to Fort Blacks 6000 lb

Totall Yarn 39125 lb

The stock account for 1727 recorded the Company's livestock across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses. The neat cattle divided into bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls, with a total. The sheep divided into ewes, wethers, lambs and rams, with a total. The goats divided into ewes, wethers, kids and rams, with a total. The hogs divided into sows, shoats, boars and pigs, with a total. The poultry divided into turkeys, fowls, ducks and geese, with a total. The horses divided into horses and mares, with a total.

Remaining 26 March: bullocks 11, cows 60, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 84, bulls 2, total neat cattle 201; ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 3, total sheep 101; goat ewes 157, goat wethers 48, kids 80, goat rams 5, total goats 290; sows 5, shoats 20, boars 1, pigs 13, total hogs 39; turkeys 90, fowls 91, ducks 5, geese 32, total poultry -; horses 5, mares 3, total horses 8

Bought from 26 March to 24 April: bullocks 5, cows -, heifers 2, steers 3, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total neat cattle 10; ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total sheep -; goat ewes -, goat wethers -, kids 24, goat rams -, total goats 24; sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total hogs -; turkeys -, fowls -, ducks 5, geese -, total poultry -; horses -, mares -, total horses -

Increased from 26 March to 24 April: bullocks 9, cows -, heifers 9, steers 8, yearlings 20, calves 5, bulls -, total neat cattle 51; ewes -, wethers -, lambs 4, rams -, total sheep 4; goat ewes -, goat wethers -, kids 24, goat rams -, total goats 24; sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total hogs -; turkeys -, fowls -, ducks 5, geese -, total poultry -; horses -, mares -, total horses -

Subtotal: bullocks 25, cows 60, heifers 25, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 89, bulls 2, total neat cattle 262; ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total sheep 105; goat ewes 157, goat wethers 48, kids 104, goat rams 5, total goats 314; sows 5, shoats 20, boars 1, pigs 13, total hogs 39; turkeys 90, fowls 91, ducks 10, geese 32, total poultry -; horses 5, mares 3, total horses 8

Killed from 26 March to 24 April: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total neat cattle -; ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total sheep -; goat ewes -, goat wethers 5, kids -, goat rams -, total goats 5; sows -, shoats 1, boars -, pigs -, total hogs 1; turkeys -, fowls 7, ducks -, geese -, total poultry 7; horses -, mares -, total horses -

Cattle cut and grown from 26 March to 24 April: bullocks 25, cows 60, heifers 25, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 89, bulls 2, total neat cattle 262; ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total sheep 105; goat ewes 157, goat wethers 43, kids 104, goat rams 5, total goats 309; sows 5, shoats 19, boars 1, pigs 13, total hogs 38; turkeys 89, fowls 84, ducks 10, geese 32, total poultry -; horses 5, mares 3, total horses 8; calves cut and grown 46, total 46

Dead from 26 March to 24 April: bullocks 25, cows 60, heifers 25, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total neat cattle 216; ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total sheep 105; goat ewes 157, goat wethers 43, kids 104, goat rams 5, total goats 309; sows 5, shoats 19, boars 1, pigs 13, total hogs 38; turkeys 89, fowls 84, ducks 10, geese 32, total poultry -; horses 5, mares 3, total horses 8; cows dead 1, calves dead 1, total 1

Remaining 24 April: bullocks 25, cows 59, heifers 25, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total neat cattle 215; ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total sheep 105; goat ewes 157, goat wethers 43, kids 104, goat rams 5, total goats 309; sows 5, shoats 19, boars 1, pigs 13, total hogs 38; turkeys 86, fowls 76, ducks 10, geese 29, total poultry -; horses 5, mares 3, total horses 8

Yams expended at the plantations: 33,125 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves: 6,000 lb

Total yams: 39,125 lb

Interpretations

The account continued the monthly stock tallies of Company livestock recorded throughout the run, of the same form as the closing figures for 25 March 1727, which gave neat cattle 201, sheep 101, goats 290 and hogs 39. The rows track the herd through each cause of change in turn: opening number, purchase, natural increase, slaughter, animals cut and grown between categories, and death, before the closing count. Animals cut and grown recorded beasts moved from one class to another as they aged or were castrated, such as calves reckoned into yearlings or male animals gelded into wethers and barrows, which is why the calf total falls by 46 in that row.

The yam figures footed the account in the usual way, splitting the crop between the plantations and the fort slaves. Yams were the island's staple root, grown to feed both people and stock, and the division of 33,125 lb to the plantations and 6,000 lb to the fort slaves shows the Company tracking the food supply of its labour force separately from its general provision. The total of 39,125 lb measured the whole draw on the crop for the month.

229

229

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230

230

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231

231

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232

232

Expence of the Genll Table in Aprill 1727

Arrack for the Table

29 1/2 Galls 6/4

£9.6.10

Do to Peas & Blacks

9 3/4 do

3.-.2

Do to Guards &

2 3/4 do

-.17.5

Wine Mountain

6 1/2 Galls 7/9 ⅌ Gall

2.10.4 1/2

Do Red Port

6 Galls 7/9 do

2.6.6

Beer

8 Galls Strong

-.12.-

Do

10 Galls Small

-.10.-

Vinegar

2 Galls

-.-.8

Bread

111 lb 3d

-.1.7.6

Flour

150 lb 3d

-.1.17.6

Sugar

120 6d

3.-.-

Wax Candles

31 lb 2d

3.2.-

Soap

15 lb 17d

1.1:3

Rost Porke

65 lb 6d

1.12.6

Butter

31 lb 12d

1.11:-

Pepper

2 lb

-.-.2

Fowles

7 1/6

-.10:6

Turkeys

1 6d

-.6:-

Geese

3 6d

-.18.-

Goates

5 10

2:10:-

Greens

31 Days 12d ⅌ diem

1:11:-

Ale

2 Bottles ⅌ do 5/3

-.10:6

Milk

62 Bottles 4d

1-:8

£40:11:8 1/2

The general table expense account for April 1727 recorded the food and drink consumed at the fort, extended to sterling.

Arrack for the table, 29.5 gallons at 6s 4d per gallon, £9 6s 10d

Arrack to the table slaves, 9.5 gallons at same rate, £3 0s 2d

Arrack to the guards, 2.75 gallons at same rate, £0 17s 5d

Mountain wine, 6.5 gallons at 7s 9d per gallon, £2 10s 4.5d

Red port, 6 gallons at 7s 9d per gallon, £2 6s 6d

Strong beer, 8 gallons, £0 12s 0d

Small beer, 10 gallons, £0 10s 0d

Vinegar, 2 gallons, £0 0s 8d

Bread, 111 lb at 3d, £1 7s 6d

Flour, 150 lb at 3d, £1 17s 6d

Sugar, 120 lb at 6d, £3 0s 0d

Wax candles, 31 lb at 2s, £3 2s 0d

Soap, 15 lb at 17d, £1 1s 3d

Fresh pork, 65 lb at 6d, £1 12s 6d

Butter, 31 lb at 12d, £1 11s 0d

Pepper, 2 lb, £0 0s 2d

Fowls, 7 at 1s 6d, £0 10s 6d

Turkeys, 1 at 6s, £0 6s 0d

Geese, 3 at 6s, £0 18s 0d

Goats, 5 at 10s, £2 10s 0d

Greens, 31 days at 12d per diem, £1 11s 0d

Oil, 2 bottles of Florence oil at 5s 3d, £0 10s 6d

Milk, 62 bottles at 4d, £1 0s 8d

Total, £40 11s 8.5d

Interpretations

The account continued the monthly table expenses kept at the fort, of the same form as the totals recovered earlier, such as £46 3s 2d for March 1727 and £99 12s 11d for February 1727. The arrack was separated by recipient, with the table, the slaves and the guards each charged distinctly, matching the practice of dividing the drink between those who consumed it. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit issued on the island, and its rate of 6s 4d per gallon matched the price the council set for its sale on 7 March 1727.

Several items reflect the range of goods drawn from Company stores and local produce to supply the fort table. Mountain was a sweet Spanish wine from near Malaga, while red port came from Portugal, both carried out as table wines. Florence oil was Tuscan olive oil, valued for cooking and dressing, and wax candles gave a cleaner light than tallow for the principal table. The greens charged at 12d a day for the whole month show a steady supply of fresh vegetables from the island's gardens, a necessary guard against scurvy on a remote station.

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233

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 9th May 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govern'r

Jno Alexander Absent being Lame

Jno Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Yesterday Morning We had a double Alarm for three Ships two hours

afterwards two more appeared & about Noon bore away & We Suppose

them to be Dutch, &c

This Morning We had one Alarm & an hour after a double Alarm for

two Ships more & about Noon arrived the Speedwell Capt Rd Missure

Ship from England & brought us a Packet from the Hon'ble Compy giving

us Advice of their Apprehension of a Speedy War between England France

& Holland by the One Party & the Emperour & Spain on the other & about three

arrived the Derby Capt Ditchnal & the King George Capt Naughton

from Bengor & brought each of them a Supply for this Island a Sort &c

Copy of Invoice of Ship Derby

No 12 Batavia Arrack

4 half Legars of 7/9 Vizt

No 7 60

8 70

9 70

10 70

270 Gall at 6d 8 ⅌ [...]

125

-

-

Nid 10 Trussinda Sugar

10 Bagg of 7/2 to 14 2/4 18.6 ⅌ Grey

90

-

-

Fine Rice

12 Bagg of 84 to 6t 2t at 15 ⅌ Cwt 74.10.9

82

2

3

Batta 10 ⅌ Cent

7.7.6

297

2

3

Charges Merchandize

44

14

3

Rupees

312

-

6

Copy of Invoice of Ship King George

No 5 & 8 Batavia Arrack

4 half Leg 7d Vizt

No 5 63 Galls

6 80 1/2

7 75 1/2

8 71

289 1/2 at 6d 8 1/2 ⅌ Cask

125

Nid 10 Trussinda Sugar

10 Bagg of 7/2 to 14 2/4 18.6 ⅌ [...]

90

-

-

No 1 to 39 Fine Rice

29 Bagg of 78 to do 58.2.0 at 5 ⅌ tin

69

5

3

Batta

6

15

-

291

4

3

Charges Merchandize

14

5

9

305

10

-

At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 May 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield present, John Alexander absent through lameness, and John Goodwin present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that on the previous morning the fort had a double alarm for three ships. Two hours afterwards two more appeared, and about noon they bore away. The council supposed them to be Dutch.

That morning the fort had a further alarm, and an hour after came a double alarm for two ships more. About noon the Prince of Wales, Captain Richard Misnor, arrived from England and brought a packet from the Honourable Company. The packet warned of the danger of a speedy war between England, France and Holland on the one part, and the Emperor and Spain on the other. About three the Derby, Captain Litchfield, and the King George, Captain Naughton, arrived from Bengal, and each brought a supply of goods for the use of the island, as follows.

A copy of the invoice from the Derby was entered. The goods were valued in rupees, annas and pies.

Batavia arrack, marked number 6, in 4 half-leaguers of 77 gallons:

number 7, 60 gallons

number 4, 70 gallons

number 4, 70 gallons

number 4, 70 gallons, being 270 gallons in all at 6s 8d per gallon, 125 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Bengal sugar, marked number 10, 18 bags at 27 [...] to 14 [...] 18 [...] 5 [...], 90 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, 18 bags at 8 [...], being 6 [...] 2 [...] at 15 [...] per hundredweight, 74 [...] 10s 9d, 82 rupees 2 annas 3 pies

Bags to hold both, 7 [...] 6d, 297 rupees 7 annas 3 pies

Charges and merchandise, 44 rupees 14 annas 3 pies

Total, 342 rupees 0 annas 6 pies

A copy of the invoice from the King George was entered. The goods were valued in rupees, annas and pies.

Batavia arrack, marked number 5 and number 8, in 4 half-leaguers of 76 gallons:

number 5, 63 gallons

number 5, 80 gallons

number 5, 75 gallons

number 18, 71 gallons, being 289 gallons in all at 6s 8d per gallon, 125 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Bengal sugar, marked number 8 to number 10, 10 bags at 20 [...], being 14 [...] 2 [...], 90 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, marked number 1 to number 39, 69 bags at 78 [...], being 58 [...] 2 [...] 5 [...] per hundredweight, 69 rupees 5 annas 3 pies

Bags, 6 rupees 15 annas 0 pies

Total, 291 rupees 4 annas 3 pies

Charges and merchandise, 305 rupees 10 annas 0 pies

Interpretations

The double alarms and the sightings of unidentified ships reflect the heightened watch kept over the anchorage in a period of expected war. The packet carried by the Prince of Wales set out the alignment of a coming conflict between England, France and Holland against the Emperor and Spain, warning the island to guard against hostile shipping. This intelligence explains the repeated firing of alarm salutes across the preceding weeks, since any unknown sail might carry an enemy privateer or man-of-war.

The two invoices recorded goods supplied to the island by the Derby and the King George on their arrival from Bengal, valued in the currency of the India trade. A leaguer was a large cask of about 150 gallons, so a half-leaguer held roughly 77 gallons, which matches the arrack measures entered here. Batavia arrack was the spirit shipped through the Dutch port of Batavia in Java, a standard trade liquor of the Eastern seas. Rupees, annas and pies were the money of account of Company Bengal, the rupee dividing into 16 annas and each anna into 12 pies, which is why the sums appear in that order rather than in sterling.

The charges and merchandise entered against each cargo covered the freight, packing and handling added to the prime cost of the goods. The bags charged separately to hold the sugar and rice show the Company accounting for its containers as a distinct item, since sacking was a real cost on a long voyage from Bengal.

Speculations

The council received warning of an imminent war among the great European powers, yet the record shows no order for extra defensive measures beyond the alarms already fired. The obvious course on such news might have been to strengthen the guard, ready the batteries or restrict the anchorage. Instead the consultation turned at once to entering the invoices of arrack, sugar and rice from the two Bengal ships. The commercial business of victualling the island took precedence, which suggests the council judged the settled routine of trade more pressing than any immediate preparation against a war still only feared.

234

234

Wee resolve to put Our Selves immediatly into the best Posture of Defence that is

possible & the Govern'r thinking it most Safe & Prudent to be as much upon

Our Guard & make the Same Preparations as if the Warr was actually

Proclaimed, it is Ordered

That publick Notice be this day given the Inhabitants that

upon all double Alarms they are to give their personal Attendance all Excuses

set aside at the severall Places where they are Posted & bring all their Male

Blacks with them for which they Pay Head Money, & in Case One or more of

the Hon'ble Compys Ships should be in the Road & a Single Alarm should happen

that they Then also bring all their Male Blacks with them as before directed to be

upon all Double Alarms, & it is also Ordered that the following Letter be

immediatly sent to each of the Commanders of the two Ships now in the Road

& to every other Commander the moment they Arrive here, Vizt

Sir

This Morning Wee received a Packet from the Hon'ble Compy

dated 27th January 1726 Sent Express & the India Yatch Captain

Richard Missener Commander acquainting Us that they apprehend a

Warr between England France & Holland on the one Part & the Emperour

& Spain on the other Unavoidable tho not then actually Proclaimed

& that the Occasion of the Breech doth in a great Meazure arise from

the Emperours Seeming Resolution to Support the Ostend Trade, &

Wee in Obedience to their Commands acquaint You that You are to

Birth Your Ship whilest You are in this Road so as to prevent

any Attempt of an Enemy, You are to put & Continue Your Ship

in the best Posture of Defence that is possible & not to leave the Island

unless there be, at least three in Company, & You are to be particularly

carefull to keep Company together for Your greater Security, & when

You arrive in or near the Channell You are to Send on Shoar to any of

the Western Ports for Intelligence & Govern Your Self for greater Safty

according to the News You shall learn & can depend on, You are to Agree

upon a Commodore before You Saile hence & also on proper Instructions both

as to Sailing & how to Manage in Case You are Attacked, & as a farther

Encouragement to Your Ships Company to behave themselves as Englishmen

in the Cause of their Country they Order Us to acquaint You that they will extend

their Bounty in the same manner to them if they are Attacked either by

Spaniards, Ostenders, or any other Enemy as they are Entitled to Should

they be Attacked by a Pirate, & Wee don't doubt but this Encouragement

will be Sufficient to enduce them to defend themselves against their

Enemies as Englishmen are wont to do, And in farther Execution of their

Orders Wee desire You will immediatly heave in as near the Landing Rock or

Crane as will be safe for Your Riding, & if You want any Assistance

Wee shall be glad to Serve You. Wee are, Sir Yr most humble Servts

St Helena 9th May 1727

Jno Goodwin E Byfeild

The council resolved to put the island at once into the best posture of defence possible. The Governor thought it safest and most prudent to keep as much upon guard, and to make the same preparations, as if war had already been declared.

The council ordered that public notice be given to the inhabitants that day. Upon every double alarm they were to attend in person, all excuses set aside, at the several places to which they were posted. They were to bring all their male slaves with them, for whom they paid head money. Should one or more of the Honourable Company's ships be in the road and a single alarm happen, they were then also to bring all their male slaves, as already directed for double alarms.

The council further ordered that the following letter be sent at once to each commander of the two ships then in the road, and to every other commander the moment he arrived.

The council wrote to the ship commanders as follows. That morning the council had received a packet from the Honourable Company, dated 27 January 1727 and sent by express aboard the India Gatch, Captain Richard Misnor commander. The packet warned that a war between England, France and Holland on the one part, and the Emperor and Spain on the other, was unavoidable, though not yet declared. The occasion of the breach arose in great measure from the Emperor's apparent resolve to support the Ostend trade.

In obedience to the Company's commands, the council told each commander that he was to berth his ship while in the road so as to prevent any attempt by an enemy. He was to put and keep his ship in the best posture of defence possible, and not to leave the island unless at least three ships were in company. He was to take particular care to keep company together for greater security. On approaching the Channel, he was to send ashore to any of the western ports for intelligence and govern himself for greater safety by the news he learned and could depend on. He was to agree upon a commodore before sailing, and settle proper instructions both for sailing and for managing in case of attack.

As a further encouragement to each ship's company to behave as Englishmen in their country's cause, the Company ordered the council to make known that it would extend its bounty in the same manner whether the men were attacked by Spaniards, Ostenders or any other enemy, as they would be entitled to were they attacked by a pirate. The council did not doubt this encouragement would be enough to make the men defend themselves against their enemies, as Englishmen were accustomed to do. In further execution of these orders, the council asked each commander to heave in at once as near the landing rock as would be safe for his riding. Should he want any assistance, the council would be glad to serve him.

Dated at St Helena, 9 May 1727, and subscribed by John Goodwin and Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

The order arose directly from the intelligence carried by the Prince of Wales on 9 May 1727, which warned of an imminent war aligning England, France and Holland against the Emperor and Spain. The Ostend trade named as the cause was the commerce of the Ostend Company, a rival East India venture chartered in the Austrian Netherlands under the Emperor Charles VI. Its competition threatened the English and Dutch companies, so imperial support for it became a diplomatic flashpoint, which is why a quarrel over trade could turn into a European war.

The requirement that inhabitants bring their male slaves to the alarm posts shows the island's defence resting on its whole labouring population, not merely the garrison. Head money was a charge paid on each slave, so the men were both a fiscal asset and a defensive resource mustered in an emergency. Distinguishing a single alarm when Company ships lay in the road from a double alarm at other times let the council raise the full force only when a valuable target sat exposed at anchor.

The letter to the commanders set out a convoy discipline for the homeward passage in wartime. Requiring at least three ships in company, the agreement of a commodore to command the group, and a call at the western ports for intelligence all reflect the standard practice of sailing armed merchantmen together for mutual protection against privateers. The Company's promise of bounty put its own money behind the instruction, offering the same reward for resisting a national enemy as for fighting a pirate, which turned a patriotic appeal into a financial one.

Speculations

The Company might simply have ordered its ships to sail with all speed for England on news of war, trusting to a fast passage to outrun danger. Instead the letter required each commander to wait for at least three ships in company and to agree a commodore before departing. The record shows the default of an independent run home set aside in favour of enforced convoy, with the delay of gathering company accepted as the price of security. The council judged the risk of sailing alone against privateers greater than the cost of waiting for a protected passage.

235

235

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 10th May 1727 at Union

Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

Jno Alexander Absent being Lame

Jno Goodwin

The Governor called this Consultation to acquaint Us that

effectually to Constrate at & Strength the Enemy may make either

by Some Stratagem or Surprize he think it will be highly necessary

to Order each of the Captains upon every Alarm to send a Warp on

Shoar either to the Crane or Landing Rock, & heave in as neare as possible &

their Continue till they know whether a Friend or Foe & coming

Wherefore Ordered that the following Letter be also Sent to each

Commander as soon as they arrive Vizt

Sir

For greater Security both of Your Ship & Cargo Wee

desire that, upon all Alarm that may happen During Your Stay here

You will Send a Warp either to the Crane or Landing Rock & heave

in as near as You possibly can with Safety & there Continue till You

know whether the Ship then coming be a Friend or Foe. This is

conformable to the Hon'ble Compys Instruction to Us & Wee desire You will

give due regard to it

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th May 1727 at

Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin absent being ill

On Thursday last arrived the Lyell Capt Small from Bengal & brought

the following Supply for the Use of this Island

Sugar Trussinda

10 Bags 103 Cwt 20 to 14 2 lb at 95/4 ⅌ Bag

92.8

Rice

29 Bags ⅌ Bros Mrd 108 to 79 2/4 72 at 1.6.0 ⅌ [...]

86.66

Batta 10 ⅌ Cent

8.10

25.-6

787.8.6

Charges

14.7.9

Rupees 795.2.9

At a consultation held on Wednesday 10 May 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield present, John Alexander absent through lameness, and John Goodwin present.

The Governor called this consultation to point out that, in order to guard effectively against the strength the enemy might bring by either stratagem or surprise, he thought it highly necessary to order each of the captains, on every alarm, to send a party ashore, either to the fort or to Lemon Valley. They were to bring their men in as near as possible, and to keep them there until it was known whether a friend or a foe was coming. The council therefore ordered that the following letter also be sent to each commander as soon as he arrived.

The council wrote to the commanders as follows. For the greater security of both ship and cargo, the council asked that, upon any alarm during a commander's stay in the road, he send a party ashore either to the fort or to Lemon Valley. He was to bring his men in as near as he safely could and to keep them there until it was known whether the ship the alarm was raised for was friend or foe. This accorded with the Honourable Company's instructions, and the council asked that each commander give due regard to it.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 May 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield present, John Alexander present, and John Goodwin absent through sickness.

1: On the previous Thursday the King George, Captain Naughton, arrived from Bengal on its voyage, and brought the following supply for the use of the island.

Samuel Jephry presented a bill of sale to the council for entry, covering 21 parcels of goods. The goods were valued in rupees, annas and pies.

Bengal sugar, 10 bags at 6d, 20 to 14.5 lb at 9s 5d per bag, 92 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Rice, marked P and B, number 108 at 79 [...] 72 [...] at 1s 6d, being 86 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

Bags to hold both, 8 rupees 10 annas 0 pies

Charges, 25 rupees 6 annas 0 pies

Total, 787 rupees 8 annas 6 pies

Charges, 14 rupees 7 annas 9 pies

Total, 799 rupees 7 annas 9 pies

Interpretations

The order for ships to land men on an alarm extended the wartime defence measures already framed on 9 May 1727, when the council warned of an impending conflict aligning England, France and Holland against the Emperor and Spain. Lemon Valley was one of the few landing places on the island besides James Valley, so drawing armed parties there guarded a second point where an enemy might attempt to come ashore. Keeping the men in until friend or foe was known let the council mass a defensive force before an unidentified ship closed on the anchorage.

The supply carried by the King George continued the flow of provisions from Bengal recorded on 9 May 1727, when the same ship and the Derby each brought arrack, sugar and rice. The goods were reckoned in rupees, annas and pies, the money of account of Company Bengal, rather than in sterling. Bengal sugar and rice were staple imports for the island, which could not grow enough grain of its own to feed the garrison and slaves.

The bill of sale presented by Samuel Jephry followed the council's standard practice of entering transfers of goods and property in its register. Jephry appears repeatedly in the land record, holding freehold in Wilkes Valley granted on 8 November 1726 and about 7 acres freehold with 3 acres of leasehold wood in the survey reported on 14 March 1727. His registration here secured a public record of the transaction.

236

236

Henry Newton also Presented a Bill of Sale to him for a Cow for poor

Care Praying the Same might be Registred

Ordered that both the said Bills of Sale be accordingly Registred

Joshua Johnson Sold for a Quarter of an Acre of Land lying in Ruport Bay

Granted

Capt Alexander paid into the Bank of the Govr Cash Notes

am't to £216 being Bills of Exchange for the Same

Ordered that Bills of Exchange be accordingly drawn upon the Hon'ble Compy

for the Sum aforesaid & that the same be immediatly entered in the Journal

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 17th May 1727 at Union

Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin Absent being ill

The Last Consultation read & Approved

This afternoon arrived the Ships Middlesex & Mary from

Bengall & brought each the following Store for the Use of this Island

Vizt

Per Curr

Sugar Trussinda

10 Bags 103 Cwt 20 to 14.2.18 at 9/4 ⅌ Bag

92.8

Rice

34 Bags 103 68 to 45.1.9 at 1.10 ⅌ [...]

54.6.6

Batta 10 ⅌ Cent

5.6.9

59.13.3

Charges

15.6.3

18.1.9

Rupees 170.7.-

Ship Middlesex

Sugar Trussinda

10 Bags 103 Cwt 20 to 14.2.18

at 9/4 ⅌ Bag

92.8

Rice

49 Bags 103 98 to 65.1.9 at 1.10 ⅌ tin

to 78.6.6

Batta 10 ⅌ Cent

7.13.3

86.3.9

Charges

178.11.9

10.-

Rupees 189.4.9

Henry Newton also presented a bill of sale to him for a house for a term of years, and asked that it be registered.

The council ordered that both bills of sale be registered accordingly.

Joshua Johnson asked for a quarter of an acre of land lying in Sandy Bay. The council granted it.

Captain Alexander paid into the bank of the King George cash notes amounting to £216, receiving bills of exchange for the same.

The council ordered that bills of exchange be duly drawn upon the Company for the sum stated, and that the sale be entered at once in the journal.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 17 May 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield present, John Alexander present, and John Goodwin absent through sickness.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

That afternoon the Prince of Wales, Captain Misnor, and the Mary arrived from Bengal on their voyage, and each brought the following supply for the use of the island.

The invoice from the Prince of Wales was entered. The goods were valued in rupees, annas and pies.

Florentine sugar, 10 bags at 20 to 14 lb, 2 [...] 18 [...] at 9s 4d per bag, 92 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Rice, 34 bags at 68 [...], being 45 [...] 1 [...] 9 [...] at 1s 10d, 34 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

Bags, 5 rupees 6 annas 9 pies

Total, 59 rupees 13 annas 3 pies

Charges, 15 rupees 6 annas 3 pies

Total, 18 rupees 1 anna 9 pies

Total, 170 rupees 7 annas 0 pies

The invoice from the Mary was entered. The goods were valued in rupees, annas and pies.

Florentine sugar, 10 bags at 20 to 14 lb, 2 [...] 13 [...] at 9s 4d per bag, 92 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Rice, 49 bags at 98 [...], being 65 [...] 1 [...] 9 [...] at 1s 10d, being 78 [...] 6 [...] 6 [...], 86 rupees 3 annas 9 pies

Bags, 7 rupees 13 annas 3 pies

Total, 178 rupees 11 annas 9 pies

Charges, 10 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Total, 189 rupees 4 annas 9 pies

Interpretations

The payment of cash notes into the bank of the King George in return for bills of exchange shows the mechanism by which value moved between the island and England. A bill of exchange was a written order to pay a sum elsewhere, redeemable at home, so the Company and its servants could transfer money without shipping coin across the sea. This followed the same practice as the three sets of bills drawn on the Company by the Grantham on 21 March 1727.

The supply carried by the Prince of Wales and the Mary continued the run of provisions from Bengal recorded on 9 May 1727 and 16 May 1727, when the Derby and the King George brought arrack, sugar and rice. The goods were reckoned in rupees, annas and pies, the money of account of Company Bengal. Rice and sugar were staple imports the island could not supply in sufficient quantity from its own crops.

The steady arrival of Bengal ships through May 1727 reflected the homeward East India route, on which St Helena served as a victualling and refreshment station. Each ship discharged part of its cargo for the island's use, replenishing the stores that fed the garrison and the Company slaves.

237

237

Ship Mary

Sugar Trussinda

10 Bags 103 Cwt 20 to 14.2.18 at 9/4 ⅌ Bag

92.8.-

Rice

57 Bags 103 114 to 76.2.11

at 1.10 ⅌ tin to

91.3.3

Batta 10 ⅌ Cent

100.15.3

Charges

102.13.3

16.15.9

Rupees 209.13.-

Yesterday Capt Alexander paid into the Bank of the Governr

Cash Notes amounting to £216 Praying Bills of Exchange

for the Same

Ordered that Bills of Exchange be accordingly drawn upon

the Hon'ble Company for the Sum aforesaid & that the Same be immediatly

Entred in the Journal

The like Order was delivered to each of the Captains as before

had been given to the Commanders of the other Ships

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23d May 1727

Present Edwd Byfeild Esqr Govr

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin absent being ill

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Report that he hath received the Cargos Sent

by the Ships King George, Lyell, Essex, Middlesex & Mary

according to Invoice

The Steward paid into the Bank of the Governr Cash Notes

amounting to Fifty £ Praying Bills of Exchange for the Same

Ordered that Bills of Exchange be accordingly drawn upon

the Hon'ble Company for the Sum aforesaid & that they be immediatly Entred

in the Journal

Capt Tho Holden also paid into the Bank of the

Govr the Sum of £55 in Cash Notes & Voting Bills for the Same

Ordered that Bills be drawn upon the Hon'ble Compy for the

aforesaid Sum & that the Same be Entred in the Journal Vizt

At a consultation held on Wednesday 17 May 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield present, John Alexander present, and John Goodwin absent through sickness.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

That afternoon the Prince of Wales, Captain Misnor, and the Mary arrived from Bengal on their voyage, and each brought the following supply for the use of the island.

The invoice from the Prince of Wales was entered. The goods were valued in rupees, annas and pies.

Florentine sugar, 10 bags at 20 to 14 lb, 2 [...] 18 [...] at 9s 4d per bag, 92 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Rice, 34 bags at 68 [...], being 45 [...] 1 [...] 9 [...] at 1s 10d, 34 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

Bags, 5 rupees 6 annas 9 pies

Total, 59 rupees 13 annas 3 pies

Charges, 15 rupees 6 annas 3 pies

Total, 18 rupees 1 anna 9 pies

Total, 170 rupees 7 annas 0 pies

The invoice from the Mary was entered. The goods were valued in rupees, annas and pies.

Florentine sugar, 10 bags at 20 to 14 lb, 2 [...] 13 [...] at 9s 4d per bag, 92 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Rice, 57 bags at 114 [...], being 76 [...] 2 [...] 11 [...] at 1s 10d per hundredweight, 91 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Bags, 10 [...], 100 rupees 15 annas 3 pies

Total, 102 rupees 13 annas 3 pies

Charges, 16 rupees 15 annas 9 pies

Total, 209 rupees 13 annas 0 pies

On the previous day Captain Alexander paid into the bank of the Governor cash notes amounting to £216, and asked for bills of exchange for the same.

The council ordered that bills of exchange be duly drawn upon the Honourable Company for the sum stated, and that the same be entered at once in the journal.

The like order was made for each of the captains, as had already been given to the commander of the other ships.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 May 1727 at Union Fort, with Governor Byfield present, John Alexander present, and John Goodwin absent through sickness.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the cargo sent by the Derby, King George, Lyell, Essex, Middlesex and Mary, according to the invoice.

The steward paid into the bank of the Governor cash notes amounting to £50, and asked for bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered that bills of exchange be duly drawn upon the Honourable Company for the sum stated, and that they be entered at once in the journal.

Start of crossed out section

Captain Thomas Golding also paid into the bank of the Governor the sum of £55 in cash notes, and asked for bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered that bills be drawn upon the Honourable Company for the sum stated, and that the same be entered in the journal.

End of crossed out section

Interpretations

The invoices from the Prince of Wales and the Mary continued the run of Bengal provisions entered across May 1727, when the Derby, the King George and other ships each brought sugar and rice for the island. The goods were reckoned in rupees, annas and pies, the money of account of Company Bengal. Florentine sugar and rice were staple imports the island could not supply in sufficient quantity from its own crops.

The repeated payment of cash notes into the bank in return for bills of exchange shows the standard means of moving value between the island and England. A bill of exchange was a written order to pay a sum elsewhere, redeemable at home, so money could be transferred without shipping coin. This matched the practice followed on 21 March 1727, when three sets of bills were drawn on the Company by the Grantham.

Captain Goodwin's report named six ships whose cargoes he had taken in, marking the height of the homeward season at St Helena. The island served as a victualling and refreshment station on the East India route, so each ship discharged part of its lading for local use. Receiving the goods against the invoice let the council check the quantities delivered against those charged.

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Consultacon 30th May 1727 at Union Castle

The last Consultation read & Approved

Yesterday in the afternoon the Ships Derby, King George, Lyell

Essex Middlesex Mary & India Yatch Sailed hence for England & were

each plentifully furnished with every thing they wanted & were very well

pleased with their Reception & Entertainment

Capt Alexander presented his Petition Praying to become

Purchaser for about Thirty Acres of Pasture Land belonging to the

Hon'ble Company being part of the Land called Perkins & is willing to

give as much for it as it Shall be valued at by two indifferent Persons

It is agreed that Capt Alexander Shall be admitted Purchaser of

the said Land at the Valuation of Messrs Gabriel Powell & Wrangham

being two of the most Eminent Planters upon the Island

Ordered that Mr sd D & W be desired to Value the said Land

between this & Tuesday next & deliver the Value thereof to Us

in Writing

Ordered that the following Advertisement be Published

Whereas the Clearing of Land & Encrease & Preservation of

Wood & Furze are of the greatest Consequence to this Place & the

Inhabitants been frequently Enjoyned to Sowe & Plant both the one,

& the other but hitherto have generally Neglected to give Obedience

to the severall Orders already given relating to this Matter

These are therefore to give early Notice that the Weather

being likely to become Seasonable all Persons are Strictly Commanded

to Embrace the first Opportunity to Sowe & Plant both Wood &

Furze & the better to discover who do or do not Pay Obedience to

these Orders an other Genll Survey will be taken at a proper time

of their severall Plantations & those Penalties Exacted from all

Defaulters to which they are Subject by Severall Clauses in their

respective Deeds & Leases

The Govr Reports that Priss a Black Wench at Our House

was deld of a Boy last Week Named & Ham

Ordered that Capt Goodwin do Measure the abovesaid Land

at the Same time that Mr Powell & Wrangham attend to Value it

Margin Notes:

Planting

At a consultation held on Tuesday 30 May 1727 at Union Fort.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous afternoon the Derby, King George, Lyell, Essex, Middlesex, Mary and India Gatch sailed for England. Each was plentifully supplied with everything it wanted, and all were well pleased with their reception and entertainment.

Captain Alexander presented his petition, asking to become the purchaser of about 30 acres of pasture land belonging to the Honourable Company. The land formed part of the ground called Perkins. He offered to give as much for it as two indifferent persons should value it at.

The council agreed that Captain Alexander should be admitted purchaser of the land at the valuation of Mr Gabriel Powell and Mr Wrangham, two of the most eminent planters upon the island.

The council ordered that Mr Powell and Mr Wrangham be asked to value the land between then and the following Tuesday, and deliver their valuation to the council in writing.

The council ordered that the following notice be published.

The fencing of land, and the increase and preservation of wood and furze, were of the greatest consequence to the island and its inhabitants. The tenants had frequently been required to fence and plant both the one and the other, but had until then generally neglected to obey the earlier orders on the matter.

The council therefore gave early notice that, the weather being about to turn seasonable, all persons were strictly commanded to take the first opportunity to fence and plant both wood and furze. To discover who did and who did not obey these orders, a further general survey would be taken at a proper time of the tenants' several plantations, and the penalties exacted from all defaulters to which they were subject under the several clauses in their respective deeds and leases.

The Governor reported that Bess, a slave woman at the House, was delivered of a boy the previous week, named Harry.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin measure the land already mentioned, and that at the same time Mr Powell and Mr Wrangham attend to value it.

Interpretations

The departure of seven ships in company reflected the wartime convoy discipline framed on 9 May 1727, when the council warned of an impending conflict aligning England, France and Holland against the Emperor and Spain. Sailing together gave the homeward merchantmen mutual protection against privateers, since the Company had ordered its ships not to leave the island unless at least three were in company. Perkins was a named locality of the island's landholdings, so Captain Alexander's petition sought Company ground already known within the settled pattern of tenure.

The valuation of the land by two eminent planters shows the council's method of setting a fair price without a formal survey office. Gabriel Powell held about 38.5 acres in the survey reported on 14 March 1727 and had led that same survey, so his standing as an appraiser rested on both his holdings and his experience. Appointing two indifferent persons, meaning disinterested parties with no stake in the sale, guarded against the price being set too low in the purchaser's favour.

The renewed notice on fencing and planting continued the enforcement begun at the undated consultation of April 1727, when 20 tenants were found negligent in wood and furze and warned of forfeiture. Furze was a hardy gorse planted both as a fuel crop and as a stock-proof hedge, so its cultivation served the island's fuel supply and its boundaries alike. The threat of a fresh survey and the exacting of penalties under the deed clauses gave the council a recurring instrument to compel obedience where mere repetition had failed.

Speculations

The council might have fixed a price for the Perkins land itself, or sold it at open bidding to the highest offer. Instead it accepted Captain Alexander's own proposal to be bound by the valuation of two disinterested planters. The record shows the default of a council-set or competitive price set aside in favour of independent appraisal, which protected both the Company against undervaluing its ground and the purchaser against paying above worth. The chosen course rested on the standing of Gabriel Powell and Mr Wrangham as the island's most trusted valuers.

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Consultation 6th June 1727

All Present

The last Consultation read & Approved

On the first Instant the Craggs Capt Grantham arrived from Bengall

& on Saturday arrived the Devonshire Capt Toney from Bombay &

brought each the following Supplys for this Island

Vide fair Booke

The Hon'ble Compys late Orders were Signified as Usual by Letters

dated 1st & 2d To Capt Grantham & 3d 4th Instant to Capt Toney the

Forms of which are Entred in Consultation of 8vo May last

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the Pasture Land at

Perkins which Capt Alexander desire to Purchase & find it

contains Thirty five Acres

Messrs Powell & Wrangham according to Order of Tuesday

last Presented the following Valuation of the Pasture Land at

Perkins Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edwd Byfeild Esqr Govr &ca Councill

Wee the underwritten, in Obedience to an Order of Councill of

Tuesday last have Valued, according to the best of our Skill &

Judgement the Pasture Land at the Plantation called Perkins

belonging to the Hon'ble Compy at the severall Prices following it not

being Equally good in all Places

16 3/4 Acre Good Land at 10/ ⅌ Acre

£167.10.-

5 Do Indifferent at 8/ ⅌ Acre

40.-.-

9 1/4 Do Wast & very Steep & Rockey 6/ ⅌ acre

55.10.-

31 Acre Amounting to

£263.-.-

St Helena 6th June 1727

Jos Wrangham

Gabriel Powell

The Govr Capt Goodwin The Gunner & Mr Gas Steward deld

each their Monthly Acct for May last which were severally

Exam'd & approved & are as follow

Vide fair Booke

At a consultation held on Tuesday 6 June 1727 at Union Fort, with all present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

On the first of the month the Grantham, Captain Grantham, arrived from Bengal, and on the Saturday the Devonshire, Captain Coney, arrived from Bombay. Each brought the following supply for the island, entered in the fair book.

The Honourable Company's latest orders were signified as usual by letters dated 1 and 2 of the month to Captain Grantham, and of the second of the month to Captain Coney. The terms of these are entered in the consultation of 2 May.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the pasture land at Perkins, which Captain Alexander asked to purchase, and found it to contain 31 acres.

Mr Powell and Mr Wrangham, according to the order of the previous Tuesday, presented the following valuation of the pasture land at Perkins.

Gabriel Powell and Francis Wrangham reported to Governor Byfield and the council that, in obedience to the council's order of the previous Tuesday, they had valued the pasture land at the plantation called Perkins to the best of their skill and judgement. The land belonged to the Honourable Company. They set the price as follows, noting that it was not equally good in all places.

16.5 acres of good land at 10s per acre, £16 7s 0d

5 acres indifferent at 8s per acre, £40 0s 0d

9.5 acres poor and very steep and rocky at 6s per acre, £55 10s 0d

31 acres in all, amounting to £263 0s 0d

Dated at St Helena, 6 June 1727, and subscribed by Francis Wrangham and Gabriel Powell.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward Gaa each delivered a monthly account for May, which the council examined and approved, entered in the fair book.

Interpretations

The valuation completed the sale of the Perkins pasture land begun at the consultation of 30 May 1727, when Captain Alexander asked to buy about 30 acres of Company ground at a price set by two disinterested planters. Gabriel Powell and Francis Wrangham were the appraisers chosen, both eminent holders who had led the land survey reported on 14 March 1727, in which Powell held about 38.5 acres. Grading the ground into good, indifferent and poor at different rates per acre shows the council pricing land by quality rather than area alone.

The signifying of the Company's orders by dated letters to the ship captains reflects the routine channel through which instructions reached the island. Each homeward or outward ship carried correspondence, so the council entered the terms of these letters in its record and cross-referenced the earlier consultation of 2 May 1727 where the substance was set out. This kept a traceable account of the Company's directions as they arrived.

The arrival of the Grantham and the Devonshire from Bengal and Bombay continued the flow of provisions and correspondence through the homeward season at St Helena. The island served as a victualling and refreshment station on the East India route, so each ship discharged part of its cargo for local use and was itself resupplied before sailing on.

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At a Consultacon held 7 June 1727

All Present

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Yesterday arrived the Barrington Capt Hunter from Bengall & brought the

following Supply for this Island

Vide fair Booke

Ordered that an Advertizement be Published to Morrow to give Notice

that on Monday 26th instant there will be a Genll Quarter Session of the Care

held for the Tryal & Decision of Such Matters as Shall be then Depending &

for the Satisfaction of the Inhabitants the Same Shall be hereafter Quarterly

continued

The Compys Orders were Signified to Capt Hunter by Letters one

Dated Yesterday the other to day the Forms of which are Entred in Consulta

of the 9th & 16th May last

At a Consultation held 13 June 1727

All Present

The Last Consultation read & Approved

This Morning We had a double Alarm & about Noon arrived the Ship

the Dawson Capt Steward from Bengall & about ten a Ship was brought to at

Bankes & gave Acct that She came from Madagascar upon which the

Governr Ordered her not to be suffered to come onto the Road but to

Anchor in Ruport Bay till she Cargo was well Examined who about

One came on Shoar & Produced an Indenture Tripartite under the Hon'ble

Compys Seale Dated 22d June 1726 between the Hon'ble Compy the South

Sea Compy & the Comd'r Charles Burnham by which it appears that

the Ship is called the St Michael Burthen 370 Ton 30 Guns & 65

Men she Licensed to go to Madagascar for Slaves from whence She

now returned her Instructions were dated So Sea Hows London 9th

June 1726 & Signed by twenty two of the Court of Directors of that

Compy & other Commission was Signed by the King & the Great Seale

of England Annexed thereto & Dated 1o June 1726 & it being Plain

from these Authentick Vouchers that he was abroad upon a fair Acct

he was suffered to come into the Road & allowed Refreshment but

Cautioned to make hast & be gone

Copy of Invoice Ship Dawson

Vide fair Booke

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 June 1727, with all present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous day the Bonington, Captain Hunter, arrived from Bengal and brought the following supply for the island, entered in the fair book.

The council ordered that a notice be published the following day. It gave notice that on Monday 26 of the month there would be a general quarter meeting of the council, held for the trial and decision of such matters as should then come before it. For the satisfaction of the inhabitants, the meeting would afterwards be held every quarter.

The Company's orders were signified to Captain Hunter by letters, one dated the previous day and the other that day. Their terms are entered in the consultations of 9 and 10 May.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 11 June 1727, with all present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

That morning the fort had a double alarm, and about noon the Dawson, Captain Steward, arrived from Bengal. About ten a ship was brought to at Rupert's Bay, and gave account that she came from Madagascar. The Governor ordered that she not be suffered to come into the road, but to anchor in Rupert's Bay until her cause was well examined.

About one the master came ashore and produced a tripartite indenture, made under the Honourable Company's seal and dated 22 June 1726, between the Honourable Company, the South Sea Company and the commander Charles Burnham. By this it appeared the ship was called the St Michael, a brigantine of 370 tons, 30 guns and 65 men. She had been licensed to go to Madagascar for slaves, from where she had now returned. Her instructions were dated at South Sea House, London, 3 June 1726 and signed by 22 of the court of directors of that company. A further commission was signed by the King and bore the great seal of England, annexed to it and dated 1 June 1726.

Since it appeared plainly from these authentic vouchers that the ship was abroad upon a fair account, she was suffered to come into the road and allowed refreshment. The master was cautioned to make haste and be gone.

A copy of the invoice from the Dawson was entered, kept in the fair book.

Interpretations

The double alarm and the challenge to the ship from Madagascar reflected the wartime watch framed on 9 May 1727, when the council warned of an impending conflict aligning England, France and Holland against the Emperor and Spain. Rupert's Bay was a separate anchorage north of the main road, so holding the unknown vessel there kept her clear of the fort until her business was proved. The Governor's caution turned on the danger that any strange sail might carry an enemy privateer.

The tripartite indenture named three parties, hence the term, binding the Honourable Company, the South Sea Company and the commander in a single deed. The South Sea Company held a monopoly over British trade to certain southern waters, so a voyage to Madagascar for slaves needed its licence as well as the Crown's authority. The commission under the great seal of England gave the voyage royal sanction, which is why the master carried both a company indenture and a King's commission to prove his lawful purpose.

The demand for authentic vouchers before admitting the ship shows the council acting as a gatekeeper over the anchorage. A vessel arriving from Madagascar, a known haunt of pirates, was treated with suspicion until documents established that she sailed on a fair account. Once satisfied, the council allowed refreshment but pressed the master to leave quickly, balancing hospitality against the risk of harbouring a doubtful ship in wartime.

The quarter meeting announced for 26 June 1727 established a regular court for the trial of local matters. Setting a fixed quarterly session gave the inhabitants a predictable forum for disputes and offences, replacing occasional hearings with a settled cycle. This reflected the council's dual role as both the island's government and its principal court.

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241

The Compys late Orders were as Usuall this Day delivered the Captain as

& Consultation of the 9th May

At a Consultation held Tuesday 13th June 1727 all Prest

The Last Consultacon read & Approved

The Compys Orders for heaving in were yesterday delivered to the Steward

as & Consultacon 20th May last

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has red the Cargo & Craggs Devonshire &

Barrington according to Invoice

At a Consultacon 17 June 1727 all Prest

Last Cons read repproved

Mr Powell this Day paid the Govr Cash Notes amounting to the Sum

of £80 praying Bills of Exchange for the Same

Ordered that a Set of Bills be accordingly drawn upon the Hon'ble Company

for the Sum aforesaid & that the Govr be made Debtor for the Same in Journall

Capt Goodwin Reports that he hath red the Govr Ship Dawson according to

Invoice

Consultacon 20th June 1727

Last Consultacon read & Approved

On Saturday last the Barrington Craggs Devonshire & Dawson Sailed

hence for England plentifully Supplyed with necessary Refreshments & as the rest

of the Great Men went from hence the Craggs Expressed their Satisfaction at the

Civilities Shewn them & the Care that was taken to furnish them with every thing

they wanted

Jno Bagley Sen'r presented the Last Wit & Testament of Wm Lee deceased

praying the Same might be Proved which was accordingly don upon the Oath of Rd

Beale & Caleb Davis Witnesses of the said Will

Ordered that Wednesday & Thursday next the 28 & 29 inst be Appointed to

Reckon with the Garrison &c for the Quarter Ending 25th of this Month,

& that publick Notice be accordingly given thereof

Rd Swallow being ill & having a Suit Depending between him & his Mother

humbly Prayed We would defer the Session appointed to be held on Tuesday next

a little time longer

Ordered that the Same be adjourned to Wednesday 26th July next

The Company's latest orders were, as usual, delivered to the captain that day. Their terms are entered in the consultation of 9 May.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 June 1727, with all present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Company's orders for heaving in were delivered to the steward the previous day. Their terms are entered in the consultation of 10 May.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the cargo of the Bonington, Devonshire and Devonshire, according to the invoice.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 June 1727, with all present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Mr Powell that day paid into the Governor cash notes amounting to £80, and asked for bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered that bills be duly drawn upon the Honourable Company for the sum stated, and that the Governor be made debtor for the same in the journal.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the cargo of the Dawson, according to the invoice.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 June 1727, with all present.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous Saturday the Bonington, Devonshire and Dawson sailed for England. Each was plentifully supplied with the necessary refreshment, and the rest of the goods went home from the island. The captains expressed their satisfaction at the civility shown them, and the care taken to furnish them with everything they wanted.

John Bagley junior presented the last will and testament of William Lee, deceased, and asked that it be proved. The council granted this on the oath of Richard Beale and Caleb Davis, witnesses to the will.

The council ordered that Wednesday and Thursday next, being the 28 and 29 of the month, be appointed to reckon with the garrison for the quarter ending 25 of the month, and that public notice be given accordingly.

Richard Swallow, being ill and having a suit depending between him and Mr Mercer, asked that the meeting appointed to be held the following Tuesday be put off a little longer. The council ordered that it be adjourned to Wednesday 26 July next.

Interpretations

The proving of William Lee's will followed the council's standard probate procedure, admitting the document to record on the sworn testimony of its witnesses. Richard Beale and Caleb Davis attested to the will, which established its validity for the transfer of the deceased's estate. This matched the practice seen with the will of Martha Stevenson, presented and ordered registered on 13 December 1726.

The repeated payment of cash notes for bills of exchange shows the standard means of moving value between the island and England. A bill of exchange was a written order to pay a sum elsewhere, redeemable at home, so money could be transferred without shipping coin. Making the Governor debtor for the sum in the journal recorded the island's liability against the notes received.

The departure of the Bonington, the Devonshire and the Dawson continued the homeward season at St Helena, where the island served as a victualling and refreshment station on the East India route. Each ship took on refreshment and the residue of its cargo before sailing on. The care noted in furnishing the ships reflected the council's concern to keep the island's reputation as a reliable port of call.

The adjournment of the quarter meeting at Richard Swallow's request shows the council accommodating a party unable to attend through illness. His suit against Mr Mercer would come before the court, so postponing the meeting preserved his chance to be heard. This flexibility tempered the fixed quarterly cycle set on 7 June 1727 with allowance for individual circumstance.

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Book cover

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243

EAP 1364 St Helena

Document Name and Date

St Helena Records 1725–1727

Dimensions

(height x width x depth) (cm)

No. written pages: 241

No. blank pages: 11

Spine and cover

Good condition

Inside pages

Good condition.

Foxing present.

Slightly frayed edges on some pages

Additional comments

Pages: 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 219, 220, 221, 229, 230, 231 are all blank but pages are numbered.

Time taken to photograph (hours)

2.5 hours